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Article

Syn-Tectonic Dolomite U-Pb Geochronology Constraining Intracontinental Deformation: A Case Study from the Gelouang Gold Deposit in the Qinling Orogen, China

by
Yi-Xue Gao
1,2,
Gui-Peng Jiang
2,*,
Yi Qu
1,
Rong-Qing Zhang
3,
Yan-Wen Tang
4,
Rui Zhu
2 and
Si-Jia Yao
1
1
School of Earth Sciences and Resources, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China
2
Zhaojin Mining Industry CO., LTD., Zhaoyuan 265400, China
3
State Key Laboratory for Mineral Deposits Research, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
4
State Key Laboratory of Ore Deposit Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang 550081, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Minerals 2022, 12(8), 1045; https://doi.org/10.3390/min12081045
Submission received: 1 July 2022 / Revised: 7 August 2022 / Accepted: 15 August 2022 / Published: 19 August 2022
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Understanding Hydrothermal Ore Deposits: Insights from In-situ Analyses)
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Abstract

:
Determining absolute ages of orogenic faults is critical to understanding the deformation process in the upper crust, but obtaining age remains a problem due to the lack of readily available techniques. Carbonates occur as veins in faults in a range of geological settings, and thus it is a suitable mineral for U-Pb geochronology. Here, we apply the new approach of U-Pb dating on syn-tectonic dolomite veins from the Gelouang gold deposit in the western Qinling Orogen to unravel the absolute timing of the fault formation shedding new light on the regional upper crustal deformation archive. In situ LA-ICP-MS U-Pb dating of dolomite yielding a successful age of 115–112 Ma demonstrates that the dolomite precipitated coeval with tectonic events ascribed to the post-orogenic deformation phase in the Qinling Orogen. This event is possibly correlated with broader intracontinental processes and might be an inevitable response to the extensional deformation of the Qinling Orogen. The presented LA-ICP-MS dolomite U-Pb age successfully represents the age of a specific structure that encompasses the intracontinental process in the Qinling Orogen. Moreover, it demonstrates the utility of the method to decipher a response to complex deformation histories on a regional scale.

1. Introduction

Faulting and fracturing studies in the upper crust provide pivotal insights for understanding the mechanics of the pressure-dependent deformation process [1,2]. Moreover, faulting developed in the orogenic belt preserves an archive of how deformation controls landscape development, plate boundary interaction and the crustal deformation process. In addition to investigating the geometry, kinematics, and architecture characteristics, the timing of faults and how faults develop further through time is a prerequisite to establishing the framework of the tectonic evolution [3]. However, the absolute timing of fault slip and fracture formation remains a poorly constrained parameter, possibly due to the absence of syn-kinematic and authigenic minerals and readily available techniques. In general, carbonate is a common fault-hosted mineral that is suitable for U-Pb geochronology and is not fraught with closure temperature issues [4,5,6,7,8]. Recent in situ LA-ICP-MS U-Pb dating of accessory minerals, such as carbonate and monazite, has led to a proliferation of studies in constraining the period of fault [5,9,10,11,12,13,14], diagenetic event [15,16,17,18], fluid flow [19,20,21], sedimentation [22,23], and mineralization of ore deposits [24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31,32] as well as magmatic-hydrothermal processes [33,34,35], demonstrating that this novel method is a powerful technique for determining the absolute timing of deformation in the upper crust.
The Qinling Orogen, which connects the Dabie Orogen to the east and the Qilian and Kunlun Orogens to the west, was formed by subduction and collision between the North and South China Blocks from the north to the south along the Early Paleozoic Shangdan and Animaqing-Mianlue suture [36,37]. It has been well documented that the whole range involved an intracontinental tectonic process through geological, geophysical, and geochronological investigations on the Mesozoic magmatic and metallogenic events [38,39,40]. This polyphase deformation was exhibited by sets of fault structures, echelon Cretaceous sedimentary basins and folds that crosscut each other, providing a relative time sequence of the deformation events. Much research up to now has outlined a rough timescale of stages by investigation of magmatism, tectonics events, and indirect thermochronological studies, including U-Pb on zircon, Ar-Ar on hornblende, biotite and K-feldspar, apatite fission-track (AFT), and apatite (U-Th-Sm)/He [41,42,43,44]. In contrast, the direct and absolute dating of specific fault motion resulting from Mesozoic intracontinental deformation is poorly constrained.
In this study, syn-tectonic dolomites were targeted from an extensional fault vein that occurs in the Gelouang gold deposit, which cuts the orebody, recording the fracture information. We performed dolomite U-Pb dating in an attempt to provide absolute age constraints on the deformation attributed to the intracontinental process in Qinling Orogen and to elucidate the tectonic evolution history on a regional scale.

