Reviews on Potash Deposit Metallogenic Conditions

Potash salt is one of key scarce strategic resources. Searching for large scale of potash salt deposit is one big problerm which Chinese academic community faces. Many new discoveries of world potash deposit have been made in recent ten years, which provide abundant practical information and complement the potash metallogenic theory. Through the summary of the potash forming characteristics at home and abroad, the paper studies the potash forming time, tectonic condition, paleogeographic condition, paleoclimate, basin location and salt source. Potash is mainly formed in Permian, Cretaceous, late Jurassic, Cambrian and Devonian. The combination of structure and environment helps to form large scale of evaporation. The climate cycle is related with crust activity. As the other ore deposit, the formation of potash ore also needs dry climate. Potash is the product of final stage in brine evolution, and therefore, it needs persistent drought climate. However, the climate condition is very complicated. Drought climate belt also occurs in humid climate stage, which is controlled by geomorphology. Potash ore can also form in local drought condition. Generally, potash forms in rock salt basin. However, the actual situation is very complicated. Some potash basin is coincided with rock salt basin, some is on one side of rock salt basin; and some are even in the outside of rock salt basin. Salt materials can be from three sources: marine source, terrigenous source and deep source.The paper gives an overview of the research status about the potash deposit forming conditions, which has great guiding significance for searching potash deposit in China. The paper also summarizes the three types of metallogenic models for potash deposit, including epicontinental metallogenic model, abnormal marine evaporation model and rift valley model. The three models are mainly different in material sources, in which the potash in epicontinental metallogenic model is from seawater; the potash in abnormal evaporation model is from nonmarine brine and the potash in rift valley model is mainly from deep material of volcanic activity.     

New insights into the size and timing of the Lawn Hill impact structure: relationship to the Century Zn – Pb deposit

The Lawn Hill circular structure in northwest Queensland contains unambiguous evidence of an extraterrestrial impact, including planar deformation features in quartz, impact diamonds, widespread shatter cone formation and impact melt breccia in the Mesoproterozoic basement. The question of its relevance to ore genesis is investigated because the world-class Century Zn – Pb deposit is situated at the conjunction of the 100+ km Termite Range Fault and the previously defined margin of the impact structure. The impact structure is considered to be a 19.5 km wide feature, this constrained in part by the outer margin of an annulus of brecciated and highly contorted limestone. New evidence is presented indicating impact into this Cambrian limestone, including: (i) ‘dykes’ of brecciated Cambrian limestone extending hundreds of metres into the Mesoproterozoic basement; (ii) highly contorted bedding in the limestone annulus compared with essentially undeformed limestone away from the impact site; as well as (iii) a 1 Mt megaclast of Mesoproterozoic Century-like ore suspended in the limestone. Through aerial photograph analysis, large-scale convoluted flow structures within the limestone are identified, and these are interpreted to indicate that parts of the Cambrian sequence may have been soft or only semi-consolidated at the time of impact. This highly contorted limestone bedding is suggested to represent slump-filling of an annular trough in response to impact-induced partial liquefaction of a sediment veneer. The age of impact is therefore considered to be concurrent with limestone formation during the Ordian to early Templetonian, at 520 – 510 Ma. Formation of the Century deposit is found to be unrelated to impact-generated hydrothermal activity, although some minor hydrothermal remobilisation of metals occurred. However, there was macro-scale remobilisation of gigantic ore fragments driven by impact-induced lateral and vertical injection of limestone into the Proterozoic sediments. The limestone-filled annular trough surrounds a 7.8 km diameter central uplift, consistent with formation of a complex crater morphology.     

Formation Process of Zircon Associated with REE‐Fluorocarbonate and Niobium Minerals in the Nechalacho REE Deposit,Thor Lake,Canada

