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Geoscience ›› 2021, Vol. 35 ›› Issue (06): 1608-1621.DOI: 10.19657/j.geoscience.1000-8527.2021.124

• Gold-polymetallic Mineralization in Qinling Orogens • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Trace Element Characteristics of Quartz from the Zaozigou and Jiagantan Gold Deposits in the Xiahe-Hezuo District, West Qinling

DI Pengfei1(), TANG Qingyan2, LIU Cong2, SONG Hong2,3,4, ZHANG Jiahe2, LIU Dongxiao5, WANG Yuxi6, PU Wanfeng6   

  1. 1. Gansu Assessment Center of Mineral Resources Reserves, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China
    2. Gansu Key Laboratory of Mineral Resources in Western China,School of Earth Sciences,Lanzhou University,Lanzhou, Gansu 730000,China
    3. Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China
    4. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
    5. Gansu Administration Office of Mineral Resources Compensation Fees, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China
    6. The Third Institute of Geology and Minerals Exploration, Gansu Bureau of Geology and Minerals Exploration and Development, Lanzhou, Gansu 730050, China
  • Received:2021-09-10 Revised:2021-10-11 Online:2021-12-10 Published:2022-02-14

Abstract:

There are a large number of Triassic gold deposits in the West Qinling orogenic belt. The gold resources of Zaozigou and Jiagantan gold deposits are 116 t and 154 t, respectively, which are ascribed to superlarge scale. Zaozigou and Jiagantan gold deposits are located in the south of Xiahe-Hezuo regional thrust nappe fault. The ore-bearing stratum of Zaozigou is the Triassic Gulangdi Formation, and the ore-bearing rocks are argillaceous slate, banded siliceous slate and silty slate. The exposed stratum of Jiagantan ore deposit is the Triassic Longwuhe Formation. The gold orebody occurs in the lithologic section of feldspathic quartz metasandstone mixed with silty slate. The Jiagantan gold deposit is ascribed to a medium low-temperature tectonic altered rock type gold deposit, and its research level is relatively low. However, the Zaozigou gold deposit is highly studied, but there are still different views about its genesis. Trace element geochemical characteristics of quartz can reveal the ore-fluid source and evolution of ore-forming fluid, and those from quartz at Zaozigou and Jiagantan were analyzed here to reveal the ore-fluid source and conditions. We also discussed the implication of quartz trace elements on the gold ore formation, which provides important insights for the gold genesis in the West Qinling orogenic belt. Quartz in different types of ores from Zaozigou and Jiagantan has similar chondrite-normalized REE patterns, which generally show the LREE enrichment and HREE depletion, and large LREE/HREE fractionation, but weak internal HREE fractionation. Rubidium is negatively correlated with Li, and positively correlated with Cs in the quartz from Zaozigou; However, the correlation of Rb versus Li and Cs contents in quartz from Jiagantan is not obvious. This shows that the Li content in quartz decreases with the fluid content increasing, while the Cs content increases with the fluid content at Zaozigou. The Rb and Sr contents of quartz at Zaozigou and Jiagantan indicate that the quartz should be hydrothermal. Most samples have negative Eu anomalies and weak positive Ce anomalies, indicating that both gold deposits were formed in a reduced environment with low metallogenic temperature. The (La/Yb)N ratio is relatively high, indicating that the metallogenic depth is relatively shallow. The quartz Y/Ho ratios at Zaozigou and Jiagantan are 25.14-30.14 and 23.40-28.94 respectively, suggesting that the ore-forming fluid should be closely crustal-related. Most quartz samples from Zaozigou and Jiagantan have Th/La and Nb/La values below 1, and shows obvious negative Sc anomalies and positive Cr, W, Pb, and U anomalies, indicating that the ore-forming fluids at Zaozigou and Jiagantan should be Cl-rich. Continental crust-normalized trace element diagram of the quartz samples from Zaozigou and Jiagantan suggest that the ore-forming fluids are relatively rich in Cr, W, Pb, and U. Combined with the geotectonic background, the Zaozigou and Jiagantan gold deposit were formed in a continental margin setting.

Key words: trace element, quartz, Zaozigou gold deposit, Jiagantan gold deposit, Xiahe-Hezuo district, West Qinling

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