Hydrothermal Mineralization on the Mesoproterozoic Passive Continental Margins of China: A Case Study of the Langshan-Zha'ertaishan Belt,Inner Mongolia, China

Most ore-forming characteristics of the Langshan-Zha'ertaishan hydrothermal exhalation belt, which consists of the Dongshengmiao, Huogeqi, Tanyaokou and Jiashengpan large-superlarge Zn-Pb-Cu-Fe sulfide deposits, are most similar to those of Mesoproterozoic SEDEX-type provinces of the world. The characteristics include: (1) All deposits of this type in the belt occur in third-order fault-basins in the Langshan-Zha'ertaishan aulacogen along the northern margin of the North China Platform; (2) these deposits with all their orebodies hosted in the Mesoproterozoic impure dolomite-marble and carbonaceous phyllite (or schists) have an apparent stratabound nature; ores display laminated and banded structures, showing clear depositional features; (3) there is some evidence of syn-sedimentary faulting, which to a certain extent accounts for the temporal and spatial distribution and the size of the orebodies in all deposits and the formation of intrabed conglomerates and breccias; (4) they show lateral and vertical zonation of sulfides; (5) The Cu/(Pb+Zn+Cu) ratio of the large and thick Pb+Zn+Cu orebodies gradually decreases from bottom to top; and (6) barite is interbedded with pyrites and sometimes with sphalerite. However, some characteristics such as the Co/Ni radio of the pyrites, the volcanism, for example, of the Langshan-Zha'ertaishan metallogenic belt, are different from those of the typical SEDEX deposits of the world. The meta-basic volcanic rock in Huogeqi, the sodic bimodal volcanic rocks in the Dongshengmiao and potassic bimodal-volcanic rocks with blastoporphyritic and blasto-glomeroporphyritic texture as well as blasto-amygdaloidal structure in the Tanyaokou deposits have been discovered in the only ore-bearing second formation of the Langshan Group in the past 10 years. The metallogeny of some deposits hosted in the Langshan Group is closely related to syn-sedimentary volcanism based on the following facts: most of the lead isotopes in sphalerite, galena, pyrite, pyrrhotite and chalcopyrite plot on both sides of the line for the mantle or between the lines for the mantle and lower crust in the lead isotope composition diagram; cobalt content of some pyrites samples is much higher than the nickel content (Co/Ni=11.91-12.19). Some volcanic blocks and debris have been picked out from some pyritic and pyrrhotitic ores. All Zn-Pb-Cu-Fe sulfide orebodies in these deposits occur in the strata overlying metamorphic volcanic rocks in the only ore-bearing second formation. In the Jiashengpan deposit that lacks syn-sedimentary volcanic rocks in the host succession only Pb and Zn ores occur without Cu ore, but in the Dongshengmiao, Tanyaokou and Huogeqi deposits with syn-sedimentary volcanic rocks in the host succession Cu ores occur. This indicates a relatively higher ore-forming temperature. The process of syn-sedimentary volcanic eruption directly supplied some ore-forming elements, and resulted in secular geothermal anomaly favorable for the circulation of a submarine convective hydrothermal system, which accounts for the precipitation of deep mineralizing fluids exhaling into anoxidic basins along the syn-sedimentary fault system in the Langshan-Zha'ertai rift. The Dongshengmiao, Tanyaokou, and Huogeqi deposits hosted in the Langshan Group appear to be a transitional type of mineral deposit between SEDEX and VMS-types but with a bias towards SEDEX, while the Jiashengpan deposit hosted in the Zha'ertai Group is of a characteristic SEDEX type. This evidence, together with other new discoveries of Mesoproterozoic volcanic rocks and the features of lithogeny and metallogeny of the Bayun Obo deposit in the neighborhood emphasize the diversity, complexity and uniqueness of the Mesoproterozoic Langshan-Zha'ertai-Bayun Obo ore belt.

