Xin-Fu Zhao

China University of Geosciences · School of Earth Resources

Apatite can incorporate significant amounts of H2O and CO2, potentially recording volatile abundance and behavior during magma evolution. Here we conducted in situ measurements of CO2 and H2O concentrations in apatite, along with elemental compositions, from two contemporaneous alkaline volcanic suites (Tianbao and Tudiling) in the South Qinling be...

The Longbohe Fe-Cu-(LREE) deposit in the Longbohe–Sin Quyen (LSQ) Fe-Cu belt in the border zone of South China and northern Vietnam has a resource of > 1 million tonnes Cu, and was once speculated to be a potentially important subduction-related deposit of Precambrian age, but with poor constraints. Our study reveals that the major Fe-, Cu-, and LR...

Hydrothermal fluids are major agents for mass and heat transfer in the upper crust. Precise age dating and tracing of the origins of fluid fluxes can provide vital information on the geological past, yet detailed reconstructions of past hydrothermal fluid activity in Precambrian terranes are commonly hindered by multistage overprints and recrystall...

Gold deposits in Precambrian cratons were mostly generated during the formation and stabilization of the cratons, but the North China craton is unusual in that its gold deposits were mainly formed ∼1.7 b.y. after its stabilization. A magmatic-hydrothermal origin or mantle-derived fluid source has been proposed for the giant gold deposits of the Jia...

Iron-oxide-copper–gold (IOCG) deposits are characterized by Cu-Au polymetallic mineralization and may contain large amounts of critical metals (e.g. Co, REE, and U) as by-products. Sources of ore-forming fluids and metals of the IOCG deposits remain controversial, either a magmatic or basinal source has been advocated. The ∼1660 Ma Dahongshan Fe-Cu...

Alkaline magmatic rocks are important hosts of rare earth elements (REE) and high field-strength elements (HFSE, such as Nb and Zr) deposits. Previous studies have suggested the Nb-REE enriched alkaline rocks were derived from mantle sources metasomatized during subduction-related crustal recycling processes. However, details on how these rare meta...

The 147Sm–143Nd isotope system has long been used as a powerful tracer and geochronometer for a wide range of geological process, yet the robustness of Sm–Nd system has been questioned in the presence of multistage hydrothermal alteration. Here we provide robust evidence for the survival of whole-rock Sm–Nd isotopes from REE redistribution and mine...

Due to the combined influences such as ore-forming temperature, fluid and metal sources, sphalerite tends to incorporate diverse contents of trace elements during the formation of different types of Lead-zinc (Pb-Zn) deposits. Therefore, trace elements in sphalerite have long been utilized to distinguish Pb-Zn deposit types. However, previous discr...

High-titanium (high-Ti, more than 1 wt % Ti) magnetite, commonly containing ilmenite exsolution, has long been attributed to an igneous origin and has been used as the most critical factor in previously developed discriminant diagrams. However, recent studies have shown that high-Ti magnetite can be present in high-temperature hydrothermal deposits...

The North China Craton is well endowed with numerous Early Cretaceous gold deposits that are mainly hosted in Archean to early Paleoproterozoic metamorphic rocks and late Mesozoic granitoid intrusions intruding the former. Whether or not gold was sourced from those metamorphic rocks remains hotly debated. Here we present trace element and S-Pb isot...

The North China craton was stabilized in the late Paleoproterozoic but experienced significant removal of ancient lithospheric keel in the late Mesozoic that resulted in the formation of numerous world-class gold deposits with combined reserves of more than 7000 t of gold. However, it remains uncertain whether the North China craton contains older...

Apatite occurs in diverse types of hydrothermal mineral deposits and has been widely used to constrain the nature and evolution of ore-forming fluid. The origin of ore fluids responsible for formation of iron oxide-copper-gold (IOCG) deposits remains controversial. Here we combine textural observations from optical microscopic cathodoluminescence (...

Carbonatites are often temporally and spatially associated with alkaline silicate rocks. However, petrogenetic models of formation of alkaline‑carbonatite complex and the related rare metal element enrichment processes are still in a matter of debate. In this study, we present detailed petrographic observations and geochemical data for the Shaxiong...

