Recognition of two contrasting structural-and mineralogical-gold mineral systems in the Youjiang basin,China-Vietnam:Orogenic gold in the south and Carlin-type in the north

The gold deposits in the Youjiang basin,totaling>25 Moz gold,have traditionally been thought to be of Carlin-type,particularly those with extensional structural geometries in the northern basin dominated by platform sedimentary sequences.However,the structural geometries,mineralization styles and alteration types for the Jinya,Gaolong and Nakuang gold deposits in the south-central part of the basin are remarkably similar to those of unequivocal orogenic gold deposits.Structural studies show that gold mineralization in the three gold deposits was controlled by tight“locked-up”anticlines with NW−SE-to E−W-trending and/or concomitant thrusts and/or shear zones,which resulted from NE−SW-to N–S-trending compression or transpression following the Early Triassic closure of the Paleo-Tethyan Ocean.Alteration zones in these deposits are dominated by silicification(quartz),sericitization,sulfidation and carbonation.Zoned pyrites in these deposits comprise Au-poor cores and invisible Au-bearing rims with minor external free gold.Euhedral to subhedral auriferous arsenopyrites also contribute to the gold budget.These features indicate that the three gold deposits are sediment-hosted orogenic gold deposits that contrast markedly with the Carlin-type gold deposits in the northern part of the Youjiang basin in terms of structural geometry and timing,mineralization style and nature of associated alteration.Although additional reliable ages using robust methodologies are still required,the older isotopic ages of the gold deposits in the south-central Youjiang basin are also consistent with earlier formation during transpression that predated extension during orogenic collapse,the period of formation of the Carlin-type gold deposits in the northern Youjiang basin.

Origin of the Yueguang gold deposit in Xinhua, Hunan Province, South China: insights from fl uid inclusion and hydrogen–oxygen stable isotope analysis

The Yueguang gold deposit is located in Fengjia,Xinhua County,Hunan Province,South China.It represents a recently discovered small-scale gold deposit situated in the southwestern region of the Jiangnan Orogenic Belt,west of the Baimashan granitic batholith.In order to discern the characteristics of the ore-formingfluids,the underlying mineralization processes,and establish a foundation for the origin of the Yueguang gold depositfluid inclusion micro-thermometry,as well as quartz hydrogen and oxygen isotope analysis,have been carried out on samples obtained from various stages of mineralization.The hydrothermal miner-alization stages within the Yueguang gold deposit can be categorized into three stages:(i)the barren,pre-ore quartz-pyrite stage(Stage Ⅰ),the quartz-pyrite-gold stage(Stage Ⅱ),and the post-ore quartz-carbonate stage(Stage Ⅲ),with the second stage being the main mineralization stage.Thefluid inclusions identified in samples from the main min-eralization stage can predominantly be described with the NaCl–H_(2)O and CO_(2)–NaCl–H_(2)O systems.These inclusions display homogenization temperatures ranging from 158.8 to 334.9℃,and thefluid salinity ranges from 0.3%to 4.0%(wt.%NaCl equiv.).Laser Raman spectroscopy analysis of individual inclusions further reveals the presence of gas-phases such as CO_(2),CH_(4),and N_(2).Isotopic analysis indicatesδ^(18)Ofluid values ranging from 3.95 to 6.7‰ and δDH_(2)O values ranging from-71.9 to-55.7‰.These results indi-cate that the ore-formingfluid of the Yueguang gold deposit belongs to metamorphic hydrothermalfluids of middle-low temperature and low salinity.In the process of ore formation,gold is transported in the form of Au(HS)2-complexes,with gold deposition being driven byfluid immiscibility.Therefore,the Yueguang gold deposit is categorized as an orogenic gold deposit dominated by metamorphic hydrother-malfluid.It may become a new target for gold exploration in the Baimashan region,central Hunan Province.