2. Geological Setting

The Qinling Orogen, which extends for nearly 1500 km from east to west, is a composite continental orogenic belt traversing the central part of the Chinese mainland (Figure 1a, [37,45,46,47,48]). The orogen is tectonically bounded by Qilian Orogen and North China Block by Lingbao-Lushan-Wuyang Fault to the north and by the Songpan-Ganzi basin and Bikou Terrane marked by the Mianlue-Bashan-Xiangguang Fault to the south (Figure 1b, [40,49,50,51]). From north to south, the Qinling Orogen is divided into four tectonic units, including the south margin of the North China Block, North Qinling Terrane, South Qinling Terrane, and the northern margin of South China Block by three dominant sutures (the Neoproterozoic Kuangping suture, the early Paleozoic Wushan-Tianshui-Shangdan suture, and the Middle Triassic Maqu-Nanping-Lueyang suture, respectively). This orogen was formed by multiple steps of assembly and subsequent collision between the North China Block and the South China Block during the Paleozoic and Late Jurassic [37]. The Paleozoic orogeny is largely marked by the Shandan suture, which records the existence of subduction and closure of the Shangdan ocean in the Early Paleozoic to Late Triassic [36]. From Late Paleozoic to Late Triassic, the northward subduction and closure of the Mianlue ocean, following the collision, led to the final formation of the tectonic units [37,52]. After the final amalgamation of the North and South China Blocks in the Triassic, the Qinling Orogen evolved into an intracontinental orogen accompanied by strongly compressional deformation [42,53,54,55].
The Xiahe-Hezuo area is located in the northwestern part of the Qinling Orogen. Northwest-striking structures were well developed during the Triassic orogeny, as represented by the Xiahe-Hezuo fault and Xinpu-Lishishan anticline. This region hosts outcrops of Late Paleozoic to early Mesozoic greenschist-facies slate and Cretaceous volcanic-sedimentary rocks. The fine-grained foliated slate has been metamorphosed from initial clastic and carbonate rocks (Figure 1c, [40,56]). The Carboniferous to Permian marine clastic and carbonates are exposed to the southeast, which dominates the core and flanks of the Xinpu-Lishishan anticline [57,58]. During the Cretaceous, a series of W-E trending intermontane basins formed within the western and central part of Qinling Orogen [59,60]. Mesozoic dioritic to granitic plutons, as well as mafic dikes and sills, are widely distributed in the Xiahe-Hezuo area, accompanied by ore occurrences [42,61,62,63].
The Gelouang gold deposit is located about 15 km west of Hezuo City in Gansu Province, and with an average grade of 2.18 g/t, approximately 27.7 t Au has been mined to the present day. The deposit is hosted in the metasedimentary rocks of the Triassic Gulangdi Formation and granitic rocks emplaced into the unit. Magmatism at Zaozigou is represented by sills and dikes of intermediate to felsic composition (Figure 1c and Figure 2), which consist of porphyritic dacite, granodiorite, and porphyritic rhyolite (estimate ages of ca. 150 Ma, [64]). Two styles of mineralization have been recognized at Gelouang, which comprise early disseminated and stockwork ores. Ore-related alteration includes sericitization, sulfidation, silicification, and carbonatization of the wall rocks.

3. Samples and Methods

3.1. Sampling Description

Dolomite veins were taken from underground workings at the Gelouang gold deposit. The dolomite veins are characterized as syn-tectonic along the N-W trending normal fault and crosscut the orebodies and the wall rock Triassic slate (Figure 2a). We sampled the exposed fresh grey to off-white dolomite veins (G28 and G29, Figure 3), which comprise a single phase with no shear displacement and a swarm of parallel contemporaneous dolomite veinlets in the vicinity. Sample G28 is from dolomite veins, which separate the mineralized slate from quartz veins (Figure 3a and Figure 4), suggesting that the dolomite postdates slate and ore formation. At the center of the sample is a 5 mm thick dolomite vein, where euhedral rhomboid crystals form an elongate vein texture. Sample G29 is light grey with slickenfibres on the fractured fault surface (Figure 3b). Under the microscope, there is a ~200 μm calcite vein related to ore cross-cut by the dolomite vein (Figure 4c). The blocky dolomite crystals are intergrown with the larger dolomite crystals, which, with sizes ranging from 100 μm to 3 mm, are very fine-grained and are all pointed in the same direction as the dolomite veins (Figure 5). The elongated dolomite crystals deformed parallel or oblique to the fracture walls are observed in faults. Dated dolomite crystals are selected from the branches of the dolomite vein.