The ore genesis of gold deposits in Xiaoqinling, located in the south margin of the North China Craton (NCC), remains highly debated. Either a magmatic source or a metamorphic origin has been advocated for the ore-forming fluids. In this paper, we report new ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating, in-situ pyrite trace elements and C-H-O isotopic data for the Cangzhuyu d...

Carbonatite-alkaline complexes are commonly derived from the mantle. However, whether the source is lithospheric or asthenospheric mantle remains debated. In order to better understand this issue, this paper conducts a Sr-Nd-O isotopic study on the Early Cretaceous, Weishan REE-rich syenite-(carbonatite) complex, Northern China. Two types of apatit...

The Daye district represents one of the largest concentrations of skarn deposits in eastern China. There are two major types of skarn deposits (Fe skarn vs. Cu skarn) within this district, both genetically related to late Mesozoic high-K calc-alkaline granitoids. In this study, we present in situ compositional and Sr–Nd isotopic investigations of a...

The Xiaoqinling district, situated at the southern North China Craton, is the second largest gold province in China. The genesis of gold deposits in this district, however, has been debated for decades because of lacking unequivocal constraints on mineralization age and gold source(s). In this study, we present ore-related hydrothermal rutile U-Pb...

The Santa Lúcia copper-gold deposit lies in the southeastern portion of the Carajás Mineral Province, along NW-SE splays of the Carajás Fault. The deposit is hosted by a rhyolitic subvolcanic rock, which is crosscut by pegmatite intrusions. The paragenetic evolution at Santa Lúcia encompasses an early stage of chlorite alteration, followed by potas...

Carbonatites and related alkaline rocks host most REE resources. Phosphate minerals, e.g., apatite and monazite, commonly occur as the main REE-host in carbonatites and have been used for tracing magmatic and mineralization processes. Many carbonatite intrusions undergo metamorphic and/or metasomatic modification after emplacement; however, the eff...

The notable group of iron oxide-copper-gold (IOCG) deposits at the Carajás Province (Amazonian Craton, Brazil) contain remarkable copper reserves due to a complex Neoarchean metallogenetic evolution. The overlay of diachronic hydrothermal-mineralizing events is revealed by two clusters of boron isotope compositions of hy-drothermal tourmaline obtai...

Apatite is a common accessory mineral in either hydrothermally altered or mineralized zones of several iron oxide copper-gold deposits (IOCG) of the Carajás Province, northern Brazil. It mainly occurs as individual prismatic- to ovoid-shaped crystals of variable sizes (up to 10 cm wide), which are paragenetically related to sulfide-rich ore zones....

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 hydroth...

Precambrian iron oxide copper-gold (IOCG) deposits are generally encountered with multistage hydrothermal overprints and hence have complex isotopic records. Precise dating of ore-forming and overprinting events and assessment of time-resolved metal sources are fundamental for understanding ore genesis. Here, we quantify the evolution history by in...

Subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) metasomatized by recycled components from oceanic subduction zone constitutes a fertile source for some of world's most important hydrothermal Au-rich ore systems. However, a widely recognized time gap exists between subduction initiation, regional contraction and Au-ore formation at continental edges, whic...

The Dayingezhuang Au deposit in the Jiaodong district, eastern margin of the North China Craton is hosted in Mesozoic granitic rocks and consists of quartz-sulfide veins/veinlets and sulfide disseminations in alteration envelopes. Previous studies mainly focused on the geochronology, sources of ore-forming fluids and metals to investigate the ore g...

An exceptional example for evaluating effects of igneous intrusions on diagenesis and reservoir quality of sandstone has been found in the Qianjiadian area, Songliao Basin. Sandstone of the Upper Crataceous Yaojia Formation near diabase dikes is characterized by kaolinite, illite-smectit mixed-layer minerals, ankerite, scheelite, sphalerite, galena...

The Hongtuling Au-Mo deposit on the southern margin of the North China Craton consists of Au veins and minor Mo veins that formed at ∼130 Ma and ∼204 Ma, respectively. Mo mineralization is dominated by molybdenite that is associated with K-feldspar, quartz and calcite, whereas Au mineralization occurs mostly as auriferous quartz-sulfides veins asso...

The Gaoche lode-type gold deposit is hosted in the Neoproterozoic metasedimentary rocks at the northeastern Cathaysia Block in South China. The deposit comprises three ore-bodies that are controlled by the NE-trending faults. Four generations of pyrite and associated paragenesis minerals have been identified. The Py0, formed in the early sericite-q...

