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Molybdenite Re–Os and muscovite 40Ar/39Ar dating of quartz vein-type W–Sn polymetallic deposits in Northern Guangdong, South China

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Abstract

Northern Guangdong is an important part of Nanling tungsten–tin metallogenic belt, South China. The tungsten mineralization in this area consists of mainly quartz–wolframite vein-type mineralization, with W–Sn polymetallic deposits mostly distributed at the outer contact zone between concealed Late Jurassic granitic stocks and Cambrian–Ordovician low-metamorphosed sandstones and shales. Molybdenite Re–Os and muscovite 40Ar/39Ar isotopic dating of three typical tungsten vein-type deposits (Yaoling, Meiziwo, and Jubankeng) in northern Guangdong, show that two episodes of Late Jurassic W–Sn polymetallic mineralization occurred in this area: an early episode during the Late Jurassic (158–159 Ma) represented by the Yaoling, Hongling, and Meiziwo tungsten deposits, and a younger event during the Early Cretaceous (138 Ma) represented by the Jubankeng deposit. Analysis of available radiometric ages of several W–Sn deposits in the Nanling region indicate that these deposits formed at several intervals during the Mesozoic at 90–100, 134–140, 144–162, and 210–235 Ma, and that large-scale W–Sn mineralization in this region occurred mainly between 150 and 160 Ma.

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Acknowledgments

National Basic Research Program of China (2007CB411408) financially supported this research. We would like to thank Meiziwo, Yaoling, and Jubankeng tungsten mines and chief engineer Ba Zhu of the 290 Institute of Nuclear Industry for their support during field geological survey and sampling, Guangdong Metallurgical and Geological Team 932 for providing exploration reports of regional tungsten deposits. The useful suggestions and comments of Fernando Barra (Associate editor) and an anonymous reviewer improved the English and quality of this manuscript.

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  1. State Key Laboratory of Ore Deposit Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang, 550002, China

    Hua-Wen Qi, Rui-Zhong Hu, Xiao-Fei Wang, Xian-Wu Bi & Jian-Tang Peng

  2. Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Xiao-Fei Wang

  3. National Research Center of Geoanalysis, Beijing, 100037, China

    Wen-Jun Qu

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  1. Hua-Wen Qi
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Correspondence to Hua-Wen Qi.

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Qi, HW., Hu, RZ., Wang, XF. et al. Molybdenite Re–Os and muscovite 40Ar/39Ar dating of quartz vein-type W–Sn polymetallic deposits in Northern Guangdong, South China. Miner Deposita 47, 607–622 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00126-012-0406-7

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