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Postsubduction porphyry Cu-Au and epithermal Au deposits:

Products of remelting of subduction-modified lithosphere
Jeremy P. Richards*
Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E3, Canada
ABSTRACT
Porphyry Cu Mo Au and some epithermal Au deposits are formed from hydrothermal
fluids exsolved from cooling, water-rich, calc-alkaline magmas emplaced in volcanoplutonic
arcs above subduction zones. These magmas originate by partial melting of the metasomatized
asthenospheric mantle wedge. However, there is increasing evidence for the existence of a suite
of porphyry Cu-Au and epithermal Au deposits related to magmas generated after subduction beneath the arc has ceased. Associated magmas tend to be mildly alkaline, relatively sulfur poor, and emplaced as isolated complexes rather than in voluminous volcanoplutonic arcs.
They are likely formed by remelting of previously subduction-modified arc lithosphere, triggered by postsubduction lithospheric thickening, lithospheric extension, or mantle lithosphere
delamination. Metasomatized mantle lithosphere or hydrous lower crustal cumulates residual
from first-stage arc magmatism contain small amounts of chalcophile and siderophile element
rich sulfides, and constitute a fertile source for hydrous, Au-rich, but relatively sulfur-poor
magmas during later remelting. The recognition that porphyry Cu-Au and related epithermal
Au systems can also form in postsubduction and collisional tectonic settings expands the range
of geological environments and geographical terranes that are prospective for such deposits.

INTRODUCTION
Porphyry Cu Mo Au and related epithermal
Au deposits are intrusion centered, and are formed
at 4 and 1 km depth, respectively, by fluids
exsolved from magmas emplaced at ~510 km
depth in the upper crust (Sillitoe and Hedenquist, 2003). The majority of known deposits are
genetically related to intermediate to felsic calcalkaline magmas in volcanoplutonic arcs above
active subduction zones (Fig. 1A). They are thus
directly linked to the petrogenesis of arc magmas, and derive their fundamental characteristics
(e.g., relatively high oxidation state and enrichments in alkalies, S, Cl, H2O, and some metals)
from subduction processes. Arc magmas are
predominantly formed by partial melting of the
metasomatized wedge of asthenospheric mantle
between the downgoing oceanic and overriding
oceanic or continental plates (Ringwood, 1977).
These basaltic magmas evolve and interact with
the upper plate lithosphere as they ascend to
form hybrid andesitic magmas characterized
by relatively high oxidation states (typically ~2
log f O2 units higher than the fayalite-magnetitequartz buffer) and high water contents (4 wt%
H2O) (as reviewed in Richards, 2003). These
two characteristics are critical to the formation of magmatic-hydrothermal ore deposits
(Candela, 1992): the high oxidation state suppresses the formation of significant amounts of
magmatic sulfide phases, which would strip the
magma of chalcophile and siderophile metals
(e.g., Fe, Cu, Au, Mo; Hamlyn et al., 1985;
*E-mail: Jeremy.Richards@ualberta.ca.

Richards, 2005); and the high water content

results in saturation of the magma in an aqueous fluid phase upon ascent into the upper crust,
into which these metals will efficiently partition
(Candela and Holland, 1984).
Although magmas with these characteristics
most commonly form directly in response to
inputs from the subduction zone, it is also possible to extract compositionally and isotopically
similar magmas from upper plate lithosphere that
has been modified by prior subduction processes,
but with melting caused by later postsubduction
events (e.g., Johnson et al., 1978; Harris et al.,
1986). Recently, a number of porphyry Cu-Au
and epithermal Au deposits have been described
in association with such magmas, with ages and
from locations that are incompatible with a relationship to contemporaneous subduction, but
consistent with postsubduction or collisional tectonic settings. It is proposed that these deposits
were formed from hydrous magmas derived
by partial remelting of the metasomatized
lithospheric roots and hydrous cumulate zones
of former arc systems, in response to a variety of
mechanisms such as lithospheric thickening and
thermal rebound, subcontinental lithospheric
mantle (SCLM) delamination, or lithospheric
extension (Figs. 1B1D).
ARC MAGMATISM AND
CRUSTAL STRUCTURE
In mature island arcs or continental arcs,
primitive basaltic magmas ascending from
the mantle wedge typically stall at the base of
the upper plate crust due to density contrasts

