Coupling Effects on Gold Mineralization of Deep and Shallow Structures in the Northwestern Jiaodong Peninsula, Eastern China

For understanding the possible deep-seated processes and geodynamic constrains on gold mineralization, comprehensive physicochemical and geochemical studies of gold mineralization have been undertaken within the paleo-lithosphere framework during the metailogenic epoch from the northwestern part of the Jiaodong Peninsula in this paper. A general image of the paleo-crust has been remained although it has been superimposed and reformed by post-metailogenic tectonic movements. The gold ore deposits occur usually in local uplifts and gradient belts featuring a turn from steep to gentle in granite-metamorphic contact zones, relative uplifts of gradient zones of the Curier isothermal interfaces, depressions of the Moho discontinuity and areas where depth contours are cut by isotherms perpendicularly. Gold mineralization and lithogenesis are characterized by high temperature, low pressure and high strength of thermal flux. The depth of mineralization ranges from 0.8 to 4.5 km. The depth of the top interface of the granitic complex in the metallogenic epoch is about 3 km. There is a low-velocity layer （LVL） at the bottom of the upper crust with a depth close to 19.5 km, which may be a detachment belt in the crust. The appearance of the LVL indicates the existence of paleo-hyperthermal fluid or relics of molten magma chambers, which reflects partial melting within the crust during the diagenetic and metallogenic epochs and the superposition effects of strike-slip shearing of the Taulu fault zone. The subsidence of the Moho is probably attributed to the coupling process of the NW-SE continental collision between North China and the Yangtze Block and the strike-slip movement of the Tanlu fault accompanied with underplating of mantle magma in the northwestern part of the Jiaodong Peninsula. The underplating of mantle magma may result in partial melting and make granite magma transfer upwards. This is favorable for the migration of metallogenic materials from deep to shallow to be enriched to form deposits. Coupling interactions between the strike-slip of the Taulu fault, the underplating of mantle magma, partial melting within the crust, and hyperthermal fluid, etc. may be the important factors controlling the gold mineralization and spatial structures in the metailogenic system.

Study on coupling between deep and shallow structures of Xingtai area and some significant questions

In the light of results from study on coupling between deep and shallow structures in Xingtai earthquake area during the 'Ninth Five-Year Plan' period and other previous results from deep seismic refraction/reflection and seismic prospecting of petroleum, we infer that there exist a series of shallow faults in the upper crust above the 8 km-deep detachment surface in Xingtai macroseismic focal region, where none of the faults, including Aixinzhuang fault reaches the Quaternary stratum, except that the Xinhe fault cuts through the mid-Pleistocene formation upwards. Aixinzhuang fault and other faults extend downwards into Xinhe fault whereas the Xinhe listric fault stretches downwards at a low dip angle into the detachment surface. The abyssal fault with high dip angle under the detachment surface cutting through the middle and lower crust to Moho is the causative fault for the large Xingtai earthquake, whose dislocation can cause strong earthquakes, shallow fault activity and the motion of surface material. The shallow faults in the upper crust are not causative faults for strong earthquakes, although they may be active faults. The existence of the detachment surface brings about a special relationship between shallow and deep structures, i.e. they are relatively independent of each other and have effects on each other It not only transmits partial energy and deformation between the upper and lower crust,but also has a certain decoupling effect. Finally we conclude that active faults do not necessarily reach the latest stratum, and the age of uppermost faulted stratum cannot represent the latest active period of the fault. This put to us a significant question in regard to the age determination and study of active faults. Other noticeable questions are also inferred to in this study.