U–Pb and Re–Os geochronology and geochemistry of the Donggebi Mo deposit,Eastern Tianshan,NW China: Insights into mineralization and tectonic setting

The Donggebi Mo deposit located in NW China is a newly discovered, large, stockwork-type Mo deposit with ore reserves of 441 Mt @ 0.115% Mo. Ore bodies occur along faults and fractures at the external contact zone of a concealed porphyritic granite and volcaniclastic rocks of Gandun Formation, spatially associated with a fine-grained granite. Mo-bearing veins are mainly assemblages of volatile-rich K-feldspar-quartz-oxide, K-feldspar-quartz, polymetallic sulfides and calcite-quartz. Zircon LA-ICP-MS U–Pb dating yielded concordant ages of 234.6 ± 2.7 Ma and 231.8 ± 2.4 Ma for the porphyritic granite and the fine-grained granite, respectively; molybdenite Re–Os dating gave an isochron age of 234.0 ± 2.0 Ma. These ages further confirm an important and extensive magmatic-metallogenic event in Eastern Tianshan during the Triassic Indosinian orogeny. Whole-rock major and trace element analyses indicate that the granitic rocks associated with Mo mineralization are high in Si, K, Rb, Th, Nb, Ta, Ga and LREE, but low in P, Ti, Sr and Ba, belonging to high-K calc-alkaline granites with A-type features. Magma was likely derived from the re-melting of thickened lower crust in a post-collision compression environment in the Late Permian, experienced strong crystal fractionation and formed the large Donggebi Mo deposit under an intra-plate extension setting in the Early to Middle Triassic.     

The genesis of the ores and granitic rocks at the Hongshi Au deposit in Eastern Tianshan,China: Constraints from zircon U–Pb geochronology,geochemistry and isotope systematics

The Hongshi gold deposit is located in the southwestern margin of the Kanggur–Huangshan ductile shear zone in Eastern Tianshan, Northwest China. The gold ore bodies are predominantly hosted in the volcanogenic metasedimentary rocks of the Lower Carboniferous Gandun Formation and the Carboniferous syenogranite and alkali-feldspar granite. The syenogranite and the alkali-feldspar granite yield SHRIMP zircon U–Pb ages of 337.6 ± 4.5 Ma (2σ, MSWD = 1.3) and 334.0 ± 3.7 Ma (2σ, MSWD = 1.1), respectively, indicating that the Hongshi gold deposit is younger than 334 Ma. The granitoids belong to shoshonitic series and are relatively enriched in large ion lithophile elements (Rb, K, Ba, and Pb) and depleted in high field-strength elements (Nb, Ta, P, and Ti). Moreover, these granitoids have high SiO₂, Al₂O₃, and K₂O contents, low Na₂O, MgO, and TiO₂ contents, low Nb/Ta ratios, and slightly positive Eu anomalies. The ε_Hf(t) values of the zircons from a syenogranite sample vary from + 1.5 to + 8.8 with an average of + 5.6; the ε_Hf(t) values of the zircons from an alkali-feldspar granite sample vary from + 5.0 and + 10.1 with an average of + 7.9. The δ³⁴S values of 10 sulfide samples ranged from − 11.5‰ to + 4.2‰, with peaks in the range of + 1‰ to + 4‰. The above-mentioned data suggest that the Hongshi granitoids were derived from the melting of juvenile lower crust mixed with mantle components formed by the southward subduction of the paleo-Tianshan ocean plate beneath the Aqishan–Yamansu island arc during the Early Carboniferous. The Hongshi gold deposit was formed by post-collisional tectonism during the Permian. The granitoids most likely acted as impermeable barriers that prevented the leakage and runoff of ore-bearing fluids. Thus, the granitoids probably played an important role in controlling gold mineralization.     

Yandong porphyry Cu deposit,Xinjiang, China—Geology,geochemistry and SIMS U–Pb zircon geochronology of host porphyries and associated alteration and mineralization

The Yandong porphyry copper deposit, located in the Eastern Tianshan Mountains, Xinjiang, China, is part of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt. The Yandong deposit is hosted by a volcanic complex in the Early Carboniferous Qi’eshan Group and a felsic intrusion. The complex consists of andesite, basalt, diorite porphyry, and porphyritic quartz diorite. The felsic intrusion is a plagiogranite porphyry emplaced within the complex. The diorite porphyry and plagiogranite porphyry yield SIMS zircon U–Pb ages of 340.0 ± 3 and 332.2 ± 2.3 Ma, respectively. Element geochemistry shows that both the complex and plagiogranite porphyry formed in the Dananhu–Tousuquan island arc, a Carboniferous magmatic arc.The diorite porphyry and plagiogranite porphyry are host porphyries, but the plagiogranite porphyry is a productive porphyry. It caused the porphyry-style Cu mineralization and associated alteration. The alteration assemblages include early potassic and propylitic assemblages. These were overprinted by a chlorite–sericite assemblage, which in turn was overprinted by a late phyllic assemblage. The phyllic alteration is associated with the highest Cu grades. The mineralization is recognized to include three stages, from early to late: stage 1, a potassic alteration associated with a chalcopyrite + pyrite assemblage; stage 2, represented by chlorite–sericite alteration with a chalcopyrite + pyrite assemblage; and stage 3, the main-ore stage that is marked by phyllic alteration with chalcopyrite + pyrite ± molybdenite and producing more than 70% of the total copper production at Yandong. Yandong may represent a common scenario for Paleozoic porphyry Cu systems in the Central Asian Orogenic Belt.     