The giant Jiaodong gold province： The key to a unified model for orogenic gold deposits？

Although the term orogenic gold deposit has been widely accepted for all gold-only lode-gold deposits,with the exception of Carlin-type deposits and rare intrusion-related gold systems,there has been continuing debate on their genesis.Early syngenetic models and hydrothermal models dominated by meteoric fluids are now clearly unacceptable.Magmatic-hydrothermal models fail to explain the genesis of orogenic gold deposits because of the lack of consistent spatially- associated granitic intrusions and inconsistent temporal relationships.The most plausible,and widely accepted,models involve metamorphic fluids,but the source of these fluids is hotly debated.Sources within deeper segments of the supracrustal successions hosting the deposits,the underlying continental crust,and subducted oceanic lithosphere and its overlying sediment wedge all have their proponents.The orogenic gold deposits of the giant Jiaodong gold province of China,in the delaminated North China Craton,contain ca.120 Ma gold deposits in Precambrian crust that was metamorphosed over 2000 million years prior to gold mineralization.The only realistic source of fluid and gold is a subducted oceanic slab with its overlying sulfide-rich sedimentary package,or the associated mantle wedge.This could be viewed as an exception to a general metamorphic model where orogenic gold has been derived during greenschist- to amphibolite-facies metamorphism of supracrustal rocks：basaltic rocks in the Precambrian and sedimentary rocks in the Phanerozoic.Alternatively,if a holistic view is taken,Jiaodong can be considered the key orogenic gold province for a unified model in which gold is derived from late-orogenic metamorphic devolatilization of stalled subduction slabs and oceanic sediments throughout Earth history.The latter model satisfies all geological,geochronological,isotopic and geochemical constraints but the precise mechanisms of auriferous fluid release,like many other subduction-related processes,are model-driven and remain uncertain.

Structural geometry of orogenic gold deposits： Implications for exploration of world-class and giant deposits

With very few exceptions, orogenic gold deposits formed in subduction-related tectonic settings in accretionary to collisional orogenic belts from Archean to Tertiary times. Their genesis, including metal and fluid source, fluid pathways, depositional mechanisms, and timing relative to regional structural and metamorphic events, continues to be controversial. However, there is now general agreement that these deposits formed from metamorphic fluids, either from metamorphism of intra-basinal rock sequences or de-volatilization of a subducted sediment wedge, during a change from a compressional to transpressional, less commonly transtensional, stress regime, prior to orogenic collapse. In the case of Archean and Paleoproterozoic deposits, the formation of orogenic gold deposits was one of the last events prior to cratonization. The late timing of orogenic gold deposits within the structural evolution of the host orogen implies that any earlier structures may be mineralized and that the current structural geometry of the gold deposits is equivalent to that at the time of their formation provided that there has been no significant post-gold orogenic overprint. Within the host volcano-sedimentary sequences at the province scale, world-class orogenic gold deposits are most commonly located in second-order structures adjacent to crustal scale faults and shear zones, representing the first-order ore-forming fluid pathways, and whose deep lithospheric connection is marked by lamprophyre intrusions which, however, have no direct genetic association with gold deposition. More specifically, the gold deposits are located adjacent to ～10°-25° district-scale jogs in these crustal-scale faults. These jogs are commonly the site of arrays of ～70° cross faults that accommodate the bending of the more rigid components, for example volcanic rocks and intrusive sills, of the host belts. Rotation of blocks between these accommodation faults causes failure of more competent units and/or reactivation and dilation of pre-existing structures, leading to deposit-scale focussing of ore-fluid and gold deposition.Anticlinal or antiformal fold hinges, particularly those of ＇locked-up＇ folds with ～30° apical angles and overturned back limbs, represent sites of brittle-ductile rock failure and provide one of the more robust parameters for location of orogenic gold deposits.In orogenic belts with abundant pre-gold granitic intrusions, particularly Precambrian granitegreenstone terranes, the boundaries between the rigid granitic bodies and more ductile greenstone sequences are commonly sites of heterogeneous stress and inhomogeneous strain. Thus, contacts between granitic intrusions and volcano-sedimentary sequences are common sites of ore-fluid infiltration and gold deposition. For orogenic gold deposits at deeper crustal levels, ore-forming fluids are commonly focused along strain gradients between more compressional zones where volcano-sedimentary sequences are thinned and relatively more extensional zones where they are thickened. World-class orogenic gold deposits are commonly located in the deformed volcano-sedimentary sequences in such strain gradients adjacent to triple-point junctions defined by the granitic intrusions, or along the zones of assembly of micro-blocks on a regional scale. These repetitive province to district-scale geometrical patterns of structures within the orogenic belts are clearly critical parameters in geology-based exploration targeting for orogenic gold deposits.

