Lithosphere electrical structure and its implications for the metallogenesis of copper and tungsten in northern Jiangxi, China

The tungsten and copper deposits in the northern Jiangxi, China are formed in an intraplate environment, with obvious structural mineralization zoning and prominent coexistence and separation enrichment patterns. It is a “natural laboratory” for understanding the intraplate mineralization. However, the understanding of deep crust mantle interactions regulate shallow tectonic-magmatic-mineralization responses in the study area is still insufficient. An array with 144 broad-band magnetotelluric data this important metallogenic region has been completed to find some possible clues to the metallogenesis of copper and tungsten in northern Jiangxi. The inverted resistivity model from 3-D inversion refines that the lithosphere beneath northern Jiangxi is mainly characterized by high-resistivity, but with an approximately, southeast trending high-conductivity zone that occurs beneath the Ganjiang fault. This high-conductivity zone delineates a lithospheric delamination zone, which is localized on a multiply reactivated ancient plate boundary. There is a southeast trending trans-crustal high-conductivity anomaly beneath the Dahutang tungsten deposits, which is connected to the delamination zone. However, the Dexing copper deposits on the east side is mainly characterized by high-resistivity and lacks a high-conductivity channel similar to that connecting the deep mantle. We speculate that this structural difference is likely a deep-seated controlling factor for the zoning of tungsten and copper deposits. This work provides electrical constraints for the deep processes of massive copper and tungsten mineralization in an intraplate environment.

This work was funded by the China Magnetotelluric Array National Science and Technology Major Project (2024ZD1000204), National Natural Science Foundation of China (42130811, 42304090 and 42374097), the Science and Technology Project of Jiangxi Province (DHSQT42023001 and 20242BAB2014) and by Autonomous Deployment Project of the National Key Laboratory of Uranium Resources Exploration-Mining and Nuclear Remote Sensing (2024QZ-TD-15, 2025QZ-YZZ-03).