CALCITE U-Pb DATING UNRAVELS THE AGE AND HYDROTHERMAL HISTORY OF THE GIANT SHUIYINDONG CARLIN-TYPE GOLD DEPOSIT IN THE GOLDEN TRIANGLE, SOUTH CHINA

2021 ◽  
Vol 116 (6) ◽  
pp. 1253-1265
Author(s):  
Xiao-Ye Jin ◽  
Jian-Xin Zhao ◽  
Yue-Xing Feng ◽  
Albert H. Hofstra ◽  
Xiao-Dong Deng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gold Deposit ◽  
Early Cretaceous ◽  
South China ◽  
Gold Deposits ◽  
Ore Deposits ◽  
Late Triassic ◽  
Gold Deposition ◽  
Golden Triangle ◽  
Icp Ms ◽  
Carlin Type Gold Deposits

Abstract The ages of Carlin-type gold deposits in the Golden Triangle of South China have long been questioned due to the general lack of minerals unequivocally linked to gold deposition that can be precisely dated using conventional radiogenic isotope techniques. Recent advances in U-Pb methods show that calcite can be used to constrain the ages of hydrothermal processes, but few studies have been applied to ore deposits. Herein, we show that this approach can be used to constrain the timing of hydrothermal activity that generated and overprinted the giant Shuiyindong Carlin-type gold deposit in the Golden Triangle. Three stages of calcite (Cal-1, Cal-2, and Cal-3) have been recognized in this deposit based on crosscutting relationships, cathodoluminescence colors, and chemical (U, Pb, and rare earth element [REE]) and isotope (C, O, Sr) compositions. Cal-1 is texturally associated with ore-stage jasperoid and disseminated Au-bearing arsenian pyrite in hydrothermally altered carbonate rocks, which suggests it is synmineralization. Cal-2 fills open spaces and has a distinct orange cathodoluminescence, suggesting that it precipitated during a second fluid pulse. Cal-1 and Cal-2 have similar carbonate rock-buffered chemical and isotopic compositions. Cal-3 occurs in veins that often contain realgar and/or orpiment and are chemically (low U, Pb, and REE) and isotopically (higher δ13C, lower δ18O and Sri values) distinct from Cal-1 and Cal-2, suggesting that it formed from a third fluid. U-Pb isotope analyses, by laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) for U-rich Cal-1 and Cal-2 and by LA-multicollector (MC)-ICP-MS for U-poor Cal-3, yield well-defined age constraints of 204.3 to 202.6, 191.9, and 139.3 to 137.1 Ma for Cal-1, Cal-2, and Cal-3, respectively. These new ages suggest that the Shuiyindong gold deposit formed in the late Triassic and was overprinted by hydrothermal events in the early Jurassic and early Cretaceous. Given the association of Cal-3 with orpiment and realgar, and previous geochronologic studies of several other major gold deposits in the Golden Triangle, we infer that the latest stage of calcite may be associated with an early Cretaceous regional gold metallogenic event. Combined with existing isotopic ages in the region, these new ages lead us to propose that Carlin-type gold deposits in the Golden Triangle formed during two metallogenic episodes in extensional settings, associated with the late Triassic Indochina orogeny and early Cretaceous paleo-Pacific plate subduction. This study shows that the calcite U-Pb method can be used to constrain the timing of Carlin-type gold deposits and successive hydrothermal events.

NOBLE GASES FINGERPRINT THE SOURCE AND EVOLUTION OF ORE-FORMING FLUIDS OF CARLIN-TYPE GOLD DEPOSITS IN THE GOLDEN TRIANGLE, SOUTH CHINA

2020 ◽  
Vol 115 (2) ◽  
pp. 455-469 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiao-Ye Jin ◽  
Albert H. Hofstra ◽  
Andrew G. Hunt ◽  
Jian-Zhong Liu ◽  
Wu Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South China ◽  
Genetic Model ◽  
Gold Mineralization ◽  
Gold Deposits ◽  
Pore Fluid ◽  
Magmatic Fluid ◽  
Metamorphic Fluid ◽  
Independent Evidence ◽  
Golden Triangle ◽  
Carlin Type Gold Deposits