Oldest volcanic-hosted submarine iron ores in South China: Evidence from zircon U–Pb geochronology and geochemistry of the Paleoproterozoic Dahongshan iron deposit

The Dahongshan iron deposit is hosted in the Paleoproterozoic submarine metavolcanic rocks of the Dahongshan Group in the Yangtze Block, South China. LA-ICP-MS dating of hydrothermal zircon grains from the genetically associated albitite and dolomite albitite show ca. 2008 Ma ages that are consistent with the zircon ages from the host metavolcanic rocks (ca. 2012 Ma), and postdated the post-ore diabase dike (ca. 1724 Ma), marking the Dahongshan iron deposit as the oldest submarine volcanic-hosted deposit so far as known. The ore-hosting metavolcanic rocks in the Dahongshan deposit have low Ni (9.1–77.4 ppm), Cr (1.0–63.0 ppm) and Co contents (5.6–62.9 ppm), suggesting the fractionation of olivine, clinopyroxene and plagioclase within the magma chamber. The major and trace element features of the alkaline to tholeiitic metavolcanic rocks are consistent with high-degree partial melting of the mantle wedge metasomatized by melts enriched in high field strength elements (HFSEs), which were derived from the subducted slab in volcanic arc setting. Based on an evaluation of the morphology of orebody, ore fabrics, petrology and melt-fluid inclusions, as well as the geochemical characteristics of the major ore mineral (magnetite), we correlate the iron mineralization in the Dahongshan deposit with hydrothermal process induced by the high-temperature, high-salinity and Fe-rich brines derived through magmatic exsolution. The similar characteristic of Ce and Eu anomalies of the Dahongshan iron deposit and banded iron formations (BIFs) suggest that the Dahongshan deposit was formed in reducing environment, although the two types of iron ores were generated through distinct processes with hydrothermal processes dominating for the submarine volcanic-hosted iron deposits whereas the BIFs were formed through chemical precipitation.     

U–Pb zircon,Re–Os molybdenite geochronology and Rb–Sr geochemistry from the Xiaobaishitou W (–Mo) deposit: Implications for Triassic tectonic setting in eastern Tianshan,NW China

The Xiaobaishitou W (–Mo) deposit is located in the eastern segment of the Central Tianshan, northwestern China. The deposit represents a skarn system distributed in the contact zones of biotite granite and crystalline limestone of the Mesoproterozoic Kawabulag Group. The Xiaobaishitou deposit is characterized by a typical calc-silicate mineralogy dominated by garnet, diopside and wollastonite, with minor epidote, tremolite, actinolite, chlorite, quartz, fluorite and calcite. The prograde and retrograde skarns are characterized by garnet–clinopyroxene–wollastonite and epidote–tremolite–actinolite–chlorite, respectively, intruded and replaced by mineral assemblages of scheelite–cassiterite–magnetite, quartz–sulfides and calcite–quartz–fluorite in younger order.Six molybdenite samples from the deposit yielded Re − Os isotope model ages ranging from 239.7 ± 3.6 Ma to 251.4 ± 3.6 Ma. The zircon crystals from biotite granite and Mo-mineralized granite yield weighted ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U age of 242 ± 1.7 and 240.5 ± 2.1 Ma, respectively. Both the zircon U − Pb and the molybdenite Re − Os ages obtained in this study fall in a narrow span of 242–240 Ma, which suggest that the Xiaobaishitou W (–Mo) system was formed in the Triassic. The Re contents of the molybdenites range from 40.33 to 64.67 ppm, suggesting that the ore-forming materials were derived mainly from continental crust together with the involvement of minor mantle components. Combined with the ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios of tungsten-bearing quartz veins from other studies, which scatter between 0.707153 and 0.709877, demonstrating mixing between two end-member isotopic compositions of crust and mantle. It can be concluded that the Indosinian Xiaobaishitou deposit was formed in a tectonic transition from collisional crust shortening and thickening to post-collisional extension and thinning.     

SHRIMP zircon U–Pb geochronology,geochemistry and H–O–Si–S–Pb isotope systematics of the Kanggur gold deposit in Eastern Tianshan,NW China: Implication for ore genesis