Genesis of the Bangbu Orogenic Gold Deposit, Tibet： Evidence from Fluid Inclusion, Stable Isotopes, and Ar-Ar Geochronology

The Bangbu gold deposit is a large orogenic gold deposit in Tibet formed during the AlpineHimalayan collision. Ore bodies（auriferous quartz veins） are controlled by the E-W-trending Qusong-Cuogu-Zhemulang brittle-ductile shear zone. Quartz veins at the deposit can be divided into three types： pre-metallogenic hook-like quartz veins, metallogenic auriferous quartz veins, and postmetallogenic N-S quartz veins. Four stages of mineralization in the auriferous quartz veins have been identified：（1） Stage S1 quartz＋coarse-grained sulfides,（2） Stage S2 gold＋fine-grained sulfides,（3） Stage S3 quartz＋carbonates, and（4） Stage S4 quartz＋ greigite. Fluid inclusions indicate the oreforming fluid was CO_2-N_2-CH_4 rich with homogenization temperatures of 170–261°C, salinities 4.34–7.45 wt% Na Cl equivalent. δ^（18）Ofluid（3.98‰–7.18‰） and low δDV-SMOW（-90‰ to-44‰） for auriferous quartz veins suggest ore-forming fluids were mainly metamorphic in origin, with some addition of organic matter. Quartz vein pyrite has δ^（34）SV-CDT values of 1.2‰–3.6‰（an average of 2.2‰）, whereas pyrite from phyllite has δ^（34）SV-CDT 5.7‰–9.9‰（an average of 7.4‰）. Quartz vein pyrites yield 206Pb/204 Pb ratios of 18.662–18.764, 207Pb/204 Pb 15.650–15.683, and ^（208）Pb/204 Pb 38.901–39.079. These isotopic data indicate Bangbu ore-forming materials were probably derived from the Langjiexue accretionary wedge. 40Ar/39 Ar ages for sericite from auriferous sulfide-quartz veins yield a plateau age of 49.52 ± 0.52 Ma, an isochron age of 50.3 ± 0.31 Ma, suggesting that auriferous veins were formed during the main collisional period of the Tibet-Himalayan orogen（-65–41 Ma）.

Fluid Inclusions of Orogenic Gold Deposits in the Zhongchuan Area,Western Qinling and Their Geological Significance

Orogenically-derived gold deposits of the Zhongchuan area in the western Qinling are distributed in the exo-contact thermal metamorphic zone. The country rocks hosting the deposits are predominantly of Devonian age with low-grade metamorphism and strong deformation with the ore deposits directly controlled by multi-level tectonic systems. Three types of inclusions from these deposits have been recognized: CO2-H2O, CO2-rich, and aqueous. The ore-forming fluids were mainly CO2-NaCl-H2O type characterized by rich CO2, low salinity, high temperature and immiscibility. Incorporated with earlier isotopic data, the regional geological setting and features of diagenesis and metallogeny, it can be concluded that the ore-forming fluids were derived from deep magma and mixed with meteoric and metamorphic water. The deposits formed during an intra-continent collisional orogeny, and some of the materials derived from the deep might have been involved in the ore-forming process.

Metallogenesis and Geodynamic Setting of the Early Paleozoic Orogenic Gold Deposits in the North Altyn

The North Altyn has underwent a complex tectonic history in the Early Paleozoic and formed a number of orogenic gold deposits controlled by ductile to brittle shear zones adjacent to the southern side of the Northern Altyn Tagh fault e.g. the Dapinggou, Beiketan and Xiangyun. The Dapinggou gold deposit, a typical orogenic gold deposit in North Altyn, is predominantly hosted in the Precambrian carbonate and Cambrian volcano- sedimentary rocks which were strongly deformed and were subjected to low-grade metamorphism. The ore bodies occurred in K-feldspar quartz veins and hydrothermally altered mylonite within the ductile shear belt. Hydrothermal alteration including silicification, pyritization.

