Fractal characteristics of fault systems and their geological significance in the Hutouya poly‐metallic orefield of Qimantage, East Kunlun, China

Abstract

The fault fractal dimension is the integrated reflection of the quantity, scale, degree of development, combination mode, and dynamic mechanism of a fault and can be used as a quantitative indicator of fault structure complexity. In Hutouya polymetallic orefield of Qinghai province, China, the faults are developed, and many ore belts are located in the fault zone, which indicated that the faults have an important role in controlling mineralization. The two‐dimensional horizontal distribution of fault systems in the IV, V, VI, and VII ore zones of Hutouya orefield was studied based on fractal geometry. The fault distribution has fractal dimension values for zones IV, V, VI, and VII of 1.05, 1.157, 1.311, and 1.05, respectively. From the perspective of favourable structure, the potential for metallogenesis in the four ore zones is VI > VII > V > IV. The main controlling factor on ore formation in the Qimantage region is fault structure, and the results are consistent with the actual results. This work provides new insights into the relationship between fault systems and metallogenesis.

Central China Orogen along the Silk Road (Part I): Tectono‐thermal evolution and its links

“…In the Kunlun Orogen and Tibet (comprising seven papers), the study by Chen et al () examined magmatic events recorded in granite gneisses in East Kunlun Orogen. In the paper by He et al (), fractal characteristics of fault systems were applied to Qimantage orefield in East Kunlun. The geological significance of the discovery of a new ophiolite in east Kunlun was addressed in the paper by Du et al ().…”

Fractal and Multifractal Characteristics of Lineaments in the Qianhe Graben and Its Tectonic Significance Using Remote Sensing Images

“…Geological lineaments are defined as the straight linear elements visible at the Earth's surface, such as bedrock faults and joints, stratification, linear sand dunes, and drumlins [1], and they can be a brighter or darker line or structure than background pixels on remote sensing images, representing some geological or geomorphological phenomena, such as a trace of intersection between a planar or sub-planar structural inhomogeneity [2]. The existence of lineaments has been proven to be closely related to unexposed faults [3], reflecting patterns and anomalies (e.g., alteration) in the crust and the favorable zone for mineral deposits and processes [4,5], and controlling the position of deposit and the migration and accumulation of minerals (e.g., [4,[6][7][8][9][10]). In an active fault system, lineaments are indicative for locating the faults and determining the general structural parameters [11], and they can indirectly reflect the spatial distribution of groundwater [12], hydrothermal alteration zones [13,14], and geo-hazards [15].…”

“…Even though the faults can be extracted using automatic or semiautomatic methods, e.g., point clouds, images, and geophysical data [20][21][22][23], the qualitative description also restricts the scale and significance of tectonics. Recently, as one of the nonlinear sciences, fractal theory [24][25][26] offered geologists new insights to explore complexity and regularity by using the fractal dimension [4,[27][28][29][30][31][32][33]. The fractal geometry of lineaments helps geologists to understand very complex systems, which feature very organized patterns in seemingly chaotic phenomena [4,5].…”

“…Recently, as one of the nonlinear sciences, fractal theory [24][25][26] offered geologists new insights to explore complexity and regularity by using the fractal dimension [4,[27][28][29][30][31][32][33]. The fractal geometry of lineaments helps geologists to understand very complex systems, which feature very organized patterns in seemingly chaotic phenomena [4,5]. The fractal dimension, thus, illustrates the complexity of regional faults, in which areas with higher fractal dimensions are more closely related to faults and fluid routes [1,2,34].…”

Fluid Inclusions and S–Pb Isotopes of the Reshui Porphyry Mo Deposit in East Kunlun, Qinghai Province, China

“…The East Kunlun Orogenic Belt (EKOB) is located along the northern margin of the Tibetan Plateau [1][2][3] and is one of the most important magmatic arcs and polymetallic metallogenic belts in China [4][5][6][7][8]. Many porphyry-skarn deposits have been discovered and explored in this area (e.g., the Kaerqueka Cu-Mo porphyry deposit, Hutouya Cu-Pb-Zn skarn deposit, and Galinge Fe skarn deposit [9][10][11][12][13]). Many publications have focused primarily on the geochemistry of the granite [14][15][16][17][18] and on the description of the geological characteristics of typical deposits and their host rocks [19][20][21].…”