3.2. Analtical Methods

All samples were cut into one-inch chips and in thin sections that were polished and examined using optical microscopy and in situ LA-ICP-MS U-Pb dating. Measurement of U-Pb ages from G28 was performed using laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) in the Key Laboratory of Mineralogy and Metallogeny, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The instrumentation was an Agilent 7900 ICP-MS, coupled to a Resonetics RESOlution S-155 ArF Excimer laser source (λ = 193 nm) (Australian Scientific Instrument, Fyshwick, Australia). Samples were ablated in the conditions with a fluence of 4 J/cm2, a beam diameter of 90 μm, and 8 Hz of ablation frequency. U-Pb dating of G29 was carried out with an Element XR sector field inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometer (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA, USA) coupled to a GeoLasPro 193 nm ArF Excimer laser ablation system (90 μm spot size) (CompexPro 102F, Coherent, Shibuya, Tokyo) at the State Key Laboratory of Ore Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry Chinese Academy of Sciences. Raw data from both samples were processed to calculate each element concentration offline using the ICPMS Data Cal 11.8 program. We standardized using NIST614 and the WC-1 calcite reference material for normalization [65]. The 207Pb/206Pb ratios were corrected for mass bias and the 206Pb/238U ratios for inter-element fraction by using NIST614 and DC. An additional correction has been applied on the 206Pb/238U to correct for difference in the fractionation due to the carbonate matrix [66]. This resulted in a lower intercept age of 23 WC-1 spot analyses of 254.1 ± 1.5 (MSWD = 1.5). According to the analyzed standard materials, accuracy and repeatability are assumed to be less than 2%. The U-Pb ages were plotted in the Tera-Wasserburg diagram and calculated at 2σ level by ISOPLOTR.

4. Results

Field observations illustrate that the fault plane may be locally curved and irregular in detail with 10-cm-width, but generally dips to N and NNW following the regional northwest trend at a steep angle (Figure 2b, oriented 345°/80°(strike/dip)). The studied samples consist of dolomite vein precipitated in one fracture related to an extensional set, corresponding to NNW-SSE-trending normal faults. The approximate orientation of main stresses presumably indicates the NW-SE extension for the extensional set (Figure 2). The fracture sets contain fibrous, elongated and blocky dolomite crystals (Figure 5). They have been observed in north-west-trending veins and in parallel veinlets formed by the crack-seal mechanism in normal faults. Fibrous crystals show minimal growth competition (Figure 5a). Elongate dolomite crystals are perpendicular to the fracture walls (Figure 5c). In the faults, blocky crystals are also arranged in stepped sides, which are characterized by the crack-seal mechanism (Figure 5d).
We present U-Pb ages of dolomite from samples G28 and G29 on Tera-Wasserburg inverse concordia diagrams as 207Pb/206Pb and 238U/206Pb linear regression isochrons. Thirteen analyses from G28 and nineteen from G29 were carried out. Age data are presented in Figure 5 and listed in Table 1. The obtained U-Pb ages in this study are variable in terms of radiogenic Pb concentrations, the amount of scattering, and the datapoint uncertainties. We have used an objective criterion of age uncertainties less than 20% and an MSWD below 1.0 to screen for robust ages. The U and Pb concentrations in G28 vary ranging from 0.63 to 22.14 ppm (mean = 8.30 ppm, n = 13), and 0.93 to 2.75 ppm (mean = 1.93 ppm, n = 13), respectively. Such a distribution of U and Pb contents is similar to G29 with the range of 0.02–11.82 ppm (mean = 3.05, ppm, n = 19) and 0.37–3.22 ppm (mean = 0.76 ppm, n = 19), respectively. A cluster of dates at the radiogenic end of the mixing line from sample G28 is characterized by moderate 207Pb/206Pb (0.0502–0.8436) and 238U/206Pb ratios (0.2736–55.7984). Together, all feature an isochron with a lower intercept age of 112 ± 4 Ma (Figure 6), with a mean squared weighted deviation (MSWD) of 0.8. Similarly, sample G29 data show dispersed 207Pb/206Pb (0.0506–0.8614) and variable 238U/206Pb ratios (0.2032–55.5003). Regression of all measurements yields a lower intercept age of 115 ± 4 Ma (MSWD = 0.6). All the dated samples show lower initial Pb ratio (207Pb/206Pb) than would be expected based on the traditional evolution model of the earth (~0.83–0.86, [67]).