(Hildreth and Moorbath, 1988). In a process

described by Hildreth and Moorbath (1988) as
melting, assimilation, storage, and homogenization (MASH), heat released from this mafic
magma input causes partial melting of crustal
rocks. Mixing and differentiation of these
melts forms hybrid, intermediate-composition,
calc-alkaline magmas, with low enough density that they can ascend into the upper crust.
The cumulate residues from this process can be
seen in exhumed lower crustalupper mantle
arc sections such as Talkeetna (Alaska; DeBari
and Coleman, 1989) and Kohistan (Pakistan;
Jagoutz et al., 2007). These cumulates contain
large amounts of amphibole along with olivine,
pyroxene, and plagioclase, and garnet in thicker
arc sections. Davidson et al. (2007) proposed
that these amphibole-rich cumulates act like a
sponge, storing as much as 20% of the water in
the original arc magma flux.
Magmas processed through these lower
crustal MASH zones commonly display relatively high Sr/Y and La/Yb ratios due to the
suppression of early plagioclase crystallization
and the preferential partitioning of Y and middle
and heavy rare earth elements into amphibole
and garnet (Green and Pearson, 1985).
POSTSUBDUCTION TECTONICS
AND MAGMATISM
Magma generation beneath an arc may cease
for several reasons, including migration of the
locus of melting due to changes in the angle
of subduction (e.g., North and South American Cordillera; Kay et al., 2005), subduction

2009 The Geological Society of America. For permission to copy, contact Copyright Permissions, GSA, or editing@geosociety.org.
GEOLOGY,
March
2009
Geology,
March
2009;
v. 37; no. 3; p. 247250; doi: 10.1130/G25451A.1; 2 figures.

247

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Figure 1. A: Porphyry Cu
generation as a product of
normal arc magmatism;
continental arc is shown,
but similar processes can
occur in mature island
arcs. MASHmelting, assimilation, storage, and
homogenization. SCLM
subcontinental lithospheric mantle. BD:
Remelting of subductionmetasomatized SCLM or
lower crustal hydrous
cumulate zones (black
layer) leading to potential porphyry Cu-Au and
epithermal Au deposit
formation. B: Collisional
lithospheric thickening.
C: Postcollisional lithospheric mantle delamination. D: Postsubduction
lithospheric extension.
High Sr/Y and La/Yb magmas may be generated in
all cases by residual or
fractionating hornblende
(garnet, titanite) in the
lower crust.

reversal or jumping (e.g., southwest Pacific;

Gill and Whelan, 1989; Solomon, 1990), or
collision that terminates subduction (e.g.,
Papua New Guinea and southwest Asia; Pearce
et al., 1990; Richards et al., 1990; Cloos et al.,
2005). Such processes are common and occur
on relatively short time scales (~1 m.y.), with
essentially instantaneous cessation of arc volcanism (Gill and Whelan, 1989). Depending
on the cause, the former arc may undergo stress
states ranging from tension (rifting) to compression (collision). Both states may lead to
a brief resurgence in magmatism (Davies and
von Blankenburg, 1995; Paquette et al., 2003).
In the case of postsubduction arc extension,
decompression melting may occur in upwelling
subduction-metasomatized asthenosphere and/or
attenuated lithosphere, leading to the generation of mafic alkaline (shoshonitic or hawaiitic)
magmas (Fig. 1D; Luhr, 1997; Paquette et al.,
2003). Translithospheric extensional structures
provide channelways for rapid ascent of mantlederived magmas to upper crustal levels, with
little crustal interaction (Richards et al., 1990).
In contrast, postsubduction arc contraction
caused by collision may lead to crustal thickening and delamination of the SCLM, with partial
melting occurring in depressed lower crustal
rocks as isotherms rebound or hot asthenospheric
melts invade (Figs. 1B and 1C). The resulting
magmas are more felsic, commonly with calcalkaline to mildly alkaline character, and have

