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The Beiligaimiao magmatic Ni-Cu sulfide deposit is located in the northern rim of the North China Block, which was an active continental margin related to the southward subduction of the Paleo-Asian oceanic plate to the north in the Paleozoic. This deposit has never been studied before but is an excellent example of sulfide mineralization in arc settings that have been commonly overlooked by exploration geologists worldwide. Sulfide mineralization in the deposit is hosted in a mafic-ultramafic complex that consists of a small ultramafic body surrounded by an older and much larger gabbroic intrusion. Disseminated sulfide zones are present in both intrusive bodies but only those close to the surface within the ultramafic body have been mined in the past. The sulfide-mineralized ultramafic body is composed of olivine websterite and orthopyroxenite with a gradational contact between them. SIMS U-Pb dating of zircon crystals from a large olivine websterite sample yields a crystallization age of 269.4 ± 2.1 Ma, which is ∼25 Ma younger than the Erbutu subduction-related magmatic Ni-Cu sulfide deposit that occurs ∼50 km to the north. Orthopyroxene crystals in the Beiligaimiao ultramafic rocks have Mg # [100 Mg/(Mg + Fe), molar] of 77–78, significantly lower than those in the ultramafic rocks of the Erbutu deposit. Olivine crystals in the Beiligaimiao ultramafic rocks have forsterite (Fo) contents from 72 to 75 mol%, which are also significantly lower than those in the ultramafic rocks of the Erbutu deposit (Fo, 86–88 mol%). The mineral chemical data indicate a more fractionated parental magma for the former. Ca-depletion in olivine (i.e., 34 S values of sulfide separates from the Beiligaimiao deposit are 1.7 to 2.5‰, significantly lower than those for the Erbutu deposit but still slightly higher than the MORB value (−1.5 to 0.5‰). Olivine websterites in the Beiligaimiao deposit have e Nd from −8.9 to −9.5 and ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr) i close to 0.7075, which are similar to those of an enriched lithospheric mantle. An orthopyroxenite sample from the deposit has much lower e Nd (−12.6) coupled with much higher ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr) i ratio (0.7132), indicating ∼25% crustal contamination. The Sr-Nd-S isotope data support the premise that both crustal contamination and addition of crustal sulfur played a role in triggering sulfur saturation in the parental magma of the Beiligaimiao deposit. Since the immediate country rocks are exclusively gabbros, these processes likely took place at depth. The close temporal and spatial association of the Beiligaimiao and Erbutu deposits points to the possibility that more Permian arc-type magmatic sulfide deposits are yet to be discovered in the region.

The Sawaya'erdun gold deposit in the western segment of the South Tianshan, Xinjiang, China, is a large, low-grade orogenic gold deposit. An abundance of index fossils in the ore-hosting strata, including brachiopoda, corals and Schwagerina, show that the fossil age of the country rocks ranges from Late Carboniferous to Early Permian. Whole rock Rb–Sr and Sm–Nd isochron ages, ranging from 292.43±0.38 to 304.7±11.6 Ma, are concordant with a Late Carboniferous age. Gold mineralization is strictly controlled by a fault zone. Ore minerals are dominated by sulfides, with gold inhomogeneously distributed within them; gangue minerals are quartz, siderite or calcite. Data suggest that the ore-forming fluid was derived predominantly from an active meteoric groundwater system. Ore-forming temperatures are estimated to have been within the range 110 to 220 °C. New 40 Ar/ 39 Ar isotope age determinations of auriferous quartz are in excellent agreement with Rb–Sr ages obtained from fluid inclusions in quartz. They suggest gold mineralization at 206 to 213 Ma (Late Indosinian). Such an age is consistent with the age of formation given for other gold deposits in the region, such as Bulong and Dashankou. Combined with K–Ar geochronological data and observed geological features, it is concluded that the Indosinian metallogentic epoch represents a previously unrecognized, major period of gold metallogeny in the southwestern Chinese Tianshan. In some ways, the Sawaya'erdun gold deposit can be compared with the Muruntau gold deposit in Uzbekistan with respect to geological setting, host lithology, mineralization style, mineral assemblages, geochemical association and metallogenic processes involved. Despite this, the Sawaya'erdun gold deposit possesses a number of characteristics typical of only low-temperature metallogenesis. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Dongping area in the central part of the northern marginal zone of the North China Craton (NCC) is one of the most important gold-producing areas in China, and has been intruded by a number of alkaline and granitic batholiths or plutons spatially associated with gold deposits. Previous dates on these intrusions yield contradictory data, depending on the isotopic methodology used, and have led to ambiguity in understanding magmatic evolution and gold mineralization of the region. Detailed SHRIMP U–Pb zircon geochronology of the alkaline and granitic rocks in the study area now reveals details of its tectono-magmatic history. Zircons from a granitic gneiss hosting the Xiaoyingpan gold deposit yielded concordant ages of ca. 2.5 Ga. This constrains regional metamorphism of the Archaean basement to late Archaean time. A second magmatic event at ca. 1.8 Ga is revealed by xenocrystic/inherited zircons with this age. These two Precambrian events are coeval with those in other parts of the NCC. The largest igneous intrusion in the region, the Shuiquangou syenite–monzonite complex, was emplaced at ca. 390 Ma, as indicated by the magmatic zircon populations of the two samples from the central and eastern parts of the complex. The accretion of a volcanic arc onto the northern margin of the NCC is considered as a plausible cause of this alkaline magmatism. The emplacement of the Guzuizi porphyritic granite pluton at 236±2 Ma represents another major magmatic event in the region, probably a response to postcollisional orogeny following amalgamation of the North China and Angara cratons. Latest magmatism is marked by the emplacement of the Shangshuiquan monzogranite at 142.2±1.3 Ma, which is most likely related to an underplating event that took place in the Dongping and its adjacent areas at ca. 140 Ma. More importantly, these results suggest that gold mineralization in the area, essentially a single event as indicated by similar deposit characteristics, is broadly coeval with this latest granite magmatism. Hence, this mineralization is about 250 Ma later than the emplacement of the Shuiquangou alkaline complex and, thus, is interpreted to preclude the widely accepted model that suggests gold deposits have genetic relationships with alkaline magmatism. The late timing of gold mineralization with respect to felsic magmatism in the area is similar to those observed in other major gold-producing provinces in the NCC. In all these major gold provinces, we suggest that gold mineralization is coeval with the latest granite magmatic event at about 140–120 Ma. This farther suggests that these mesothermal gold deposits were formed from similar tectono-magmatic environments.

The Eastern Yangtse Craton of central to eastern China is an important FeCu metallogenic province. Based on studies of the regional geology and tectonic evolution, this metallogenic belt is controlled by faults and aulacogens in the continental plate. In the Early Yanshan Epoch (Jurassic), the dominant west-northwest and east-west lithospheric faults controlled the distribution of Cu (Mo, and Au) mineralization, whereas in the Late Yanshan Epoch (Cretaceous) the north-northeast and northeast lithospheric faults controlled CuFe mineralization. In a mineral district, the distribution of ore-fields is under the dual control of basement fault(s) and near-surface fault(s). Based on the relation of ring and lineament faults to intrusions, a ‘three-level’ model of vertical zonation is proposed. Systematic petrochemical studies of Mesozoic igneous rocks and mineralization identify three subseries: (1) a calc-alkaline, intermediate to silicic subseries rich in potassium; (2) a calc-alkaline, intermediate to felsic subseries rich in sodium; and (3) a calc-alkaline, intermediate to mafic subseries rich in sodium. Genetic types of ore deposits are diverse, including Fe and Cu skarns, Cu porphyries, Fe ore magma injections, Ningwu-Luzong Fe deposits (from late orthomagmatic to pegmatitic-pneumato-hydrothermal, and to mesothermal-epithermal) associated with subvolcanic rocks, and remobilized sedimentary Fe and/or Cu deposits. The genetic types of ore deposits form two metallogenic series: (1) a sedimentary metallogenic series (active mainly in the Paleozoic), and (2) a magmatic-hydrothermal metallogenic series consisting of three subseries (active predominantly in the Jurassic and Cretaceous), with the latter being more important in this region. The superposition and compounding of these two metallogenic series contribute to many styles of mineralization in this mineral province.