5. Discussion

5.1. Interpretations of Dolomite U-Pb Ages

Carbonate precipitation within fault zones along individual fractures and fault planes is almost ubiquitous and easily recognizable in the field in the forms of slickenfibers, fault gouge, cement and veins [68,69]. Therefore, distinguishing pre-, syn-, and post- kinematic carbonate is key to constraining the timing of fault slip through the carbonate chronometer. The tectonic link could be supported by using careful field observation and petrographic analyses. Veins are intimately related to fracture mechanics, for most veins from by growth of minerals into space are created by fractures [69,70]. Several field occurrences of carbonate precipitation along the fault plane are commonly used to directly infer the timing of fault slip and associated with fracture opening. These include slickenfibres and carbonate filling veins that occurred in extensional jogs, opening-mode fracture with no displacement (single phase), and as multi-phase of sub-parallel contemporaneous carbonates, vuggy crystals growth, and en echelon fractures [71]. Simultaneously, linking mineral precipitation to fault kinematics and associated fracturing processes depends on its origin and morphology. Roberts and Holdsworth (2022) reviewed what examples of carbonate mineralization can more confidently infer the connection than others and how the mechanism can more reliably link to fault kinematics from “crack-seal-slip” [72], “crack-seal” to “crack-fill” types [73]. Ramsay (1980) introduced the term “crack-seal” mechanism, which is appropriate in the context, suggesting the veins, especially those with elongate to fibrous crystals, have been interpreted in terms of this mechanism [74]. Generally, veins exhibit a wide range of internal structures ascribe to various shapes of vein-filling carbonates precipitation and their growth direction [70,74,75]. As crystals grow side by side in the same direction, the crystals become elongated in the growth direction. If crystals grow into an open space, on growing, nucleation of new crystals suppresses the elongate shape, and more equant grains fill the vein to produce a blocky texture (Figure 5). Fibrous crystals sometimes develop with extreme length/width ratios, and their boundaries are typically smooth. In previous literature, fibrous growth is sometimes attributed to the opening of a vein in small increments, which can only be formed if growth competition is inhibited, while blocky shapes are attributed to growing into an open or fast vein opening [70,76]. In this sense, dolomite showing elongated blocky textures indicate they are syn-kinematic, while blocky textures provide evidence of the precipitation after vein opening or at lower rates than vein opening. Despite this, they are all formed by a crack-seal mechanism, and stepped sides indicate syn-kinematic growth. Such veins, especially crystals precipitation features, indicate the studied dolomite veins are syn-kinematic and occurred synchronously with movement along the fault plane [77,78,79,80]. Another key observation linking measured dolomite ages with specific fault motion is that the dolomite precipitation has not been altered or recrystallized, therefore, the explicitly the U-Pb isotopic system has not been reset [81]. The disposition of dolomites in the Gelouang deposit indicates that their growth occurred from both fracture walls to the vein centre and from one vein wall or another vein wall. These crack-seal dolomites fill along the fault direction and record information on growth which is unlikely to have formed during the phases of post-faulting fluid flow and dolomite reprecipitation. In addition, the data points fit within the error of the concordia line and provide a robust estimate of lower intercept ages, suggesting the absence of Pb diffusion. In this case, structural observations suggest the dolomite precipitated synchronous with movement along the fault plane as a consequence of fracture opening. We thus interpret the ages as the precipitation of dolomite veins coeval with the fault formation. The N-W dolomite veins within the fault zone cut Early Triassic slate and orebodies in the Gelouang gold deposit, indicating that the fault formation was later than the host rocks formation and mineralization. The obtained datapoints from dolomite overlap with each other within 2-sigma uncertainties, suggesting that they represent the timing of dolomite formation. The two samples display isochron ages of 112 ± 4 Ma and 115 ± 4 Ma, indicating that the dolomite veins precipitated in the Early Cretaceous.

5.2. Implications for Intracontinental Orogen

In light of the above discussion, the ca. 114 Ma U-Pb ages from the fault date brittle deformations in the Qinling Orogen. These U-Pb ages provide new absolute chronological markers for dating the tectonic events in the Qinling Orogen. The fault is assumed to correlate with the extensional collapse and was interpreted as the consequence of the intracontinental process in the Early Cretaceous. This tectonic evolution history of the Qinling Orogen has been well documented by lines of geological, geophysical, geochemical, and geochronological records on magmatic events from the Early Jurassic to Paleogene [37,38,39,41,46,52], indicating the diverse units of the Qinling Orogen witnessed complex deformation.
Following the collision in the Triassic, the Qinling Orogen underwent tectonic transition, and the regime changed from compressional deformation to extensional rifting from the Early Jurassic—Early Cretaceous to Late Cretaceous—Paleogene. This intracontinental process is indicated by Mesozoic strata formations with unconformities or angular unconformities near contacts between different tectonic units [38,82]. In the western Qinling Orogen, the Jurassic and Cretaceous strata are also separated by an angular unconformity in places [83]. Similarly, the north margin of the South China Block contains the pre-Cretaceous strata incorporated into the foreland fold-thrust belt, illustrating that the Qinling Orogen evolved into a compressional tectonic setting [37,40]. These southwards fold-thrust deformations were triggered by overthrusts of the South Qinling Terrane [40,42,53,54,82]. After the intensive compression events, the Qinling Orogen evolved into an extensional regime, forming extensive sinistral strike-slip shearing and sinistral-slip-related echelon sedimentary basins along previous faults [42]. Sun et al. (2022) highlighted the decompression and exhumation phase with mylonites and a ductile shear zone occurring at 119 Ma (Amphibolite Ar-Ar) in the Shagou shear zone [44]. In addition, the 126 to 90 Ma intracontinental deformation phase thermotectonic evolution as inferred from the western and eastern Qinling Orogen is correlated using apatite fission-track data [41,84], which are similar to the deformation and sedimentation investigated in Qinling area [85]. Furthermore, voluminous mafic and felsic magmatism and large-scale Mo-Au-Ag polymetallic mineralization are extensively distributed in the Qinling Orogen [46,86,87]. Their geology and geochemistry suggest an intracontinental extensional setting during the Late Mesozoic [58,88]. For example, a large number of nearly vertical mafic dikes intruded into the western and central part of the Qinling Orogen and showed the ages of ca. 114 Ma (Zircon U-Pb) with a strike roughly parallel to the orogen. Sporadic Late Cretaceous mafic magmatic rocks have been reported in the south margin of the North China Block [89], such as Huanglongpu diabase (129 Ma, Zircon U-Pb), Tianqiaogou diorite (122 Ma, Zircon U-Pb), Funiushan lamprophyre (117 Ma, Zircon U-Pb, [90]), and Niangniangshan granitoids (~123 Ma, Zircon U-Pb, [89]). Ca. 110 Ma felsic dyke intrusion is identified from the Laojunshan region in eastern Qinling Oregon, and shows tectonic regime transformation from compression to extension [88,91].
Taken together, these data mostly record the intracontinental tectonic events and the relative age of deformation and syn-deformational deposition in the eastern part of the Qinling Orogen, while scarce data were available from the western Qinling Orogen. This intracontinental regime is evident from the ages of dolomite veins in the Xiahe-Hezuo district, which crosscut the deformed strata and were emplaced in association with the fault and the intrusions. Synthesizing the above regional works, the dolomite U-Pb ages are close to the period of crustal deformation in the Early Cretaceous, exhibiting an inevitable response to the tectonic evolution occurring within the West Qinling Orogen. The orientations of the analysed normal faults fit with the observed main normal faults related to north-south trend graben/half-graben tectonics in eastern Qinling Orogen. These ages constrain the timing of the brittle deformations of the Qinling Orogen during the Early Cretaceous. This tectonic event appears to be correlated with the intracontinental extensional regime of the Qinling Orogen.

