Widespread refertilization of cratonic and circum-cratonic lithospheric mantle

Tang, Yan-Jie; Zhang, Hongfu; Ying, Ji‐Feng; Su, Ben‐Xun

doi:10.1016/j.earscirev.2013.01.004

Cited by 119 publications

(52 citation statements)

References 309 publications

(689 reference statements)

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“…This inference is supported by the presence of Early Cretaceous mafic lavas originating from the hydrous SCLM at the northern, eastern and southeastern margins of the NCC (e.g., Xia et al, 2013;Ma et al, 2016;this study). In addition to adding water, this subduction process also likely accelerated the convection rate of the asthenosphere, thus allowing mafic melts to refertilize the overlying SCLM (e.g., Tang et al, 2013; this study). The combined effects of these two processes accelerated the removal rate of the SCLM, finally destabilizing the craton (Wang et al, 2015).…”

Section: Implications For the Destruction Of The North China Cratonmentioning

confidence: 94%

Hydrous orthopyroxene-rich pyroxenite source of the Xinkailing high magnesium andesites, Western Liaoning: Implications for the subduction-modified lithospheric mantle and the destruction mechanism of the North China Craton

Hong

Zhang

et al. 2017

Lithos

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Section: Implications For the Destruction Of The North China Cratonmentioning

confidence: 94%

Hydrous orthopyroxene-rich pyroxenite source of the Xinkailing high magnesium andesites, Western Liaoning: Implications for the subduction-modified lithospheric mantle and the destruction mechanism of the North China Craton

Hong

Zhang

et al. 2017

Lithos

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“…The enrichment of 34 S may have formed through oxidizing magmas or incorporation of evaporates during magma/fluid migration. Gold deposits in the Ji'nan District have variable sulfur composition (with large negative   34 S values), suggesting a contribution from organic matter or magma oxidation (Tang Y J et al, 2013).…”

Section: Sources Of Ore-forming Fluids and Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Decratonic gold deposits

Zhu

Fan

et al. 2015

Sci. China Earth Sci.

326

144

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The North China Craton (NCC) hosts numerous gold deposits and is known as the most gold-productive region of China. The gold deposits were mostly formed within a few million years in the Early Cretaceous (130-120 Ma), coeval with widespread occurrences of bimodal magmatism, rift basins and metamorphic core complexes that marked the peak of lithospheric thinning and destruction of the NCC. Stable isotope data and geological evidence indicate that ore-forming fluids and other components were largely exsolved from cooling magma and/or derived from mantle degassing during the period of lithospheric extension. Gold mineralization in the NCC contrasts strikingly with that of other cratons where gold ore-forming fluids were sourced mostly from metamorphic devolatization in compressional or transpressional regimes. In this paper, we present a summary and discussion on time-space distribution and ore genesis of gold deposits in the NCC in the context of the timing, spatial variation, and decratonic processes. Compared with orogenic gold deposits in other cratonic blocks, the Early Cretaceous gold deposits in the NCC are quite distinct in that they were deposited from magma-derived fluids under extensional settings and associated closely with destruction of cratonic lithosphere. We argue that Early Cretaceous gold deposits in the NCC cannot be classified as orogenic gold deposits as previously suggested, rather, they are a new type of gold deposits, termed as "decratonic gold deposits" in this study. The westward subduction of the paleo-West Pacific plate (the Izanagi plate) beneath the eastern China continent gave rise to an optimal tectonic setting for large-scale gold mineralization in the Early Cretaceous. Dehydration of the subducted and stagnant slab in the mantle transition zone led to continuous hydration and considerable metasomatism of the mantle wedge beneath the NCC. As a consequence, the refractory mantle became oxidized and highly enriched in large ion lithophile elements and chalcophile elements (e.g., Cu, Au, Ag and Te). Partial melting of such a mantle would have produced voluminous hydrous, Au-and S-bearing basaltic magma, which, together with crust-derived melts induced by underplating of basaltic magma, served as an important source for ore-forming fluids. It is suggested that the Eocene Carlin-type gold deposits in Nevada, occurring geologically in the deformed western margin of the North America Craton, are comparable with the Early Cretaceous gold deposits of the NCC because they share similar tectonic settings and auriferous fluids. The NCC gold deposits are characterized by gold-bearing quartz veins in the Archean amphibolite facies rocks, whereas the Nevada gold deposits are featured by fine-grained sulfide dissemination in Paleozoic marine sedimentary rocks. Their main differences in gold mineralization are the different host rocks, ore-controlling structures, and ore-forming depth. The similar tectonic setting and ore-forming fluid source, however, indicate that the Carlin-type gold deposits in ...

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“…Arrows indicate flow magnitude and direction (from He, 2014a). 1997; Brey et al, 2008;Ghosh et al, 2009;Litasov, 2011) of the lithospheric mantle resulted by peridotite-melt interaction (Zhang, 2009;Tang et al, 2013). The lowering of melting temperature by peridotitemelt interaction can accelerate thinning during the early stages of this convection.…”

Section: Subductionmentioning

confidence: 99%