Decrepitation Thermometry and Compositions of Fluid Inclusions of the Damoqujia Gold Deposit,Jiaodong Gold Province,China:Implications for Metallogeny and Exploration

The recently discovered Damoqujia （大磨曲家） gold deposit is a large shear zone-hosted gold deposit of disseminated sulphides located in the north of the Zhaoping （招平） fault zone, Jiaodong （胶东） gold province, China. In order to distinguish the temperature range of cluster inclusions from different mineralization stages and measure their compositions, 16 fluid inclusions and 5 isotopic geochemistry samples were collected for this study. Corresponding to different mineralization stages, the multirange peaks of quartz decrepitation temperature （250-270, 310-360 and 380-430℃） indicate that the activity of ore-forming fluids is characterized by multistage. The ore-forming fluids were predominantly of high-temperature fluid system （HTFS） by CO2-rich, and SO4^2--K^＋ type magmatic fluid during the early stage of mineralization and were subsequently affected by low-temperature fluid system （LTFS） of CH4-rich, and Cl^--Na^＋/Ca^2＋ type meteoric fluid during the late stage of mineralization. Gold is transferred by Au-HS^- complex in the HTFS, and Au-Cl^- complex can be more important in the LTFS. The transition of fluids from deeper to shallow environments results in mixing between the HTFS and LTFS, which might be one of the most key reasons for gold precipitation and large-scale mineralization. The ore-forming fluids are characterized by high-temperature, strong-activity, and superimposed mineralization, so that there is a great probability of forming large and rich ore deposit in the Damoqujia gold deposit. The main bodies are preserved and extend toward deeper parts, thereby suggesting a great potential in future.

World-class Xincheng gold deposit： An example from the giant Jiaodong gold province

The Jiaodong gold deposits are currently the most important gold resources（with Au reserves of〉4000 t） in China,and the leading gold-producing country globally（with Au production of ～428 t in2013）.Jiaodong is also considered as perhaps the only world-class to giant gold accumulation on the planet where relatively young gold ores（ca.130-120 Ma） were deposited in rocks that are 2 Ga older.The Xincheng world-class high-grade gold deposit,with a proven reserve of 〉200 t gold,is one of the largest deposits in the giant gold province of the Jiaodong Peninsula.It is located in the northwestern part of the jiaobei Uplift,and hosted by ca.132-123 Ma Xincheng quartz monzonites and monzogranites.Ore zones are structurally controlled by the NE-trending and NW-dipping Jiaojia Fault and subsidiary faults,and are mainly restricted to the footwall of the fault.The dominant disseminated- and stockworkstyle ores are associated with strong sericitization,silicification,sulfidation and K-feldspathization,and minor carbonate wallrock alteration halos.The four mineralization stages are pyrite-quartz-sericite（stage 1）,quartz-pyrite（stage 2）,quartz-polysulfide（stage 3） and quartz-carbonate（stage 4）.Gold occurs dominantly as electrum,with lesser amounts of sulfide-hosted native gold and rare native silver and argentite,normally associated with pyrite,chalcopyrite,galena and sphalerite：the latter with proven resources of about 105 t Ag,713 t Cu,and 5100 t S.There are three types of ore-related fluid inclusions：type 1 aqueous-carbonate（H2O-CO2）,type 2aqueous（liquid H2O＋vapor H2O）,and type 3 CO2（liquid CO2 and vapor CO2） inclusions.Homogenization temperatures range from 221 to 304℃ for type 1 inclusions,with salinities of 2.4-13.3 wt.%NaCl eq.,and bulk densities of 0.858-1.022 g/cm～3.The δ～（34）S（CDT） values of hydrothermal sulfides are 4.3-10.6‰and δ～（18）O values of hydrothermal quartz have a median value of 13.0‰.δD values of fluid inclusions in hydrothermal quartz have a median value of-75‰.Calculated δ～（18）Owater has a median value of 5.2‰.The timing of gold mineralization at the Xincheng gold deposit is younger than 123±1 Ma,and likely between 120.9 and 119.9 Ma.A minerals system genetic model for the probable epizonal orogenic Xincheng deposit suggests an initial medium temperature,CO2-rich,and low salinity H2O-CO2 deeply sourced metamorphic ore fluid associated with dehydration and decarbonization of subducting Paleo-Pacific lithosphere.The Jiaojia Fault constrained the migration of ore-forming fluids and metals at the brittle-ductile transition.Fluid immiscibility,caused by episodic pressure drops,led to significant high-grade gold deposition in the giant Xincheng gold deposit.