6. Conclusions

(1)
Dolomite from veins along the fault plane was dated with the U-Pb system, yielding ages of 112 ± 4 Ma and 115 ± 4 Ma, which we interpret as reflecting syn-deformational precipitation of the dolomite.
(2)
The new geochronological finding constrains the post-orogenic phase of faulting correlated with intracontinental extensional regime in the Qinling Orogen during the Early Cretaceous. This event exhibits an inevitable response to the tectonic evolution on a regional scale.
(3)
We suggest that U-Pb dating of carbonates like dolomite can constrain the absolute timing of fault motion.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization, G.-P.J.; data curation, Y.-X.G.; funding acquisition, G.-P.J.; investigation, Y.-X.G., G.-P.J., Y.Q., R.-Q.Z., Y.-W.T. and R.Z.; methodology, Y.-X.G., Y.Q., R.-Q.Z., Y.-W.T. and S.-J.Y. project administration, G.-P.J.; software, R.-Q.Z. and Y.-W.T.; writing—original draft preparation, Y.-X.G. and G.-P.J.; writing—review and editing, Y.Q., R.-Q.Z. and Y.-W.T. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Funding

This research was funded by the National Nature Science Foundation of China (42072087), the 111 Project (BP071902), the Beijing Nova Program (Z201100006820097) and the National Key Research Program (2019YFA0708603).

Data Availability Statement

All the data is presented in the paper.

