The Formation and Evolution of Gold Deposits in China

A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X). This special issue belongs to the section "Mineral Deposits".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2024 | Viewed by 1974

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
School of Earth Sciences and Resources, University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China
Interests: magmatic–hydrothermal mineralization; lithospheric architecture

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Guest Editor
School of Gemmology, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China
Interests: orogenic gold deposits; structural control on gold mineralization; low-temperature thermochronology
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Guest Editor
Institute of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China
Interests: gold deposit; west Qinling; ore deposit geology and geochemistry; ore-forming processes

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Guest Editor
School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China
Interests: lithospheric architecture; porphyry polymetal system; granite-related metallogeny

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Guest Editor
Chengdu Center, China Geological Survey, Ministry of Natural Resources, Chengdu 610218, China
Interests: regional metallogenesis

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

With the discovery of many large and super-large-load gold deposits in China over the last 20 years, the country's annual gold production has increased significantly from approximately 180 t in 1999 to 370 t in 2021, becoming one of the biggest gold producers in the world. The common genetic types of Chinese gold deposits are varied, including epithermal, porphyry, skarn, Carlin, and orogenic deposits. Although intensive investigations and/or studies have been conducted on these deposits, the mechanisms controlling the formation and distribution of some types of deposits and giant metallogenic belts still remain controversial.

For this Special Issue of Minerals, we invite contributions that integrate advances in the characterization, genesis, and exploration of various gold deposits from major gold provinces in China. This Special Issue seeks to enrich our knowledge of the formation and evolution of gold deposits in China.

Dr. Wenyan He
Dr. Liang Zhang
Dr. Nan Li
Dr. Xue Gao
Dr. Xiangfei Zhang
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • gold
  • China
  • mineralization mechanism
  • metallogeny

