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The Tongling ore district of the Middle-Lower Yangtze metallogenic belt is a famous Cu-Au-Fe-S polymetal region, and its tectonic deformation, magmatic evolution, and metallogenic processes have been studied for decades. In this article, we propose a comprehensive tectonic-magmatic-metallogenic model of the ore-forming mechanism constrained by magmatism and regional deformation. In the Tongling district, the tectonic regime underwent two transitions. (1) In the Middle Triassic, the tectonic regime transitioned from quiescence to intense compression. During contraction, the lithosphere thickened and a series of NE-trending folds developed in the cover sequence; because of the multi-layered structure of this caprock, bedding faults, typically cut by steeply dipping faults, developed widely. (2) From 134 to 150 Ma, the tectonic regime changed from compression to extension. During this transition, mantle–crust interaction was prominent; ore-bearing magma was generated by the mixing of crust-derived and mantle-derived melts triggered by delamination of the thickened lithosphere. Meanwhile, detachment faults developed along the interfaces, for example between the lower and upper crust, serving as emplacement sites for several magma chambers. Ore-bearing magma dikes containing large amounts of volatiles derived from a shallow chamber at about –10 km depth migrated into the cover sequence along the pre-existing steeply dipping faults. Melt injection reworked the structural framework, facilitating further development of steeply dipping faults, as well as the vertical transport of ore-bearing fluids. Hydrothermal fluids derived from the emplaced magmas not only formed a range of deposits, including skarns, porphyries, and cryptobreccias around the intrusions but also widely replaced carbonates along bedding-parallel faults and formed so-called stratabound skarn ore bodies, as well as superimposing synsedimentary orebodies developed in the quiescence stage to form several large polymetallic hydrothermal ore deposits. Various types of ore deposits at different depths are clustered in a single orefield, composing a multi-layered mineralization network. In the network, skarn deposits dominate and are characterized by fluid immiscibility processes and diverse element enrichments. The intense mineralization in the Tongling region was caused by the abundance of metals derived from the mantle, favourable ore-controlling structures, and widespread fluid boiling of magmatic hydrothermal fluids, which facilitated metal deposition during the Mesozoic, as well as the superposition of Mesozoic hydrothermal reworking of earlier Palaeozoic sedimentary ore bodies.
The Qiman Tagh W–Sn belt lies in the westernmost section of the East Kunlun Orogen, NW China, and is associated with early Paleozoic monzogranites, tourmaline is present throughout this belt. In this paper we report chemical and boron isotopic compositions of tourmaline from wall rocks, monzogranites, and quartz veins within the belt, for studying the evolution of ore-forming fluids. Tourmaline crystals hosted in the monzogranite and wall rocks belong to the alkali group, while those hosted in quartz veins belong to both the alkali and X-site vacancy groups. Tourmaline in the walk rocks lies within the schorl–dravite series and becomes increasingly schorlitic in the monzogranite and quartz veins. Detrital tourmaline in the wall rocks is commonly both optically and chemically zoned, with cores being enriched in Mg compared with the rims. In the Al–Fe–Mg and Ca–Fe–Mg diagrams, tourmaline from the wall rocks plots in the fields of Al-saturated and Ca-poor metapelite, and extends into the field of Li-poor granites, while those from the monzogranite and quartz veins lie within the field of Li-poor granites. Compositional substitution is best represented by the MgFe−1, Al(NaR)−1, and AlO(Fe(OH))−1 exchange vectors. A wider range of δ11B values from −11.1‰ to −7.1‰ is observed in the wall-rock tourmaline crystals, the B isotopic values combining with elemental diagrams indicate a source of metasediments without marine evaporates for the wall rocks in the Qiman Tagh belt. The δ11B values of monzogranite-hosted tourmaline range from −10.7‰ and −9.2‰, corresponding to the continental crust sediments, and indicate a possible connection between the wall rocks and the monzogranite. The overlap in δ11B values between wall rocks and monzogranite implies that a transfer of δ11B values by anataxis with little isotopic fractionation between tourmaline and melts. Tourmaline crystals from quartz veins have δ11B values between −11.0‰ and −9.6‰, combining with the elemental diagrams and geological features, thus indicating a common granite-derived source for the quartz veins and little B isotopic fractionation occurred. Tourmalinite in the wall rocks was formed by metasomatism by a granite-derived hydrothermal fluid, as confirmed by the compositional and geological features. Therefore, we propose a single B-rich sedimentary source in the Qiman Tagh belt, and little boron isotopic fractionation occurred during systematic fluid evolution from the wall rocks, through monzogranite, to quartz veins and tourmalinite.
Abstract Great mineral intensity in drifts or drills is characterized by both the high proportion and spatial cluster of the high grades. Great mineral intensity indicates the high ore quality and low dilution in the exploitation. The fractal dimension, the fluctuation exponent proposed in this paper and the lacunarity are utilized to analyze the mineral intensity along drifts in the Dayingezhuang gold deposit in Jiaodong gold province, China. It is proven that the combination of the parameters can identify the mineral intensity. The fractal dimension and fluctuation exponent are negatively correlated. In the places where the fractal dimension is small and fluctuation exponent is great, the mineralization is more pronounced. While in the case that the fractal dimensions are similar, smaller fluctuation exponent means more clustered structure of high grades and greater mineral intensity. In the diagram of fractal dimension versus lacunarity, the drifts with great mineral intensity can also be identified. The methods used in this paper provide a relatively comprehensive description for local mineral intensity, providing information for both the ore‐forming process and the exploitation.
Phanerozoic orogenic gold mineralization at craton margins is related to the metasomatism of the lithospheric mantle by crustal material. Slab subduction transfers Au from the crust to the metasomatized mantle and oxidizes the latter to facilitate the mobilization of Au into mantle melts. The role of volatiles in the mobilization of Au in the mantle is unclear because of the absence of direct geochemical evidence relating the mantle source of Au to Au mineralization in the overlying crust. This study uses lithium isotopes from a large suite of lamprophyres to characterize the mantle beneath the eastern North China Craton, which hosts giant Mesozoic gold deposits. Our results indicate a strong genetic link between carbonate metasomatism in the mantle and Au mineralization in the overlying crust. Although pre-enrichment of Au in the mantle is critical for forming giant Au provinces, the oxidation of the lithospheric mantle controls the mobilization of Au.