Acknowledgments

The authors are very grateful for logistic assistance from the management of Zaozigou Gold Company.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Minerals 12 01045 g001 550
Figure 1. (a,b) Major tectonic domains of China and the location of the Qinling Orogen. (c) Digital elevation model with superimposed geological map of Xiahe-Hezuo district of the western Qinling Orogen showing faulting and ore deposits (modified after [45,46,47]).
Figure 1. (a,b) Major tectonic domains of China and the location of the Qinling Orogen. (c) Digital elevation model with superimposed geological map of Xiahe-Hezuo district of the western Qinling Orogen showing faulting and ore deposits (modified after [45,46,47]).
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Figure 2. Field photographs to show (a) the fault and associated small-scale features in Gelouang gold deposit. (b) Exposure of the fault from underground works that indicate dolomite veins crosscut the altered slate and orebodies. (c,d) Close-up view on the fault plane.
Figure 2. Field photographs to show (a) the fault and associated small-scale features in Gelouang gold deposit. (b) Exposure of the fault from underground works that indicate dolomite veins crosscut the altered slate and orebodies. (c,d) Close-up view on the fault plane.
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Figure 3. Hand specimen of dolomite veins in samples G28 and G29 from fault plane. (a) dolomite vein from sample G28 separates the mineralized slate from quartz veins. (b) slickenfibres on the fractured fault surface from sample G29.
Figure 3. Hand specimen of dolomite veins in samples G28 and G29 from fault plane. (a) dolomite vein from sample G28 separates the mineralized slate from quartz veins. (b) slickenfibres on the fractured fault surface from sample G29.
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Figure 4. Photomicrograph in samples showing (a,b,d) the dolomite veins cross cut the veinlets correlated with mineralization and wall rock Triassic slate, (c) dolomite vein crosscut calcite vein related to ore.
Figure 4. Photomicrograph in samples showing (a,b,d) the dolomite veins cross cut the veinlets correlated with mineralization and wall rock Triassic slate, (c) dolomite vein crosscut calcite vein related to ore.
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Figure 5. Micrographs of main features of syn-tectonic dolomite crystals. (a) fibrous dolomite crystal from dated samples G29 formed by crack-seal mechanism. (b) locations of U-Pb analyses. (c,d) Elongate and blocky crystals with north-west vein arrays from G28.
Figure 5. Micrographs of main features of syn-tectonic dolomite crystals. (a) fibrous dolomite crystal from dated samples G29 formed by crack-seal mechanism. (b) locations of U-Pb analyses. (c,d) Elongate and blocky crystals with north-west vein arrays from G28.
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Figure 6. Tera-Wasserburg plot displaying the results of LA-ICP-MS U-Pb spot analyses.
Figure 6. Tera-Wasserburg plot displaying the results of LA-ICP-MS U-Pb spot analyses.
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Table
Table 1. LA-ICP-MS dolomite U-Pb dating results of sample G28 and G29.
Table 1. LA-ICP-MS dolomite U-Pb dating results of sample G28 and G29.
Isotopic RatiosData for Tera-Wasserburg Plot
Sample No.UPb207Pb/206Pb207Pb/235U206Pb/238U238U/206Pb207Pb/206Pb
(ppm)(ppm)Ratio2σ (%)Ratio2σ (%)Ratio2σ (%)Ratio2σ (%)Ratio2σ (%)
Samaple G28: 112± 4 Ma (MSWD = 0.8, n = 13)
G28-12.39 1.89 0.1567 36.6364 0.4053 31.4640 0.0188 18.9340 53.3126 18.9340 0.1567 36.6364
G28-20.84 0.93 0.3754 23.7790 1.2654 20.6608 0.0244 44.2151 40.9096 11.8670 0.3754 23.7790
G28-30.96 2.16 0.3367 31.3428 1.3095 26.2138 0.0282 64.4797 35.4539 17.2470 0.3367 31.3428
G28-41.27 1.88 0.5742 33.9559 2.6988 30.5942 0.0341 55.2974 29.3367 14.8071 0.5742 33.9559
