Mineral Exploration and Resource Evaluation
Xiaoliang SUN, Xiao LIU, Lei HUA, Xia ZHANG, Haoran LI, Zhanchun ZOU, Honglian XING, Mingying TANG, Hongbin WU, Chenglong ZHENG, Ru JIA
The manganese deposits in China are predominantly of sedimentary type, having formed from the Middle Proterozoic to the Neoproterozoic, the Late Paleozoic, and the early Mesozoic eras. These deposits are chiefly located in South China, with the “Datangpo-type” manganese deposit serving as the most representative example. In recent years, notable advancements have been achieved in the study of marine sedimentary carbonate-type manganese deposits within the Carboniferous sedimentary rock series in western China. Several medium to large manganese deposits, including the Aoertuokanashi, Muhu, and Maerkantu deposits, have been discovered in succession. The Xiaoerbulake manganese deposit, which is the focus of this study, is a newly identified deposit, situated in the Aketao area of Xinjiang Province. This deposit formed at the margin of a continental rift basin, exemplified by Qiaerlong, and is found within the stratified gray-black manganese-mineralized, pyrite-bearing argillaceous limestone of the Lower Carboniferous Talong Group. The deposit is primarily characterized by the presence of three manganese-rich minerals: rhodochrosite, manganocalcite, and kutnohorite. To comprehensively examine the sources of ore-forming materials and the formation environment of the Xiaoerbulake manganese deposit, a series of petrographic, mineralogical, and lithogeochemical analyses were undertaken. The lithogeochemical data reveal that in comparison to the surrounding rocks, the manganese ore is characterized by titanium depletion and low SiO2/Al2O3 ratios, indicative of high-iron, medium-phosphorus, low-grade manganese ore. Trace elements such as Rb, Ta, and Hf are relatively deficient, whereas Th, Sm, and Y are enriched. The distribution of rare earth elements(REE) shows a pattern of light REE depletion and high REE enrichment, marked by a weakly negative Ce anomaly, a positive Eu anomaly, and a positive Y anomaly, suggesting that the manganese deposit originated from submarine hydrothermal venting. Environmental discrimination analysis indicates that the Y/Ho ratio of the manganese ore aligns with values typical of Phanerozoic limestone; additionally, the Sr-Ba ratio, the weakly negative Ce anomaly, and the positive Y anomaly imply that manganese mineralization occurred in a brackish to hypersaline, relatively oxidized depositional environment. The mechanism of mineralization can be described as follows: during the late Paleozoic era, Fe-Mn-enriched polymetallic submarine hydrothermal fluids interacted with seawater. This interaction led to the preferential accumulation of Mn²⁺ and Fe²⁺ ions as mixed (Mn, Fe)-(oxy)hydroxide complexes within redox transition zones characterized by relatively oxygen-deficient, reducing, and mildly alkaline to acidic conditions. These complexes subsequently underwent diagenetic transformation through reactions with carbonate ions, resulting in the formation of manganese carbonate assemblages predominantly composed of rhodochrosite. These assemblages were then transported to favorable sedimentary depressions, where they co-precipitated with carbonate sediments, ultimately leading to the formation of the Xiaorbulak manganese deposit.