Dapingzhang Mine, Simao District, Pu'er, Yunnan, Chinai

Regional Level Types
Dapingzhang Mine	Mine
Simao District	District
Pu'er	Prefecture-level City
Yunnan	Province
China	Country

Late Carboniferous volcanic-hosted massive sulphide (VHMS) Cu-polymetallic deposit, discovered in 1996.

The main outcrop in the mining area includes the Daaozi Formation (S2+3d), as well as the Xiapotou Formation (T2x), Dashuijing Formation (T2d), Choushui Formation (T2c) and Huakaizuo Formation (J2h). The Daaozi Formation is a significant ore-bearing volcanic sequence, divided into four sections, listed from bottom to top: Section 1 (S2+3d1) consists of light gray to off-white quartz porphyry intercalated with light green fine tuff, topped by volcanic breccia, which represents the main ore-bearing horizon; Section 2 (S2+3d2) is composed of light gray to gray-green andesite, over 300 m thick, with common features such as corrosion structures, porosity, and almond-shaped textures. This section transitions into the ore-bearing horizon; Section 3 (S2+3d3) includes light gray rhyolite porphyry, fine tuff, gray-green volcanic breccia, and tuff, with a thickness of 500–520 m; Section 4 (S2+3d4) is composed of purple-gray porphyry, gray-green to yellow-gray volcanic breccia, and tuffaceous mudstone, with a thickness exceeding 500 m. The Xiapotou Formation (T2x) consists of interbedded gray-purple and gray-green lithic sandstone, siltstone, mudstone, and limestone, with a gravel bed at the base, ranging from 113 to 374 m thick. The Dashuijing Formation (T2d) is a shallow marine carbonate sequence, with a thickness ranging from 472 to 893 m. The Choushui Formation (T2c) consists of a shallow marine mixture of mudstone and carbonate rock, with a thickness ranging from 75.5 to 706.3 m. The Huakaizuo Formation (J2h) consists of red clastic rocks formed by marine-continental interaction, with a thickness ranging from 887 to 1465 m.
The Dapingzhang copper–gold polymetallic deposit contains 89 orebodies, which are layered, nearly layered, or lens-shaped. These orebodies extend northwest and have an average thickness of 0.3 to 65 m. Based on mineralogical and stratigraphic studies, the orebodies are classified into two types: the upper massive sulfide orebodies (V1) and the lower fine vein-disseminated orebodies (V2). The formation of metal sulfides in this gold-rich deposit is divided into four stages, based on ore structure, mineral intergrowths, and replacement relationships. These stages include four generations of pyrite (Py1-1, Py1-2, Py2, Py3), three generations of chalcopyrite (Ccp1-2, Ccp2, Ccp3), two generations of sphalerite (Sph2, Sph3), and multiple generations of galena. Chalcopyrite, pyrite, and sphalerite are the primary gold-bearing minerals.

The alteration pipe zonation progresses outward from the center as follows: (1) silicification − pyritization, (2) silicification − chloritization − pyritization, (3) sericitization − silicification − pyritization, and (4) sericitization − carbonatization zones.

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References