G28-50.63 2.48 0.8436 14.9917 425.1094 10.7071 3.6547 10.7870 0.2736 10.7870 0.8436 14.9917
G28-64.73 2.00 0.0926 32.4735 0.2329 29.4827 0.0182 13.8403 54.8600 13.8403 0.0926 32.4735
G28-78.91 1.77 0.0677 28.1676 0.1673 25.9286 0.0179 11.2857 55.7984 11.2857 0.0677 28.1676
G28-814.46 1.78 0.0933 25.2027 0.2384 22.8373 0.0185 10.9493 53.9414 10.9493 0.0933 25.2027
G28-97.65 2.75 0.0554 32.0300 0.1362 29.6699 0.0178 12.3236 56.0498 12.3236 0.0554 32.0300
G28-1017.11 2.45 0.0815 49.6686 0.2092 46.9798 0.0186 16.3130 53.7124 16.3130 0.0815 49.6686
G28-1111.79 1.81 0.0555 23.7264 0.1428 20.7784 0.0187 11.7240 53.5892 11.7240 0.0555 23.7264
G28-1222.14 1.87 0.0502 20.5498 0.1316 17.8650 0.019010.4587 52.5565 10.4587 0.0502 20.5498
G28-1315.07 1.35 0.0697 23.1035 0.1815 20.7303 0.0189 10.5013 52.9373 10.5013 0.0697 23.1035
WC-14.51 2.58 0.1297 5.8982 0.7730 6.4404 0.0436 4.4934 22.9198 4.4934 0.1297 5.8982
WC-13.39 3.29 0.1011 6.8625 0.6047 7.2190 0.0437 4.3070 22.8680 4.3070 0.1011 6.8625
WC-13.25 4.25 0.1140 6.6277 0.6766 7.3305 0.0433 4.5329 23.0891 4.5329 0.1140 6.6277
WC-14.91 3.15 0.0993 5.0626 0.5886 6.0451 0.0431 4.2531 23.1931 4.2531 0.0993 5.0626
WC-16.14 3.88 0.0883 5.1627 0.5188 6.0586 0.0428 4.1887 23.3636 4.1887 0.0883 5.1627
WC-14.10 3.80 0.1192 8.3105 0.7078 8.3710 0.0433 5.6213 23.1037 5.6213 0.1192 8.3105
WC-11.98 3.22 0.1219 7.8694 0.7501 8.5609 0.0452 5.0388 22.1408 5.0388 0.1219 7.8694
WC-12.49 3.23 0.1165 6.4244 0.6754 7.0079 0.0426 5.1696 23.4833 5.1696 0.1165 6.4244
WC-15.03 3.47 0.1286 4.9125 0.7712 6.0391 0.0436 4.3202 22.9499 4.3202 0.1286 4.9125
WC-12.96 3.05 0.1370 6.7564 0.8535 7.6606 0.0459 5.7842 21.7912 5.7842 0.1370 6.7564
DC-220.30 0.52 0.6298 6.4259 6.9851 160.0553 0.0812 4.9294 11.6281 4.9294 0.6298 6.4259
DC-220.46 0.44 0.6150 6.3565 6.6544 160.0062 0.0803 3.6600 11.7605 3.6600 0.6150 6.3565
DC-220.50 0.48 0.5910 6.2468 5.4616 160.0969 0.0668 5.1239 14.1228 5.1239 0.5910 6.2468
DC-220.44 0.55 0.5485 6.7077 4.5816 160.2109 0.0600 7.0809 15.7324 7.0809 0.5485 6.7077
DC-220.74 0.63 0.4989 6.2677 3.5956 160.0178 0.0528 3.8966 17.8780 3.8966 0.4989 6.2677
DC-222.21 0.64 0.4794 5.6146 3.3796 160.0327 0.0513 4.1537 18.3996 4.1537 0.4794 5.6146
DC-223.75 0.91 0.4276 6.6356 2.7138 160.1018 0.0456 4.4383 20.6872 4.4383 0.4276 6.6356
DC-222.03 0.75 0.4302 5.6076 2.6484 160.0163 0.0449 3.6633 21.0442 3.6633 0.4302 5.6076
DC-221.36 0.46 0.4306 5.9370 2.4875 160.0035 0.0427 3.7305 22.1072 3.7305 0.4306 5.9370
DC-220.43 0.37 0.3763 9.2795 2.0486 160.0945 0.0404 4.9774 23.3644 4.9774 0.3763 9.2795
SRM6140.812.300.86834.2341100.50609.99020.836610.02311.195310.02310.86834.2341
SRM6140.802.260.8699 4.2646 100.0508 9.9873 0.8314 10.1558 1.2027 10.1558 0.8699 4.2646
SRM6140.812.230.8731 4.4283 101.3370 10.0288 0.8385 9.9647 1.1926 9.9647 0.8731 4.4283
SRM6140.832.300.8729 4.7153 104.0930 9.9765 0.8636 10.0422 1.1579 10.0422 0.8729 4.7153
Sample G29:115 ± 4 Ma (MSWD = 0.6, n = 19)
G29-111.82 0.43 0.058216.71790.1401160.0222 0.0175 12.2717 53.9285 12.2717 0.0582 16.7179
G29-20.02 1.00 0.850616.2109540.2476160.5584 4.6444 18.3680 0.2032 18.3680 0.8506 16.2109
G29-32.07 0.45 0.095220.90490.2371160.2020 0.0182 12.7026 51.8040 12.7026 0.0952 20.9049
G29-41.31 0.43 0.097721.89730.2599160.3169 0.0195 12.4539 48.3484 12.4539 0.0977 21.8973
G29-50.49 0.37 0.176520.75540.4538160.4628 0.0193 13.2886 48.8475 13.2886 0.1765 20.7554
G29-67.25 0.41 0.077717.07590.1855160.0804 0.0174 12.2361 54.1988 12.2361 0.0777 17.0759
G29-70.81 0.39 0.141518.00960.4029160.2574 0.0207 12.8902 45.6128 12.8902 0.1415 18.0096
G29-822.1 0.42 0.050616.62810.1196160.0105 0.0173 12.2506 54.6904 12.2506 0.0506 16.6281
G29-90.03 1.36 0.861416.1641872.9977160.27177.3989 15.6118 0.1276 15.6118 0.8614 16.1641
G29-101.40 0.45 0.226619.90610.6984160.6333 0.0223 14.1691 42.4179 14.1691 0.2266 19.9061
G29-110.88 0.41 0.140819.49790.3467160.1623 0.0177 13.0635 53.2008 13.0635 0.1408 19.4979
