Ore Geology Reviews 65 (2015) 283–293

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A Late Cretaceous tin metallogenic event in Nanling W–Sn metallogenicprovince: Constraints from U–Pb, Ar–Ar geochronology at the JiepailingSn–Be–F deposit, Hunan, China

Shunda Yuan a,⁎, Jingwen Mao a, Nigel J. Cook b, Xudong Wang c, Xiaofei Liu d, Yabin Yuan d

a MLR Key Laboratory of Metallogeny and Mineral Assessment, Institute of Mineral Resources, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing 100037, Chinab Centre for Tectonics, Resources and Exploration, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australiac School of Resources and Materials, Northeastern University at Qinhuangdao Branch, Qinhuangdao 066004, Chinad State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, School of Earth Sciences and Resources, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China

⁎ Corresponding author. Tel.: +86 10 6899 9533.E-mail address: shundayuan@cags.ac.cn (S. Yuan).

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.oregeorev.2014.10.0060169-1368/© 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

a b s t r a c t

a r t i c l e i n f o

Article history:Received 6 August 2014Received in revised form 9 October 2014Accepted 10 October 2014Available online 18 October 2014

Keywords:Late CretaceousTin metallogenic eventJiepailingNanling region

The Jiepailing deposit, located in southernHunan Province, China, is a giant Sn–Be–F deposit in theNanlingW–Snprovince. The Sn–Be–Fmineralization is spatially associatedwith the Jiepailing granite porphyry. LA-MC-ICP-MSzircon U–Pb dating of the Jiepailing granite porphyry yielded a weighted mean 206Pb/238U age of 90.5 ± 0.9 Ma(MSWD= 0.32), which is interpreted as the emplacement age of the granite porphyry. Hydrothermalmuscoviteyields a plateau 40Ar/39Ar age of 92.1± 0.7Ma (MSWD= 0.9), which iswell consistent with the zircon U–Pb ageof the Jiepailing granite porphyry responsible for the Sn–Be–Fmineralization, indicating a temporal link betweenthe emplacement of the Jiepailing granite porphyry and the Sn–Be–F mineralization. Our new high precisegeochronological data suggest that the Jiepailing giant Sn–Be–F deposit and related granite formed during theearly Late Cretaceous (92–90 Ma), which provided convincing evidence for a previously unrecognizedmetallogenic event related to Late Cretaceous granitic magmatism in Nanling region. The occurrence of theLate Cretaceous Sn metallogenic event identified in southern Hunan Province further highlights the importanceof systematic metallogenic studies of the NanlingW–Sn province. Integrated with high precise geochronologicaldata obtained previously, it is suggested that the Nanling region mainly experienced three tectonomagmaticactivities and lithospheric thinning events during Mesozoic, which are responsible for three Sn–Wmetallogenicevents to form the world-class Nanling W–Sn metallogenic province.

© 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction

Since theMesozoic, eastern China experienced collision of the Northand South China blocks, collision between Indosinian and South Chinablocks (Charvet et al., 1990; Faure and Ishida, 1990; Zhou et al., 2006),and westward subduction of the Pacific plate under the Eurasian plate(Maruyama et al., 1997). These events contributed to the emplacementof large volumes of granites, and to the formation of numerous, co-genetic deposits of Sn,W, Bi, Mo, Cu, and Pb–Zn–Ag throughout easternChina (Hua and Mao, 1999; Mao et al., 1999). The sequence of discretemagmatic events associated with deposition of economically significantpolymetallic mineralization, their corresponding geodynamic settings,and the relationships between large-scale geological events, granitegeneration and related mineralization, have received considerableattention from many researchers (Chen et al., 2002; Hu and Zhou,2012; Hu et al., 2012a,b; Hua et al., 2003, 2005a,b; Li and Li, 2007;Mao et al., 2004, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2013).

