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Chalapu Au deposit, Lhünzê Co. (Longzi Co.), Shannan Prefecture (Lhokha Prefecture; Lhoka Prefecture), Tibet, Chinai
| Regional Level Types | |
|---|---|
| Chalapu Au deposit | Deposit |
| Lhünzê Co. (Longzi Co.) | County |
| Shannan Prefecture (Lhokha Prefecture; Lhoka Prefecture) | Prefecture |
| Tibet | Autonomous Region |
| China | Country |
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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
28° 37' 33'' North , 92° 24' 12'' East
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
Köppen climate type:
Quartz vein-type gold deposit.
A total of 10 ore belts and 17 gold ore bodies have been identified, with the majority of gold reserves controlled in the No. II ore belt, representing over half of the total reserves. The No. II gold ore belt trends northeast within the carbonaceous shale layers, with a mineralized zone length of 2800 m and a width varying from 3.0 m to 20.0 m, encompassing 7 ore bodies. Among these, the II-3 ore body is the largest in the area, measuring 2880 m in length, with a thickness ranging from 0.35 m to 19.81 m, averaging 1.76 m. Gold grades in the ore body range from 1.03 to 12.7 ppm, with the highest grade recorded at 46.1 ppm.
The main ore types of ore deposits are alteration rock type, followed by hydrothermal breccia type and quartz vein type. The alteration rock type is the most important type of ore and their protolith is altered carbonaceous shale, sandy shale, and diabase.
Two pulses of metamorphic hydrothermal fluids associated with post-collisional extension were involved in the ore-forming process, further supporting the classification of the Chalapu deposit as an orogenic gold deposit. The gold mineralization zone comprises 27 ore bodies, which are structurally controlled by nearly EW- and NE-trending faults. Ore body II-1, the focus of this study, manifests as veins striking between 81° and 87° and dipping at angles ranging from 32° to 89°, with thicknesses varying from 1.02 m to 6.04 m. Grades within this ore body range from 2.73 g/t to 8.04 g/t, with an average grade of 6.68 g/t. The types of ore in the Chalapu deposit include altered rock-type, breccia-type, and quartz vein type. Ore minerals in the altered rock-type ore are predominantly arsenopyrite, with subordinate pyrite, and locally minor sphalerite and chalcopyrite.
Select Mineral List Type
Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsCommodity List
This is a list of exploitable or exploited mineral commodities recorded at this locality.Mineral List
14 valid minerals.
Rock Types Recorded
Select Rock List Type
Alphabetical List Tree DiagramDetailed Mineral List:
Gallery:
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
| Group 1 - Elements | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ⓘ | Native Gold var. Electrum | 1.AA.05 | (Au,Ag) |
| ⓘ | 1.AA.05 | Au | |
| ⓘ | Graphite | 1.CB.05a | C |
| Group 2 - Sulphides and Sulfosalts | |||
| ⓘ | Sphalerite | 2.CB.05a | ZnS |
| ⓘ | Chalcopyrite | 2.CB.10a | CuFeS2 |
| ⓘ | Galena | 2.CD.10 | PbS |
| ⓘ | Stibnite | 2.DB.05 | Sb2S3 |
| ⓘ | Pyrite | 2.EB.05a | FeS2 |
| ⓘ | Arsenopyrite | 2.EB.20 | FeAsS |
| ⓘ | 'Tetrahedrite Subgroup' | 2.GB.05 | Cu6(Cu4C2+2)Sb4S12S |
| Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides | |||
| ⓘ | Quartz | 4.DA.05 | SiO2 |
| ⓘ | Rutile | 4.DB.05 | TiO2 |
| Group 5 - Nitrates and Carbonates | |||
| ⓘ | Calcite | 5.AB.05 | CaCO3 |
| ⓘ | Ankerite | 5.AB.10 | Ca(Fe2+,Mg)(CO3)2 |
| Group 9 - Silicates | |||
| ⓘ | Zircon | 9.AD.30 | Zr(SiO4) |
| ⓘ | Muscovite var. Illite | 9.EC.15 | K0.65Al2.0[Al0.65Si3.35O10](OH)2 |
| ⓘ | 9.EC.15 | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 | |
| ⓘ | var. Sericite | 9.EC.15 | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| Unclassified | |||
| ⓘ | 'Chlorite Group' | - | |
| ⓘ | 'Feldspar Group' | - | |
| ⓘ | 'Limonite' | - | |
| ⓘ | 'Apatite' | - | Ca5(PO4)3A |
| ⓘ | 'Micrite' | - | |
List of minerals for each chemical element
| H | Hydrogen | |
|---|---|---|