Late Paleozoic Sequence-Stratigraphic Frameworks and Sea Level Changes in Dianqiangui Basin and Its Adjacent Areas with Systematic Revision of Regional Unconformities

The formation process of the Dianqiangui basin, a special basin, occurred after the Caledonian orogeny, in the south of Guizhou, the west of Guangxi and the southeast of Yunnan, experienced three periods: it began in the Devonian, persisted in the Carboniferous, and became fiercer in the Permian. Controlled by syndepositional fault-zones, varieties of isolated carbonate platforms, large and small, were developed in the background of a deep-water basin, namely, an inter-platform ditch. And a special paleogeographical Late Paleozoic pattern marked by “platform-basin-hill-trough” was produced in both the Dianqiangui basin and its adjacent areas. Affected by regional tectonic activities and the global changes in the sea level, the platform carbonates and coal measures superimposed each other cyclically on the attached platform. The reef-building on the isolated platform and the margin of the attached platform corresponds to the development of the shale succession in the deep-water basin. All of these elementary characteristics reflect a regular and sophisticated filling succession of the Dianqiangui basin, a result of the dual controls of the regionally tectonic activities and the eustacy. Based on the two elementary features of the third-order sequences, i.e. the regularity of sedimentary-facies succession in space and the simultaneity of environmental changes in time, 25 third-order sequences could be discerned in the Upper Paleozoic strata in the Dianqiangui basin and its adjacent areas. On the basis of the two kinds of facies-changing surfaces and the two kinds of diachronisms in stratigraphic records, the regional Late Paleozoic sequence-stratigraphic framework in the Dianqiangui basin and its adjacent areas can be established. There are two types of facies-changing surfaces and two types of diachronisms in stratigraphic records: the static type, a result of the change in sedimentary facies in space, and the dynamic type, a result of the change in time. These two types of facies-changing surfaces led to the generation of the two types of diachronisms: the diachronism of facies-changing surfaces that was formed by the static facies-changing surfaces, and the diachronism of punctuated surfaces that was formed by the dynamic facies-changing surfaces. The two types of facies-changing surfaces and the two types of diachronisms in stratigraphic records are the key to the establishment of the sequence-stratigraphic framework. The sequence boundaries could be divided geologically into four types: tectonic unconformity, sedimentary unconformity, drowned unconformity and their correlative surfaces. All of these four types can be further grouped into exposed punctuated surfaces and deepened punctuated surfaces. The tectonic unconformity is similar to Type Ⅰ sequence boundary, and the sedimentary unconformity is similar to Type Ⅱ sequence boundary defined by Vail et al.. In terms of sequence stratigraphy, the tectonic unconformities of the Ziyun movement, the Qiangui epeirogeny and the Dongwu revolution as well as the drowned unconformity in the transitional period from the Permian to the Triassic can be systematically defined and their geological characteristics are briefly presented.

Metallogenic Systems on the Paleocontinental Margin of the North China Craton

The North China Craton (NCC) is one of the largest blocks composing the continent. Different types of continental margins well developed around the NCC, along with lots of metallogenic systems of different metals and different times. Based on the study on the structural evolution of the NCC, the authors made a new division of tectonic units of the NCC. Through an analysis of the data of 1:25000 geochemical survey on stream sediments, regional geochemical features of main ore-forming elements including Au, Ag, Cu, Pb, Zn, W, Ni, Co and Mo of the NCC are discussed in the paper. Then different metallogenic systems and their forming processes and geodynamics are discussed in detail. At last, temporal and spatial distribution regularities are summarized and ten favorable ore-control factors on the paleocontinental margins are put forward, including (1) abundance of ore sources; (2) rendezvous of ore-forming fluids; (3) high thermo-dynamic anomaly; (4) remarkable Earth crust-mantle interaction; (5) cluster of macroscopic structures and their long activities; (6) diversity of ore-forming environments; (7) long geohistory; (8) multiforms of critical transitional ore-forming mechanisms; (9) multi-staged and superimposed ore-formation; and (10) suitable preservation condition.