The conjunction of factors that lead to formation of giant gold provinces and deposits in non-arc settings

It is quite evident that it is not anomalous metal transport,nor unique depositional conditions,nor any single factor at the deposit scale,that dictates whether a mineral deposit becomes a giant or not.A hierarchical approach thus is required to progressively examine controlling parameters at successively decreasing scales in the total mineral system to understand the location of giant gold deposits in non-arc environments.For giant orogenic,intrusion-related gold systems（IRGS） and Carlin-type gold deposits and iron oxide-copper-gold（IOCG） deposits,there are common factors among all of these at the lithospheric to crustal scale.All are sited in giant gold provinces controlled by complex fundamental fault or shear zones that follow craton margins or,in the case of most Phanerozoic orogenic giants,define the primary suture zones between tectonic terranes.Giant provinces of IRGS,IOCG,and Carlin-type deposits require melting of metasomatized lithosphere beneath craton margins with ascent of hybrid lamprophyric to granitic magmas and associated heat flux to generate the giant province.The IRGS and IOCG deposits require direct exsolution of volatile-rich magmatic-hydrothermal fluids,whereas the association of such melts with Carlin-type ores is more indirect and enigmatic.Giant orogenic gold provinces show no direct relationship to such magmatism.forming from metamorphic fluids,but show an indirect relationship to lamprophyres that reflect the mantle connectivity of controlling first-order structures.In contrast to their province scale similarities,the different giant gold deposit styles show contrasting critical controls at the district to deposit scale.For orogenic gold deposits,the giants appear to have formed by conjunction of a greater number of parameters to those that control smaller deposits,with resultant geometrical and lithostratigraphic complexity as a guide to their location.There are few giant IRGS due to their inferior fluid-flux systems relative to orogenic gold deposits,and those few giants are essentially preservational exceptions.Many Carlin-type deposits are giants due to the exceptional conjunction of both structural and lithological parameters that caused reactive and permeable rocks,enriched in syngenetic gold,to be located below an impermeable cap along antiformal ＂trends＂.Hydrocarbons probably played an important role in concentrating metal.The supergiant Post-Betze deposit has additional ore zones in strain heterogeneities surrounding the pre-gold Goldstrike stock.All unequivocal IOCG deposits are giant or near-giant deposits in terms of gold-equivalent resources,partly due to economic factors for this relatively poorly understood,low Cu-Au grade deposit type.The supergiant Olympic Dam deposit,the most shallowly formed deposit among the larger IOCGs,probably owes its origin to eruption of volatile-rich hybrid magma at surface,with formation of a large maar and intense and widespread brecciation,alteration and Cu-Au-U deposition in a huge rock volume.

Tourmaline from the Archean G.R.Halli gold deposit,Chitradurga greenstone belt,Dharwar craton(India):Implications for the gold metallogeny

Tourmaline occurs as a minor but important mineral in the alteration zc,ne of the Archean orogenic gold deposit of Guddadarangavanahalli （G.R.Halli） in the Chitradurga greenst^ne belt of the western Dharwar craton, southern India. It occurs in the distal alteration halo of the G.R.Halli golcl deposit as （a） clusters of very fine grained aggregates which form a minor constituent in the natrix of the altered metabasalt （AMB tourmaline） and （b） in quartz-carbonate veins （vein tourmaline）. ~[＇he vein tourmaline, based upon the association of specific carbonate minerals, is further grouped as （i） albite-tourmaline-ankerite-quartz veins （vein-1 tourmaline） and （ii） albite-tourmaline-calcite-quartz veins （vein-2 tourmaline）. Both the AMB tourmaline and the vein tourmalines （vein-I and vein-2） belong to the alkali group and are clas- sified under schorl-dravite series. Tourmalines occurring in the veins are zoned while the AMB tour- malines are unzoned. Mineral chemistry and discrimination diagrams 1eveal that cores and rims of the vein tourmalines are distinctly different. Core composition of the ve：n tourmalines is similar to the composition of the AMB tourmaline. The formation of the AMB tourmaline and cores of the vein tour- malines are proposed to be related to the regional D1 deformational event associated with the emplacement of the adjoining ca. 2.61 Ga Chitradurga granite whilst rims of the vein tourmalines vis-a- vis gold mineralization is spatially linked to the juvenile magmatic accretion （2.56-2.50 Ga） east of the studied area in the western part of the eastern Dharwar craton.

