Metallogenic model of the Shuangjianzishan Ag-Pb-Zn district, Northeast China: Revealed from integrated geophysical investigation

The Shuangjianzishan deposit in Inner Mongolia is a typical Ag-Pb-Zn deposit of the southern Great Xing’an Range. Proven reserves of Ag, Pb, and Zn in this deposit have reached the scale of super-large deposits, with favorable metallogenic conditions, strong prospecting signs, and high metallogenic potential. This paper reports a study involving integrated geophysical methods, including controlled-source audio-frequency magnetotelluric, gravity, magnetic, and shallow-seismic-reflection methods, to determine the spatial distribution of ore-controlling structures and subsurface intrusive rock for a depth range of <2000 m in the Shuangjianzishan ore district. The objective of this study is to construct a metallogenic model of the ore district and provide a scientific basis for the exploration of similar deposits in the deep and surrounding regions. We used three-dimensional inversion for controlled-source audio-frequency magnetotelluric data based on the limited memory quasi-Newton algorithm, and three-dimensional physical-property inversion for the gravity and magnetic data to obtain information about the subsurface distribution of ore-controlling structures and intrusive rocks. Under seismic reflection results, regional geology, petrophysical properties, and borehole information, the geophysical investigation shows that the Dashizhai group, which contains the main ore-bearing strata in the ore district, is distributed within a depth range of <1239 m, and is thick in the Xinglongshan ore block and the eastern part of the Shuangjianzishan ore block. The mineralization is spatially associated with a fault system characterized by NE-, NW-, and N-trending faults. The magnetic and electrical models identify large, deep bodies of intrusive rock that are inferred to have been involved in mineralization, with local shallow emplacement of some intrusions. Combining the subsurface spatial distributions of ore-bearing strata, ore-controlling faults, and intrusive rock, we propose two different metallogenic models for the Shuangjianzishan ore district, which provide a scientific basis for further prospecting in the deep regions of the ore district and surrounding areas.