Diagenetic and Catagenetic Transference of Noble Metal Elements in Lower Cambrian Black Rock Series, Southwest China

Some extraditional types—black rock series types of platinum group element (PGE), gold and silver mineralization occurrences were found in the Lower Cambrian in Guizhou and Hunan provinces of southwest China where PGE concentration reaches more than 800×10 -6. Sea floor hydrothermal fluid eruption was suggested to have been the main origin of the ore-forming materials. The whole process from the sedimentation to the redistribution of the ore-forming elements occurred on the conditions of intermediate to weak alkaline, weak reduction to weak oxidation. The temperature for the sedimentation and redistribution of the ore-forming elements was lower than 210 ℃. At such a low temperature, inert elements such as PGE, Au and Ag could quite easily be remobilized.

Paleotectonic Setting of Dongyan Group of Middle and Upper Proterozoic in Central Fujian Province

The central Fujian Province, situated on the juncture of paleo-uplift of Wuyishan, Yongmei Late Paleozoic depression and the eastern volcanic rift-faulting zone, is mainly composed of the outcropped metamorphic basements in the Middle-Late and Early Proterozoic, which constitute two upper and lower giant thick formations of Precambrian volcanic-sedimentary cycles, respectively. The formation of Dongyan Group is an important Middle-Upper Proterozoic component, and the Dongyan Group is directly related to massive sulfide deposit in this area. In recent years, plenty of lead, zinc, copper, silver and gold deposits have been found and explored. The Precambrian paleorift setting of the central Fujian Province served as a favorite metallogenic background for the formation of large- and superlarge-scale volcanic massive sulfide (VMS) lead and zinc polymetal deposits. The Dongyan Group consists chiefly of a set of ancient volcanic sedimentary formations that are composed mainly of greenschist. Its major lithologic types comprise greenschist, marble, quartzite and granofels class including various components. The metamorphic rocks of Dongyan Group are the main composition of Middle and Upper Proterozoic volcanic-sedimentary cycle. The original rock of Dongyan Group, a stable rock association, is volcanic sedimentation and normal marine sedimentation. But the original volcanic rocks, basic and acid, are bimodal. The volcanic rocks were formed in the extensional continental rift setting.

Research on Superimposed Metallogenic System

As located in the junction of three tectonic plates (the Eurasian plate, the Indian plate and the west Pacific plate), the China continent shows complex regional metallogenic features due to tectonic evolution of “micro-plates, polycycle tectonic movements”. Well developed superimposed metallogenic systems have constituted one of the regional metallogenic features in China. Through the study on superimposed metallogenic system of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and of the Yuebei basin (northern Guangdong Province), the authors put forward some basic combination pattern of sedimentary-magmatic superimposed metallogenic system and summarize its forming conditions (controlling factors).

Thermal History of Rocks in the Shiwandashan Basin, Southern China: Evidence from Apatite Fission Track Analysis

Based on interpretations of the apatite fission track analysis data for 10 outcrop samples and forward modeling of confined fission track length distributions, the thermal history of rocks in the Shiwandashan basin and its adjacent area, southern China, has been qualitatively and semi quantitatively studied. The results reflect several features of the thermal history. Firstly, all the samples have experienced temperatures higher than 60-70 ℃. Secondly, the time that the basement strata (T 1 b ) on the northwestern side of the Shiwandashan basin were uplifted and exhumed to the unannealed upper crust (with a paleogeotemperature of below 60-70 ℃) is much earlier than the basement rocks ( γ 1 5) on the southeastern side of the basin. Thirdly, the thermal history of samples from the basin can be divided into six stages, i.e., the fast burial and heating stage (220-145 Ma), the transient cooling stage (145-135 Ma), the burial and heating stage (135-70 Ma), the rapid cooling stage (70-50 Ma), the relatively stable stage (50-20 Ma) and another rapid cooling stage (20 Ma to present).