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Minerals
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Mineral Resources in North China Craton
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Mineral Resources in North China Craton

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2024 | Viewed by 9482

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Wenlei Song

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Geology, Northwest University, Xi'an 710069, China
Interests: ore geochemistry; critical metal deposits; carbonatite and alkaline rocks
Dr. Xiaohua Deng

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Earth Science and Resources, Chang’an University, Xi'an 710054, China
Interests: ore deposit; orogenic Mo deposits; Au-Cu deposits; metallogenic regularity and prediction
Dr. Zhanke Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Earth Resources, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
Interests: ore geology; Au-Ag-Pb-Zn metallogenesis; rare metal deposits

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The North China Craton is an ancient craton that experienced a long period of stability after the Paleoproterozoic and the destruction of its eastern part during the Mesozoic. The evolution of the North China Craton consists of multiple periods of extensive tectonic–magmatic activities, metamorphism, and various types of volcanic–sedimentary sequences. Besides the records of tectonic activities, the North China Craton also contains significant mineral resources, such as Au, Mo, Cu, Fe, REE, Nb, Pb-Zn, Mg, B, graphite, and diamond. Notably, the genesis of these ore deposits was associated with the assembly and fragmentation of the continents and related transitions of the surface environment. For example, porphyry, porphyry-skarn, and skarn Mo (Cu) deposits were related to the subduction and collision. The carbonatite-related REE-Nb-Fe deposit formed from the extensional rifting. Quartz-vein type and altered-rock type Au deposits were associated with the destruction of the craton. This Special Issue welcomes original articles on new mineralogy and geochemistry data from ores and related rocks within the North China Craton. This issue will contribute significantly to the metallogenic mechanism associated with the tectonic evolution of the craton and future resource exploration.

Dr. Wenlei Song
Dr. Xiaohua Deng
Dr. Zhanke Li
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Minerals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • metallogenesis in North China Craton
  • ore deposit
  • mineralogy
  • mineral geochemistry
  • mineralization mechanism

