Metamorphic Fluids with Magmatic Overprint in the Huayagou Gold Deposit, West Qinling Orogen, Central China: Evidence from Apatite and Tourmaline In Situ Geochemistry

Recent exploration has demonstrated significant prospecting potential at the Huayagou Au deposit in Longnan mineral Field, Gansu Province, West Qinling Orogen, Central China. However, the nature and evolution of the auriferous fluids responsible for gold enrichment remain poorly constrained, hindering effective exploration targeting of high-grade ores. In this study, apatite and tourmaline closely associated with gold mineralization are investigated as mineralogical recorders of fluid composition and evolution. Integrated petrographic observations, TIMA phase mapping, cathodoluminescence imaging, electron probe microanalysis, and in situ trace element analyses were used to distinguish magmatic, metamorphic, and syn-ore hydrothermal generations of apatite and tourmaline, together with in situ Nd isotopic analyses of apatite and B isotopic analyses of tourmaline. Syn-ore hydrothermal apatite is characterized by homogeneous blue cathodoluminescence, fluorapatite compositions, strong LREE depletion, and εNd(t) values overlapping those of Triassic magmatic apatite, whereas Early-Devonian magmatic and metamorphic apatites display more distinct signatures. Tourmaline records a systematic evolution from early dravite to late schorl, accompanied by trace element enrichment and a shift toward heavier δ11B values. These mineralogical and isotopic features, together with published sulfur isotope constraints, indicate that gold mineralization at Huayagou was dominantly controlled by structurally focused metamorphic fluids, with localized Triassic magmatic–hydrothermal overprinting enhancing gold enrichment in high-grade ores. The Huayagou Au deposit is, therefore, best interpreted as an atypical orogenic gold system, highlighting enhanced exploration potential in structurally favorable zones at depth, particularly in the western part of the district where Triassic magmatism is inferred.