The giant Kalgoorlie Gold Field revisited

The Neoarchaean Kaigoorlie Gold Field contains the giant Golden Mile and world-class Mt Charlotte deposits,which have been the subject of much research for over 100 years.The Golden Mile deposit is a complex array of ductile to brittle vein and breccia lodes that are predominantly hosted in the highlyfractionated Golden Mile Dolerite sill.The Fimiston lodes comprise an array of narrow lodes that evolved broadly syn- to late-formation of the regional D2 NW-trending foliation.The lodes are characterized by pyrite veinlets and disseminations,quartz veinlets and breccias,and banded quartz-carbonate veins with sericite,carbonate,and pyrite-dominated alteration.Bonanza Green-Leader,or Oroya-style,lodes,with grades in excess of 1000 g/t Au,are similar to the Fimiston-style lodes,but are characterized by abundant visible gold,native tellurium and more abundant telluride minerals within roscoelitebearing alteration zones.The arguably structurally younger Mt Charlotte-style lodes are characterized by a pipe-shaped,coarse-grained quartz,carbonate and scheelite vein-stockwork with distinct verticallyzoned,carbonate-sericite-albite-pyrite ± pyrrhotite dominant alteration assemblages around veins within Unit 8 of the Golden Mile dolerite and porphyry dykes.The network of steep- and gently-dipping extension and shear fracture-fill veins are associated with NE-trending fault se ts that cross cut the regional NW-trend.The deposit area is intruded by swarms of porphyry dykes,including syn-volcanic mafic dykes,early and volumetrically most significant c.2.67 Ga feldspar-phyric porphyry dykes,as well as later c.2.66-2.65 Ga calc-alkaline hornblende-phyric dykes associated with younger c.2.65-2.64 Ga lamprophyre dykes.All post-volcanic dykes have similar orientations to the Fimiston lodes.The feldspar dykes are clearly overprinted by all styles of mineralization,although the relationship between hornblende-phyric and lamprophyre dykes and gold mineralization is more ambiguous.Most agree that gold mineralization was post-peak regional metamorphism of host rocks,although its relative structural timing is controversial.Direct timing constraints on gold mineralization indicate that Fimiston- and Mt Charlotte-style mineralization formed within a relative short period of time around 2.64 Ga,and,as such,support a model of progressive deformation of a Theologically heterogeneous rock package late in the structural history.Fluid characteristics,combined with the structural,metamorphic and absolute timing,support description of gold mineralization at the Golden Mile as orogenic and mesozonal,and this allows direct correlation with orogenic gold deposits worldwide,which classically formed during accretion along convergent margins throughout Earth history.

Saqez–Sardasht Goldfield,North Sanandaj-Sirjan Zone,Iran:A Tectono-Metallogenic Synthesis

The Sanandaj–Sirjan Zone(SSZ),as the metamorphic-magmatic core of the Zagros Orogen in southwestern Iran,contains several styles of gold deposit of Phanerozoic age.The northern SSZ includes an ENE-trending goldfield belt.This area that encompasses the main orogenic gold deposits,e.g.,Qolqoleh,Kervian,Qabaqhlujeh,and the Barika VMS goldfield,was chosen for this research to study the spatial and temporal relationships between gold mineralization and orogenic phases.Regarding the rock unit variations,metamorphism,magmatism and the settings of the structures,the study area is divided into four distinct tectonic blocks,separated by three main NW-trending thrust faults(suture lines)including,from NE to SW,the Tamugheh,the Ebrahim Hesar and the Zagros main thrust(ZMT)faults.The area between the Tamugheh and Ebrahim Hesar faults is a tectonized/uplifted basement of accretionary wedge-originated thrust slivers,hosting the above orogenic gold mineralizations.The other area between the here termed Ebrahim Hesar fault and the ZMT is an island-arc basin,proposed here as the Sardasht–Barika zone,including the only recognized massive sulfide gold district all over the SSZ,named Barika.The Barika goldfield was metamorphosed,deformed and enriched due to the islandarc collision to the Arabian continent,before the closure of Neotethys on the eastern flank.