Abstract Precise constraints on the source and evolution of ore-forming fluids of Carlin-type gold deposits in the Golden Triangle (south China) are of critical importance for a better understanding of the ore genesis and a refined genetic model for gold mineralization. However, constraints on the source of ore fluid components have long been a challenge due to the very fine grained nature of the ore and gangue minerals in the deposits. Here we present He, Ne, and Ar isotope data of fluid inclusion extracts from a variety of ore and gangue minerals (arsenian pyrite, realgar, quartz, calcite, and fluorite) representing the main and late ore stages of three well-characterized major gold deposits (Shuiyindong, Nibao, and Yata) to provide significant new insights into the source and evolution of ore-forming fluids of this important gold province. Measured He isotopes have R/RA ratios ranging from 0.01 to 0.4 that suggest a maximum of 5% mantle helium with an R/RA of 8. The Ne and Ar isotope compositions are broadly comparable to air-saturated water, with a few analyses indicating the presence of an external fluid containing nucleogenic 38Ar and radiogenic 40Ar. Plotted on the 20Ne/4He vs. helium R/RA and 3He/20Ne vs. 4He/20Ne diagrams, the results define two distinct arrays that emanate from a common sedimentary pore fluid or deeply sourced metamorphic fluid end-member containing crustal He. The main ore-stage fluids are interpreted as a mixture of magmatic fluid containing mantle He and sedimentary pore fluid or deeply sourced metamorphic fluid with predominantly crustal He, whereas the late ore-stage fluids are a mixture of sedimentary pore fluid or deeply sourced metamorphic fluid bearing crustal He and shallow meteoric groundwater containing atmospheric He. Results presented here, when combined with independent evidence, support a magmatic origin for the ore-forming fluids. The ascending magmatic fluid mixed with sedimentary pore fluid or deeply sourced metamorphic fluid in the ore stage and subsequently mixed with the meteoric groundwater in the late ore stage, eventually producing the Carlin-type gold deposits in the Golden Triangle.

U-Pb Dating on Hydrothermal Rutile and Monazite from the Badu Gold Deposit Supports an Early Cretaceous Age for Carlin-Type Gold Mineralization in the Youjiang Basin, Southwestern China

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Gao ◽  
Ruizhong Hu ◽  
Albert H. Hofstra ◽  
Qiuli Li ◽  
Jingjing Zhu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gold Deposit ◽  
Early Cretaceous ◽  
Gold Mineralization ◽  
Gold Deposits ◽  
Detrital Zircons ◽  
Youjiang Basin ◽  
Host Rocks ◽  
Gold Bearing ◽  
Carlin Type Gold Deposits