The Sin Quyen iron oxide-copper-gold (IOCG) deposit in northwestern Vietnam contains a proven reserve of 52.8 Mt ores at 14% Fe, 0.91% Cu, 0.7% REEs (rare earth elements), and 0.44 g/t Au. REEs mineralization is hosted within Ca-silicate alteration zone and associated with Fe-Cu ore bodies in the gneiss, mica schist, and marble of the Upper Sin Quy...

Scapolite occurs as the major halogen-bearing phase at all paragenetic stages of skarn formation and mineralization in the Jinshandian iron skarn deposit, Eastern China. Here we integrate geochemical characteristics of scapolite with in situ B and Sr isotopes of associated tourmaline and fluorapatite, respectively, to trace the sources and evolutio...

Recent research has identified abundant Early Permian to Late Triassic ultramafic-mafic rocks along the west Jinsha to Garzê-Litang suture, central NE Tibetan Plateau. However, the petrogenesis and tectonic setting of these rocks are hotly debated. This paper presents a combination of zircon UPb ages, major and trace element concentrations, and SrN...

The source(s) of lode gold deposits formed in Precambrian cratons related to accretion/collision and cratonic reactivation, formerly attributed to either supercrustal volcano-sedimentary sequences or deep crustal/sub-crustal origin, remain controversial largely because gold deposits are spatially related to metamorphosed rocks, but geochemical data...

Tourmaline is a common boron-bearing mineral in hydrothermal system and has been widely used as a mineral probe to reconstruct geological processes because of its broad range in composition and resistance to metasomatic alteration. The origin of Kiruna-type iron oxide-apatite (IOA) deposits, commonly linked to andesitic subvolcanic or volcanic rock...

The Xiaoqinling district, the second largest gold producer in China, is situated on the southern margin of the North China Craton and immediately to the north of the Qinling Orogen. The timing and genesis of the gold deposits have been hotly debated because the area has undergone multiple tectono-magmatic events since the stabilization of the North...

The southern margin of the North China Craton has a large-scale ore-forming event during the Mesozoic, and includes three major deposit types of lode gold (as either quartz veins or disseminated ores), porphyry Mo, and quartz vein-type Ag-Pb-Zn deposits. Ore genesis and geodynamic setting for these deposits, however, are still in a matter of debate...

The Neoproterozoic (840 Ma) Sin Quyen deposit in northwestern Vietnam contains replacement Cu-LREE-Au orebodies in Proterozoic metasedimentary rocks. In this deposit, LREE-bearing minerals include allanite-(Ce), monazite-(Ce), chevkinite-(Ce), and fluorapatite. Fluorapatite from orebodies has undergone variable degrees of metasomatic alteration. Sa...

Bulk rock elemental, C, O and Sr isotopic data for carbonates of the Palaeoproterozoic to Mesoproterozoic Luoxue and Luzhijiang formations from the southwestern margin of the South China Block are studied to infer aspects of the provenance and depositional environment. Elemental tracers demonstrate that the upper Luoxue and Luzhijiang carbonates we...

The Sin Quyen deposit in northwestern Vietnam contains economic concentrations of Cu, Au and LREE, and sub-economic concentration of U. In this deposit, massive and banded replacement ores are hosted in Neoproterozoic metapelite. The paragenetic sequence includes sodic alteration (stage I), calcic-potassic alteration and associated Fe-REE-(U) miner...

The Tonglushan Cu-Fe deposit is one of typical skarn-type deposits in southeastern Hubei metallogenic province. 13 ore bodies occur along the contact zone between the Tonglushan quartz diorite pluton and the Lower Triassic carbonate rocks. Although numerous studies have been made, the evolution of the early ore fluids and mechanism of precipitation...

The Jiehe gold deposit, containing a confirmed gold reserve of 34 tonnes (t), is a Jiaojia-type (disseminated/stockwork-style) gold deposit in Jiaodong Peninsula. Orebodies are hosted in the contact zone between the Jurassic Moshan biotite granite and the Cretaceous Shangzhuang porphyritic granodiorite, and are structurally controlled by the NNE- t...

