Giant Mineral Deposits and Their Geodynamic Setting in the Lanping Basin, Yunnan, China

There are giant mineral deposits, including the Jinding Zn-Pb and Baiyangping Ag-Co-Cu, and otherimportant mineral deposits (e.g., Baiyangchang Ag-Cu, Jinman Cu deposits, etc.) in the Lanping Mesozoic-Cenozoic Basin, Yunnan Province, China. The tabular ore-bodies and some veins hosted in terrestrial clastic rocks of the Mesozoic-Cenozoic age and no outcropping of igneous rocks in the giant deposits lead to the proposal of syngenetic origin, but the giant mineral deposits are not stratabound (e.g. MVT, sandstone- and Sedex-type). They formed in a continental red basin with intense crust movement. The mineralization is controlled by structures and lithology and occurs in different strata, and no sedimentary nature and no exhalative sediments are identified in the deposits. The deposits show some relations with organic matter (now asphalt and petroleum) and evaporates (gypsum). The middle-low-temperature (mainly 110℃ to 280℃) mineralization took place at a depth of about 0.9 km to 3.1 km during the early Himalayan (58 to 67 Ma). The salinity of ore-forming fluids is surprisingly low (1.6% to 18.0 wt% (NaCl)eq). Affected by the collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates, the mantle is disturbed under the Lanping Basin. The large-scale mineralization is closely linked with the geodynamics of the crust movement, the mantle and mantle-flux upwelling and igneous activity. Giant mineral deposits and their geodynamic setting are unique in the Lanping Basin.

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.

Metallogenic Chronology of Boron Deposits in the Eastern Liaoning Paleoproterozoic Rift Zone

Lead isotopic analytic data of 30 ores gathered from the Zhuanmiao boron deposit, Wengquangou boron (iron) deposit and its Dongtaizi Ore Member constitute three isochrons, the corresponding ages of which are 1902 ± 12 Ma, 1852 ± 9 Ma and 1917 ± 48 Ma. Lead isotopic analyses of marble from the Xiquegou Member of the Qingchenzi orefield yield a Pb-Pb isochron age of 1844 ± 27 Ma. 40Ar-39Ar quick neutron activation dating of phlogopites and microclines coexisting with ore minerals in the Wengquangou boron (iron) and Zhuanmiao boron deposits shows that: (1) the phlogopite from the Wengquangou has a plateau age of 1923 ± 1.5 Ma and an isochron age of 1924 ± 2.5 Ma; (2) the microcline from the Wengquangou has the plateau age of 1407 ± 5.4 Ma and 220 ± 12 Ma and an isochron age of 1403 ± 19 Ma; (3) the phlogopites from the Zhuanmiao yield a plateau age 1918 ± 1.3 Ma and an isochron age of 1918 ± 2.9 Ma; (4) the microclines from the Zhuanmiao yield the plateau age of 1420 ± 16 Ma and 250 ± 8 Ma and an isochron age of 1425 ± 19 Ma and 269 ± 16 Ma. These ages indicate that the eastern Liaoning area happened around 1900 Ma, an important tectonomagmatic event, which is consistent with the worldwide Mid-Proterozoic tectonomagmatic event. During this period, the Proterozoic Liaohe Group was folded and underwent strong normal metamorphism, and the (hydrothermal) sedimentary boron deposits (or source beds) formed earlier were strongly superimposed by mineralization, resulting in enrichment of boron; later regional geological processes made little contribution to the formation of the boron deposits. Lead isotopic components show that the U-Pb and Th-Pb isotopic system reached homogenization in the ores whereas only the U-Pb isotopic system reached homogenization in the marble from the Xiquegou district, which indicates that the boron deposits superimposed in the studied area endured a relatively strong process of hydrothermal migmatization during the end phase of early Proterozoic metamorphism.