Abstract:
The Xiongmei Copper deposit is located in Xiongmei Town, Shenzha County, Nagqu City, Tibet Autonomous Region, on the south side of the middle section of the Bangong Lake-Nujiang suture belt, and belongs to the arc-basin retrograde thrust sub-belt of the trailing edge of the North Gangdis. In order to analyze the metallogenic potential, soil geochemical measurements were carried out in the mining area using a 200 m × 40 m grid, and nine elements (Ag, Au, Bi, Cu, Mo, Pb, Sn, W, Zn) were analyzed. According to the test results, cluster analysis and factor analysis show that Cu, Zn, Pb and Au are relatively enriched, indicating a high potential for mineralization. A total of 46 single-element anomalies were delineated in this work, including 11 Ag anomalies, 6 Au anomalies, 5 Bi anomalies, 3 Cu anomalies, 4 Mo anomalies, 6 Pb anomalies, 7 Sn anomalies, 1 W anomaly, and 3 Zn anomalies. Combined with the geological conditions and elemental anomalies characteristics, one Class A prospecting target area was delineated in the southwestern part of the mining area, consistent with three ore-sighted boreholes (ZK1, ZK2, ZK3) previously drilled by earlier workers. The single-element anomaly Cu-3 is located in the southeastern part of the prospecting target area, and its anomaly intensity and scale far exceeded those at the ore-intersecting boreholes. The surface exposure consists of siliceous siltstone of the Duoni Formation, with no outcropping porphyry body. It is inferred that a concealed copper-bearing granodiorite porphyry has generated this anomaly. Therefore, the Cu-3 anomaly has favorable prospecting potential for porphyry copper deposits.