Laicheng Miao

Constraints on crustal evolution and gold metallogeny in the Northwestern Jiaodong Peninsula, China, from SHRIMP U–Pb zircon studies of granitoids

Abstract The northwestern part of the Jiaodong Peninsula, or the Zhao-Ye Gold Belt, contains the largest lode-gold deposits in China, which are spatially related to several suites of intrusive granitoids. Previous attempts to provide constraints on the timing of gold mineralization and its tectonic setting, through studies of the granitoids, have led to conflicting data, dependant on the isotopic methodology used, and resultant genetic and tectonic models for their setting are equivocal. SHRIMP U–Pb studies of complexly zoned zircons of the Linglong, Luanjiahe and Guojialing granitoid suites suggest that the Jiaodong Peninsula is underlain by Precambrian basement with components up to 3.4 Ga old. Inherited zircons of early Mesozoic age indicate that this basement was reworked at 250–200 Ma, probably during a collisional orogeny involving the North China Craton and South China Craton. The Linglong, Luanjiahe and Guojialing suites were derived from this early Mesozoic basement between 165 and 125 Ma, and were probably emplaced as post-collisional granitoids, the latest intrusions (at 125 Ma) coinciding broadly with superplume activity or a major plume breakout event in the Palaeo-Pacific Plate. Importantly, if lode-gold mineralization is essentially a single event, as indicated by similar hosting structures and deposit characteristics, it can be dated between about 126 Ma, the age of the youngest granitoid cut by gold-bearing quartz veins, and 120 Ma, the age of one of a swarm of post-mineralization feldspar-porphyry dykes. Thus, as in most other metallogenic provinces which host so-called mesothermal lode-gold deposits, gold mineralization was late in the orogenic cycle, probably late- or post-accretion, and closely followed the emplacement of the latest major plutonic phase in the development of a series of anomalously voluminous granitoid batholiths.

SHRIMP U-Pb zircon geochronology and its implications on the Xilin Gol Complex, Inner Mongolia, China

The Xilin Gol Complex, consisting of deformed and metamorphosed rocks, was exposed as a large geological unit within the Central Asian Orogenic Belt, but its forming and subsequent deformed and metamorphic time has been an issue of little consensus. Petrographic analyses and SHRIMP dating on biotite-plagioclase gneiss, one of the major rocks within the Xilin Gol Complex, in southeast Xilinhot City, Inner Mongolia, China, where the Xilin Gol Complex was identified and named, yield its lower limit age of 437± 3 Ma (2σ) by its magmatic zircon SHRIMP U-Pb dating, and an upper limit age of 316 ± 3Ma (2σ), which was constrained by SHRIMP dating of magmatic zircons from adjacent undeformed garnet-bearing granite which intruded the Complex. The Complex was thus determined to be formed and subsequently deformed/metamorphosed from the late Ordovician-early Silurian to the mid-Carboniferous. Consequently, it is not the Precambrian terrane as previously considered by most geologists. More or less, the major rock — biotiteplagioclase gneiss within the Complex is more likely to be Paleozoic fore-arc turbidite formation before metamorphism and intensive deformation, in which the detrital zircons gave sporadic Precambrian ages as old as up to 3.1 Ga. The source of the turbidite formation is multiple, which may be derived either from the North China Craton, or from the South-Mongolia Micro-continent, or probably came from a potential and undiscoveredin situ terranes aged 600–800 Ma or even up to ca 3.1 Ga near the Complex.

Emplacement age and tectonic implications of the Xilinhot A-type granite in Inner Mongolia,China

A new rock type of granite, approximate 45 km2 in area and located about 10 km south of Xilinhot, Inner Mongolia, was found in the Sunitezuoqi (or called Su-zuoqi)-Xilinhot tectonic belt and identified as an A-type miarolitic intrusion. The pluton has miarolitic structure and is composed chiefly of perthite, quartz, euhedral albite and potassium feldspar. Various types of textures occur in the pluton, such as perthitie, graphic and myrmekite textures. Only quartz is found in miarolitic cavity. This A-type granite with seagull-shaped REE patterns and obvious negative Eu anomalyδEu = 0.24–0.28) is high in SiO2 (76%–77%), K and Na (Na2O + K2O = 7.75%–8.15%) and low in Ca (CaO = 0.20%–0.22%), Fe and Mg. Both petrographical observations and chemical compositions indicate that it is an A-type granite. Zircon SHRIMP U-Pb analyses indicate that this A-type granite was emplaced at 276 ± 2 Ma and coeval with the same type of granites in the adjacent areas. Therefore, it suggests that this pluton was likely formed in a post-orogenic extensional setting and probably related to break-off of subducted slabs in Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB), which indicate that the Sunitezuoqi-Xilinhot belt was tectonically evolved into post-orogenic stage since early Permian.