G29-122.53 0.44 0.089118.42260.2122160.1752 0.0173 12.4064 54.4361 12.4064 0.0891 18.4226
G29-131.02 0.42 0.178417.97900.5247160.1218 0.0218 12.8153 43.2315 12.8153 0.1784 17.9790
G29-140.97 0.41 0.170118.03120.4603160.1675 0.0200 12.6787 47.1912 12.6787 0.1701 18.0312
G29-152.77 0.39 0.082417.61670.1930160.1740 0.0170 12.3722 55.5003 12.3722 0.0824 17.6167
G29-161.95 0.54 0.4526 18.50973.2820160.2250 0.0472 13.1588 19.9855 13.1588 0.4526 18.5097
G29-170.541.210.390719.17801.7582160.7674 0.0315 14.5312 29.9960 14.5312 0.3907 19.1780
G29-180.031.640.847016.1228825.6975160.4435 7.0660 16.9880 0.1336 16.9880 0.8470 16.1228
G29-190.033.220.854816.08612413.3281 160.8984 20.6313 21.0437 0.0458 21.0437 0.8548 16.0861
WC-14.31 0.42 0.1270 8.1554 0.7249 160.0941 0.0416 3.8587 22.6883 3.8587 0.1270 8.1554
WC-13.07 0.42 0.0991 8.3594 0.5567 160.0775 0.0414 3.5575 22.8194 3.5575 0.0991 8.3594
WC-14.13 0.40 0.1001 6.1814 0.5584 160.0369 0.0406 3.6000 23.2675 3.6000 0.1001 6.1814
WC-13.90 0.39 0.0900 6.6186 0.4977 160.0467 0.0402 3.5855 23.4569 3.5855 0.0900 6.6186
WC-16.31 0.57 0.0997 6.6580 0.5527 160.0355 0.0402 3.6454 23.4622 3.6454 0.0997 6.6580
WC-16.37 0.48 0.1046 6.7255 0.5786 160.0256 0.0401 3.2188 23.5308 3.2188 0.1046 6.7255
WC-16.44 0.58 0.0969 7.0842 0.5326 160.0494 0.0400 3.3130 23.5827 3.3130 0.0969 7.0842
WC-16.33 0.41 0.0953 6.9590 0.5244 160.0387 0.0400 3.1891 23.6185 3.1891 0.0953 6.9590
WC-13.95 0.46 0.0991 8.2598 0.5410 160.0345 0.0398 3.3994 23.7210 3.3994 0.0991 8.2598
WC-15.14 0.49 0.1023 6.0575 0.5591 160.0335 0.0398 3.7055 23.7378 3.7055 0.1023 6.0575
DC-220.50 0.50 0.3816 7.4448 1.9338 160.0496 0.0374 4.6791 25.2465 4.6791 0.3816 7.4448
DC-222.99 0.52 0.2488 6.1144 1.0380 160.0278 0.0303 3.3656 31.1637 3.3656 0.2488 6.1144
DC-222.44 0.49 0.2045 6.2530 0.8049 160.0388 0.0287 3.7134 32.8558 3.7134 0.2045 6.2530
DC-220.57 0.41 0.1874 9.6833 0.7146 160.1814 0.0283 5.2267 33.3961 5.2267 0.1874 9.6833
DC-223.40 0.52 0.1894 6.3734 0.7226 160.0310 0.0279 3.4969 33.8873 3.4969 0.1894 6.3734
DC-222.63 0.47 0.2052 6.7612 0.7883 160.0198 0.0272 3.3678 34.6925 3.3678 0.2052 6.7612
DC-222.25 0.46 0.1955 6.3327 0.7295 160.0297 0.0272 3.3547 34.7098 3.3547 0.1955 6.3327
DC-221.84 0.39 0.1613 7.6234 0.6002 160.0757 0.0272 3.5142 34.7254 3.5142 0.1613 7.6234
DC-223.91 0.42 0.1425 6.0823 0.5095 160.0249 0.0260 3.2190 36.3346 3.2190 0.1425 6.0823
DC-220.52 0.43 0.1528 11.0928 0.5319 160.1972 0.0259 4.8258 36.3928 4.8258 0.1528 11.0928
DC-220.50 0.50 0.3816 7.4448 1.9338 160.0496 0.0374 4.6791 25.2465 4.6791 0.3816 7.4448
SRM6140.812.300.87584.7325103.49859.97660.857210.00221.166510.00220.87584.7325
SRM6140.822.310.8670 4.9820 105.4558 9.8943 0.8817 10.1101 1.1342 10.1101 0.8670 4.9820
SRM6140.832.320.8729 4.8485 100.6911 9.9891 0.8361 10.0063 1.1961 10.0063 0.8729 4.8485
SRM6140.812.290.8708 3.9581 101.1274 9.9649 0.8381 9.9950 1.1932 9.9950 0.8708 3.9581
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Gao, Y.-X.; Jiang, G.-P.; Qu, Y.; Zhang, R.-Q.; Tang, Y.-W.; Zhu, R.; Yao, S.-J. Syn-Tectonic Dolomite U-Pb Geochronology Constraining Intracontinental Deformation: A Case Study from the Gelouang Gold Deposit in the Qinling Orogen, China. Minerals 2022, 12, 1045. https://doi.org/10.3390/min12081045

AMA Style

Gao Y-X, Jiang G-P, Qu Y, Zhang R-Q, Tang Y-W, Zhu R, Yao S-J. Syn-Tectonic Dolomite U-Pb Geochronology Constraining Intracontinental Deformation: A Case Study from the Gelouang Gold Deposit in the Qinling Orogen, China. Minerals. 2022; 12(8):1045. https://doi.org/10.3390/min12081045

Chicago/Turabian Style

Gao, Yi-Xue, Gui-Peng Jiang, Yi Qu, Rong-Qing Zhang, Yan-Wen Tang, Rui Zhu, and Si-Jia Yao. 2022. "Syn-Tectonic Dolomite U-Pb Geochronology Constraining Intracontinental Deformation: A Case Study from the Gelouang Gold Deposit in the Qinling Orogen, China" Minerals 12, no. 8: 1045. https://doi.org/10.3390/min12081045

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