The Kanggur gold deposit is located in the southern margin of the Central Asia Orogenic Belt and in the western segment of the Kanggur–Huangshan ductile shear belt in Eastern Tianshan, northwestern China. The orebodies of this deposit are hosted in the Lower Carboniferous volcanic rocks of the Aqishan Formation and mainly consist of andesite, dacite and pyroclastic rocks. The SHRIMP zircon U–Pb age data of the andesite indicate that the volcanism in the Kanggur area might have occurred at ca. 339 Ma in the Early Carboniferous, and that the mineralization age of the Kanggur gold deposit was later than the age of volcanic rocks in the area. Geochemically, the andesite rocks of the Aqishan Formation belong to low-tholeiite and calc-alkaline series and display relative depletions in high field strength elements (HFSEs; i.e. Nb, Ta and Ti). The δ¹⁸O_w and δD_w values vary from − 9.1‰ to + 3.8‰ and − 66.0‰ to − 33.9‰, respectively, indicating that the ore-forming fluids were mixtures of metamorphic and meteoric waters. The δ³⁰Si values of 13 quartz samples range from − 0.3‰ to + 0.1‰ with an average of − 0.15‰, and the δ³⁴S values of 18 sulphide samples range from − 0.9‰ to + 2.2‰ with an average of + 0.54‰. The ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb, ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb and ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb values of 10 sulphide samples range from 18.166 to 18.880, 15.553 to 15.635 and 38.050 to 38.813, respectively, showing similarities to orogenic Pb; these values are consistent with those of the andesite from the Kanggur area, suggesting a common lead source. All of the silicon, sulphur and lead isotopic systems indicate that the ore-forming fluids and materials were mainly derived from the Aqishan Formation, and that the host volcanic rocks of the Aqishan Formation probably played a significant role in the Kanggur gold mineralization. Integrating the data obtained from studies on geology, geochronology, petro-geochemistry and H–O–Si–S–Pb isotope systematics, we suggest that the Kanggur gold deposit is an orogenic-type deposit formed in Eastern Tianshan orogenic belt during the Permian post-collisional tectonism.     

Genesis of the Angeer Yinwula Pb–Zn deposit,Inner Mongolia,China: constraints from fluid inclusions,C–H–O–S–Pb isotope systematics,and zircon U–Pb geochronology

Arabian Journal of Geosciences - Soil toxic metal pollution is one of the most prominent environmental problems in the rapid industrialization of societies because of the considerable harm caused...     

Early Paleozoic tectonic evolution of the Chinese South Tianshan Orogen: constraints from SHRIMP zircon U–Pb geochronology and geochemistry of basaltic and dioritic rocks from Xiate,NW China

Traditionally the Chinese South Tianshan has been regarded as a late Paleozoic orogenic belt. However, little is known about the early Paleozoic tectonic architecture of the region. This paper presents the first evidence of Cambrian–Ordovician MORB-type basalts and adakitic diorites on the southern margin of the Yili plate in China. Basalts from Xiate in southwestern Tianshan show a typical transitional (T-) MORB and ferrobasalt composition, which indicate a formation at a propagating spreading ridge. The basalts give a weighted mean ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U crystallization age of 516.3 ± 7.4 Ma by SHRIMP U–Pb zircon dating and have experienced contact metamorphism due to the intrusion of a dioritic pluton. The dioritic pluton has a weighted mean ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U crystallization age of 470 ± 12 Ma and geochemical characteristics resembling that of adakitic rocks. The pluton is considered to have been formed by partial melting of garnet amphibolites from thickened lower crust in arc or continental collision settings. The basalts and diorites are considered to outline the eastern extension of the early Paleozoic suture zone, the Nikolaev Line, which stretches east–west for hundreds of kilometers between the Northern Tianshan and Central Tianshan terranes of Kyrgyzstan. Our findings substantiate that the Yili and Central Tianshan plates were separated by the early Paleozoic Terskey ocean. The Terskey ocean probably closed during the early stage of the late Ordovician (Lomize et al. in Geotectonics 31(6):463–482, 1997), resulting in the final amalgamation of the Yili and Central Tianshan plates. Consequently, an early Paleozoic suture zone is documented in the Chinese Tianshan region, which is most likely represented by the North Nalati fault.     

S,Pb, and Sr isotope geochemistry and genesis of Pb–Zn mineralization in the Huangshaping polymetallic ore deposit of southern Hunan Province,China