Ion microprobe zircon U–Pb age and geochemistry of the Myanmar jadeitite

Combined geochemistry and geochronology of the Myanmar jadeitite were determined. Bulk-rock trace element compositions display U-shaped REE patterns with pronounced positive Eu anomalies. The total REE abundances are very low, less than half chondritic, and the high field strength elements and some large ion lithophile elements are moderately enriched. These features indicate a metasomatic origin. There are three groups of zircons with different interior characteristics, cathodoluminescence, mineral inclusions, chemical compositions and sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe U–Pb ages. Group-I zircons, with a mean age of 163.2 ± 3.3 Ma, mostly have distinct oscillatory zoning, highest U and Th contents, and Na-free, Mg-rich mineral inclusions, and thus indicate an igneous (formation of oceanic crust) or hydrothermal (serpentinization and/or rodingitization) event in the Middle Jurassic. Group-II zircons, with a mean age of 146.5 ± 3.4 Ma, have bright luminescence without oscillatory zoning and include jadeite and jadeitic pyroxene inclusions, suggesting that formation of the Myanmar jadeitites, as well as subduction of the eastern Indian oceanic plate, occurred in the Late Jurassic. Group-III zircons have an age of 122.2 ± 4.8 Ma, which represents a later unknown thermal event. Discovery of the Middle Jurassic zircons provides geochronological constraint on the tectonic evolution of the eastern Indo-Burman Range.

Phanerozoic evolution of the Inner Mongolia–Daxinganling orogenic belt in North China: constraints from geochronology of ophiolites and associated formations

Abstract The Inner Mongolia–Daxinganling Orogenic Belt (IMDOB), located between the North China and South Mongolia Blocks, consists of several ENE–WSW- to NE–SW-trending zones including dismembered ophiolite blocks, metamorphic rocks and granitoids. Although numerous studies have been carried out on this belt, its tectonic evolution has been a subject of controversy, chiefly because of the lack of reliable geochronological data. Based on a synthesis of newly published geochronological data and our unpublished data for the IMDOB, we define two oceanic basins: Ondor Sum and Hegenshan. The former, probably the main one, was initiated during the Ordovician (>467 Ma) period, whereas the latter, representing a back-arc basin, opened on a pre-Permian basement at, or earlier than, Early Permian times (c. 295 Ma). These two oceanic basins were separated by a magmatic arc (Sunid–Baolidao), and were probably closed simultaneously when the final orogenesis of the IMDOB occurred during the Triassic period (240–220 Ma). Importantly, the Triassic timing of the final orogenesis of the IMDOB due north of the North China Craton is essentially coeval with that of the Qinling–Dabie–Su–Lu orogenic belt on the southern margin of the North China Craton. It is inferred that this two-sided subduction–collision scenario in the Triassic may have contributed to the Mesozoic lithospheric thinning event of the North China Craton, although the details are unclear.

SHRIMP U–Pb zircon geochronology of granitoids from Dongping area, Hebei Province, China: constraints on tectonic evolution and geodynamic setting for gold metallogeny

Abstract 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.

A Large-Scale Cluster of Gold Deposits and Metallogenesis in the Eastern North China Craton

The eastern North China craton contains the largest association of gold deposits in China. Hundreds of gold deposits of different scales, commonly in groups or belts, constitute seven subclusters. In contrast, there are no industrial gold deposits in the neighboring areas of the UHP Sulu region and the northern Yangtze craton. The host rocks of the gold deposits are chiefly Precambrian high-grade metamorphic rocks and granites (anatectic melts derived from Precambrian metamorphic rocks). Traditionally the gold deposits were considered to be of the Archean greenstone type. However, recent geochronology of granitoid bodies and veins related to gold mineralization and gold-bearing minerals in ore lodes reveals that the main metallogenic episode was 110-130 Ma in all seven subclusters. Geochemical data also indicate that the metallogenic materials mainly came from the Precambrian basement of the North China craton and its underlying mantle. Sr-Nb-Pb and S-O-H isotopic data of the ore lodes show crust-mantle mixing characteristics, corresponding to the metamorphic host rocks and basic-alkaline dikes. The main structures controlling the mineralization are Mesozoic faults that trend roughly NE-ENE and NW. Therefore, Precambrian rocks and Mesozoic magma-tectonic events provide fundamental controls on the mineralization. Problematic relationships between the Mesozoic tectonic events (Yanshanian movements) and large-scale metallogenic activity have attracted substantial attention from Chinese and foreign geologists. Mesozoic tectonic inversion in eastern China mainly involved a thick lithosphere that thinned at depth and a reconstructed basin-and-range structure at the surface, which resulted from a catastrophic lithosphere-asthenosphere event. This tectonic event led to a large-scale mantle upwelling, which induced disturbance and adjustment of thermal, density, and chemical phenomena, resulting in large-scale crustal remelting (especially the lower crust), material exchange and mixing between mantle and crust, movement and circulation of fluids, and finally a new magma-fluid-mineralization system.

