Genesis of the Jiajika superlarge lithium deposit, Sichuan, China: constraints from He–Ar–H–O isotopes

The Jiajika granitic- and pegmatite-type lithium deposit, which is in the Songpan-Garze Orogenic Belt in western Sichuan Province, China, is the largest in Asia. Previous studies have examined the geochemistry and mineralogy of pegmatites and their parental source rocks to determine the genesis of the deposit. However, the evolution of magmatic-hydrothermal fluids has received limited attention. We analyzed He–Ar–H–O isotopes to decipher the ore-fluid nature and identify the contribution of fluids to mineralization in the late stage of crystallization differentiation. In the Jiajika ore field, two-mica granites, pegmatites (including common pegmatites and spodumene pegmatites), metasandstones, and schists are the dominant rock types exposed. Common pegmatites derived from early differentiation of the two-mica granitic magmas before they evolved into spodumene pegmatites during the late stage of the magmatic evolution. Common pegmatites have 3He/4He ratios that vary from 0.18 to 4.68 Ra (mean 1.62 Ra), and their 40Ar/36Ar ratios range from 426.70 to 1408.06 (mean 761.81); spodumene pegmatites have 3He/4He ratios that vary from 0.18 to 2.66 Ra (mean 0.87 Ra) and their 40Ar/36Ar ratios range from 402.13 to 1907.34 (mean 801.65). These data indicate that the hydrothermal fluids were shown a mixture of crust- and mantle-derived materials, and the proportion of crust-derived materials in spodumene pegmatites increases significantly in the late stage of the magmatic evolution. The δ18OH2O–VSMOW values of common pegmatites range from 6.2‰ to 10.9‰, with a mean value of 8.6‰, and δDV–SMOW values vary from − 110‰ to − 72‰, with a mean of − 85‰. The δ18OH2O–VSMOW values of spodumene pegmatites range from 5.3‰ to 13.2‰, with a mean of 9.1‰, and δDV–SMOW values vary from − 115‰ to − 77‰, with a mean of − 91‰. These data suggest that the ore-forming fluids came from primary magmatic water gradually mixing with more meteoric water in the late stage of the magmatic evolution. Based on the He–Ar–H–O and other existing data, we propose that the ore-forming metals are mainly derived from the upper continental crust with a minor contribution from the mantle, and the fluid exsolution and addition of meteoric water during the formation of pegmatite contributed to the formation of the Jiajika superlarge lithium deposit.