Re-Os Age of Cu-Ni Ores from the Huangshandong Cu-Ni Sulfide Deposit in the East Tianshan Mountains and Its Implication for Geodynamic Processes

An isochron age of 282±20 (95% conf. limit) Ma of the sulfide ores in the Huangshandong Cu-Ni sulfide deposit, the East Tianshan Mountains has been obtained through Re-Os isotopic measurement. The age implies that the Cu-Ni sulfide deposit and other related deposits in the same area occurred in a Permian extensional environment of post-collision instead of Devonian-Early Carboniferous ophiolite-related oceanic or island arc environments inferred before. It shares the same ages with the orogenic and epithermal gold deposit systems in the same area. An initial 187Os/188Os ratio of 0.25±0.04 (1σ) and a γos value of 99 on average display the participation of large quantities of crustal components into the rock-forming and ore-forming system during mineralization and magmatic emplacement.

Geological Characteristics of the Furong Tin Orefield, Hunan,^(40)Ar-^(39)Ar Dating of Tin Ores and Related Granite and Its Geodynamic Significance for Rock and Ore Formation

Furong, Hunan, is a large tin orefield discovered in China in recent years, which is mainly of the skarn-greisen-chlorite type. On the basis of the geological characteristics of the orefield, 40Ar-39Ar dating was performed on muscovite from greisen-type tin ore and biotite from related amphibole-biotite granite, which yielded three sets of age data, i.e., a plateau age of 157.5±0.3 Ma and an isochron age of 156.9±3 Ma for amphibole-biotite granite; a plateau age of 156.1±0.4 Ma and an isochron age of 155.7±1.7 Ma for the Sanmen greisen-type tin ore; and a plateau age of 160.1±0.9 Ma and an isochron age of 157.5±1.5 Ma for the Taoxiwo greisen-type tin ore. The three sets of age data coincide well with each other. They not only accurately reflect the timing of rock and ore formation but also indicate close relations between granite and tin deposits. In addition, the plateau ages of all three sets suggest that no subsequent thermal perturbation event occurred after the formation of granite and tin deposits. The Furong tin orefield is a component part of the southern Hunan large tungsten-tin polymetallic deposit concentration area and also a representative deposit formed in the time interval of 160-135 Ma in four peaks of Mesozoic tungsten-tin mineralization in the South China region. They might still correspond to the middle and late stages of the major geodynamic transition from a N-S- to an E-W-direction in eastern China.

Episodes of Cenozoic Gold Mineralization on the Eastern Margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau:40Ar/39Ar Dating and Implication for Geodynamic Events

A lot of new gold deposits have been found on the eastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau during the past two decades. Among them, three main types of gold deposits have been recognized, including quartz-vein-type, shear- zone-type and porphyry-type. The former two types of gold deposits are mainly hosted within metamorphic rocks, while the latter is related to Cenozoic magmatism. Although all of these gold deposits are believed to have been formed during the uplift process of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in the Cenozoic era (Wang et al., 2002b), precise isotopic age constraints have still been lacking until quite recently. This paper presents new 40Ar/39Ar data of some gold deposits on the eastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, which indicate that gold mineralization in the region occurred in response to the episodic stages of the orogenies. Recently obtained 40Ar/39Ar data on quartz and feldspars from several gold deposits, such as the Sandiao deposit, the Baijintaizi deposit, the Pusagang deposits, provide new constraints on gold mineralization on the eastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Geochronological studies of gold deposits along the Daduhe River indicate that there are three stages of gold mineralization. The early two stages occurred as early as 65.1 Ma in the Shuibaiyang deposit and 58.95 Ma in the Ruoji deposit, while the latter stage occurred as late as 25.35 Ma in Baijintaizi and 24.70 Ma in Sandiao. Isotopic dating of three plagioclases from the Beiya deposit, Zhifanggou deposit and Luobodi deposit and a K-feldspar from the Jinchangqing deposit in Yunnan Province indicates that these deposits were formed at two stages. The Zhifanggou and Jinchangqing deposits have early stage records as old as 58.82 Ma in Zhifanggou and 55.49 Ma in Jinchangqing, but all of the above four deposits in Yunnan have late stage records of 23.18 Ma in Jinchangqing, 24.54 Ma in Zhifanggou, 24.60 Ma in Luobodi and 24.56 Ma in Hongnitang. The above results suggest that the gold deposits on the eastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau were formed concentratedly at two main episodes, i.e. the end of the Paleocene (about 58 Ma) and the boundary between the Paleogene and the Neogene (about 25 Ma). The later episode appears to be looks like more important and was coupled with the Sichuan movement, which was extensively activated at that period. The beginning of the Cenozoic Era (about 65 Ma) might be another episode of gold mineralization, but only one deposit (Shuibaiyang) in this study has been proved to have been be formed at this stage and might be earlier than the initial collision between the Indian Plate and the Eurasia Plate. In view of geology, the above three episodes of gold mineralization are associated with three events of tectonic- magmatism and/or fluid events. Even though the gold deposits (for example, the Shuibaiyang deposit, Ruoji deposit and Pusagang deposit) were formed at different episodes, all of them are genetically related to tectonic movements in large- scale shear zones. It looks like theat tectonic events (including large-scale strike-slip) between Paleogene and Neogene had a wide influence upon gold mineralization, with new deposits formed and old deposits enriched or superimposed to be a higher grade by new stage of mineralization. The above data suggest that gold deposits were not only concentrated in some areas, but also formed mainly at different boundaries of geological times, indicating that there existed some peak stages of gold mineralization (metallogenic episodes), and that the gold deposits were formed mainly by episodic mineralization.