The Huangshaping Pb–Zn–W–Mo polymetallic deposit, located in southern Hunan Province, China, is one of the largest deposits in the region and is unique for its metals combination of Pb–Zn–W–Mo and the occurrence of significant reserves of all these metals. The deposit contains disseminated scheelite and molybdenite within a skarn zone located between Jurassic granitoids and Carboniferous sedimentary carbonate, and sulfide ores located within distal carbonate-hosted stratiform orebodies. The metals and fluids that formed the W–Mo mineralization were derived from granitoids, as indicated by their close spatial and temporal relationships. However, the source of the Pb–Zn mineralization in this deposit remains controversial.Here, we present new sulfur, lead, and strontium isotope data of sulfide minerals (pyrrhotite, sphalerite, galena, and pyrite) from the Pb–Zn mineralization within the deposit, and these data are compared with those of granitoids and sedimentary carbonate in the Huangshaping deposit, thereby providing insights into the genesis of the Pb–Zn mineralization. These data indicate that the sulfide ores from deep levels in the Huangshaping deposit have lower and more consistent δ³⁴S values (− 96 m level: + 4.4‰ to + 6.6‰, n = 13) than sulfides within the shallow part of the deposit (20 m level: + 8.3‰ to + 16.3‰, n = 19). The δ³⁴S values of deep sulfides are compositionally similar to those of magmatic sulfur within southern Hunan Province, whereas the shallower sulfides most likely contain reduced sulfur derived from evaporite sediments. The sulfide ores in the Huangshaping deposit have initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios (0.707662–0.709846) that lie between the values of granitoids (0.709654–0.718271) and sedimentary carbonate (0.707484–0.708034) in the Huangshaping deposit, but the ratios decreased with time, indicating that the ore-forming fluids were a combination of magmatic and formation-derived fluids, with the influence of the latter increasing over time. The lead isotopic compositions of sulfide ores do not correlate with sulfide type and define a linear trend in a ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb vs. ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb diagram that is distinct from the composition of the disseminated pyrite within sedimentary carbonates and granitoids in the Huangshaping deposit, but is similar to the lead isotopic composition of sulfides within coeval skarn Pb–Zn deposits in southern Hunan Province. In addition, the sulfide ores have old signatures with relative high ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb ratios, suggesting that the underlying Paleoproterozoic basement within southern Hunan Province may be the source of metals within the Huangshaping deposit.The isotope geochemistry of sulfide ores in the Huangshaping deposit shows a remarkable mixed source of sulfur and ore-forming fluids, and the metals were derived from the basement. These features are not found in representative skarn-type Pb–Zn mineralization located elsewhere. The ore-forming elements (S, Pb, and Zn) from the granitoids made an insignificant contribution to sulfide precipitation in this deposit. However, the emplacement of granitoids did provide large amounts of heat and fluids to the hydrothermal system in this area and extracted metals from the basement rocks, indicating that the Jurassic magmatism associated with the Huangshaping deposit was crucial to the Pb–Zn mineralization.     

Insights into ore genesis of the Jinding Zn–Pb deposit,Yunnan Province,China: Evidence from Zn and in-situ S isotopes

The Jinding Zn–Pb deposit located in the Mesozoic-Cenozoic Lanping Basin of southwest China has ore reserves of ∼ 220 Mt with an average grade of 6.1% Zn and 1.3% Pb. The mineralization is hosted by sandstone in the Early Cretaceous Jingxing Formation and limestone breccia in the Paleocene Yunlong Formation. Mineralization in both types of host rocks is characterized by a paragenetic sequence beginning with marcasite–sphalerite (Stage 1) followed by pyrite–marcasite–sphalerite–galena (Stage 2), and then galena–sphalerite–pyrite–sulfate–carbonate (Stage 3). Pyrite from these stages have different δ³³S compositions with pyrite from Stage 1 averaging − 9.6‰, Stage 2 averaging − 8.9‰, and Stage 3 averaging + 0.3‰. Sphalerite hosted by the sandstone has similar δ⁶⁶Zn values ranging from 0.10 to 0.30‰ in all stages of the mineralization, but sphalerite samples from the limestone breccia-hosted ore show variable δ⁶⁶Zn values between − 0.03 and 0.20‰. Our data on sphalerite precipitated during the earlier stages of mineralization has a constant δ⁶⁶Zn value and cogenetic pyrite displays a very light sulfur isotope signature, which we believe to reflect a sulfur source that formed during bacterial sulfate reduction (BSR). The Stage 3 sphalerite and pyrite precipitated from a late influx of metal-rich basinal brine, which had a relatively constant variable δ⁶⁶Zn isotopic composition due to open system isotope fractionation, and a near zero δ³³S composition due to the influence of abiotic thermochemical sulfate reduction from observed sulfates in the host rock.     

Origin of the Yinshan epithermal-porphyry Cu–Au–Pb–Zn–Ag deposit,southeastern China: insights from geochemistry,Sr–Nd and zircon U–Pb–Hf–O isotopes

The Yinshan deposit is a large epithermal-porphyry polymetallic deposit, and the timing and petrogenesis of ore-hosting porphyries have been hotly debated. We present new results from geochemical, whole-rock Sr–Nd and zircon U–Pb–Hf–O isotopic investigations. Zircon U–Pb data demonstrate that the quartz porphyry, dacitic porphyry, and quartz dioritic porphyry formed at ?172.2 ± 0.4 Ma, ?171.7 ± 0.5 Ma, and ?170.9 ± 0.3 Ma, respectively. Inherited zircon cores show significant age spreads from ?730 to ?1390 Ma. Geochemically, they are high-K calc-alkaline or shoshonitic rocks with arc-like trace element patterns. They have similar whole-rock Nd and zircon Hf isotopic compositions, yet an increasing trend in ?_Nd(t) and ?_Hf(t) values typifies the suite. Older (inherited) zircons of the three porphyries display Hf compositions comparable to those of the Jiangnan Orogen basement rocks. In situ zircon oxygen isotopic analyses reveal that they have similar oxygen isotopic compositions, which are close to those of mantle zircons. Moreover, a decreasing trend of δ¹⁸O values is present. We propose that the ore-related porphyries of the Yinshan deposit were emplaced contemporaneously and derived from partial melting of Neoproterozoic arc-derived mafic (or ultra-mafic) rocks. Modelling suggests that the quartz porphyries, dacitic porphyries, and quartz dioritic porphyries experienced ?25%, ?10%, and ?10% crustal contaminations by Shuangqiaoshan rocks. Our study provides important constraints on mantle–crust interaction in the genesis of polymetallic mineralization associated with Mesozoic magmatism in southeastern China.     

