Hydrothermal fluids are major agents for mass and heat transfer in the upper crust. Precise age dating and tracing of the origins of fluid fluxes can provide vital information on the geological past, yet detailed reconstructions of past hydrothermal fluid activity in Precambrian terranes are commonly hindered by multistage overprints and recrystallization events. In this contribution, we present integrated U-Pb and Re-Os isotopic analyses of texturally resolved hydrothermal minerals including allanite, monazite, apatite, rutile, and sulfides, in order to constrain the timing of hydrothermal activity in the 1710−1660 Ma Dahongshan Group, which hosts the largest Fe-Cu-Au deposit in the Kangdian region of the western Yangtze Block, South China. We identify six discrete periods of fluid activity at ca. 1650, 1140, 1040, 930, 870, and 830 Ma, as well as several other cryptic hydrothermal events in metasomatised rocks, all of which can be correlated with regional tectonic and magmatic events. Our reconstruction provides a framework for evaluating Proterozoic hydrothermal and metallogenic histories of the Kangdian region along the western margin of the Yangtze Block. Furthermore, our results highlight the sensitivity of minerals to the hydrothermal response of regional tectonomagmatic events. Demonstration of these relationships is further ascertained by contrasting hydrothermal histories among the Kangdian region and other Paleoproterozoic terranes that have similar polymetallic Fe-Cu mineralization worldwide. An additional implication is that hydrothermal archives hold potential to serve as unique fingerprints to aid recognition of geological events, complementary to conventional detrital and lithotectonic records.
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Research Article|
June 05, 2023
Hydrothermal alteration episodes reflect multiple Proterozoic tectonic and magmatic events in the Kangdian region, western Yangtze Block
Zhi-Kun Su;
Zhi-Kun Su
1
Chinese Academy of Sciences, Key Laboratory of Mineralogy and Metallogeny, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Guangzhou 510460, Guangdong, China2
State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, Hubei, China3
School of Earth Resources, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, Hubei, China
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Xin-Fu Zhao;
Xin-Fu Zhao
2
State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, Hubei, China3
School of Earth Resources, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, Hubei, China
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Christina Yan Wang;
Christina Yan Wang
1
Chinese Academy of Sciences, Key Laboratory of Mineralogy and Metallogeny, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Guangzhou 510460, Guangdong, China
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Jian-Wei Zi;
Jian-Wei Zi
2
State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, Hubei, China
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Neal J. McNaughton;
Neal J. McNaughton
4
John de Laeter Center, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia 6845, Australia
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Carl Spandler
Carl Spandler
5
Department of Earth Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia
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Zhi-Kun Su
1
Chinese Academy of Sciences, Key Laboratory of Mineralogy and Metallogeny, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Guangzhou 510460, Guangdong, China2
State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, Hubei, China3
School of Earth Resources, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, Hubei, China
Xin-Fu Zhao
2
State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, Hubei, China3
School of Earth Resources, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, Hubei, China
Christina Yan Wang
1
Chinese Academy of Sciences, Key Laboratory of Mineralogy and Metallogeny, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Guangzhou 510460, Guangdong, China
Jian-Wei Zi
2
State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, Hubei, China
Neal J. McNaughton
4
John de Laeter Center, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia 6845, Australia
Carl Spandler
5
Department of Earth Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia
Publisher: Geological Society of America
Received:
03 Apr 2022
Revision Received:
20 Feb 2023
Accepted:
10 Mar 2023
First Online:
05 Jun 2023
Online ISSN: 1943-2674
Print ISSN: 0016-7606
© 2023 Geological Society of America
GSA Bulletin (2023)
Article history
Received:
03 Apr 2022
Revision Received:
20 Feb 2023
Accepted:
10 Mar 2023
First Online:
05 Jun 2023
Citation
Zhi-Kun Su, Xin-Fu Zhao, Christina Yan Wang, Jian-Wei Zi, Neal J. McNaughton, Carl Spandler; Hydrothermal alteration episodes reflect multiple Proterozoic tectonic and magmatic events in the Kangdian region, western Yangtze Block. GSA Bulletin 2023; doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/B36542.1
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Index Terms/Descriptors
- allanite
- apatite
- Asia
- China
- epidote group
- Far East
- hydrothermal alteration
- metal ores
- metasomatism
- monazite
- ore-forming fluids
- orthosilicates
- oxides
- Paleoproterozoic
- phosphates
- polymetallic ores
- Precambrian
- Proterozoic
- recrystallization
- rutile
- silicates
- sorosilicates
- South China Block
- sulfides
- terranes
- upper Precambrian
- Yangtze Plate
- Dahongshan Group
- Kangdian China
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