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

31 pages, 31932 KiB  
Article
The Zircon U-Pb Age, Hf Isotopes, and Lithogeochemistry of Ore-Bearing Rocks from the Archean Hongtoushan Volcanogenic Massive Sulfide Deposit in the North China Craton: Implications for Tectonic Setting
by Xinwei You, Ende Wang, Yekai Men, Jianfei Fu, Kun Song and Sishun Ma
Minerals 2024, 14(4), 367; https://doi.org/10.3390/min14040367 - 29 Mar 2024
Viewed by 361
Abstract
Volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposits are globally significant sources of metals. The Hongtoushan VMS deposit is the only large Archean Cu-Zn VMS deposit in the North China Craton, carrying substantial economic value. Significant deformation and metamorphism have made the tectonic setting of the [...] Read more.
Volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposits are globally significant sources of metals. The Hongtoushan VMS deposit is the only large Archean Cu-Zn VMS deposit in the North China Craton, carrying substantial economic value. Significant deformation and metamorphism have made the tectonic setting of the Hongtoushan VMS deposit the subject of extensive debate. This study investigates the petrogenesis and chronology of the ore-bearing host rocks from the Hongtoushan Cu-Zn VMS deposit in the North China Craton. By utilizing whole-rock geochemical analyses and zircon dating, this research sheds light on the origin and evolution of the ore-bearing rocks within the deposit. The whole-rock geochemical analysis data indicate that the Hongtoushan ore-bearing rock series is mainly composed of amphibole plagioclase gneiss (basalt protolith) and biotite plagioclase gneiss (andesite and rhyolite protolith), suggesting a complete volcanic cycle from basic to medium-acidic volcanic rocks. The amphibole plagioclase gneiss has slight LREE enrichment patterns with unremarkable depletions of Nb, Ta, and Ti and belongs to contaminated ocean plateau basalt (OPB) in terms of composition, which is generally interpreted as being generated from the mantle plume head. Meanwhile, the biotite plagioclase gneiss has relatively steep LREE enrichment distribution patterns with remarkable negative Ta, Nb, and Ti anomalies and a wide range of Zr/Y ratios, indicating their classification as FI- and FII-type felsic rocks; they were likely formed through the fractional crystallization of basic magma combined with crustal assimilation. When combined with the zircon dating results, the ore-bearing host rocks of the Hongtoushan VMS deposit were generated via a continuous magmatic evolution process. The zircon dating of the host rocks indicates a formation age of between 2609 and 2503 Ma, with metamorphic events between 2540 and 2466 Ma, which is consistent with the 2.5 Ga-related global mantle plume event. Further research shows that the ore-bearing host rocks are more likely to have been formed in a mantle plume-related stretching environment, possibly a margin rift. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mineral Resources in North China Craton)
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25 pages, 79336 KiB  
Article
Pyrite Textures and Compositions in the Dunbasitao Gold Deposit, NW China: Implications for Ore Genesis and Gold Mineralization Processes
by Wenxiang Liu, Xiaohua Deng, Shen Han, Xi Chen, Xun Li, Abulimiti Aibai, Yanshuang Wu, Yong Wang, Wei Shan, Zengsheng Li and Yanjing Chen
Minerals 2023, 13(4), 534; https://doi.org/10.3390/min13040534 - 11 Apr 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1644
Abstract
The process and mechanism of gold mineralization are frontier issues. The Dunbasitao deposit is the most important gold deposit discovered along the Armantai suture zone, East Junggar, NW China, which indicates the potential for future ore exploration in this area. Orebodies are mainly [...] Read more.
The process and mechanism of gold mineralization are frontier issues. The Dunbasitao deposit is the most important gold deposit discovered along the Armantai suture zone, East Junggar, NW China, which indicates the potential for future ore exploration in this area. Orebodies are mainly hosted in Lower Carboniferous Jiangbasitao Formation volcano-sedimentary rocks, and the ores are characterized by multistage pyrites. Based on microscopy and backscattered electron imaging studies, pyrites are classified into five types: the pre-ore framboidal/colloidal Py0; the early-stage coarse-grained, cubic, and homogeneous Py1; and the middle-stage fine-grained, cubic/pyritohedron Py2 that includes Py2a (core), Py2b (mantle), and Py2c (rim). The results of the EPMA and in situ LA-ICP-MS analyses show that trace elements of pyrite mainly occur in two forms: solid solutions and invisible or visible inclusions. Mn, Co, Ni, and As enter the pyrite lattice, whereas Ti occurs as mineral inclusions, and Au, Cu, Zn, Sb, and Pb can occur in both forms. Au and As show a positive linear relationship with r = 0.850. Py2b has much higher Au contents (20.1 to 201 ppm) than other pyrite types (Py0: 0.01 to 0.36 ppm; Py1: 0.01 to 0.02 ppm; Py2a: 0.31 to 2.48 ppm; and Py2c: 0.18 to 18.0 ppm). The Dunbasitao deposit is classified as an orogenic gold deposit using the two latest machine learning classifiers based on pyrite trace element data. Fluid immiscibility, sudden cooling, and the substitution of S1− with As1− might be crucial mechanisms leading to Au precipitation. Initial ore-forming fluids brought major amounts of As, Au, Co, Ni, Se, Zn, Ag, Cd, Sn, and other elements, and the Jiangbasitao Formation host rocks contributed a certain amount of As, Ni, Cu, Sb, Pb, and Bi, at least. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mineral Resources in North China Craton)
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20 pages, 4099 KiB  
Article
Evolution Characteristics through Thermo-Rheological Lithosphere of the Liaonan Metamorphic Core Complex, Eastern North China Craton
by Haonan Gan, Junlai Liu, Guiling Wang and Wei Zhang
Minerals 2022, 12(12), 1570; https://doi.org/10.3390/min12121570 - 06 Dec 2022
Viewed by 1170
Abstract
Metamorphic core complexes are developed in crustal activity belts at the continental margins or within continents, and their main tectonic feature is that the ductile middle crust is exhumed at the surface. The deformation properties are closely related to the geodynamic process affecting [...] Read more.
Metamorphic core complexes are developed in crustal activity belts at the continental margins or within continents, and their main tectonic feature is that the ductile middle crust is exhumed at the surface. The deformation properties are closely related to the geodynamic process affecting the continental crust. However, the evolution of the metamorphic core complexes after their formation is still unclear. The Cretaceous Liaonan metamorphic core complex developed in the eastern North China craton provides an ideal environment to study its evolution. In this study, we estimate the paleo-temperature and paleo-stress at the time of formation of the metamorphic core complex dynamical recrystallization of quartz and calculate the thermo-rheological structure of the present Liaonan metamorphic core complex by one-dimensional steady-state heat conduction equation and power-creep law. The results show that compared with the Cretaceous period, the geothermal heat flow value of the present Liaonan metamorphic core complex decreases from 70–80 mW/m2 to 49.4 mW/m2, the thermal lithosphere thickness increases from 59–75 km to 173 km, and the brittle transition depth increases from 10–13 km to about 70 km, showing coupling of the crust–mantle rheological structure. We speculate that the evolution of the thermo-rheological structure of the Liaonan metamorphic core complex is possibly caused by rapid heat loss or lithospheric mantle flow in the Bohai Bay Basin. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mineral Resources in North China Craton)
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23 pages, 10389 KiB  
Article
Mineral Chemistry of the Lower Cretaceous Jinling Iron Skarn Deposit, Western Shandong Province, North China Craton: Implications for the Iron Skarn Mineralization Process
by Fang-Hua Cui, Chao Zhang, Dai-Tian Jin, Lu-Yuan Wang, Ji-Lei Gao, Ming Ma and Ya-Dong Li
Minerals 2022, 12(9), 1152; https://doi.org/10.3390/min12091152 - 12 Sep 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1827
Abstract
The source of iron material and the mineralization process of iron skarn deposits within the eastern North China Craton are ambiguous. In this study, we present new mineral chemical data of the Jinling skarn deposit, located in western Shandong Province, east China. Based [...] Read more.
The source of iron material and the mineralization process of iron skarn deposits within the eastern North China Craton are ambiguous. In this study, we present new mineral chemical data of the Jinling skarn deposit, located in western Shandong Province, east China. Based on the petrography study and mineral chemical data, we suggest that the Jinling iron skarn deposit is hydrothermal and the metallogenic iron is enriched by leaching of Fe-rich fluids derived from primitive magmatic melt from the solidified diorites. The Jinling iron skarn deposit formed as a result of several mineralization processes: (1) Fe-rich hydrothermal fluids exsolved from a hydrous parental magma that was characterized by high iron content, oxygen fugacity (fO2), and salinity; (2) the Fe content of the fluids was augmented during the alkali metasomatism stage via the leaching of Fe from the solidified dioritic rocks; (3) diopside and garnet in skarns formed under relatively alkaline and oxidizing conditions during the later prograde skarn stage; (4) during the retrograde skarn stage, amphibole, chlorite, epidote, phlogopite, serpentine, biotite, and chlorite formed under more oxidizing conditions, and subsequent mixing of the Fe-rich fluids with meteoric water triggered the precipitation of the massive magnetite; and (5) the final sulfide–carbonate stage was involved in the formation of carbonate and sulfide minerals as a result of a change in conditions from oxidizing to reducing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mineral Resources in North China Craton)