The W–Sn ore district in southern Hunan Province, located in thewestern part of the Nanling W–Sn province, is a particularly impor-tant expression of large-scale Mesozoic metallogenesis in easternChina. Several dozen world-class and large-sized deposits occur inthis area. These include the Shizhuyuan W–Sn–Mo–Bi (Li et al.,1996; Lu et al., 2003; Mao, 1995, 1996a,b), Jinchuantang Sn–Bi (Liuet al., 2012), Hongqiling Sn–W–Pb–Zn (Yuan et al., 2012a), YejiweiCu–Sn (Li, 2013), Furong Sn (Mao et al., 2004; Peng et al., 2007;Yuan et al., 2008a, 2011), Xintianling W–Mo (Yuan et al., 2012b),Xianghualing Sn–Pb–Zn (Yuan et al., 2007, 2008b,c), XianghuapuW–Pb–Zn (Yuan et al., 2007; Zhang et al., 2012), Hehuaping Sn–Pb–Zn (Cai et al., 2006), Huangshaping Pb–Zn–Cu–W–Mo (Yaoet al., 2007; Yuan et al., 2014), Baiyunxian W, Yaogangxiang W–Mo(Peng et al., 2006) and Jiepailing Sn–Be–F deposits (Liu et al.,2006). Although some deposits have been exploited since the1930s, the ore district in southern Hunan Province is considered tobe well endowed in non-ferrous and rare-metals. Available metalreserves have been estimated at 1.7 million tonnes (metric)tungsten, 1.2 million tonnes tin, 441 thousand tonnes bismuth,152 thousand tonnes molybdenum, 389 thousand tonnes copper,

284 S. Yuan et al. / Ore Geology Reviews 65 (2015) 283–293

2.2 million tonnes lead–zinc, and 4093 tonnes silver (Che et al.,2005; Peng et al., 2006). The ore potential of this area has recentlybeen highlighted by successful exploration campaigns in theTangshanling, Huangshaping and Baoshan mining areas. Large-scale petrogenesis and metallogenesis in this region have attractedgreat interest from geologists worldwide (C.H. Chen et al., 2008; Liand Li, 2007; Lu et al., 2003). Results of numerous studies on thepetrogenesis of granitic rocks, the time-space distribution of thesegranitic plutons and associated ore deposits, and correspondinggeodynamic setting have been published (Chen et al., 2002; Huaet al., 2005b, 2010; Jiang et al., 2008; Mao et al., 2008, 2011, 2013;Zhou et al., 2006). These studies have provided compelling evidencefor the relationship between large-scale lithospheric extension inthe Mesozoic, generation of granite, and deposition of associatedeconomically significant polymetallic mineralization in the region.

Although numerous precise geochronological data have shown thatlarge-scale W–Sn polymetallic mineralization in the Nanling W–Snprovince mainly occurred within 160–150 Ma interval (Mao et al.,2007; Peng et al., 2008), new zircon U–Pb and molybdenite Re–Osdata have identified a Triassic metallogenic event (Cai et al., 2006) inthis area; a result consistent with the extensive Triassic mineralizationin South China (Feng et al., 2011) and adjacent areas (Mao et al., 2012,2013; Wang et al., 2010). Some researchers have proposed that theTriassic mineralization in South China formed during late-collisionalor post-collisional processes involving the South China Block, theNorth China Craton, and the Indo-China Block (Hua et al., 2005a; Maoet al., 2008, 2013; Zhou et al., 2006). An important Late Cretaceousmetallogenic event has also been recognized in South China, and hasbeen shown to be responsible for several giant deposits, including theworld-class Gejiu (Cheng et al., 2012, 2013; Yang et al., 2008) andDachang (Wang et al., 2004) skarn-type tin deposits surrounding theYoujiang Basin, as well as the large Zijinshan porphyry-epithermalCu–Au system (Liu and Hua, 2005; Zhang et al., 2003) along the SouthChina continental margin (Mao et al., 2013). Until now, however, LateCretaceous tin mineralization has not been reported in Nanling W–Snmetallogenic province.