Abstract The Youjiang basin on the southwestern margin of the Yangtze block in southwestern China is the world’s second largest Carlin-type gold province after Nevada, USA. The lack of precise age determinations on gold deposits in this province has hindered understanding of their genesis and relation to the geodynamic setting. Although most Carlin-type gold deposits in the basin are hosted in calcareous sedimentary rocks, ~70% of the ore in the Badu Carlin-type gold deposit is hosted by altered and sulfidized dolerite. Although in most respects Badu is similar to other Carlin-type gold deposits in the province, alteration of the unusual dolerite host produced hydrothermal rutile and monazite that can be dated. Field observations show that gold mineralization is spatially associated with, but temporally later than, dolerite. In situ secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) U-Pb dating on magmatic zircon from the least altered dolerite yielded a robust emplacement age of 212.2 ± 1.9 Ma (2σ, mean square of weighted deviates [MSWD] = 0.55), providing a maximum age constraint on gold mineralization. The U-Th/He ages of detrital zircons from hydrothermally mineralized sedimentary host rocks at Badu and four other Carlin-type gold deposits yielded consistent weighted mean ages of 146 to 130 Ma that record cooling from a temperature over 180° to 200°C and place a lower limit on the age of gold mineralization in the basin. Hydrothermal rutile and monazite that are coeval with gold mineralization have been identified in the mineralized dolerite. Rutile is closely associated with hydrothermal ankerite, sericite, and gold-bearing pyrite. It has high concentrations of W, Fe, V, Cr, and Nb, as well as growth zones that are variably enriched in W, Fe, Nb, and U. Monazite contains primary two-phase fluid inclusions and is intergrown with gold-bearing pyrite and hydrothermal minerals. In situ SIMS U-Pb dating of rutile yielded a Tera-Wasserburg lower intercept age of 141.7 ± 5.8 Ma (2σ, MSWD = 1.04) that is within error of the in situ SIMS Th-Pb age of 143.5 ± 1.4 Ma (2σ, MSWD = 1.5) on monazite. These ages are ~70 m.y. younger than magmatic zircons in the host dolerite and are similar to the aforementioned U-Th/He cooling ages on detrital zircons from hydrothermally mineralized sedimentary host rocks. We, therefore, conclude that the Badu Carlin-type gold deposit formed at ca. 144 Ma. The agreement of the rutile and monazite ages with the U-Th-He cooling ages of Badu and four other Carlin-type gold deposits in the Youjiang basin suggests that ca. 144 Ma is representative of a regional Early Cretaceous Carlin-type hydrothermal event formed during back-arc extension.

Laser ablation ICP MS trace element composition of native gold from the Abitibi Greenstone belt, Timmins Ontario.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
John D. Greenough ◽  
Alejandro Velasquez ◽  
Mohamed Shaheen ◽  
Joel Gagnon ◽  
Brian J. Fryer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Trace Elements ◽  
Laser Ablation ◽  
Trace Element ◽  
Greenstone Belt ◽  
Native Gold ◽  
Internal Standard ◽  
Gold Deposits ◽  
Ore Deposits ◽  
Abitibi Greenstone Belt ◽  
Icp Ms

Trace elements in native gold provide a “fingerprint” that tends to be unique to individual gold deposits. Fingerprinting can distinguish gold sources and potentially yield insights into geochemical processes operating during gold deposit formation. Native gold grains come from three historical gold ore deposits; Hollinger, McIntyre (quartz-vein ore), and Aunor near Timmins, Ontario, at the western end of the Porcupine gold camp and the south-western part of the Abitibi greenstone belt. Laser-ablation, inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA ICP MS) trace element concentrations were determined on 20 to 25 µm wide, 300 µm long rastor trails in ~ 60 native gold grains. Analyses used Ag as an internal standard with Ag and Au determined by a scanning electron microscope with an energy dispersive spectrometer. The London Bullion Market AuRM2 reference material served as the external standard for 21 trace element analytes (Al, As, Bi, Ca, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Pd, Pt, Rh, Sb, Se, Si, Sn, Te, Ti, Zn; Se generally below detection in samples). Trace elements in native gold associate according to Goldschmidt’s classification of elements strongly suggesting that element behavior in native Au is not random. Such element behavior suggests that samples from each Timmins deposit formed under similar but slightly variable geochemical conditions. Chalcophile and siderophile elements provide the most compelling fingerprints of the three ore deposits and appear to be mostly in solid solution in Au. Lithophile elements are not very useful for distinguishing these deposits and element ABSTRACT CUT OFF BY SOFTWARE

Comparison of the native antimony-bearing Paiting gold deposit, Guizhou Province, China, with Carlin-type gold deposits, Nevada, USA

2016 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhuo-Jun Xie ◽  
Yong Xia ◽  
Jean S. Cline ◽  
Bao-Wen Yan ◽  
Ze-Peng Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gold Deposit ◽  
Gold Deposits ◽  
Guizhou Province ◽  
Carlin Type Gold Deposits

Carlin-Type Gold Deposits in the Dian-Qian-Gui “Golden Triangle” of Southwest China

