FORMATION OF GOLD-BEARING HYDROFRACTURING BRECCIA BODIES IN TECTONIC LENSES： A CASE STUDY ON SHUANGWANG GOLD DEPOSIT, SHAANXI, CHINA

1 Introduction Hydrofracturing is possibly an important fracture behavior within the whole lithospheric crust, many geologists have noticed and carried out study on hydrofracturing in the fluid-rock systems (e.g., Phillips, 1972; Sibson, 1986; Fyfe, 1987; Svyatoslav and Kirill, 1993; Cox, 1995; Nakashima and Toriumi, 1996; James et al., 2000; Agust et al., 2002). Hydrofracturing phenomena are universally existent in the active structural belts, nonlinear tension vein systems in metamorphi…

FORMATION OF GOLD-BEARING HYDROFRACTURING BRECCIA BODIES IN TECTONIC LENSES: A CASE STUDY ON SHUANGWANG GOLD DEPOSIT, SHAANXI, CHINA

Macro-microscopic tectonic analysis and lithologic features show that the gold-bearing breccia bodies in the Shuangwang gold deposit, for hydrofracturing of the deep-sourced and alkali-rich fluids in the Devonian sodic rock series, are identified as hydrofracturing breccia bodies. Since the Indosinian,intracontinental collisional orogenesis results in multiple fracturings and magmatic emplacements in the Qinling area. Deep-sourced fluids resulting from deep fractures and granitoid magmatic intrusion are of a supercritical nature. Joint action between the fluid-rock system and structures leads to hydroffacturing and ore formation of the gold deposit.Firstly, the progressive coaxial compression caused the competent sodic rock series and the incompetent pelitic rock series to be deformed and partitioned. Lens-like weak-strain domains are hence formed and distributed at the approximate equidistance zones and the linear strong-strain zones,respectively. Subsequently, the progressive non-coaxial shearing and right-lateral and high-angle oblique thrusting lead to the most developed fracture system in the core of the weak-strain domain to turn from compression to extension and to link up with the deep fracture systems. The periodical huge pressure decline in the pumping center causes the deep-sourced confined fluids to develop periodic tectonic pumping, hydrofracturing and precipitation-healing in the sodic rock series. The gold-bearing hydrofracturing breccia bodies are hence ultimately formed at near-equidistance tectonic lenses. On the basis of the above model, the predicted concealed gold-bearing hydrofracturing breccia bodies have been preliminarily validated by latest drillings.