The genesis of the ores and intrusions at the Yuhai Cu–Mo deposit in eastern Tianshan,NW China: Constraints from geology,geochronology, geochemistry,and Hf isotope systematics

The Yuhai porphyry Cu–Mo deposit is located in the eastern Tianshan orogenic belt of the southern Central Asian Orogen Belt, being an economically important porphyry Cu deposit in NW China. The deposit comprises sixteen buried orebodies that are predominantly associated with dioritic and granodioritic intrusions and are structurally controlled by roughly NE-trending faults. LA-ICP-MS zircon U–Pb dating yielded crystallization ages of 441.6 ± 2.5 Ma (MSWD = 0.03, n = 24) for diorite and 430.4 ± 2.9 Ma (MSWD = 0.04, n = 19) and 430.3 ± 2.6 Ma (MSWD = 0.09, n = 24) for granodiorite. In situ zircon Hf isotope data on a diorite sample show ε_Hf(t) values from + 8.7 to + 18.6, and two granodiorite samples exhibit similar ε_Hf(t) values from + 12.6 to + 19.6 and + 12.6 to + 18.9, respectively. The dioritic and granodioritic intrusions belong to a low-K tholeiite series and are relatively enriched in large ion lithophile elements (K, Ba, Pb, and Sr) and are depleted in high field strength elements (Th, Nb, Ta, and Ti). Moreover, these intrusions have high SiO₂, Al₂O₃ and MgO contents, low Na₂O, P₂O₅ and TiO₂ contents, low Nb/Ta ratios, and slightly positive Eu anomalies. Re–Os dating of molybdenite intergrowth with chalcopyrite yielded a well-constrained ¹⁸⁷Re–¹⁸⁷Os isochron age of 351.7 ± 2.9 Ma (MSWD = 1.5) with a weighted average age of 355.7 ± 2.4 Ma (MSWD = 0.69) Ma, indicating that the Yuhai Cu–Mo deposit is younger than the intrusion of the diorite and granodiorite. Combined with the regional geological history and above-mentioned data, we suggest that the Yuhai intrusions were most likely derived from the partial melting of mantle components that were previously metasomatized by slab melts formed by the northward subduction of the ancient Tianshan ocean plate beneath the Dananhu–Tousuquan island arc during the Silurian to Carboniferous. Under the subduction-related tectonic setting, the metasomatized mantle magma was emplaced into the shallow crust and induced the formation of the Early Carboniferous Yuhai Cu–Mo deposit, and the hydrothermal fluids of enriched sulfides probably played an important role in the Cu–Mo mineralization.     

Metamorphosed Pb–Zn–(Ag) ores of the Keketale VMS deposit,NW China: Evidence from ore textures,fluid inclusions,geochronology and pyrite compositions

The Keketale Pb–Zn deposit is located in the Devonian volcanic-sedimentary Maizi basin of the Altay orogenic belt. The mineralization at Keketale is hosted in marbles and deformed volcanic tuffs and biotite–garnet–chlorite schists, folded into a series of overturned synclines formed in multiple deformation events. Keketale contains economic amounts of Pb (0.89 Mt @ 1.51 wt.%), Zn (1.94 Mt @ 3.16 wt.%) and Ag (650 t @ 40 g/t).Detailed petrographic studies have defined two main generations of sulfide development. The banded pyrite of the early Stage A is commonly stratiform, with minor galena, sphalerite and chalcopyrite. Stage B is characterized by a large amount of polymetallic sulfides including pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite, sphalerite and galena, with minor pyrite hosted in quartz veins.Three types of fluid inclusions (FIs), including mixed carbonic-aqueous (C-type), pure carbonic (PC-type) and aqueous (W-type), have been recognized in quartz of stage B. The C-type FIs have homogenization temperatures of 150–326 °C and salinities of 0.2–16.6 wt.% NaCl equivalent. The PC-type FIs are dominated by CO₂ with minor CH₄ and N₂ and have initial ice-melting temperatures of − 57.5 to − 56.7 °C, CO₂ homogenization temperatures of 11–14.1 °C. The W-type primary FIs were completely homogenized at temperatures of 124–359 °C with salinities of 5.0–14.6 wt.% NaCl equivalent. Such CO₂-rich fluid inclusions are consistent with those discovered in orogenic-type deposits in the Altay area and elsewhere.Muscovite separates from the polymetallic quartz veinlets of stage B yield a well-defined ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar isotopic plateau age of 259.33 ± 2.56 Ma, with an isochron age of 259.62 ± 2.65 Ma. This age is coeval with the closure of the Paleo-Asia Ocean and reactivation of the Ertix Fault system.LA-ICP-MS analyses of two generations of pyrite indicate that the banded pyrite of stage A is relatively depleted in metallic elements and contains low contents of Cu (0.39 ppm), Ag (0.20 ppm), Au (below the detection limits), Pb (17.43 ppm) and Zn (14.38 ppm); whereas the pyrite in quartz–polymetallic sulfide veinlets of the stage B is relatively rich in metallic elements, e.g., Cu (2.56 ppm), Ag (3.07 ppm), Au (0.01 ppm), Pb (1047 ppm) and Zn (1136 ppm). The trace amounts of Cu, Pb, Zn, Au and Ag are interpreted to have been initially locked in the lattice of type-A pyrite, and then liberated and precipitated as micromineral inclusions with type-B pyrite during subsequent metamorphism and deformation.Two key factors are considered vital to the formation of economic ores of the Keketale Pb–Zn deposit, namely the original Devonian banded pyrite formed in a VMS system and subsequent Permian deformation and metamorphic processes that liberated Cu, Pb, Zn, Au and Ag from the lattice of type-A pyrite to form galena, sphalerite and chalcopyrite with minor muscovite in quartz veinlets. The model provides a new interpretation of VMS Pb–Zn deposit occurring in back-arc basin environments followed by collision, and new insights into the unique regional Fe–Cu–Pb–Zn–Au mineralization in the Altay orogenic belt.     

