Short-Wavelength Infrared Characteristics and Indications of Exploration of the Jiawula Silver–Lead–Zinc Deposit in Inner Mongolia

For the Jiawula lead–zinc deposit, as easily accessible resources become depleted, mines are becoming deeper to replenish ore reserves. Identifying large, continuous, and high-grade ore bodies in deep areas has become a daunting problem. Moreover, separating lead–zinc-bearing complex ore bodies from waste material and extracting them from associated minerals are also difficult. Thus, pioneering exploratory strategies and technological methodologies are required to make breakthroughs in mineral discovery. Based on extensive-scale structural lithofacies mapping, this paper uses short-wave infrared (SWIR) spectroscopy technology to investigate hydrothermal alteration minerals in the mining area. It has identified a total of 16 hydroxyl-bearing alteration minerals, including chlorite, muscovite, illite, calcite, ankerite, kaolinite, and smectite. These minerals establish zoning characteristics around the ore bodies and on their flanks. They comprise a segmented assemblage that follows the pattern of comb-textured quartz–illite–chlorite–carbonate → muscovite–illite–chlorite–ankerite → illite–smectite–chlorite → chlorite–kaolinite–calcite. Deep-zone illitization with a lower Al–OH absorbance peak wavelength (<2206 nm) and higher crystallinity indices (>1.1) and chloritization with higher Fe–OH absorbance peak wavelengths (>2254) and higher crystallinity indices (>3.0) are indicators of potential hydrothermal centers in the deeper regions. By finding hydrothermal centers and connecting their spatial distribution with existing ore bodies, a pertinent relationship between diabase + andesite, Fe-chlorite + illite, and high-grade mineralization has been established. They correspond well with the lithology-alteration mineralization. This research provides a basis for predicting the positioning of concealed ore bodies deep inside a mine or at the periphery.