Earth Science Frontiers ›› 2020, Vol. 27 ›› Issue (2): 137-150.DOI: 10.13745/j.esf.sf.2020.3.15

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Control of the Precambrian basement on the formation of the Mesozoic large-scale low-temperature mineralization in the Yangtze Craton

HU Ruizhong1,2(), CHEN Wei1, BI Xianwu1, FU Shanling1, YIN Runsheng1, XIAO Jiafei1   

  1. 1. State Key Laboratory of Ore Deposit Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang 550002, China
    2. College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
  • Received:2020-01-05 Revised:2020-02-10 Online:2020-03-25 Published:2020-03-25

Abstract:

Large-scale low-temperature mineralization occurs throughout the Yangtze Craton and central-western USA, with the former containing more types of low-temperature deposit. In addition to the MVT Pb-Zn and Carlin-type Au-(As)-(Sb)-(Hg)-(Tl) deposits common to the central-western USA, the Yangtze Craton also contains numerous vein-type Sb, Hg, and As deposits, making it ideal for exploring low-temperature mineralization formation models. Numerous studies have been conducted on the Mesozoic large-scale low-temperature mineralization in the Yangtze Craton, and the deposit geology, ore components, ore-forming fluids, timing, and geodynamic setting of mineralization are generally well understood. This study revealed that different deposit types (e.g., Pb-Zn, Au-Hg-Sb-As, and Au-Sb) in the Yangtze Craton are not spatially associated but distributed in specific domains with distinct Precambrian basement rocks. There are some indications that the basement rocks are variably enriched with various metals. The metals are remobilized and transported by deep-circulating fluids responsible for late large-scale low-temperature mineralization. The specific distributions of different deposit types are likely mainly controlled by the spatial heterogeneity of ore-forming elements in the basement rocks of the Yangtze Craton. However, this interpretation requires further confirmation, as tracing the metal sources of low-temperature mineralization is highly complex.

Key words: Yangtze Craton, Precambrian basement, Mesozoic large-scale low-temperature mineralization, metal sources

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