ANALYSIS ON THE GEOLOGY AND PROSPECTING POTENTIAL OF VEIN COPPER DEPOSITS IN SOUTHEASTERN HUBEI PROVINCE: A Case Study of Liujialong Orefield in Daye City

The Liujialong orefield is located on the south of Yinzu pluton in the Southeastern Hubei ore-concentrated region. Exploratory sections and boreholes show that the copper orebodies, mainly S- and SW-trending, are structurally controlled by the Maopu-Liangjianqiao E-W fault zone. The orebodies are mainly concentrated in the contact metasomatism area between quartz diorite and Silurian clastic rocks, hosted inside the pluton. The mineralization is of mainly chalcopyrited quartz diorite and chalcopyrite-bearing quartz vein types, with wall rocks dominated by potassic-altered quartz diorite and hornstone altered siltstone. By comparing the metallogenic types regionally, Liujialong vein copper orebodies are related to porphyry type. That is, plagioclase and quartz serve as rock-forming minerals, with also altered minerals such as chlorite and calcite. The mineralization mainly occurs in the skarnized quartz diorite belt. By summarizing the metallogenic regularity, it is considered that the favorable exploration area is on the pluton side of the contact between pluton and clastic rocks, where fault structures are developed.