Geological features and sulphur isotope study of the Meixian-style Pb-Zn-(Ag) deposits in Fujian Province, South China

The central Fujian rift is a new and important metallogenic province of volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits in China, where several large- and middle-size Pb-Zn deposits were recently discovered. All of the VMS deposits, here called Meixian-style, occur within Meso-NeoProterozoic greenschists that outcrop as metamorphic basement inliers and are characterized by higher LILE contents, enrichment in LREE and a small EU anomaly, and formed in the contiental rift. The orebodies are in stratiform, stratiform-like or lenticular form and ores display banded, disseminated, taxitic and massive textures with higher content of Pb+Zn. Sulphur isotope data for ores in four major deposits are within a narrow range of −3.5‰ to +5.6‰. It is concluded that the sulphur in these deposits was derived largely, from magmatic sources, although either volcanic exhalation or leaching from hosted volcanic rocks are possible.