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Geosciences
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The Application of Accessory Mineral Geochemistry in Ore Deposit Studies
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The Application of Accessory Mineral Geochemistry in Ore Deposit Studies

A special issue of Geosciences (ISSN 2076-3263). This special issue belongs to the section "Geochemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 September 2026 | Viewed by 2797

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Lei Liu

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Guest Editor
School of Geosciences and Info-Physics, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China
Interests: ore deposit geochemistry; precambrian geology; banded iron formations; Cu-Au deposits; W-Sn deposits; rare metal deposits; apatite geochemistry; zircon geochemistry; rutile geochemistry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Jingya Cao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511458, China
Interests: ore deposit geochemistry; mineralogy; igneous geochemistry; isotope geochemistry; ore deposit geology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Youyue Lu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Wuhan Centre of Geological Survey, China Geological Survey (Central South China Innovation Center for Geosciences), Wuhan 430205, China
Interests: mineral exploration; W-Sn deposits; Pb-Zn deposits; rare metal deposits; ore deposit geochemistry; mineralization chronology; zircon geochemistry; nanling mineralization belt
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Mineral are key to human understanding of the Earth and extraterrestrial objects and, although accessory minerals constitute only a minor proportion of rocks, they preserve critical clues to petrogenesis, mineralization, and tectonic processes. With the increasing accumulation and study of in situ trace element microanalytical data from single mineral grains, accessory minerals have become important tracers in ore deposit geochemistry and mineral exploration.

This Special Issue aims to compile the latest innovative insights from the in situ microanalysis of accessory minerals, highlighting their applications in:

  • ​Deposit classification​ (elemental and isotopic signatures);
  • ​Metallogenic age, environment, and processes​;
  • ​Material source tracing​;
  • ​Mineral exploration.

Commonly occuring accessory minerals (e.g., apatite) exhibit diagnostic trace element abundances and ratios that serve as fingerprints for deposit-type discrimination. Beyond hosting rare-earth and critical elements, accessory minerals often carry high U-Th concentrations, making them ideal probes for geochronology​ (e.g., zircon, monazite, apatite, titanite, rutile, and cassiterite), petrogenetic and metallogenic processes​, and source characterization. Redox-sensitive elements (Fe, V, Mn, Ce, and Eu) in accessory minerals quantitatively constrain ore-forming conditions (e.g., oxygen fugacity). In situ mineral domain analysis (e.g., core-mantle-rim) further deciphers fluid evolution during mineralization.

In summary, this Special Issue seeks to compile ​cutting-edge research​ applying ​the in situ microanalysis of accessory minerals​ to ore deposit studies, ​with particular emphasis on​ innovative approaches pioneered by ​early-career researchers.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Minerals.

Prof. Dr. Lei Liu
Dr. Jingya Cao
Dr. Youyue Lu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Geosciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Cu-Au deposits
  • rare metal deposits
  • W-Sn deposits
  • geochemical prospecting
  • ore deposit geochemistry
  • apatite geochemistry
  • tourmaline geochemistry
  • monazite geochemistry
  • in situ mineral microanalysis

