Gold mineralization in the northern margin of the North China Craton: Influence of alkaline magmatism and regional tectonic during Middle Paleozoic-Mesozoic

Paleo‐Pacific Plate Subduction and Basement Mobilization Triggered Large‐Scale Formation of Mesozoic Gold Deposits in the Northern Margin of the North China Craton

“… Regional geological map of the northern North China Craton (after N'dri et al. (2021)) with age data for gold deposits studied here. …”

“…The formation of the Mesozoic gold deposits of the NNCC was interpreted as related to either magmatic-hydrothermal (N'dri et al, 2021;Yang et al, 2021) or metamorphic-fluid models (Goldfarb & Pitcairn, 2022;Goldfarb et al, 2001Goldfarb et al, , 2019Tomkins, 2010), which would suggest that Hg was sourced from the Mesozoic granites or the Precambrian metamorphic basement, respectively. As shown in Figure 3b, bulk ore and pyrite samples show ∆ 199 Hg values of −0.28‰ to 0.34‰, which cover a larger range than that of the Mesozoic granites (−0.21‰ to 0.13‰) and the Precambrian basement rocks (−0.37‰ to 0.11‰), suggesting that the gold deposits studied cannot be explained exclusively by any of the above-mentioned models.…”

“…Meso‐Neoproterozoic marine strata, Paleozoic alternating marine‐terrestrial strata, Mesozoic terrestrial strata, and Quaternary sediments are exposed. Some paleozoic (N'dri et al., 2021; X. H. Zhang & Zhai, 2010; Figure 2) and abundant Mesozoic granites are distributed throughout the area (S. H. Zhang et al., 2014; Figure 2). The Mesozoic granites are mainly emplaced into the Precambrian basement (Fu et al., 2012; Han et al., 2022; Kang et al., 1998; Lu et al., 2019; Song, 2011; S. K. Sun et al., 2012).…”

“…The coeval gold deposits contain a total resource of >1,000 tonnes Au; however, their genesis remains unclear. Some studies have suggested that the ore‐forming metals are of magmatic‐hydrothermal origin (e.g., N'dri et al., 2021; Yang et al., 2021), while others classify these deposits as orogenic gold deposits in which the ore‐forming metals could be sourced from the Precambrian metamorphic basement or sediments on the top of the subducting slab (Goldfarb & Pitcairn, 2022; Goldfarb et al., 2001, 2019; Tomkins, 2010). According to Goldschmidt's geochemical classification of elements, Hg and Au belong to chalcophile elements and share similar geochemical behavior during hydrothermal processes.…”

“…In the Mesozoic, subduction of the paleo‐Pacific plate beneath the North China Craton (NCC) led to delamination and destruction of the NCC (S. H. Zhang et al., 2014; Zhu & Sun., 2021), widespread magmatism, and hydrothermal gold formation in the northern margin of the North China Craton (NNCC, Li et al., 2012; N'dri et al., 2021; Yang et al., 2003, 2008). Subduction of the paleo‐Pacific plate caused lithospheric thinning and upwelling of the asthenosphere, forming widespread Middle Jurassic to Early Cretaceous granites (Yang et al., 2008; S. H. Zhang et al., 2014).…”