Geo–tectonic Position of Tin Polymetallic Mineralization Zone in the Southern Da Hinggan Mountains Area, Inner Mongolia, China: An Introduction to This Special Issue

Abstract: As a part of the main activities of Japan‐China technical cooperation project, a test survey area, approximately 5,000 km², was established for the implement of its geological and geochemical research program. A major mineralization zone called Huanggang–Ganzhuermiao–Wulanhaote Sn‐Cu polymetallic mineralization zone is recognized in the southern Da Hinggan Mountains area. The southern half of this zone is known as the sole Sn‐mineralization zone in North China. The survey area lies in this prominent zone. As the most of the papers presented in this issue have concerns to the geology and mineralization in this survey area, this report was prepared to introduce geo‐tectonic situation of the Sn‐Cu polymetallic mineralization zone in the Inner Mongolia orogenic belt. The belt is divided into four tectonic facies (from NW to SE); I: Wuliyasitai volcano‐plutonic zone, II: Hegenshan ophiolite mélange zone, III: Sunitezuoqi volcano‐plutonic zone, IV: Wenduermiao ophiolite mélange zone. The subject Sn‐Cu polymetallic mineralization zone is situated in the southeastern part of the Sunitezuoqi magmatic zone. About this Sunitezuoqi magmatic zone, three geo‐tectonic characteristics are pointed out. In late Carboniferous to early Permian period, subduction of Hegenshan oceanic crust occurred, which accelerated volcano‐plutonic activities and brought about basic to intermediate volcanic rocks of tholeiitic to calc‐alkaline series represented by Dashizhai Group in the Sunitezuoqi magmatic zone. Late Jurassic to early Cretaceous acidic rocks representing the most culminated volcanism and plutonism in Mesozoic era in the Da Hinggan Moutains area are distributed very extensively in and around the Sn‐Cu polymetallic mineralization zone. The Proterozoic metamorphic basement rocks called Xilinhaote complex are distributed close to the mineralized area in the Sunitezuoqi magmatic zone. Although the real mineralization was known associated with Mesozoic acidic to intermediate volcano‐plutonic activities, it is thought that the lower Permian Dashizhai volcanic rocks and pre‐Cambrian basement rocks might have played certain significant role in the process respectively of extraction of elements and formation of the magma favorable for such mineralization in the Sunitezuoqi magmatic zone. It would be necessary to give further considerations to these three geological units in relation to the Sn‐Cu polymetallic mineralization.