Geology, Pb Isotope Geochemistry and Ore Genesis of the Liziyuan Gold Deposit, West Qinling Orogen, Central China

The Liziyuan gold deposit, situated on the south side of the Shangdan suture zone, West Qinling Orogen, occurs in metamorphic volcanic rocks(greenschist facies) of the early Paleozoic Liziyuan Group and in Indosinian Tianzishan monzogranite. Orebodies in the Liziyuan gold field are controlled by the ductile-brittle shear zone, and by thrusting nappe faults related to the Indosinian orogeny. In detail, this paper analyzed the geological characteristics of the Liziyuan gold field, and the Pb isotopes of the Lziyuan host rocks, granitoids(Tianzishan monzogranite and Jiancaowan syenite porphyry), sulfides, and auriferous quartz veins by multiple-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry(MC-ICPMS). In addition, previous data on the sulfur, hydrogen, and oxygen isotopes were employed to discuss the possible sources of the ore-forming fluids and materials, and to further understand the tectonic setting of the Liziyuan gold deposit. The sulfides and their host rocks(Lziyuan Group), Tianzishan monzogranite and Jiancaowan syenite porphyry, and auriferous quartz veins have similar Pb isotopic compositions.Zartman’s plumbotectonic model diagram shows that most of the data for the deposit fall near the orogenic Pb evolutionary curve or within the area between the orogenic and mantle Pb evolutionary curves. In the△β-△γ diagram, which genetically classifies the lead isotopes, most of the data fall within the range of the subduction-zone lead mixed with upper crust and mantle. This indicates that a complex source of the ore lead formed in the orogenic environment. The δ34S values of the sulfides range from 3.90 to 8.50‰(average6.80‰), with a pronounced mode at 5.00‰-8.00‰. These values are consistent with that of orogenic gold deposits worldwide, indicating that the sulfur sourced mainly from reduced metamorphic fluids. The isotopic hydrogen and oxygen compositions support a predominantly metamorphic origin of the oreforming fluids, with possible mixing of minor magmatic fluids, but the late stage was dominated by meteoric water. The characteristics of the Liziyuan gold deposit formed in the Indosinian orogenic environment of the Qinling Orogen are consistent with those of orogenic gold deposits found worldwide.

REE geochemistry of auriferous quartz carbonate veins of Neoarchean Ajjanahalli gold deposit,Chitradurga schist belt,Dharwar Craton,India

REE composition of the carbonates of the auriferous quartz carbonate veins（QCVs） of the Neoarchean Ajjanahalli gold deposit.Chitradurga schist belt.Dharwar Craton,is characterized by U-shaped chondrite normalized REE patterns with both LREE and HREE enrichment and a distinct positive Eu anomaly.As positive Eu anomaly is associated with low oxygen fugacity,we propose that the auriferous fluids responsible for gold mineralization at Ajjanahalli could be from an oxygen depleted fluid.The observed positive Eu anomaly is interpreted to suggest the derivation of the auriferous fluids from a mantle reservoir.The location of Ajjanahalli gold deposit in a crustal scale shear zone is consistent with this interpretation.

Direct Re–Os dating of pyrite from the Jianchaling Au deposit,West Qinling,China

The West Qingling Orogen is endowed with more than 1100 t gold resources and with 50 gold deposits,ranking it the third-largest gold province in China.The Jianchaling giant gold deposit with 52 t gold reserve is a typical orogenic gold deposit in West Qinling Orogen.The deposit lacks accurate and direct metallogenic age.Five pyrite samples collected from the quartz-polymetallic veins yielded Re–Os isochron age of 206.3±2.7 Ma and an initial187 Os/188 Os ratio of 0.1154±0.0016(MSWD=0.54).The pyrites were analyzed by the electron microprobe(EMPA),and the results show that the iron content ranges from 45.1 to 47.8 wt.%,the sulfur content ranges from 52.0 to 53.5 wt.%,and the gold content varies from0.022 to 0.035%.The higher gold content means that gold is closely related to pyrite,which is a gold-bearing mineral.Moreover,the age is very close to the previous fuchsite40 Ar/39 Ar isotopic ages of 199–194 Ma,which indicates that the gold mineralization at Jianchaling has begun in the Late Triassic(206 Ma),and continued into the Early Jurassic.Through summary and comparison,it is found that the gold metallogenic age of the southern ore belt of the Mian-Lue Suture belt in the West Qinling is younger than that of the northern ore belt,suggesting that the gold deposits in the southern ore belt such as Jianchaling were formed in the transitional period from oceanic subduction to continental collision.

