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.