Genesis of the Dadonggou Pb–Zn deposit in Kelan basin,Altay, NW China: Constraints from zircon U–Pb and biotite 40Ar/39Ar geochronological data

The genesis of polymetallic deposits in southern Altay, NW China has been disputed between a syngenetic seafloor hydrothermal process and an epigenetic orogenic-type mineralization. The Dadonggou Pb–Zn deposit occurs as NW-trending veins in the Devonian Kangbutiebao Formation volcanic-sedimentary sequence in the Kelan basin, southern Altay. A set of integrated zircon U–Pb and biotite ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar geochronological data were applied to constrain the forming ages of the ores and their country rocks. Three samples of host volcanic rocks yielded weighted mean ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U ages of 397.1 ± 4.5 Ma, 391.7 ± 3.6 Ma and 391.1 ± 4.2 Ma, respectively, indicating that the Kangbutiebao Formation was deposited in a Devonian back-arc basin. Two biotite samples separated from the Pb–Zn-containing quartz veins yielded ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar plateau ages of 205.9 ± 2.1 Ma and 204.3 ± 2.2 Ma, respectively, which represent the age of the Pb–Zn mineralization that is attributed to the closure of the Kelan back-arc basin and the Late Triassic orogeny. Combining the available geological and geochronological data, this contribution outlines the successive evolution from the development of a Devonian back-arc basin to the Late Triassic post-subduction orogeny, and proposes that the Dadonggou Pb–Zn deposit is an epigenetic orogenic-type deposit placed in the Late Triassic orogeny.     

Geology,isotope geochemistry and ore genesis of the Shanshulin carbonate-hosted Pb–Zn deposit,southwest China

The Shanshulin Pb–Zn deposit occurs in Upper Carboniferous Huanglong Formation dolomitic limestone and dolostone, and is located in the western Yangtze Block, about 270 km west of Guiyang city in southwest China. Ore bodies occur along high angle thrust faults affiliated to the Weishui regional fault zone and within the northwestern part of the Guanyinshan anticline. Sulfide ores are composed of sphalerite, pyrite, and galena that are accompanied by calcite and subordinate dolomite. Twenty-two ore bodies have been found in the Shanshulin deposit area, with a combined 2.7 million tonnes of sulfide ores grading 0.54 to 8.94 wt.% Pb and 1.09 to 26.64 wt.% Zn. Calcite samples have δ¹³C_PDB and δ¹⁸O_SMOW values ranging from − 3.1 to + 2.5‰ and + 18.8 to + 26.5‰, respectively. These values are higher than mantle and sedimentary organic matter, but are similar to marine carbonate rocks in a δ¹³C_PDB vs. δ¹⁸O_SMOW diagram, suggesting that carbon in the hydrothermal fluid was most likely derived from the carbonate country rocks. The δ³⁴S_CDT values of sphalerite and galena samples range from + 18.9 to + 20.3‰ and + 15.6 to + 17.1‰, respectively. These values suggest that evaporites are the most probable source of sulfur. The δ³⁴S_CDT values of symbiotic sphalerite–galena mineral pairs indicate that deposition of sulfides took place under chemical equilibrium conditions. Calculated temperatures of S isotope thermodynamic equilibrium fractionation based on sphalerite–galena mineral pairs range from 135 to 292 °C, consistent with previous fluid inclusion studies. Temperatures above 100 °C preclude derivation of sulfur through bacterial sulfate reduction (BSR) and suggest that reduced sulfur in the hydrothermal fluid was most likely supplied through thermo-chemical sulfate reduction (TSR). Twelve sphalerite samples have δ⁶⁶Zn values ranging from 0.00 to + 0.55‰ (mean + 0.25‰) relative to the JMC 3-0749L zinc isotope standard. Stages I to III sphalerite samples have δ⁶⁶Zn values ranging from 0.00 to + 0.07‰, + 0.12 to + 0.23‰, and + 0.29 to + 0.55‰, respectively, showing the relatively heavier Zn isotopic compositions in later versus earlier sphalerite. The variations of Zn isotope values are likely due to kinetic Raleigh fractional crystallization. The ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb, ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb and ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb ratios of the sulfide samples fall in the range of 18.362 to 18.573, 15.505 to 15.769 and 38.302 to 39.223, respectively. The Pb isotopic ratios of the studied deposit plot in the field that covers the upper crust, orogenic belt and mantle Pb evolution curves and overlaps with the age-corrected Proterozoic folded basement rocks, Devonian to Lower Permian sedimentary rocks and Middle Permian Emeishan flood basalts in a ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb vs. ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb diagram. This observation points to the derivation of Pb metal from mixed sources. Sphalerite samples have ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr_200 Ma ratios ranging from 0.7107 to 0.7115 similar to the age-corrected Devonian to Lower Permian sedimentary rocks (0.7073 to 0.7111), higher than the age-corrected Middle Permian basalts (0.7039 to 0.7078), and lower than the age-corrected Proterozoic folded basement (0.7243 to 0.7288). Therefore, the Sr isotope data support a mixed source. Studies on the geology and isotope geochemistry suggest that the Shanshulin deposit is a carbonate-hosted, thrust fault-controlled, strata-bound, epigenetic, high grade deposit formed by fluids and metals of mixed origin.     