The large Dahongshan Fe-Cu-(Au-Ag) deposit in the Kangdian iron oxide copper-gold (IOCG) metallogenic province, southwest China, contains approximately 458.3 Mt of ore at 41.0% Fe, 1.35 Mt Cu (metal) at 0.78% Cu, and significant amounts of Au (16 t), Ag (141 t), Co (18,156 t), and Pd + Pt (2.1 t). The deposit consists mainly of two types of ores: (...

Metasomatic alteration of fluorapatite has been reported in several iron-oxide apatite (IOA) deposits, but its effect on elemental and isotopic variations has not been well understood. In this study, we present integrated elemental, U-Pb, Sr, and O isotopic microanalytical data on fresh and altered domains in fluorapatite from the Taocun IOA deposi...

The worldclass Dahongshan iron-oxide copper gold (IOCG) deposit is hosted within the late Paleoproterozoic Dahongshan Group in the Kangdian region, SW China. The orebodies are spatially associated with sub-volcanic intrusions and are structurally controlled. Extensive metamorphic overprinting during the Neoproterozoic makes it difficult to determin...

Numerous polymetallic volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS), vein, and replacement deposits are distributed along the Changning–Menglian suture zone in Sanjiang Tethyan metallogenic province, SW China. Laochang is the largest Pb–Zn–Ag vein and replacement deposit in this area, with a proven reserve of 0.51 Mt Pb, 0.34 Mt Zn, and 1,737 t Ag. Its age an...

The Yinachang deposit in the Kangdian Fe-Cu metallogenic province, Southwest China, contains approximately 20 Mt ore @ 41.9 to 44.5 wt % Fe and 15 Mt ore @ 0.85 to 0.97 wt % Cu, with potentially significant REEs. Orebodies are hosted in the late Paleoproterozoic Dongchuan Group, and consist mainly of massive and banded replacement ores. The paragen...

Apatite is a ubiquitous accessory mineral in a variety of rocks and hydrothermal ores. Strontium isotopes of apatite are well known to retain petrogenetic information and have been widely used to investigate the origin of igneous rocks, but such attempts have rarely been made to constrain ore-forming processes of hydrothermal systems. We here repor...

The Yangtze Block has a Paleoproterozoic and Archean basement and was traditionally thought to have been cratonized after the Neoproterozoic. Recent studies reveal that the southwestern part is remarkably different from other parts of the block. Major Fe-Cu deposits are present in the southwestern part where they form the Kangdian IOCG metallogenic...

The late Paleoproterozoic to Mesoproterozoic Dongchuan Group in the southwestern Yangtze Block formed in a series of fault-controlled, rift-related basins associated with the fragmentation of the Columbia supercontinent. The Dongchuan Group is composed, from the base upward, of the Yinmin, Luoxue, Etouchang and Luzhijiang formations. The Yinmin For...

Magnetite formed in different environments commonly has distinct assemblages and concentrations of trace elements that can potentially be used as a genetic indicator of this mineral and associated ore deposits. In this paper, we present textural and compositional data of magnetite from the Chengchao iron deposit, Daye district, China to provide a b...

The Shagou vein-type Ag-Pb-Zn deposit in the Xiong’ershan district, southern margin of the North China craton, is hosted within amphibolite facies metamorphic rocks of the Late Archean to early Paleoproterozoic Taihua Group. The Ag-Pb-Zn veins are localized in NE- to NNE-trending brittle faults and typically display symmetrical zoning consisting of...

The Dapingzhang dacite-hosted volcanogenic massive sulfide deposit is located in a late Paleozoic collisional zone, the Sanjiang fold-and-thrust belt, characterized by a collage of Gondwana-derived terranes at the southern margin of the South China (Yangtze) block. This area has experienced repeated Paleozoic and Mesozoic collisional and extensiona...

The Kangdian iron oxide copper-gold (IOCG) metallogenic province contains a number of economically important Fe-Cu deposits in South China and northern Vietnam. Due to the lack of precise mineralization ages, the metallogenesis of this province has long been a matter of debate. In this study, molybdenite Re-Os, pyrite Re-Os, and Rb-Sr isotope metho...