| H | ⓘ Muscovite var. Illite | K0.65Al2.0[Al0.65Si3.35O10](OH)2 |
| H | ⓘ Muscovite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| H | ⓘ Muscovite var. Sericite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| C | Carbon | |
| C | ⓘ Ankerite | Ca(Fe2+,Mg)(CO3)2 |
| C | ⓘ Calcite | CaCO3 |
| C | ⓘ Graphite | C |
| O | Oxygen | |
| O | ⓘ Ankerite | Ca(Fe2+,Mg)(CO3)2 |
| O | ⓘ Calcite | CaCO3 |
| O | ⓘ Muscovite var. Illite | K0.65Al2.0[Al0.65Si3.35O10](OH)2 |
| O | ⓘ Muscovite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| O | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| O | ⓘ Rutile | TiO2 |
| O | ⓘ Zircon | Zr(SiO4) |
| O | ⓘ Muscovite var. Sericite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| O | ⓘ Apatite | Ca5(PO4)3A |
| Mg | Magnesium | |
| Mg | ⓘ Ankerite | Ca(Fe2+,Mg)(CO3)2 |
| Al | Aluminium | |
| Al | ⓘ Muscovite var. Illite | K0.65Al2.0[Al0.65Si3.35O10](OH)2 |
| Al | ⓘ Muscovite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| Al | ⓘ Muscovite var. Sericite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| Si | Silicon | |
| Si | ⓘ Muscovite var. Illite | K0.65Al2.0[Al0.65Si3.35O10](OH)2 |
| Si | ⓘ Muscovite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| Si | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| Si | ⓘ Zircon | Zr(SiO4) |
| Si | ⓘ Muscovite var. Sericite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| P | Phosphorus | |
| P | ⓘ Apatite | Ca5(PO4)3A |
| S | Sulfur | |
| S | ⓘ Arsenopyrite | FeAsS |
| S | ⓘ Chalcopyrite | CuFeS2 |
| S | ⓘ Galena | PbS |
| S | ⓘ Pyrite | FeS2 |
| S | ⓘ Sphalerite | ZnS |
| S | ⓘ Stibnite | Sb2S3 |
| S | ⓘ Tetrahedrite Subgroup | Cu6(Cu4C22+)Sb4S12S |
| K | Potassium | |
| K | ⓘ Muscovite var. Illite | K0.65Al2.0[Al0.65Si3.35O10](OH)2 |
| K | ⓘ Muscovite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| K | ⓘ Muscovite var. Sericite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| Ca | Calcium | |
| Ca | ⓘ Ankerite | Ca(Fe2+,Mg)(CO3)2 |
| Ca | ⓘ Calcite | CaCO3 |
| Ca | ⓘ Apatite | Ca5(PO4)3A |
| Ti | Titanium | |
| Ti | ⓘ Rutile | TiO2 |
| Fe | Iron | |
| Fe | ⓘ Ankerite | Ca(Fe2+,Mg)(CO3)2 |
| Fe | ⓘ Arsenopyrite | FeAsS |
| Fe | ⓘ Chalcopyrite | CuFeS2 |
| Fe | ⓘ Pyrite | FeS2 |
| Cu | Copper | |
| Cu | ⓘ Chalcopyrite | CuFeS2 |
| Cu | ⓘ Tetrahedrite Subgroup | Cu6(Cu4C22+)Sb4S12S |
| Zn | Zinc | |
| Zn | ⓘ Sphalerite | ZnS |
| As | Arsenic | |
| As | ⓘ Arsenopyrite | FeAsS |
| Zr | Zirconium | |
| Zr | ⓘ Zircon | Zr(SiO4) |
| Ag | Silver | |
| Ag | ⓘ Native Gold var. Electrum | (Au,Ag) |
| Sb | Antimony | |
| Sb | ⓘ Stibnite | Sb2S3 |
| Sb | ⓘ Tetrahedrite Subgroup | Cu6(Cu4C22+)Sb4S12S |
| Au | Gold | |
| Au | ⓘ Native Gold var. Electrum | (Au,Ag) |
| Au | ⓘ Native Gold | Au |
| Pb | Lead | |
| Pb | ⓘ Galena | PbS |
Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality
AsiaContinent
- HimalayasMountain Range
- Hindukush Himalayan RegionGroup of Mountain Ranges
China
- Himalayan Li Mineral BeltMineral Belt
- Southern Tibet - Tengchong Li Mineral BeltMineral Belt
- ⭔Southwest ChinaRegion
Eurasian PlateTectonic Plate
- Himalayan Orogenic BeltOrogenic Belt
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References
Yang, Zhusen; Hou, Zengqian; Meng, Xiangjin; Liu, Yingchao; Fei, Hongcai; Tian, Shihong; Li, Zhenqing; Gao, Wei (2009) Post-collisional Sb and Au mineralization related to the South Tibetan detachment system, Himalayan orogen. Ore Geology Reviews, 36 (1). doi:10.1016/j.oregeorev.2009.03.005
[1]Dou, Xiaofang, Zheng, Youye, Zheng, Shunli, Chen, Xin (2024) Advanced soil-gas geochemical exploration methods for orogenic gold deposits: A case study of Chalapu deposit, Xizang. Ore Geology Reviews, 173. 106226 doi:10.1016/j.oregeorev.2024.106226
[2]Liu, Ying; Sun, Xiaoming; Fu, Yu; Xu, Li; Yang, Chengye; Liu, Qiaofen; Ran, Menglan; Ding, Zhengpeng; Ling, Shimeng; Yi, Jianzhou (2025) Genesis of the Chalapu orogenic gold deposit in southern Tibet: New insights from in situ geochemistry and sulfur isotopes of auriferous sulfides. Ore Geology Reviews, 186. 106891 doi:10.1016/j.oregeorev.2025.106891
