SIMS U-Pb dating of baddeleyite-zircon pairs in mafic rocks to determine the ages of magmatic mineralization and hydrothermal remobilization in a Ni-Cu-(PGE) deposit

Ni-Cu-(PGE) sulfide deposits associated with mafic–ultramafic rocks are the most important sources of Ni and platinum-group elements (PGE) in the world. These deposits also contain significant amounts of Cu. Such deposits are generally considered to have formed by multiple stages of primary magmatic concentration and secondary hydrothermal remobilization. However, constraining the ages of Ni-Cu-(PGE) sulfide deposits has proven challenging, particularly those that have experienced post-magmatic hydrothermal overprinting and remobilization. The lack of robust geochronology data has hindered understanding of the geological controls on this important type of mineralization. The Chibaisong Ni-Cu-(PGE) sulfide deposit in the North China Craton is characterized by disseminated and net-textured ores formed by magmatic processes and overprinted by hydrothermal Cu-rich vein stockwork. The Cu-rich vein stockwork is fracture-controlled, and contains a mineral assemblage of Ni-Cu sulfides (chalcopyrite, pyrrhotite, pentlandite), amphibole and quartz. Chalcopyrite in the hydrothermal stockwork is relatively depleted in Ni but enriched in Ag and Cd compared with disseminated magmatic chalcopyrite, typical of hydrothermal superimposed ores as documented elsewhere. We identified baddeleyite-zircon pairs associated with Ni-Cu sulfides in hydrothermal superimposed ores of the Chibaisong deposit, in which the baddeleyite is unequivocally of primary igneous origin whereas the zircon represents the replacement product of baddeleyite during hydrothermal alteration. In situ SIMS U-Pb dating of baddeleyite and zircon yielded weighted mean ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb ages of 2181 ± 21 Ma and 1892 ± 33 Ma, respectively, interpreted as the timing of magmatic mineralization and subsequent hydrothermal remobilization of the Ni-Cu-(PGE) deposit. Our results explain the large discrepancies in sulfide Re-Os ages previously obtained from this deposit. This study demonstrates that on the basis of detailed BSE imaging, in situ SIMS U-Pb dating of baddeleyite-zircon pairs can provide robust age constraints for both magmatic mineralization and hydrothermal remobilization of Ni-Cu-(PGE) sulfide deposits hosted in mafic–ultramafic intrusions, although further studies are needed to test whether the formation of such deposits commonly entails multiple stages of hydrothermal remobilization. Since baddeleyite or baddeleyite-zircon pairs are common accessory minerals in Ni-Cu-(PGE)-bearing mafic–ultramafic rocks, the dating approach employed in this study may be applicable to similar deposits elsewhere.