The Kangdian iron oxide copper-gold (IOCG) metallogenic province contains a number of economically important Fe-Cu deposits in South China and northern Vietnam. Due to the lack of precise mineralization ages, the metallogenesis of this province has long been a matter of debate. In this study, molybdenite Re-Os, pyrite Re-Os, and Rb-Sr isotope metho...

The Paleoproterozoic Hekou Group in the western Yangtze Block is a volcano-sedimentary succession that is intruded by gabbroic plutons. Sedimentary rocks in the group include slates, marble and meta-siltstones interlayered with felsic metavolcanic rocks, metabasalts and metatuffs. Both the volcanic rocks of the Hekou Group and gabbros have undergon...

The Tangdan stratiform Cu deposit in the Kangdian region of South China is hosted in sedimentary rocks of the late Paleoproterozoic to early Mesoproterozoic Dongchuan Group. Orebodies mainly occur in dolostone and black shale above a thick sequence of hematitic sandstone and siltstone. Mineralization consists mainly of bedding-parallel stratiform o...

Lode 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 s...

Sedimentary rock-hosted strata-bound copper deposits are widespread in the Kangdian region of the Central Yunnan and southern Sichuan provinces, southwest China. The deposits occur within weakly metamorphosed rocks of the late Paleoproterozoic to early Mesoproterozoic Dongchuan Group and are spatially associated with discordant breccia bodies that...

The Yangzhaiyu gold deposit is one of numerous lode gold deposits in the Xiaoqinling district, southern margin of the North China Craton. Gold mineralization is hosted in Neoarchean to early Paleoproterozoic amphibolite facies metamorphic rocks and consists of auriferous quartz veins and subordinate disseminated ores in the vein-proximal alteration...

Giant sedimentary rock-hosted stratiform copper (SSC) deposits commonly occur in rift environments, temporally coincident with the breakup of the Rodinia and Pangea supercontinents. However, whether or not such deposits have also formed during the breakup of the Paleoproterozoic Columbia supercontinent is not well known. A group of dolostone-hosted...

Tonglüshan Fe-Cu (Au) deposit is one of the largest skarn deposits in middle-lower Yangtze River metallogenic belt, which is associated with the Early Cretaceous Yangxin quartz diorite stock. Granitic pegmatites are well developed in the southeast mining area, emplaced in the Yangxin quartz diorite pluton and cut by garnet-diopside skarn. The cross...

Numerous Fe–Cu deposits are hosted in the late Paleoproterozoic Dongchuan and Dahongshan Groups in the Kangdian region, SW China. The Dongchuan Group is composed of siltstone, slate, and dolostone with minor volcanic rocks, whereas the Dahongshan Group has undergone lower amphibolite facies metamorphism and consists of quartz mica-schist, albitite,...

The Dongchuan Group including the Yinmin, Luoxue, Etouchang, and Luzhijiang Formations from the base upward has extensive outcrops in the western Yangtze Block. It was previously thought to be the lower part of the late Mesoproterozoic to early Neoproterozoic Kunyang Group, but there was a lack of precise age determination. The whole sequence is mo...

Titanite from the Tonglushan Cu–Fe–Au skarn deposit, Daye district, eastern China, has been successfully dated by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). Hydrothermal titanite from both skarn ores and calcite veins cutting the ore bodies are characterized by having much lower REE and Th/U and Lu/Hf ratios compared t...

The Dongchuan Group including the Yinmin, Luoxue, Etouchang, and Luzhijiang Formations from the base upward has extensive outcrops in the western Yangtze Block. It was previously thought to be the lower part of the late Mesoproterozoic to early Neoproterozoic Kunyang Group, but there was a lack of precise age determination. The whole sequence is mo...

In situ U–Pb geochronological and Lu–Hf isotopic studies of detrital zircon from a variety of Precambrian strata along the western margin of the Yangtze Block of South China show that the rocks have maximum depositional ages of ca. 1000–740 Ma. All of the strata probably formed in a subduction-related tectonic setting. The Kunyang Group (Heishantou...

Southwestern Yunnan is a key region for the understanding of the complex geological evolution of the Paleo-Tethys and the Eurasia–Gondwana collision at the end of the Paleozoic. The southern Lancangjiang zone near the city of Jinghong at the Laotian border hosts MORB-like basaltic andesites and gabbros (Nanlianshan volcano–plutonic complex). Fine-g...