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19 pages, 7794 KiB  
Article
Sericite 40Ar/39Ar Dating and Indosinian Mineralization in the Liushuping Au–Zn Deposit, West Qinling Orogen, China
by Suwei Yue, Xiaohua Deng, Xiaoxu Yan and Jianxiang Chen
Minerals 2022, 12(6), 666; https://doi.org/10.3390/min12060666 - 25 May 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1566
Abstract
The Liushuping deposit, located on the northeast margin of the Bikou Block, is the middle-sized gold-zinc deposit (with ore reserves of 15.67 × 104 t Zn and 2.2 t Au) in the Mianxian–Lueyang–Yangpingguan area. The orebodies occur in the meta-dolomite of the [...] Read more.
The Liushuping deposit, located on the northeast margin of the Bikou Block, is the middle-sized gold-zinc deposit (with ore reserves of 15.67 × 104 t Zn and 2.2 t Au) in the Mianxian–Lueyang–Yangpingguan area. The orebodies occur in the meta-dolomite of the Duantouya and Jiudaoguai formations controlled by the Jiudaoguai syncline. The ore-forming process has experienced hydrothermal period and epigenetic oxidation period, and the hydrothermal period can be divided into two stages. The hydrothermal sericite sample collected from stage 2 yielded a well-defined 40Ar/39Ar isotopic plateau age of 215.70 ± 0.37 Ma, and an 39Ar/36Ar-40Ar/36Ar normal isochron age of 215.35 ± 0.38 Ma, indicating that the metallogenic age of the Liushuping is the Late Triassic (ca. 215 Ma). The ISr(t) of sphalerite is higher than that of the Bikou Group but similar to the Duantouya Formation, indicating that the ore-forming fluids may mainly originate from the metamorphic dehydration of the Duantouya Formation. The Liushuping Au–Zn deposit is consistent with that of the Qinling Indosinian orogeny and mineralization, which are related to oceanic subduction during the Late Triassic. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mineral Resources in North China Craton)
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16 pages, 4871 KiB  
Article
Chemical Composition and Strontium Isotope Characteristics of Scheelite from the Doranasai Gold Deposit, NW China: Implications for Ore Genesis
by Xun Li, Abulimiti Aibai, Xiheng He, Rongzhen Tang and Yanjing Chen
Minerals 2022, 12(5), 637; https://doi.org/10.3390/min12050637 - 18 May 2022
Viewed by 1793
Abstract
Scheelite, as a common accessory mineral found in hydrothermal deposits, is an indicator that allows the study of the ore-forming hydrothermal process and the tracing of fluid sources. The Doranasai gold deposit is a large-sized orogenic gold deposit in the South Altai, and [...] Read more.
Scheelite, as a common accessory mineral found in hydrothermal deposits, is an indicator that allows the study of the ore-forming hydrothermal process and the tracing of fluid sources. The Doranasai gold deposit is a large-sized orogenic gold deposit in the South Altai, and orebodies occur as veins in the Devonian Tuokesalei Formation and Permian albite granite dykes. The ores are quartz veins and altered tectonites (rocks). Here, scheelite can be observed in the early-stage milky quartz veins, the middle-stage smoky quartz-polymetallic sulfide veins, and the altered albite granite dykes. In this study, the scheelites of these three types were carefully investigated in terms of texture, element, and isotope geochemistry to understand their ore-forming processes and fluid sources. The results showed that all types of scheelite were rich in Sr and poor in Mo, indicating that their ore-forming fluids had no genetic relation to magmatic–hydrothermal activities. The scheelites were characterized by the enrichment of medium rare earth element (MREE) and positive Eu anomaly in the chondrite-standardized REE patterns. This indicated the REE differentiation between scheelite and fluid, i.e., REE3+ and Na+ were in the form of valence compensation, preferentially replacing Ca2+ and selectively entering the scheelite lattice. The trace element composition of scheelite showed that the ore-forming fluid system was relatively closed, mesothermal, Na-rich, and reductive. The Sr isotope ratio of the scheelite (0.704819–0.70860, average 0.706372) was higher than that of the ore-bearing albite granite dyke (0.704654–0.704735), indicating that the Tuokesalei Formation is the main source for the fluids forming the Doranasai deposit. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mineral Resources in North China Craton)
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