The Jiepailing ore deposit, southern Hunan, is a giant Sn–Be–Fdeposit, containing 69,300 t Sn metal with an average grade of 0.85%,1027,000 t BeO with an average grade of 0.26%, and 15.4 Mt CaF2 withan average grade of 39.2%. Due to the complicated hydrogeologicalconditions in the mining area, the Jiepailing Sn–Be–F deposit remainsunexploited since its discovery by No. 238 geological team of HunanNonferrous Geological Exploration Bureau in 1982. Accordingly, littleis known about the mineralization age and ore genesis of the deposit(Liu et al., 2006).

In the present contribution, which benefits from an ongoingdrilling program, we conducted zircon U–Pb and muscovite Ar–Ardating of the granite porphyry and associated tin ore samples fromJiepailing. We present new precise geochronological data, whichprovide evidence for a previously unrecognized metallogenic eventin the Nanling W–Sn province. We interpret these data as showinga genetic link between the Jiepailing deposit and Late Cretaceousmagmatism.

2. Regional geological setting

The mountainous Nanling region is located at the junction of fourprovinces in southern China: Hunan; Jiangxi; Guangdong; andGuangxi (approximately longitude 110°E–115°E, latitude 24°N–

27°N), and covers a surface area of 170,000 km2 (Chen et al., 2002;Yuan et al., 2011). It comprises five separate mountain ranges:Yuechengling; Dupangling; Mengchuling; Qitianling; and Dayuling(Chen et al., 2002; Yu, 2011). The region is an important W–Snpolymetallic metallogenic province (Hua et al., 2005b, 2007, 2010;Mao et al., 2007), geologically, located in the northwestern part ofthe Cathaysia block, and comprising the southern Hunan–eastern

Guangxi–northern Guangdong Caledonian depression in the west,and the southern Hunan–southern Jiangxi–Guangdong Caledonianuplift in the east (Fig. 1).

Quartz-vein type tungsten deposits are predominant in the east ofthe Nanling W–Sn province, whereas skarn-type W–Sn polymetallicdeposits are dominant in the west (Mao et al., 2007). Late Paleozoicsedimentary strata, especially Devonian and Carboniferous carbonaterocks, are widespread in the western part of the Nanling region, withlesser amounts of Upper Triassic to Tertiary sandstone and siltstone(Fig. 1). The tectonic framework of this area is mainly controlled bythree fault systems, trending approximately NE, NNE and EW, respec-tively. Among these, the most important are the NE-trending Chaling-Linwu and Zixin-Changchengling faults, which control the spatial distri-bution of a NE-trending zone of granitic intrusions with relatively lowNd model ages and which host numerous granite-related Sn–Wpolymetallic deposits (Fig. 1, Yuan et al., 2011). The Mesozoic granitesaremostly biotite or two-mica granites, with lesser amounts of granodi-orite and granite porphyry. Themainmineralization styles in this regionare granite-, greisen-, skarn-, cassiterite–sulfide-, and quartz vein-types.All deposits are spatially related to the Mesozoic granitoids (Peng et al.,2006).

3. Deposit geology

The Jiepailing ore deposit is located about 32 km west of Yizhangin the south of Hunan Province, 10 km southwest of the 30 MtYaogangxian tungsten deposit (Fig. 1).

3.1. Lithology

Exposed lithologies consist predominantly of the Lower Car-boniferous Shidengzi, Ceshui and Zimenqiao Formations, theMiddle to Upper Carboniferous Hutian Group, and Cretaceoussedimentary rocks (Figs. 2 and 3). The Shidengzi Formation, inthe central and southern parts of this area, is up to 430 m thick,and comprises gray-white dolomite, dolomitic limestone, thinly-layered limestone, and bioclastic limestone. The latter is the mainhost of the Jiepailing mineralization. The Ceshui Formation, in thecentral–eastern parts of this area is 120 m in thickness, and pre-dominantly composed of gray-white, moderate- to thick-layeredfine quartz sandstone, quartz siltstone, arenaceous shale, pebbledsandstones, carbonaceous shale and coal seams. The ZimenqiaoFormation, in the eastern part of this area, is composed of neriticfacies carbonate rocks with a total thickness of 50 m. It mostly com-prises moderate- to thick-layered bioclastic limestone, and gray-black fine dolomite intercalated with dolomite breccia. The HutianGroup, in the western part of this area, is also composed of neriticfacies carbonate rocks with a total thickness of 420–450 m. Itdiffers from the carbonate rocks of the Zimenqiao Formation byits pale color. The Cretaceous lacustrine sedimentary rocks lieunconformably on the Carboniferous sequence; these are purple-red sandstones, sandy conglomerates, and calcareous–arenaceousshale which are only sporadically exposed in the north part of thearea.