^(40)Ar-^(39)Ar Age of K-feldspar from K-feldspar Granite in the Qiaohuote Copper Deposit, Bayanbulak, Xinjiang, and Its Geological Significance

By using the 40Ar-39Ar chronological method to date K-feldspar from K-feldspar granite in the Qiaohuote copper district, the authors obtained a plateau age of 274.78±0.44 Ma and an isochron age of 272.7±3.0 Ma. Because there is no tectonic deformation overprinted or hydrothermal alteration in the K-feldspar granite intrusion after its emplacement, the 40Ar-39Ar age represents the crystallization age of K-feldspar in K-feldspar granite, i.e. the late crystallization age of the K-feldspar granite intrusion, which indicates that the K-feldspar granite formed in the intraplate extensional stage during the Early Permian. Moreover, based on the spatial relationship between the K-feldspar granite intrusion and copper orebodies, variations of copper ore grade, REE characteristics of K-feldspar granite and copper ores, and H and O isotopic compositions of fluid inclusions in copper ores, the metallogenesis of the Qiaohuote copper deposit is directly related to intrusive activities of the K-feldspar granite, and thus the crystallization age of K-feldspar in the granite approximately approaches the metallogenic epoch of the Qiaohuote copper deposit.

Mineral Resources of Chinese Altay and Tianshan： Metallogeny and Related Tectonic Processesm—A field workshop of IGCP-473

A workshop of the IGCP-473 was held in Xinjiang, northwestern China, from August 9-21. It was attended by more than 70 scientists, including 29 from outside of China, i.eUnited States, Canada, Australia, Japan,Russia, United Kingdom, South Africa,Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, and Khazakstan. The workshop was superbly organized by a team led by Prof. Mao Jingwen of Institute

Geological and Geochemical Characteristics of Early Cretaceous Mafic Dikes in Northern Jiangxi Province, SE China and Their Geodynamic Implications

The development of Early Cretaceous mafic dikes in northern and southern Jiangxi allows an understanding of the geodynamic setting and characteristics of the mantle in southeast China in the Cretaceous. Geological and geochemical characteristics for the mafic dikes from the Wushan copper deposit and No. 640 uranium deposit are given in order to constrain the nature of source mantle, genesis and tectonic implications. According to the mineral composition, the mafic dikes in northern Jiangxi can be divided into spessartite and olive odinite types, which belong to slightly potassium-rich calc-alkaline lamprophyre characterized by enrichment in large ion lithophile elements (LILE) and light rare earth elements (LREE), large depletion in high strength field elements (HSFE) and with negative Nb, Ta and Ti anomalies, as well as 87Sr/86Sr ratios varying from 0.7055 to 0.7095 and 143Nd/144Nd ratios varying from 0.5119 to 0.5122. All features indicate that the magma responsible for the mafic dikes was derived mainly from metasomatic lithosphere mantle related to dehydration and/or upper crust melting during subduction. Differences in geochemical characteristics between the mafic dikes in northern Jiangxi and the Dajishan area, southern Jiangxi were also studied and they are attributed to differences in regional lithospheric mantle components and/or magma emplacement depth. Combining geological and geochemical characteristics with regional geological history, we argue that southeast China was dominated by an extensional tectonic setting in the Early Cretaceous, and the nature of the mantle source area was related to enrichment induced by asthenosphere upwelling and infiltration of upper crust-derived fluids responding to Pacific Plate subduction.