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenchao Su ◽  
Wendou Dong ◽  
Xingchun Zhang ◽  
Nengping Shen ◽  
Ruizhong Hu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Southwest China ◽  
Gold Deposits ◽  
Golden Triangle ◽  
Carlin Type Gold Deposits

Chapter 36: Carlin-Type Gold Deposits in Nevada: Geologic Characteristics, Critical Processes, and Exploration

2020 ◽  
pp. 775-795
Author(s):  
John L. Muntean
Keyword(s):  
Late Eocene ◽  
Gold Deposits ◽  
Ore Deposits ◽  
Passive Margin ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Time Interval ◽  
High Angle ◽  
Rock Interaction ◽  
Critical Components ◽  
Carlin Type Gold Deposits

Abstract Carlin-type gold deposits in Nevada account for ~5% of worldwide annual gold production, typically about ~135 metric tons (t) (~4.5 Moz) per year. They are hydrothermal epigenetic replacement bodies hosted predominantly in carbonate-bearing sedimentary rocks. They are known for their “invisible” gold that occurs in the crystal structure of pyrite. Over 95% of the production from these deposits is from four clusters of deposits, which include the Carlin trend and the Cortez, Getchell, and Jerritt Canyon camps. Despite differences in the local geologic settings, the characteristics of the deposits are very similar in the four clusters. Shared characteristics include: (1) alteration characterized by carbonate dissolution, silicate argillization, and silicification; (2) ore formation characterized by auriferous arsensian pyrite, typically as rims on preore pyrite, followed by late open-space deposition of orpiment, realgar, stibnite, and other minerals; (3) Ag/Au ratios of <1 in ore; (4) an As-Hg-Sb-Tl geochemical signature; (5) low temperatures (~160°–240°C) and salinities of ore fluids (~1–6 wt % NaCl equiv) and fairly shallow depths of formation (<~2–3 km); and (6) lack of mineral and elemental zoning around ore. The four clusters share regional geologic controls related to formation as follows: (1) along the rifted margin of a craton, (2) within the slope facies of a passive margin sequence dominated by carbonates, (3) in the lower plate of a regional thrust fault, and (4) during a narrow time interval in the late Eocene (~42–34 Ma). The geometries and ore controls of the deposits in the four clusters are also very similar. At the deposit scale, ore and hydrothermal alteration are commonly associated with high-angle faults and preore low-angle contractional structures, including thrust faults and folds. The high-angle faults acted as fluid pathways for upwelling ore fluids, which were then diverted into lower angle favorable strata and contractional structures, where fluid-rock interaction led to replacement of carbonate and formation of ore. Rheologic contrasts between lithologies were also critical in diverting fluids into wall rocks. Common rheologic contrasts include contacts between thin- and thick-bedded lithologic units and the margins of contact metamorphic aureoles associated with Mesozoic intrusions. The similarities suggest common processes. Four critical processes are apparent: (1) development of source(s) for gold and other critical components of the ore fluids, (2) formation of fluid pathways, (3) water-rock interaction and gold deposition, and (4) a tectonic trigger, which was renewal of magmatism and a change from contraction to extension in the late Eocene. Consensus exists on these processes, except for the source of gold and other components of the ore fluid, with most models calling upon either a magmatic-hydrothermal source or a crustal source, where metals were scavenged by either meteoric or metamorphic fluids. Future research should focus on Carlin-style deposits in Nevada that exhibit epithermal characteristics and deposits that appear to have a clear genetic association with magmatic-hydrothermal systems associated with upper crustal intrusions. Rather than discrete types of ore deposits, there may be continua between Carlin-type gold deposits, epithermal deposits, and distal disseminated deposits, with the four large camps representing an end member.