248

crustal radiogenic isotopic signatures (Harris

et al., 1986; Davies and von Blankenburg,
1995). The presence of amphibole and/or garnet
in the lower crustal former arc source rocks may
accentuate the high Sr/Y and La/Yb signatures of these magmas, leading to their (mis-)
identification as adakites in some cases. However,
the lack of active subduction and their crustal isotopic compositions preclude a slab-melting origin
(Hou et al., 2004; Wang et al., 2005).
In both cases (extension or contraction), the
source region is previously subduction-modified
lithosphere asthenosphere, and the postsubduction magmas therefore share many of the
geochemical and isotopic characteristics of
the preceding arc magmatism. However, because
of the transience of these events (compared with
steady-state subduction), the magmas will be
formed in relatively small volumes and at relatively low degrees of partial melting (Davies
and von Blankenburg, 1995; Jiang et al., 2006).
Thus, postsubduction magmatism tends to be
spatially isolated, and mildly (high-K Na calcalkaline) to strongly alkaline in character.
POSTSUBDUCTION MAGMATICHYDROTHERMAL ORE DEPOSITS
Extensional or Transtensional Environments
and Alkalic-Type Epithermal Au Deposits
The most characteristic mineralization style
in extensional postsubduction environments
is alkalic-type epithermal Au, associated with

mafic alkalic intrusive complexes (Richards,

1995). Examples include the Porgera and
Ladolam (Papua New Guinea; Richards et al.,
1990; Mller et al., 2002), Emperor (Fiji; Eaton
and Setterfield, 1993), and Cripple Creek (Colorado; Kelley and Ludington, 2002) gold deposits.
All of these systems formed in extensional or
transtensional structural settings after subduction either ceased (Lihir, Porgera) or migrated
away (Emperor, Cripple Creek).
Contractional Environments and Porphyry
Cu-Au and Epithermal Au Deposits
Gold-rich porphyry and epithermal Au
deposits associated with high-K calc-alkaline to
shoshonitic magmas have recently been reported
from arc collisional environments (including
collision with continents, microcontinent fragments, or mature island arcs). Examples include:
the Eocene pler epithermal Au deposit in eastern central Turkey, which postdates Cretaceous
Paleocene Neo-Tethyan collision (Keskin et al.,
2008); the late Miocene Sari Gunay epithermal
Au deposit in northwest Iran, which postdates
Paleogeneearly Neogene Neo-Tethyan collision (Richards et al., 2006); Neogene porphyry Cu-Au deposits in the southwest Pacific,
which followed collision or subduction reversal
(Solomon, 1990); and mid-Miocene porphyry
Cu-Au deposits in Tibet, which postdate Late
Cretaceous collision between India and Asia
(Hou et al., 2005).

GEOLOGY, March 2009

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The porphyry deposits in these settings
closely resemble those from subduction-related
arcs, except for a relationship to mildly alkaline
intrusions, and a tendency to be relatively Au
rich and Mo poor. These broad similarities, but
also subtle differences, in both magma composition and ore deposit style suggest similar petrogenetic and metallogenic processes, differing
only in detail.
CONTROLS ON METAL ENDOWMENT
Postsubduction magmatism can be viewed
as a second stage of melting of subductionmodified upper plate lithosphere, which may
remobilize metals and other elements introduced during first-stage arc magmatism.
Arc magmatism leaves a large amount of
hydrous residue at the base of the crust and in
the lithospheric mantle (Fig. 1A), which, due
to the high magmatic sulfur content (de Hoog
et al., 2001), likely also contains some residual
sulfide phases. Arc magmas, although sulfur
rich, are also relatively oxidized, such that the
bulk of the sulfur is present as SO2 dissolved
in the magma (Carroll and Rutherford, 1985).
Nevertheless, small amounts of sulfide (as melt
or crystalline phases) can be expected to be
present, which because of its high density will
tend to settle out in cumulate zones. For example, Jagoutz et al. (2007) noted the presence of
accessory Fe-Ni sulfides, along with Cr-spinel
and Cr-magnetite, in lower crustal cumulates
from Kohistan; McInnes et al. (1999) reported
Fe-Ni sulfides with high concentrations of Au
and platinum group elements (PGE) in metasomatic veins in subarc mantle xenoliths from
a submarine shoshonitic volcano near Lihir
Island, Papua New Guinea; and Newberry et al.
(1986) noted enrichments in Fe, Mn, Zn, and Cu
in gabbroic cumulates from Talkeetna.
Chalcophile and siderophile elements such
as Cu, Ni, Au, and PGE partition strongly
into sulfide phases relative to silicate melts,
with partition coefficients increasing from
Cu < Ni < Au and PGE (Peach et al., 1990).
Where moderate amounts of sulfide are present relative to the volume of silicate melt
(R = 10 210 5; Fig. 2), the concentration of Cu in
the magma will be minimally affected because
of its greater overall abundance (tens to hundreds of parts per million) and lower partition
coefficient (D 10 3), whereas sparse (parts per
million to parts per billion) Au, Ni, and other
highly siderophile elements (D 10 5) will be
depleted in the magma (Fig. 2; Campbell and
Naldrett, 1979). In contrast, the complementary residual sulfides will be enriched in these
highly siderophile elements. Thus, first-stage
arc magmas tend to generate Cu-rich, relatively
Au-poor porphyry systems, while leaving a
relatively Au-rich residue in the lower crust and
lithospheric mantle (Richards, 2005).