SHRIMP U-Pb Zircon Ages of Granitoids in the Wulashan Gold Deposit, Inner Mongolia, China: Timing of Mineralization and Tectonic Implications

The Wulashan gold deposit, situated along the northwestern margin of the North China craton (NCC), is hosted by ductile-brittle faults within Archean metamorphic volcano-sedimentary rocks of the Wulashan Group. This deposit is characterized by gold-bearing quartz-K feldspar and quartz veins. Both granitoid batholiths and pegmatite dikes intruded the metamorphic basement rocks, and are spatially associated with gold mineralization. Contrasting genetic models have been proposed for the deposit due to lack of reliable age data. Our new SHRIMP U-Pb zircon ages for these intrusions now reveal important constraints on the mineralization time and tectonic evolution of this region. These intrusions contain inherited zircons of about 2.55 Ga, probably from the Wulashan basement that was intruded by pegmatite dikes at about 1.84 Ga; the latter probably are related to the major tectonic event leading to the final amalgamation of the NCC. The basement subsequently underwent at least three tectono-thermal events during Phanerozoic time (at 353 ± 7, 169 ± 7, and 132 ± 2 Ma). Combined with previous Ar-Ar and K-Ar ages, we suggest two gold mineralization episodes for the Wulashan gold deposit. The first episode occurred at about 350 Ma, indicated by ages of a goldrelated fuchsite and the Dahuabei granitoid batholith. This supports a previously proposed model that relates gold mineralization to the Dahuabei granite that formed during collision of the Paleo-Mongolian block with the NCC. The second one occurred in the late Yanshanian period, as indicated by the mineralized K-feldspar-rich vein of 132 ± 2 Ma. This episode is simultaneous with those in the eastern NCC, indicative of a widespread late Yanshanian metallogenic event that was a response either to the subduction of the Izanagi-Pacific plate beneath eastern China or to the removal of the Early Cretaceous lithosphere in the eastern NCC.

Zircon ages and geochemical data of the Biluutiin ovoo ophiolite: implication for the tectonic evolution of South Mongolia

The early Palaeozoic tectonic evolution of South Mongolia is not well constrained due to the limited exposure of early Palaeozoic rocks in the area and the scarcity of both geochemical and geochronological data. In order to help rectify this situation, we have conducted detailed studies on the Biluutiin ovoo ophiolite in South Mongolia to provide constraints on the tectonic evolution of the region during this period. The Biluutiin ovoo ophiolite consists of ultramafic rocks, mylonitic gabbro, basalt, tuff sandstone, plagiogranite, calcite, and chert. Gabbro and plagiogranite samples from the ophiolitic complex yielded SHRIMP zircon ages of 525 ± 5 Ma and 503 ± 6 Ma, respectively. Biluutiin ovoo ophiolitic basalts display LREE and LILE enrichment and strong HFSE depletion, indicating that the ophiolite is supra-subduction zone (SSZ) type. Plagiogranite with adakite-like geochemical compositions suggests that palaeo-ocean subduction occurred in South Mongolia during Cambrian time. Intruding granite yielded a SHRIMP zircon age of 353 ± 2 Ma, indicating that the ophiolite was emplaced before early Carboniferous time. Identification of the Cambrian ophiolitic complex and the occurrence of Cambrian adakites indicate that southern Mongolia underwent a period of active volcanism during the Cambrian. The Cambrian formations are likely correlated to the early Palaeozoic subduction-accretion belt of Western Mongolia.

Neoproterozoic zircon inheritance in eastern North China craton (China) Mesozoic igneous rocks: derivation from the Yangtze craton and tectonic implications

We propose that inherited Neoproterozoic zircons in Mesozoic igneous rocks from the eastern portion of the North China craton (NCC) were initially derived from the Yangtze/South China block, rather than from the NCC itself. The mechanism that introduced these zircons into the NCC was likely tectonic underplating during Triassic continental subduction/collision of the Yangtze block beneath the NCC. The addition of abundant crustal materials represented by the exotic zircons, probably along the Moho or weak interfaces within the NCC crust, led to the crustal thickening of the NCC. These sialic materials contributed significantly to the Mesozoic igneous rocks, either as source rocks or as contaminants of magmas generated during an extensional environment following crustal thickening. Crustal thickening was spatially linked to lithospheric thinning, with both occurring mainly in the eastern segment of the NCC, suggestive of an intrinsic relationship between thickening and thinning events during Mesozoic evolution of the NCC.