Chronology and origin of Au-Cu deposits related to paleozoic intracontinental rifting in West Tianshan Mountains, NW China

Abstract

Located between the Tarim platform and Junggar massif, the West Tianshan intracontinental rift abuts against the China-Kazakhstan boundary in the west part, borders on the Yilianha-bierga late Paleozoic relic ocean basin and the South Tianshan late Paleozoic ocean basin respectively in the northeast separated by the Aibi Lake fault and in the southeast by the fault along the southern margin of the Yili massif. During the development and after the close of the West Tianshan intracontinental rifting in the Carboniferous-Permian period, a series of nonferrous and precious metal mineralizations occurred with the Au-Cu deposits being the most important. Isotopic chronologic study of representative deposits of different types shows that gold-copper mineralization in the West Tianshan intracontinental rift zone mainly happened during the middle-late Her-cynian Period, among which the Axi volcanic hydrothermal type gold deposit was formed during the Carboniferous with a fluid inclusion Rb-Sr isochron age of (339 ± 28) Ma; the Qiabukanzhuota quartzolite type gold deposit has a Rb-Sr isochron age of (312 ± 46) Ma; the Tawuerbieke porphyry type gold deposit has a Rb-Sr isochron age of (295 ± 16) Ma; the Jingbulak magmatic liquation Cu-Ni deposit and the Musizaote porphyry type Cu deposit have the forming ages of 300 Ma± and 250 Ma±, respectively. Analyses of crustal evolution and metallogenetic geological backgrounds of Au-Cu mineralizations in the studied area shows a close correlation with the rifting.