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

23 pages, 5287 KiB  
Article
Hydrothermal Alteration Processes of Xincheng Gold Deposit Jiaodong Peninsula, China: Constraints from Composition of Hydrothermal Rutile
by Zhen-Jun Liu, Li-Qiang Yang, Dong Xie, Wei Yang, Da-Peng Li, Tao Feng and Jun Deng
Minerals 2024, 14(4), 417; https://doi.org/10.3390/min14040417 - 18 Apr 2024
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Abstract
Delineating the process of hydrothermal alteration is crucial for effectively enhancing exploration strategies and better understanding the gold mineralization process. Rutile, with its capacity to accommodate a wide range of trace elements including high-field-strength elements and base metals, serves as a reliable fluid [...] Read more.
Delineating the process of hydrothermal alteration is crucial for effectively enhancing exploration strategies and better understanding the gold mineralization process. Rutile, with its capacity to accommodate a wide range of trace elements including high-field-strength elements and base metals, serves as a reliable fluid tracer in ore systems. As one of the most significant gold ore concentrations globally, Jiaodong boasts a gold reserve exceeding 5500 t. The Xincheng gold deposit is a world-class high-grade mine, boasting a proven gold reserve exceeding 200 t, and stands as one of the largest altered-type gold deposits in the vast gold province of the Jiaodong Peninsula, Eastern China. In this study, rutile (Rt1,2,3) was identified in the K-feldspar alteration, sericitization, and pyrite–sericite–quartz alteration stages of the Xincheng gold deposit in Jiaodong based on petrographic characteristics. Rt1 coexists with hydrothermal K-feldspar and quartz, while Rt2 coexists with minerals such as sericite, quartz, muscovite, and pyrite. Rt3 is widely distributed in hydrothermal veins and is primarily associated with minerals including quartz, pyrite, chalcopyrite, and sericite. Raman spectroscopy, EPMA, and LA-ICP-MS analysis were conducted to investigate the characteristics and evolution of altered hydrothermal fluids. This study indicates that the Zr vs. W and Nb/V vs. W diagrams suggest that Rt1 is of magmatic–hydrothermal origin, while Rt2 and Rt3 are of metamorphic–hydrothermal origin. Notably, the W content in Rt2 and Rt3 is significantly higher than in Rt1 (<100 ppm), suggesting a close relationship between the W content in rutile and mineralization. The three types of rutile exhibit significantly different concentrations of trace elements such as W, V, Nb, Zr, Sn, and Fe, displaying distinct bright spots and elemental zoning characteristics in backscattered electron images and surface scans. These features arise from the isomorphic substitution of Ti4+. While Rt1 exhibits no significant element exchange with the hydrothermal fluids, Rt2 and Rt3 show a stronger substitution of W, Nb, V, and Fe, indicating a gradual enrichment of F and Cl in the fluids. This process activates and transports these elements into the fluids, leading to their continuous accumulation within the system. From Rt1 to Rt3, the increasing concentrations of Fe and W, along with the negative Eu anomaly, suggest a decrease in fluid temperature and oxygen fugacity during the alteration and mineralization process. The gradual increase in the contents of REEs and high-field-strength elements such as W, V, Nb, and Sn indicates that the hydrothermal fluids are enriched in F and Cl, exhibiting weak acidity. The nature of the fluids during hydrothermal alteration is closely related to the composition of rutile, making it a promising tool for studying hydrothermal alteration and related mineralization processes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Formation and Evolution of Gold Deposits in China)
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26 pages, 45411 KiB  
Article
Metallogenic Difference between the Late Aptian Nansu and Aishan Pluton in Jiaodong: Constraints from In Situ Apatite Elemental and Nd Isotopic Composition
by Kexin Li, Liqiang Yang, Lei Ju and Dong Xie
Minerals 2024, 14(4), 372; https://doi.org/10.3390/min14040372 - 31 Mar 2024
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Abstract
A series of Mo-polymetallic deposits have been developed in the Jiaodong Peninsula. Notably, these Mo-dominant deposits formed essentially during the same period as the well-known world-class Au deposits in this area, hinting at a potentially unique geological correlation between them. Therefore, conducting thorough [...] Read more.
A series of Mo-polymetallic deposits have been developed in the Jiaodong Peninsula. Notably, these Mo-dominant deposits formed essentially during the same period as the well-known world-class Au deposits in this area, hinting at a potentially unique geological correlation between them. Therefore, conducting thorough research on Mo deposits in Jiaodong holds significant importance in exploring the area’s controlling factors of Mesozoic metal endowments. To reveal the petrogenesis and metallogenic potentials of Mo-fertile and ore-barren granitoid, apatite grains from the Late Aptian Nansu granodiorite and Aishan monzogranite are investigated in this study. Detailed petrographical observations, combined with in situ analysis of electron probe micro-analyzer (EPMA) and Laser-ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), have been conducted on apatite grains from the Nansu and Aishan plutons. This comprehensive analysis, encompassing both major and trace elements as well as isotopic characteristics of apatite, aims to elucidate the metallogenic differences within the late Early Cretaceous granitoids of Jiaodong. The results reveal that the apatite grains across all samples belong to fluorapatites, suggesting their magmatic origin. Additionally, chondrite-normalized rare earth element (REE) patterns of apatites in ore-fertile and ore-barren granitoids exhibit a “right-leaning” trend, characterized by relative enrichments in light REEs and depletions in heavy REEs. Both the Nansu and Aishan plutons exhibit moderately negative Eu anomalies (with averages δEu values of 0.44 and 0.51, respectively), along with slightly positive Ce anomalies (averaging δCe values of 1.08 and 1.11, respectively). A negative correlation is observed between their δEu and δCe values, indicating that the parental magmas of ore-fertile and ore-barren granitoids were formed in a relatively oxidizing environment. The calculated apatite OH contents for the Nansu pluton range from 0.26 to 1.38, while those for the Aishan pluton vary between 0.24 and 1.51, indicating comparable melt H2O abundances. Consequently, the results suggest that neither the oxygen fugacities nor the water contents of the parental magma can account for the metallogenic differences between Nansu and Aishan plutons. The apatite in the Nansu pluton exhibits a higher Ce/Pb ratio and a relatively lower Th/U ratio, indicating the involvement of a greater volume of fluids in the magmatic evolution process of this ore-bearing granitoid. Apatite grains sourced from the Nansu and Aishan plutons exhibit εNd(t) values ranging from −16.63 to −17.61 (t = 115.7 Ma) and −17.86 to −20.86 (t = 116.8 Ma), respectively. These results suggest that their parental magmas primarily originated from the partial melting of Precambrian metamorphic basement rocks within the North China Craton, with a minor contribution from mantle-derived materials. Additionally, the presence of mafic microgranular enclaves in both the Nansu and Aishan plutons indicates that both have undergone magma mixing processes. The binary diagrams plotting the ratios of Ba/Th, Sr/Th, and U/Th against La/Sm demonstrate that apatite grains of ore-fertile granitoid exhibit a distinct trend towards sediment melting. This suggests the potential incorporation of sedimentary materials, particularly those rich in molybdenum, into the magmatic source of the Nansu pluton, ultimately leading to the occurrence of molybdenum mineralization. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Formation and Evolution of Gold Deposits in China)
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