Magnetite Quartzite-Type Iron Ores – China's Most Important Current Iron Ore Source

China is abundant in iron-ore resources, with proven ore reserves of 576.62×10^8 t and proven reserves of 210×10^8 t, containing an average iron content of 33%. However, the rich iron-ore reserves of 10.85×10^8 t only account for 1.9% of all proven reserves. China＇s iron-ore resources are characterized by many lean ores and a few rich ones.

Ore-forming material of Dachang tin deposit in Guangxi, China:Lead isotope evidence

For revealing the ore sources of the Dachang tin?polymetallic ore deposit, the lead isotopes were analyzed systematically by using the single minerals of sulphides, including pyrite, pyrrhotite, sphalerite, and galena. Then, the mineral sources and their characteristics were discussed based on the classical lead isotope discriminating model. The results show that the lead isotope ratios of206Pb/204Pb,207Pb/204Pb, and208Pb/204Pb range from 17.478 to 18.638, 15.440 to 15.858, and 37.556 to 39.501, respectively. According to Zartman lead model, the ore lead contains the upper crust composition; however, the granite does not provide all ore leads, and other material sources exist. Obviously, the ore deposit belongs to the result of the combined effect of crust?mantle. The source rocks are characterized by a certain degree of similarity with the island arc material. Moreover, its distant origin in the upper and lower crusts may be related to the subduction island arc material or oceanic crust. The mantle-derived material may have a certain status in the source region. Meanwhile, based on the lead isotope three-dimensional topology projection vectors, the ore leads are concentrated in zoneA, which indicates the characteristics of Yangtze lead isotope province and a possible genetic relationship with Yangtze block.

Lead Isotopic Composition and Lead Source of the Huogeqi Cu-Pb-Zn Deposit,Inner Mongolia,China

The Huogeqi orefield located on the northern side of Mt. Langshan, Inner Mongolia occurs in the Middle Proterozoic Langshan Group metamorphic rocks, and the orebodies arc stratiform. In the past twenty years, many Chinese geologists have conducted researches on the Huogeqi Cu-Pb-Zn deposit, but there has been still a controversy on its origin. Some advocate that the deposit is of sedimentary-metamorphic rcworking origin, some hold that it is of sea-floor SEDEX origin, and others have a preference for magmatic superimposition origin. The crux of the controversy is that there is no common understanding about the source of ore-forming materials. In this paper, the Pb isotopic compositions of regional Achaean-Early Proterozoic basement rocks, various types of sedimentary- metamorphic rocks and volcanic rocks in the mining district, Late Proterozoic and Hercynian magmatic rocks arc introduced and compared with the orc-lead composition, so as to constrain the source of the ore lead. The result indicates that （1） sulfides in the ores have homogeneous Pb isotopic compositions, showing a narrow variation range. Their ^206pb/^204pb ratios arc within a range of 17.027- 17.317; ^207Pb/^204pb ratios, 15.451-15.786 and ^208Pb/^204pb ratios, 36.747-37.669; （2） the Pb isotopic compositions of the regional Achaean-Early Proterozoic basement rocks arc characteristic of the old Pb isotopic composition at the early-stage evolution of the Earth, which varies over a wider range, reflecting significant differences in Pb isotopic compositions of the ores. All this indicates that the source of ore lead has no bearing on the basement rocks; （3） the sedimentary-metamorphic rocks in the mining district arc characterized by highly variable and more radiogenic Pb isotopic compositions and their Pb isotopic ratios arc obviously higher than those of ores, demonstrating that ore lead did not result from metamorphic rcworking of these rocks; （4） Pb isotopic compositions of Late Proterozoic diorite-gabbro and Hercynian granite are higher than those of ores. Meanwhile, the Pb isotopic compositions of sulfides in the small-sized strata-penetrating mineralized veinlets formed at later stages arc completely consistent with that of sulfides in stratiform-banded ores, suggesting that these veiniets arc the product of autochthonous rcworking of the stratiform-banded ores during the period of metamorphism and the late magmatic superimposition-mineralization can be excluded; （5） amphibolite, whose protolith is basic volcanic rocks, has the same Pb isotopic compositions as ores, implying that ore lead was derived probably from basic volcanism. So, the source of ore-forming materials for the Huogeqi deposit is like that of the volcanic massive sulfide （VMS） deposits. However, the orebodies do not occur directly within the volcanic rocks, and instead they overlie the volcanic rocks, showing some differences from those typical VMS-type deposits.

Geology and Geochemistry of the Shizitou Molybdenum Deposit, Jiangxi Province： Implications for Geodynamic Setting and Metallogenesis

The Shizitou molybdenum （Mo） deposit in Yongping, Jiangxi, is an important, recently discovered deposit in the eastern section of the Qin-Hang metallogenic belt. The Mo deposit is located in the outer contact zone behveen the porphyritic biotite granite and the Neoproterozoic migmatite, and present in the deep central part of the intrusion. Re-Os dating and S and Pb isotopic analysis have been conducted to assess the metallogenesis of the Shizitou Mo deposit. S, Pb and Re isotopes show that the ore-forming materials were derived from the porphyritic biotite granitic magma, which originated from the mixing of mantle and crust. Re-Os dating of molybdenite from the ores gives a model age from 156.9±2.2 to 158.5±2.4 Ma, with a weighted mean age of 158±1 Ma and an isochron age of 158.0±2.5 Ma. Geological and geochemical characteristics of the ore deposit and the related granitoids indicate that the Shizitou deposit is a Climax-type Mo deposit. Based on previous studies of the Qin-Hang metaliogenic belt, two metallogenic events are believed to have occurred during 172-145 Ma and 137-132 Ma. These two metallogenic periods are consistent with the timing of two metallogenic peaks during the middle to late Jurassic and the Cretaceous in South China. These events represent responses to the partial backarc extension associated with the subduction of the Izanagi plate beneath the Eurasian continent and the rapid northeastward movement of the subducting Izanagi plate.