The Discovery of Antimony Deposit in Yuling, Danfeng County, Shaanxi Province and Its Prospecting Significance

The newly discovered Yuling antimony deposit in Danfeng County is located in the eastern part of the North Qinling Composite Island Arc Complex. The mineralization area is classified as the North Qinling Au-Cu-Mo-Sb-Graphite-Kyanite-Sillimanite-Rutile mineralization belt. The ore body is hosted in the Zhai Gen Formation of the Xiahe Rock Group of the Mesoproterozoic. Four antimony ore bodies have been delineated, and the estimated potential antimony resources are approximately 8000 tons. The useful minerals in the ore are mainly stibnite and hauerite. The ore structure is mainly euhedral and subhedral, and the ore texture type is disseminated and disseminated in a starry pattern, with a small amount of banded texture. This discovery has increased the number of antimony deposits in this area and provided an additional example for further exploration of antimony deposits in this area. Based on the study of the geological background of mineralization, geological characteristics of the deposit, quality characteristics of the ore, and types of ore, the author has made a preliminary discussion on the genesis of the deposit and summarized the regional exploration indicators. The trace elements in stibnite are relatively enriched in Sb and W, and the rare earth element distribution curve shows a right-inclined curve with enrichment of light rare earth elements and depletion of heavy rare earth elements. The δ³⁴S value of stibnite is between 5.20‰ and 7.12‰, and the lead isotope composition is relatively stable with a small range of variation and relatively uniform ratios. The research shows that the Yuling antimony deposit can be divided into two ore types: quartz-stibnite type and quartz-stibnite-calcite type. It is a tectonic-hydrothermal remobilization type antimony deposit, and the mineralization is controlled by magmatic activity in the upper crust, tectonic activity, and metamorphic deformation. The ore-forming materials are derived from magmatic hydrothermal fluids in the upper crust and early sedimentary strata. The exploration indicators have specific stratigraphic, lithologic, structural, magmatic rock, and wall rock alteration characteristics.