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 47917 KB  
Article
Monazite and Cassiterite Dating and Pyrite S Isotopes of the Helukou Tungsten-Tin Polymetallic Deposit of the Guposhan Ore District, Nanling Range: Implications for Ore Genesis
by Ying’ai Zhou, Yiping Chen, Lujun Peng, Dezhen Zou, Jinlun Cai, Hao Lei and Jingya Cao
Geosciences 2026, 16(5), 191; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences16050191 - 10 May 2026
Viewed by 253
Abstract
The Guposh an orefield within the western segment of the Nanling Range hosts a globally significant tungsten and tin metallogenic province whose formation is tied to the intense Middle Jurassic granitic magmatism. Nonetheless, critical ambiguities remain regarding the metallogenetic ages and origin of [...] Read more.
The Guposh an orefield within the western segment of the Nanling Range hosts a globally significant tungsten and tin metallogenic province whose formation is tied to the intense Middle Jurassic granitic magmatism. Nonetheless, critical ambiguities remain regarding the metallogenetic ages and origin of ore-related hydrothermal fluids for W-Sn polymetallic deposits in this orefield. Here, we integrate in situ U-Pb geochronology of monazite and cassiterite and sulfur isotope analyses of pyrite from the Helukou W-Sn polymetallic deposit to resolve this outstanding question. In situ monazite U-Pb geochronology yielded lower intercept ages of 164.4 ± 1.1 Ma and 162.0 ± 2.0 Ma for the fine-grained and medium- to coarse-grained biotite monzogranite phases of the Guposhan pluton, respectively, bracketing its formation during the Middle Jurassic era. The initial 207Pb/206Pb ratio of 0.85 for the monazite grains is within the range of crustal and mantle materials, likely indicating a mantle–crust mixing source for the magma. Cassiterite from skarn-type ores yields a lower intercept U-Pb age of 165.9 ± 3.2 Ma, confirming a genetic relationship between the Guposhan magmatism and Helukou W-Sn mineralization. In situ pyrite δ34SV-CDT values show a uniform range from −0.66‰ to +0.79‰, indicating a uniform magmatic-derived sulfur source for the ore-forming fluids. We further demonstrate that fluid-rock interaction, rather than fluid mixing, acts as a crucial factor in the ore precipitation of W-Sn metals of the Helukou deposit. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Application of Accessory Mineral Geochemistry in Ore Deposit Studies)
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25 pages, 18749 KB  
Article
Elemental Geochemical Analysis for the Gold–Antimony Segregation in the Gutaishan Deposit: Insights from Stibnite and Pyrite
by Shiyi Lu, Yongyun Ning, Liang Xiao, Ke Huang, Siqi Chen, Xuan Zhu, Hao He and Miao Yu
Geosciences 2025, 15(12), 462; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences15120462 - 4 Dec 2025
Viewed by 1626
Abstract
In many gold–antimony deposits throughout the world, the sequence of Au and Sb precipitation varies significantly. In high-temperature systems such as hydrothermal Au deposits, gold typically precipitates prior to antimony, whereas in lower-temperature systems (e.g., Carlin-type deposits), no consistent depositional sequence is observed. [...] Read more.
In many gold–antimony deposits throughout the world, the sequence of Au and Sb precipitation varies significantly. In high-temperature systems such as hydrothermal Au deposits, gold typically precipitates prior to antimony, whereas in lower-temperature systems (e.g., Carlin-type deposits), no consistent depositional sequence is observed. The Gutaishan Au-Sb deposit, located in the Xiangzhong Basin of the Jiangnan Orogenic Belt, South China, exhibits a distinct spatial segregation within a continuously evolving system of gold and antimony mineralization—a pattern commonly observed in many Au-Sb deposits throughout the region. To elucidate the mechanisms controlling Au-Sb co-occurrence and segregation, we conducted electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA–ICP–MS) major and trace element analyses of stibnite and pyrite from quartz veins across different ore zones within the Gutaishan deposit. Trace element signatures—such as Cu-Pb correlations and Hg/(Cu + Pb) ratios which classify stibnite into Woxi-type and Xikuangshan-type, and Co/Ni ratios classifies pyrite into magmatic–hydrothermal and sedimentary types—suggest that the ore-forming fluids were predominantly magmatic–hydrothermal in origin, with minor contributions from metamorphic basement fluids. The occurrence of low-temperature trace element signatures in the Au-Sb deposit indicates that temperature is the primary control on Au-Sb segregation. The thermodynamic model further confirms that high-temperature fluids favored the precipitation of Au veins, while lower-temperature fluids facilitated the co-precipitation of stibnite and gold in Sb-Au veins. Therefore, we propose a metallogenic model for the Gutaishan deposit that highlights temperature-driven Au-Sb segregation, resulting from the progressive cooling of the ore-forming fluids. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Application of Accessory Mineral Geochemistry in Ore Deposit Studies)
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