Structural and geochemical ore-forming processes in deformed gold deposits: towards a multi-scale and -method approach

2021 ◽  
pp. SP516-2021-37
Author(s):  
Julien Perret ◽  
Anne-Sylvie André-Mayer ◽  
Aurélien Eglinger ◽  
Julien Feneyrol ◽  
Alexandre Voinot ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gold Deposit ◽  
Inductively Coupled Plasma ◽  
Structural Control ◽  
Gold Deposits ◽  
Ore Deposits ◽  
Geochemical Data ◽  
Sulphide Mineral ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Multi Scale ◽  
Supplementary Material

AbstractIntegrating structural control on mineralisation and geochemical ore-forming processes is crucial when studying deformed ore deposits. Yet, structural and geochemical data are rarely acquired at the same scale: structural control on mineralisation is typically investigated from the district to the deposit and macroscopic scales whereas geochemical ore processes are described at the microscopic scale. The deciphering of a deformation-mineralisation history valid at every scale thus remains challenging.This study proposes a multi-scale approach that enables the reconciliation of structural and geochemical information collected at every scale, applied to the example of the Galat Sufar South gold deposit, Nubian shield, northeastern Sudan. It gathers field and laboratory information by coupling a classical petrological-structural study with high-resolution X-ray computed tomography, electron back-scattered diffraction and laser ablation inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry on mineralised sulphide mineral assemblages.This approach demonstrates that there is a linear control on mineralisation expressed from the district to microscopic scales at the Galat Sufar South gold deposit. We highlight the relationships between Atmur-Delgo suturing tectonics, micro-deformation of sulphide minerals, syn-pyrite recrystallisation metal remobilisation, gold liberation and ore upgrading. Our contribution therefore represents another step forward a holistic field-to-laboratory approach for the study of any other sulphide-bearing, structurally-controlled ore deposit type.Supplementary material at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.5635726

LA-ICP-MS zircon U–Pb and sericite 40Ar/39Ar ages of the Songjianghe gold deposit in southeastern Jilin Province, Northeast China, and their geological significance

2019 ◽  
Vol 56 (6) ◽  
pp. 607-628
Author(s):  
Xiao-Tian Zhang ◽  
Jing-Gui Sun ◽  
Zheng-Tao Yu ◽  
Quan-Heng Song
Keyword(s):  
Gold Deposit ◽  
Gold Deposits ◽  
Pacific Plate ◽  
Jilin Province ◽  
Late Triassic ◽  
Retrograde Metamorphism ◽  
Late Permian ◽  
Multi Stage ◽  
Metallogenic Epoch ◽  
Host Rocks

The Songjianghe deposit is a newly discovered altered gold deposit in the southeastern Jiapigou-Haigou Gold Metallogenic Belt (JHGMB) in southeastern Jilin Province of NE China. The host rocks were considered to be the Mesoproterozoic Seluohe Group, and the metallogenic epoch lacked accurate isotopic constraints. To determine the age and metallogenic setting of the deposit, we describe the geologic characteristics of the deposit and present the results of petrographic and geochronologic analyses of the host rocks and ores. The ore bodies are hosted within a suite of amphibolite facies metamorphic rocks superimposed by greenschist facies indicative of retrograde metamorphism. Zircon U–Pb dating results indicate that the host rocks belong to the Jiapigou Group that formed at the end of the Neoarchean (2543–2527 Ma). Subsequently, the rocks successively underwent metamorphism during the late Neoarchean (2521–2506 Ma), retrograde metamorphism caused by the closure of the Paleo-Asian Ocean during the late Permian to Early Triassic (262–250 Ma), and extension after the closure of the Paleo-Asian Ocean during the Late Triassic (231–210 Ma). Sericite 40Ar/39Ar dating results suggest that the Songjianghe deposit formed during the Late Jurassic between 157 Ma and 156 Ma. By combining these new insights with those of previous studies, we propose that the Songjianghe deposit is a mesothermal gold deposit and that mineralization occurred during the extensional period in the intermittent stage that followed the first subduction of the Paleo-Pacific Plate. All the gold deposits in the JHGMB formed from the late Permian to Early Cretaceous by multi-stage mineralization events that corresponded temporally with the tectonic evolution of the Paleo-Asian Ocean and the episodic subduction of the Paleo-Pacific Plate.

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