GEOLOGY, March 2009

Figure 2. Concentrations
of Cu and Au in silicate
magma as function of R =
(mass of silicate melt)/
(mass of sulfide melt)
(Campbell and Naldrett,
1979). Cu-rich magmas
can form at relatively low
R factors (R = 102105),
but leave a relatively
Au-rich sulfide residue.
Remelting of this sulfide
residue (R 105) during
second-stage melting
events can generate relatively Au-rich magmas.

If this fertile, hydrous residue is subjected to

a second stage of melting, either by invasion of
small volumes of hot, oxidized asthenospheric
magma, or thermal rebound after lithospheric
thickening (Figs. 1B1D), then Au-rich residual sulfide phases may redissolve (R 10 5;
Fig. 2) to generate magmas with relatively high
Au/Cu ratios (Solomon, 1990; Richards, 2005)
and perhaps also PGE enrichments (cf. Tarkian
and Stribrny, 1999). Such magmas will have the
potential to form porphyry Cu-Au and epithermal Au deposits.
A corollary of this process is that postsubduction magmas and associated hydrothermal ore
deposits will be less sulfur rich than first-stage
arc systems. Accordingly, arc magmas are commonly associated with high-sulfidation-style
epithermal deposits, whereas postsubduction
systems are more typically low sulfidation.

oxidizing but S-rich conditions of arc magmatism), these sulfide phases will be enriched
in Au and other highly siderophile elements.
During second-stage postsubduction magmatism, these small volumes of sulfide will
remelt, releasing their metal contents to the
alkaline silicate magma. Late-stage partitioning of these metals into hydrothermal fluids
exsolved during cooling and crystallization of
this magma at upper crustal levels generates
magmatic-hydrothermal ore deposits superficially similar to arc-related porphyry and epithermal deposits, but more enriched in Au and
of generally lower sulfidation state.
Thus, regions of postsubduction magmatism, which may have been overlooked by mineral exploration strategies in the past, have the
potential to host significant Au-rich porphyry
and epithermal deposits.

CONCLUSIONS
Postsubduction magmatism resulting from
lithospheric thickening, thermal rebound, mantle
lithosphere delamination, or lithospheric extension shares many geochemical and isotopic
characteristics with subduction-related calcalkaline magmatism, but tends to be more alkaline (shoshonitic, hawaiitic), less sulfur rich,
and more isolated in distribution and timing.
Such magmas are derived by remelting of the
metasomatized roots of former arc magmatic
systems, from which they inherit their arc geochemical signature and metal endowment.
Porphyry- and epithermal-style mineral
deposits associated with postsubduction magmatism are Au rich relative to many arc-related
deposits, a characteristic that may reflect
remelting of small amounts of residual sulfide
left in the deep lithosphere by arc magmatism.
Because of their sparsity (under the relatively

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This work was supported by a Discovery Grant
from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research
Council of Canada. I thank S. DeBari, A. Greene,
and R. Sillitoe for helpful advice, and J. Hedenquist,
G. Yogodzinski, C. Macpherson, and A. Tomkins for
constructive reviews.
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Manuscript received 18 August 2008
Revised manuscript received 28 October 2008
Manuscript accepted 30 October 2008
Printed in USA

GEOLOGY, March 2009

Downloaded from geology.gsapubs.org on January 22, 2016

Geology
Postsubduction porphyry Cu-Au and epithermal Au deposits: Products of
remelting of subduction-modified lithosphere
Jeremy P. Richards
Geology 2009;37;247-250
doi: 10.1130/G25451A.1

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Notes

2009 Geological Society of America