Palaeozoic polymetamorphism in the North Qinling orogenic belt,Central China: Insights from petrology and in situ titanite and zircon U–Pb geochronology

The Qinling orogenic belt experienced multiple phases of orogenesis during the Palaeozoic. Unraveling the timing and P–T conditions of these events is the key to understanding the convergence processes between the South China and the North China Blocks. The Songshugou Complex, located in the southern part of the North Qinling orogenic belt, has registered multistage metamorphism in Palaeozoic, and thus potentially provides insights into the tectonic evolution of the Qinling orogenic belt. In this study, three metabasic rocks (a garnet pyroxenite, a garnet amphibolite and a gneissic amphibolite) from the Songshugou Complex were selected for petrological study and zircon and titanite U–Pb dating. Our results show that the metabasic rocks experienced three metamorphic events during the Palaeozoic. The first metamorphic event (M1) is characterized by high pressure conditions. Two zircon grains in equilibrium with garnet and in absence of plagioclase were recognized from the garnet pyroxenite sample. They yielded Ti-in-zircon temperatures of 660–851 °C at ∼12.0 kbar and a weighted mean age of 498 ± 15 Ma, providing the constraints on the temperature and timing of prograde or peak metamorphism (M1-1). Zircons that are inequilibrium with garnet from the garnet pyroxenite and the garnet amphibolite gave U–Pb ages of 494 ± 9 Ma and 484 ± 4 Ma, and Ti-in-zircon temperatures of 793 ± 33 °C and 738 ± 18 °C, respectively. Thus, these zircons were formed on the retrograde amphibolite-facies conditions at ∼8.0 kbar (M1-2). Titanite inclusions were found in actinolite cores of zoned amphibole from the garnet amphibolite. They yielded a U–Pb age of ∼470 Ma and Zr-in-titanite temperature of 676 ± 23 °C at pressure of ∼7.0 kbar, suggesting that the amphibolite-facies retrogression perhaps persisted to ∼470 Ma.Weakly zoned zircons from the garnet amphibolite and inclusion-free titanites from the garnet pyroxenite gave consistent U–Pb ages of 418 ± 5 Ma and 423 ± 10 Ma, and Ti-in-zircon temperature of 742 ± 26 °C and Zr-in-titanite temperature of 764 ± 18 °C at ∼7.0 kbar, respectively. It is suggested that a heating event (M2) is registered by a subsequent phase of amphibolite-facies metamorphism. The ilmenite-bearing titanite crystals from the garnet pyroxenite yielded a U–Pb age of 352 ± 4 Ma, recording a late thermal event (M3).On the basis of combined petrological and geochronological results, we propose a revised tectonic model for the North Qinling orogeny in Palaeozoic. The high pressure granulites were formed by the northward subduction of the Shangdan oceanic slab and the arc-continent collision at ca. 500 Ma. Their exhumation happened at ca. 494–484 Ma as a result of slab breakoff. Subsequent amphibolite-facies metamorphism dated at ca. 440–420 Ma are coeval with the widespread magmatism in the North Qinling Terrane, which are likely caused by the reinitiation northward-subducted of Shangdan oceanic slab. At ca. 350 Ma, the North Qinling Terrane was likely affected by another thermal overprinting event.     

U–Pb zircon geochronology and geochemistry from NE Vietnam: A ‘tectonically disputed’ territory between the Indochina and South China blocks