The two drill holes, which penetrated sub‐horizontal rare earth element (REE) ore units at the Nechalacho REE in the Proterozoic Thor Lake syenite, Canada, were studied in order to clarify the enrichment mechanism of the high‐field‐strength elements (HFSE: Zr, Nb and REE). The REE ore units occur in the albitized and potassic altered miaskitic syenite. Zircon is the most common REE mineral in the REE ore units, and is divided into five types as follows: Type‐1 zircon occurs as discrete grains in phlogopite, and has a chemical character similar to igneous zircon. Type‐2 zircon consists of a porous HREE‐rich core and LREE–Nb–F‐rich rim. Enrichment of F in the rim of type‐2 zircon suggests that F was related to the enrichment of HFSE. The core of type‐2 zircon is regarded to be magmatic and the rim to be hydrothermal in origin. Type‐3 zircon is characterized by euhedral to anhedral crystals, which occur in a complex intergrowth with REE fluorocarbonates. Type‐3 zircon has high REE, Nb and F contents. Type‐4 zircon consists of porous‐core and ‐rim, but their chemical compositions are similar to each other. This zircon is a subhedral crystal rimmed by fergusonite. Type‐5 zircon is characterized by smaller, porous and subhedral to anhedral crystals. The interstices between small zircon grains are filled by fergusonite. Type‐4 and type‐5 zircon grains have low REE, Nb and F contents. Type‐1 zircon is only included in one unit, which is less hydrothermally altered and mineralized. Type‐2 and type‐3 zircon grains mainly occur in the shallow units, while those of type‐4 and type‐5 are found in the deep units. The deep units have high HFSE contents and strongly altered mineral textures (type‐4 and type‐5) compared to the shallow units. Occurrences of these five types of zircon are different according to the depth and degree of the hydrothermal alteration by solutions rich in F and CO₃, which permit a model for the evolution of the zircon crystallization in the Nechalacho REE deposit as follows: (i) type‐1 (discrete magmatic zircon) is formed in miaskitic syenite. (ii) LREE–Nb–F‐rich hydrothermal zircon formed around HREE‐rich magmatic zircon (type‐2). (iii) type‐3 zircon crystallized through the F and CO₃‐rich hydrothermal alteration of type‐2 zircon which formed the complex intergrowth with REE fluorocarbonates; (iv) the CO₃‐rich hydrothermal fluid corroded type‐3, forming REE–Nb‐poor zircon (type‐4). Niobium and REE were no longer stable in the zircon structure and crystallized as fergusonite around the REE–Nb‐leached zircon (type‐4); (v) type‐5 zircon is formed by the more CO₃‐rich hydrothermal alteration of type‐4 zircon, suggested by the fact that type‐4 and type‐5 zircon grains are often included in ankerite. Type‐3 to type‐5 zircon grains at the Nechalacho REE deposit were continuously formed by leaching and/or dissolution of type‐2 zircon in the presence of F‐ and/or CO₃‐rich hydrothermal fluid. These mineral associations indicate that three representative hydrothermal stages were present and related to HFSE enrichment in the Nechalacho REE deposit: (i) F‐rich hydrothermal stage caused the crystallization of REE–Nb‐rich zircon (type‐2 rim and type‐3), with abundant formation of phlogopite and fluorite; (ii) F‐ and CO₃‐rich hydrothermal stage led to the replacement of a part of REE–Nb–F‐rich zircon by REE fluorocarbonate; and (iii) CO₃‐rich hydrothermal stage resulted in crystallization of the REE–Nb–F‐poor zircon and fergusonite, with ankerite. REE and Nb in hydrothermal fluid at the Nechalacho REE deposit were finally concentrated into fergusonite by way of REE–Nb–F‐rich zircon in the hydrothermally altered units.     

Zircon U–Pb Dating and Geochemistry of the Linong Granitoid and Its Relationship to Cu Mineralization in the Yangla Copper Deposit,Yunnan, China

The Yangla copper deposit (Cu reserves: 1.2 Mt) in the Jinshajiang–Lancangjiang–Nujiang region in China is spatially associated with the Linong granitoid. Zircon U–Pb dating shows the granitoid formed at 234.1 ± 1.2 to 235.6 ± 1.2 Ma, and the KT2 ore body of the deposit yields a molybdenite Re–Os model age of 230.9 ± 3.2 Ma. The ages of mineralization and crystallization of the granitoid are identical within the measurement uncertainties, suggesting the Yangla deposit is genitically related to the Indosinian Linong granitoid.     

