Tracking Multiple Episodes of Carlin-Type Gold Mineralization Using Zircon Fission-Track Thermochronology

Abstract

The mineralization ages of Carlin-type gold deposits in the Golden Triangle area of Southwest (SW) China have not been adequately defined. We applied zircon fission-track (ZFT) analysis to determine the mineralization ages. The age groups were divided into three periods by ZFT dating and a decomposition method: 230–200, 180–150, and 130 Ma, corresponding to the three magmatic–mineralization episodes in SW China. ZFT analysis was employed to effectively track the multiepisode mineralization history of the Carlin-type gold deposits. Based on the results from this study and existing studies, the Carlin-type gold deposits were probably formed predominantly during 230–200 Ma and were overprintedby the Yanshanian mineralization episodes.