Metallogenic Province and Large Scale Mineralization of Volcanogenic Massive Sulfide Deposits in China

Abstract

Volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposits are one of the most important base–metal deposit types in China, are major sources of Zn, Cu, Pb, Ag, and Au, and significant sources for Co, Sn, Se, Mn, Cd, In, Bi, Te, Ga, and Ge. They typically occur at or near the seafloor in submarine volcanic environments, and are classified according to base metal content, gold content, or host-rock lithology. The spatial distribution of the deposits is determined by the different geological settings, with VMS deposits concentrated in the Sanjiang, Qilian and Altai metallogenic provinces. VMS deposits in China range in age from Archaean to Mesozoic, and have three epochs of large scale mineralization of Proterozoic, Palaeozoic and Mesozoic. Only Hongtoushan Cu–Zn deposit has been recognized so far in an Archaean greenstone belt, at the north margin of the North China Platform. The Proterozoic era was one of the important metallogenic periods for the formation of VMS mineralization, mainly in the Early and Late Proterozoic periods. VMS-type Cu–Fe and Cu–Zn deposits related to submarine volcanic-sedimentary rocks, were formed in the Aulacogens and rifts in the interior and along both sides of the North China Platform, and the southern margin of the Yangtze Platform. More than half of the VMS deposits formed in the Palaeozoic, and three important VMS–metallogenic provinces have been recognized, they are Altai–Junggar (i.e. Ashele Cu–Pb–Zn deposit), Sanjiang (i.e. Laochang Zn–Pb–Cu deposit) and Qilian (i.e. Baiyinchang Cu–Zn deposit). The Triassic is a significant tectonic and metallogenic period for China. In the Sanjiang Palaeo–Tethys, the Late Triassic Yidun arc is the latest arc–basin system, in which the Gacun-style VMS Pb–Zn–Cu–Ag deposits developed in the intra-arc rift basins, with bimodal volcanic suites at the northern segment of the arc.