Volcanoplutonic complexes in NE Vietnam have recently been interpreted as intraplate products of the Emeishan plume. Alternatively, mafic–ultramafic rocks have been considered as dismembered Palaeotethyan ophiolites juxtaposed along a tectonic mélange zone. New U–Pb zircon geochronological and geochemical datasets presented here suggest a complex geological history that records collision between the Indochina–South China blocks. Mafic–ultramafic rocks exposed within a tectonic mélange (Song Hien Tectonic Zone) include sub-alkaline pillow basalts that define two geochemically distinct ophiolitic suites (SH-1: N-MORB-like, SH-2: transitional E-MORB-like). Both suites have geochemical signatures suggestive of crustal contamination, compatible with a volcanic passive margin/rift setting. We suggest that SH-1 basalts may correlate with the Devonian–Carboniferous Jinshajiang–Ailaoshan–Song Ma branch of the Palaeotethys and form part of the associated Dian–Qiong belt, whereas SH-2 basalts are co-magmatic with Middle–Late Permian mafic–ultramafic intrusive rocks (dolerites, gabbros, peridotites) that developed in a rift basin, most likely on the margin of the down-going South China plate during west-vergent subduction beneath Indochina. During continental orogenesis and thrust stacking, these ophiolitic rocks were juxtaposed with other lithotectonic blocks within the Song Hien Tectonic Zone. Post-collisional relaxation led to the development of a rift basin (Song Hien rift) comprising Late Permian–Triassic volcano-sedimentary strata including < 270–265 Ma terrigenous sandstones, < 252 Ma mudstones, and c. 254–248 Ma felsic effusives. Granites and granodiorites were emplaced across NE Vietnam between c. 252 and 245 Ma in a syn- to post-collisional setting. The Late Permian–Early Triassic felsic magmatic rocks best correlate with coeval rocks in SW Guangxi and the Central and Western Ailaoshan fold belts (China) and the Truong Son fold belt (Vietnam); together they signal the final to post-collisional stages of Indochina–South China collision. We demonstrate that the analysed magmatic rocks in the Lo-Gam–Song Hien domains of NE Vietnam are not genetically linked to the Emeishan Large Igneous Province in the Yangtze block of South China, as has been previously widely proposed.     

Petrogenesis of the Wudaogou intermediate–mafic complex,NW China: zircon U–Pb dating,whole-rock and isotope geochemistry,and geological implications

The Wudaogou plutonic complex is located in the eastern Yanbian area of Jilin Province and consists of hornblende gabbros, gabbroic diorites, and quartz diorites that contain abundant dioritic microgranular xenoliths. Zircon U–Pb dating of gabbroic and quartz diorites yielded weighted mean ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸Pb ages of 263.5 ± 5.1 Ma (N = 12, mean squared weighted deviation (MSWD) = 0.78, probability = 0.66) and 262.0 ± 5.6 Ma (N = 10, MSWD = 0.50, probability = 0.87), respectively. These units are characterized by high Na₂O/K₂O (0.33–0.77) ratios and Al₂O₃ (15.05–18.91 wt%) concentrations and are large ion lithophile element (LILE) (light rare earth element (LREE), Rb, Ba, K, etc.) enriched and high field strength element (HFSE) (Nb, Ta, P, Ti) depleted. They also have initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr values of 0.70192–0.70420 and ?_Nd(t) values of +1.9 to +4.7 with two-stage model ages (T_DM2) of 653–878 Ma. These characteristics indicate that these rocks formed from calc–alkaline magmas derived from partial melting of a mixture of juvenile crust formed attending the Neoproterozoic subduction of the Palaeo-Asian oceanic crust and lower crustal material. The dioritic xenoliths have whole-rock compositions that are similar to their host rocks, but with negative ?_Nd(t) values (?1.6 to ?4.3) and older T_DM2 ages (1166–1382 Ma), further indicating that this magmatic event involved older crustal material. Combining these data with existing knowledge of the crustal evolution of this area, we conclude that this complex formed in a post-collisional extensional setting during closure of the Palaeo-Asian Ocean.     

The origin and response of zircon in eclogite to metamorphism during the multi-stage evolution of the Huwan Shear Zone,China: Insights from Lu–Hf and U–Pb isotopic and trace element geochemistry

The Huwan Shear Zone (HSZ) is an eclogite bearing transpressive wrench zone located along the Shangdan Suture that juxtaposes the Paleozoic Qinling and Mesozoic Hong'an–Dabie orogenic terrains. The region preserves a complex history that bridges the gap between adjacent orogenic terrains. Simultaneous in-situ trace element, U–Th–Pb and Lu–Hf‐isotope analysis of zircon grains from samples of the Xiongdian and Sujiahe eclogite identify a late Carboniferous to early Permian period of high pressure metamorphism, ca. 283 to 306 Ma. Zircon grains are observed to respond to metamorphic overprint via a two stage process: (1) An initial prograde stage of fluid catalyzed interface coupled dissolution–reprecipitation, involving exsolution of a non-ideal solid solution thorite (ThSiO₄) end member and loss of highly incompatible components (LREE and Pb), (2) A second stage of coupled zircon dissolution, coarsening, and new rim growth in equilibrium with garnet at high pressure conditions.We identify Proterozoic whole rock Sm–Nd and zircon grain Lu–Hf isotopic evidence which challenges the traditional interpretation that the Xiongdian and Sujiahe eclogite formed in response to early Paleozoic mantle melting and oceanic crust generation. We argue the Huwan Shear Zone contains no conclusive evidence of early/middle Paleozoic oceanic crust, but rather Proterozoic crustal components analogous to those found in the Northern Qinling Terrain and associated with formation of the Shangdan Suture. We present a simpler geodynamic model involving continuous convergence and accretion of terrains onto the southern margin of the North China Block during the Paleozoic Qinling and Mesozoic Dabie orogenies.