Article: Giant Mesozoic gold provinces related to the destruction of the North China craton

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TitleGiant Mesozoic gold provinces related to the destruction of the North China craton
AuthorsLi, JW1
Bi, SJ1
Selby, D2
Chen, L1
Vasconcelos, P3
Thiede, D3
Zhou, MF4
Zhao, XF4
Li, ZK1
Qiu, HN5
KeywordsLithospheric destruction
Lode gold
Mantle-derived fluids
North china craton
Issue Date2012
PublisherElsevier BV. The Journal's web site is located at http://www.elsevier.com/locate/epsl
CitationEarth and Planetary Science Letters, 2012, v. 349, p. 26-37 [How to Cite?]
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2012.06.058
AbstractLode gold deposits in Precambrian cratons represent the world's major gold source and were mostly generated during formation and stabilization of the cratons. However, there is an extraordinary exception in the North China craton (NCC), where lode gold deposits formed after prolonged stabilization of the craton. Molybdenite Re-Os and hydrothermal sericite and biotite 40Ar/ 39Ar dating of major gold deposits from the Xiaoqinling district, southern NCC, bracket their emplacement in the range of 154.1±1.1 to 118.9±1.2Ma (n=23), postdating formation of the craton by more than 1.7 billion years. Fluid inclusions extracted from gold-bearing pyrite have elevated 3He/ 4He ratios (1.52-0.22Ra) and mantle-like Ne isotopes ( 20Ne/ 22Ne=10.02-9.22 and 21Ne/ 22Ne=0.033-0.027), indicating presence of mantle-derived fluids in the ore system. Measured δ 34S of pyrite and δD and δ 18O of hydrothermal micas and fluid inclusion waters in auriferous quartz further confirm a magmatic/mantle source for sulfur and ore fluids. Gold deposits of similar ages also widely occur in the eastern and northern margins of the NCC, which, together with those in the Xiaoqinling district, have a total reserve of 2500t gold, forming the only known giant late Mesozoic gold province in the world's Precambrian cratons. These deposits formed coevally with extensive felsic to mafic magmatism, development of intracontinental rift basins, and exhumation of metamorphic core complexes across the eastern NCC, events interpreted as indicating thinning and destruction of the lithosphere beneath the craton. Rising of asthenosphere coupled with destruction of the lithosphere has generated voluminous mafic and felsic magmas that provided sufficient fluids, sulfur and, by inference, other ore components to form the giant gold provinces. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.
ISSN0012-821X
2011 Impact Factor: 4.18
2011 SCImago Journal Rankings: 0.329
DOIhttp://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2012.06.058
DC Field
Value
dc.contributor.authorLi, JW
dc.contributor.authorBi, SJ
dc.contributor.authorSelby, D
dc.contributor.authorChen, L
dc.contributor.authorVasconcelos, P
dc.contributor.authorThiede, D
dc.contributor.authorZhou, MF
dc.contributor.authorZhao, XF
dc.contributor.authorLi, ZK
dc.contributor.authorQiu, HN
dc.date.accessioned2012-09-18T03:33:51Z
dc.date.available2012-09-18T03:33:51Z
dc.date.issued2012
dc.description.abstractLode gold deposits in Precambrian cratons represent the world's major gold source and were mostly generated during formation and stabilization of the cratons. However, there is an extraordinary exception in the North China craton (NCC), where lode gold deposits formed after prolonged stabilization of the craton. Molybdenite Re-Os and hydrothermal sericite and biotite 40Ar/ 39Ar dating of major gold deposits from the Xiaoqinling district, southern NCC, bracket their emplacement in the range of 154.1±1.1 to 118.9±1.2Ma (n=23), postdating formation of the craton by more than 1.7 billion years. Fluid inclusions extracted from gold-bearing pyrite have elevated 3He/ 4He ratios (1.52-0.22Ra) and mantle-like Ne isotopes ( 20Ne/ 22Ne=10.02-9.22 and 21Ne/ 22Ne=0.033-0.027), indicating presence of mantle-derived fluids in the ore system. Measured δ 34S of pyrite and δD and δ 18O of hydrothermal micas and fluid inclusion waters in auriferous quartz further confirm a magmatic/mantle source for sulfur and ore fluids. Gold deposits of similar ages also widely occur in the eastern and northern margins of the NCC, which, together with those in the Xiaoqinling district, have a total reserve of 2500t gold, forming the only known giant late Mesozoic gold province in the world's Precambrian cratons. These deposits formed coevally with extensive felsic to mafic magmatism, development of intracontinental rift basins, and exhumation of metamorphic core complexes across the eastern NCC, events interpreted as indicating thinning and destruction of the lithosphere beneath the craton. Rising of asthenosphere coupled with destruction of the lithosphere has generated voluminous mafic and felsic magmas that provided sufficient fluids, sulfur and, by inference, other ore components to form the giant gold provinces. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.
dc.description.natureLink_to_subscribed_fulltext
dc.identifier.citationEarth and Planetary Science Letters, 2012, v. 349, p. 26-37 [How to Cite?]
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2012.06.058
dc.identifier.citeulike11231437
dc.identifier.doihttp://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2012.06.058
dc.identifier.epage37
dc.identifier.hkuros206534
dc.identifier.issn0012-821X
2011 Impact Factor: 4.18
2011 SCImago Journal Rankings: 0.329
dc.identifier.scopuseid_2-s2.0-84864413361
dc.identifier.spage26
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10722/163633
dc.identifier.volume349
dc.languageeng
dc.publisherElsevier BV. The Journal's web site is located at http://www.elsevier.com/locate/epsl
dc.publisher.placeNetherlands
dc.relation.ispartofEarth and Planetary Science Letters
dc.subjectLithospheric destruction
dc.subjectLode gold
dc.subjectMantle-derived fluids
dc.subjectNorth china craton
dc.titleGiant Mesozoic gold provinces related to the destruction of the North China craton
dc.typeArticle
Author Affiliations
  1. China University of Geosciences
  2. University of Durham
  3. University of Queensland
  4. The University of Hong Kong
  5. Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry Chinese Academy of Sciences