An Early Cretaceous gold mineralization event in the Triassic West Qinling orogen revealed from U-Pb titanite dating of the Ma'anqiao gold deposit

The West Qinling orogen in central China,formed from continental collision between the North China and Yangtze cratons in the Late Triassic,hosts numerous gold deposits with a total Au endowment of about 2000 t.Most deposits were emplaced at ca.250-195 Ma and are genetically associated with the Triassic orogenesis.Here in situ U-Pb titanite dating with laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry indicates the Ma’anqiao gold deposit in the northern portion of this orogen has a distinctive age and under a contrasting tectonic regime.This structurally controlled gold deposit is hosted in Late Ordovician to Early Silurian sub-greenschist facies metasedimentary rocks.The gold mineralization is hosted in quartz-pyritepyrrhotite veins and pyrite-pyrrhotite disseminations in hydrothermally altered rocks,which are crosscut by K-feldspar-calcitechlorite±pyrite veins.Titanite,present both in the disseminated sulfide ores and later veins,was used for in situ U-Pb dating.Titanite from three disseminated sulfide ore samples with Th and U averaging 27.46 and 39.31 ppm(1 ppm=1μg g^(-1)),respectively,yielded lower-intercept ages of 121.1±3.1 to 120.7±3.5 Ma(2σ)in the Tera-Wasserburg diagram.Titanite from three later vein samples with much lower Th and U concentrations averaging 2.74 and 16.21 ppm,respectively,yielded overlapping ages of 120.8±3.2 to 120.3±5.8 Ma(2σ).These new titanite U-Pb ages tightly constrain the formation of the Ma’anqiao gold deposit at ca.121-120 Ma and,when combined with independent geological data,indicate it is not related to the Triassic Qinling orogeny.Rather,its formation is attributed to lithospheric thinning and destruction of the North China craton during the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous which has generated numerous gold deposits along the southern margin of this craton.This catastrophic event caused extensive magmatism in large areas of the North Qinling terrane and northern edge of the West Qinling orogen immediately to the south of the North China craton.The heat flux and elevated geothermal gradients associated with this magmatism could have induced prograde metamorphism of the Paleozoic sedimentary infrastructure in and beneath these areas with the derived fluids ascending along pre-existing crustal-scale regional structures to form the Ma’anqiao gold deposit.We suggest that areas in the North Qinling terrane that have been affected by the Late Mesozoic magmatism are potential targets for future exploration of the decratonization-related gold deposits.Additionally,this study highlights the use of titanite U-Pb dating as a robust geochronometer for metasedimentary rock-hosted gold deposits in Phanerozoic orogens,which has previously not been utilized.

Geochemical characteristics of rare earth elements and their implications for the Huachanggou gold deposit in Shaanxi Province, China

The Huachanggou gold deposit is located in the south part of the Mian-Lue suture zone in the Qinling orogenic belt. Rare earth element （REE） concentrations determined by ICP-MS are shown to characterize the ore samples and their wall rocks in three ore zones in order to reveal the origin of ore-forming materials and fluid. In AuI, REE chondrite normalized patterns of ore are similar to those of ore-controlling spilite; the ore-forming materials originated from deep magma, and magmatic activity offered main hydrothermal source for gold mineralization. The REE characteristics of AuII and AuIII are similar, and most of the ore samples are similar with the wall rocks. The ore-forming fluids of AuII and AuIII were metamorphic hydrothermal fluids which had extracted ore-forming materials part from the wall rocks, and part from the spilite in AuI.

Abundance of Carbonic Fluid Inclusions in Hira-Buddini Gold Deposit, Hutti-Maski Greenstone Belt, India: Inferences from Petrography and Volume Ratio Estimation of Fluid Components

Low saline aqueous carbonic fluids are considered to be the ore forming solutions for orogenic lode gold deposits.Phase separation/fluid immiscibility of the ore fluid is quite common and is one of the major reasons for deposition of gold in these deposits.Abundant carbonic fluid inclusions have been observed in quartz grains of Hira-Buddnini Gold Deposit.Theoretical estimation indicates that more volume of H2O compared to CO2 is likely to be trapped in inclusions at different P-T conditions.Preferential loss of H2O from fluid inclusions during ductile deformation of quartz grains have been attributed as the suitable reason for abundance of carbonic fluid inclusions.