Geochronological framework of the Damoqujia gold deposit, Jiaodong Peninsula, China: Implications for the timing and geologic setting of gold mineralization

Abstract

The Damoqujia gold deposit in the Jiaodong Peninsula in eastern China contains more than 60 t of gold and is hosted mainly by Mesozoic granitoids. The orebodies comprise pyrite-sericite-silica altered rocks and exhibit Jiaojia-type mineralization.Although the Damoqujia deposit is an important gold producer in the Zhaoping Fault Zone, the age and tectonic setting of metallogenesis are poorly constrained. Here, we employ precise U-Pb dating of zircon and 40 Ar/ 39 Ar dating of hydrothermal sericite from the Damoqujia gold deposit to constrain the age of mineralization, which we integrate with previous studies to understand the tectonic setting of the deposit.The major intrusions exposed in the deposit are the Jurassic monzogranite to the west and the Cretaceous granodiorite to the east. Uranium-Pb dating of zircon from the monzogranite, granodiorite, pre-ore hydrothermally altered lamprophyre dyke, and post-ore unaltered gabbro-diorite dyke yield concordia ages of 160 ± 1, 130 ± 1, 125 ± 1, and 120 ± 1 Ma, respectively. Based on these geochronological data, we suggest that the age of gold mineralization at Damuqujia occurred at 124-121 Ma.Sericite from the auriferous quartz-pyrite veinlet in the Damoqujia deposit yields a plateau age of 122.8 ± 0.9 Ma, representing the precise age of gold mineralization.Our geochronological data indicate that gold mineralization occurred at 123 Ma and are consistent with the timing of the main gold mineralization event in the Jiaobei Terrane at 125-120 Ma. The geodynamic setting of the study area during this time is generally considered to have been dominated by subduction of the Palaeo-Pacific Plate beneath the Eurasian continent, with accompanying lithospheric delamination, asthenospheric upwelling, and intense craton destruction. The gold mineralization at Damoqujia was closely associated with continental extension during the Mesozoic.

Metallogenic mechanism of the Houge’zhuang gold deposit, Jiaodong, China: Evidence from fluid inclusion, in situ trace element, and sulfur isotope compositions

“…The Jiaodong Peninsula is the largest and most productive gold province in China, with more than 5000 t of gold reserves. Although the Jiaodong area accounts for only 0.2% of the total area of the country, it holds about 25% of China's total gold reserves (Deng et al, 2006;Liu et al, 2014;Yang et al, 2016a;Fan et al, 2016;Yang et al, 2018;Chai et al, 2020a;Deng et al, 2020a;Deng et al, 2020b;Deng et al, 2020c;Zhang et al, 2020;Wang et al, 2021). In this region, pyrite is the most common and important metal sulfide mineral widely distributed within the gold orebodies and country rocks.…”

Geology, Fluid Inclusion, and H–O–S–Pb Isotope Constraints on the Mineralization of the Xiejiagou Gold Deposit in the Jiaodong Peninsula

“…The Jiaodong Peninsula (Figure 1) is an important gold metallogenic belt in China hosting about 4000 t of gold reserves and also considered as one of the most famous gold mineralization belts in the world [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]. The majority of gold deposits in the region are temporally and spatially related to Mesozoic NE-trending faults, and the deposits have been classified as Jiaojia-type and Linglong-type mineralization, where the former refers to a combination of disseminated and stockwork/veinlet gold mineralization and the latter to auriferous quartz veins [1,[12][13][14][15].…”

Geological and Fluid Inclusion Constraints on Gold Deposition Processes of the Dayingezhuang Gold Deposit, Jiaodong Peninsula, China

“…Jiaodong Peninsula, located in the eastern segment of the North China Craton (NCC; Fig. 1), is one of the most important gold-producing belts in China (Deng et al, 2008;Wang et al, 2015;Lei et al, 2016;Yu et al, 2016;Chai et al, 2017Chai et al, , 2019a. The belt hosts numerous gold deposits and is part of the Circum-Pacific metallogenic domain Hou et al, 2015).…”