Hydrothermal alteration and Cu–Co mineralization at the peripheral zone (Target H) of the Kitumba iron–oxide copper–gold system, Mumbwa District, Zambia

Abstract

Target H is a new Cu prospect discovered in the Mumbwa district of central Zambia. Copper mineralization in the Mumbwa district is linked to the hydrothermal system associated with the granite‐quartz syenite intrusions of the Hook batholith. The extent of the hydrothermal system has not been documented, but various Cu prospects, including Target H, have been discovered at the margins of the granite‐quartz syenite bodies. The objective of this study is to investigate the geological characteristics of the Target H prospect using petrographic, geochemical, and sulfur isotope data in order to understand the features of mineralization at the margin of the hydrothermal system. The Cu‐ and Co‐rich orebodies are hosted in siltstone and breccia correlated to the Kundelungu Group of the Neoproterozoic Katanga Supergroup rocks. The siltstone consists of alternating beds of sandstone and mudstone that are composed of diagenetic quartz, albite, dolomite, calcite, and muscovite. Breccia occurs parallel to the bedding planes and in the folded and fractured siltstone units. Lithostratigraphy is characterized by three domains: breccia, transition, and host rock, which are defined depending on the proportion of siltstone and breccia. The diagenetic minerals have been modified by hydrothermal alteration, resulting in alteration products controlled by the primary mineralogy of the host rocks: K‐feldspar and muscovite replace albite and muscovite in siltstone, while siderite and hematite replace dolomite and calcite in breccia. Hydrothermal calcite is observed in the veinlets with or without siderite and hematite. Copper mineralization is associated with hydrothermal alteration and occurs as chalcopyrite, bornite, and chalcocite in breccia and stockwork veins. Diagrams correlating geochemistry to lithology show that the bulk of Cu mineralization is hosted in the breccia. An anomalous concentration of Co occurs with Cu in breccia, but the two metals do not show similar enrichment and depletion behaviors. The Cu‐rich orebody forms in hematite‐dominated breccia domain, whereas Co‐rich orebody forms in siderite‐dominated breccia units in the transition domain. In addition to Cu and Co, geochemical data show significant enrichment of Fe, P, Ba, Mo, Pb, W, U, V, and light rare earth elements in the breccia. Sulfur isotopic values of sulfide minerals show lighter δ34S values between 5 and 9‰ in the breccia and heavy δ34S signatures of approximately 17–28‰ in the siltstone. The δ34S values measured from sulfides in the breccia were comparable to the values obtained from the Kitumba deposit, which is located at the center of the hydrothermal system. We propose a magmatic‐hydrothermal origin for the Cu‐ and Co‐rich orebodies in the breccia at Target H. Breccia was the conduit for iron‐oxide‐rich metal‐bearing fluids that originated from the Kitumba deposit. Cooling and reaction of the fluids with dolomite‐rich siltstone triggered a redox reaction that deposited Cu sulfide minerals and an anomalous concentration of Co.