广西龙州县科甲铝土矿地质特征及成因浅析

科甲地区铝土矿是由多阶段、多因素形成的岩溶堆积型铝土矿,矿源层为上石炭统都安组底部的沉积铝土矿层或铁铝岩层。通过对科甲铝土矿地质特征及矿源层特征分析,初步探讨了矿区铝土矿成因,认为岩溶作用是堆积型铝土矿形成的必要条件,矿源层及其上下岩层经长时间岩溶而发生崩解、坍塌,形成初始堆积体,在地表再经淋滤、富集,形成具有工业价值的岩溶堆积型铝土矿床。     

湖南石门县磺厂雄黄矿地质地球化学特征及找矿方向探讨

文章对石门磺厂雄黄矿成矿地质背景、矿区地质地球化学特征、成矿主要控制因素等进行了分析研究;根据一号窿已知矿体反映的找矿标志与区内其它有成矿可能地段类比,且为今后的找矿工作指,明了方向。     

中国北方砂岩型铀矿中铀的储集空间类型探讨

在中国北方的大多数沉积盆地里均发现有砂岩型铀矿床或铀矿化现象。通过样品薄片电子探针背散射图像分析,结合前人对各盆地砂岩型铀矿中铀矿物的赋存状态及近年来铀储层的研究成果,认为中国北方砂岩型铀矿中铀矿物的主要储集空间类型可分为原生孔隙（主要是炭屑）、缩小（残留）粒间孔隙、次生溶蚀孔隙、晶间孔隙及微裂缝。通过对铀储层孔隙类型的分析讨论,有利于进一步从微观了解砂岩铀储层内部结构的不均一性及铀矿物的成因。     

广西巴马县水晶宫洞穴沉积物特征及其沉积环境

巴马县水晶宫洞内次生化学沉积物景观丰富,类型多样,有石钟乳、石幔、石瀑布、石笋、石柱、石盾等特色景观;尤其是近期仍在发育的洞顶鹅管、卷曲石、石花等是国内外较为罕见的洞穴奇景。据沉积物的沉积类型、物质成分、沉积序次及测年等资料研究表明,水晶宫洞穴沉积物形成于晚第三纪以来。晚第三纪和第四纪早更新世早期,洞内沉积主要为外源水携带的硅质岩、砂岩类砾石沉积形成的钙华砾石层。早更新世中期—中更新世气候温暖湿润,是水晶宫洞穴主要景观的形成期,沉积物景观宏大而壮观,230Th-U系测年得出其分别形成于100～35万年前。晚更新世早期12.5～9万年的末次间冰期主要为温暖气候环境,洞内仅有少量的石笋沉积,且极少保存;9万年后气候环境发生突变,更不利沉积物发育和保存;自4万年后气候环境开始表现为温暖湿润,化学沉积活跃,洞穴沉积物主要由高约50～150 cm的纯白色石笋群和钟乳石组成,为洞穴奇景的形成期,230Th-U系测年得出其分别形成于40 ka BP和7 500 a BP以及1 450 a BP。晚更新世晚期以来形成的洞穴沉积物景观,不仅为水晶宫提供了丰富的旅游资源和价值,同时也为广西重建古气候环境提供了重要的信息载体。      

西藏班戈县东嘎花岗岩体特征及锡找矿前景分析

东嘎花岗岩体位于冈底斯一念青唐古拉板片北缘、班公错一怒江结合带中段班戈一崩错板片。岩体时代为燕山晚期,属印度一欧亚板块碰撞造山构造环境。岩石属富钠、硅铝过饱和类型,该岩体位于斑戈一嘉黎一波密一察隅锡成矿远景带内,岩浆分异程度高,具有S型花岗岩体的典型特征,与滇西、川西含锡花岗岩体特征相似,成矿条件有利。区域化探资料显示锡异常明显,异常为Sn、Rb、Y、u、Nb、Ag、w、Th、Pb等多元素组合。sn元素的强度高、规模大。据区域地质、岩石化学及地球化学特征及区域成矿资料,东嘎花岗岩体具有良好的锡成矿前景。     

内蒙古小东沟斑岩型钼矿床辉钼矿铼-锇同位素年龄及地质意义

为了进一步查明小东沟斑岩型钼矿床的形成时间,对主要钼矿体6件辉钼矿样品进行了铼-锇同位素分析,所获同位素等时线年龄为135.5±1.5Ma(2σ),其MSWD值为1.4。鉴于辉钼矿呈浸染状和团块状分布于斑状花岗岩株中,并且与石英和钾长石呈共生结构关系,可以推测小东沟地区钼矿床和斑状花岗岩株的形成时间均为早白垩纪,属燕山期构造-岩浆活动的产物。