3.2. Structures

The Jiepailing deposit is located within the core of the Jiepailing an-ticline (Fig. 2), a second-order anticline of the regional, NE-strikingGuanyu synclinorium. The Shidengzi Formation limestone occurs inthe center of the anticline, with sandstones of the Ceshui Formationforming the eastern and western limbs. More than 10 major faultsNNE-, N–S- and NW-striking faults have been mapped in the region.The NNE-striking faults are the largest and acted as the main structuralcontrols for the Jiepailing granite porphyry and the Jiepailing Sn–Be–Fdeposit (Fig. 2, Liu et al., 2006).

Fig. 1. Simplified geological map ofW–Sn–polymetallic ore district in southernHunan Province, South China, and distribution ofmineral deposits in the region (modified after Yuan et al.,2011).

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3.3. Igneous rocks

The Jiepailing granite porphyry is emplaced within LowerCarboniferous rocks (Fig. 2) and has a surface exposure of approxi-mately 0.12 km2 in the central part of the Jiepailing mining area,near the axis of the Jiepailing anticline. The granite porphyry isgray in color and exhibits a massive, porphyritic texture (Fig. 4). Phe-nocrysts (~30–55%) consist predominantly of K-feldspar and quartz,in a fine-grained groundmass (~45–70) of quartz, K-feldspar, andbiotite (Fig. 4). Accessory minerals include zircon, apatite, rutile,ilmenite and magnetite. Liu et al. (2006) have shown that the W,Sn, Cu, Pb, Zn, F, Be, B, and Li contents of the Jiepailing granite por-phyry are significantly higher than their corresponding Clark values,indicating that it possibly provides a major metal source for theJiepailing Sn–Be–F deposit. Whole rock Rb–Sr dating of the graniteporphyry gave an age of 87.9 ± 2.5 Ma (Liu et al., 2006).

3.4. Alteration and mineralization zoning

The Jiepailing deposit is hosted in the fracture zones within theJiepailing granite porphyry, dolomite of the Shidengzi Formation, andsandstone of the Ceshui Formation. Field observations and drill core log-ging show that the hydrothermal alteration is zoned, including greisen,skarn, marble, chloritic, muscovitic, topazic, fluoritic and carbonate al-teration. Greisenization mainly occurs in the upper part of the graniteporphyry body, contact zone and the fracture zones, and is closely asso-ciated with Snmineralization. Development of skarn andmarble is onlyobserved at small scale in the contact zone between the granitic intru-sions and carbonate rocks; the latter rock types contain no significantmineralization. Chloritic alteration mainly occurs in or near the fracturezone and is typically associated with Pb–Zn mineralization. Muscovite,topaz, and fluorite are abundant in the contact zone, fracture zone andwall rock, and are closely associated with Sn–Be–F mineralization

Fig. 2. Simplified geological map of the Jiepailing Sn–Be–F deposit, southern Hunan Province (modified from Liu et al., 2006).

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(Fig. 4). Carbonization is the latest hydrothermal alteration and containsinsignificant mineralization. Drilling shows that the Be- and fluorite-bearing orebodies mainly occur above 270 m, and the Sn–Pb–Zn–(Cu)orebodies occur predominantly below 80 m (Fig. 3). Up till now, morethan 77 distinct orebodies have been explored in the mining area,including the Be-bearing fluorite–muscovite type F ores, greisen typeSn–Pb–Zn–(Cu), topaz–muscovite–fluorite type Sn ores, and quartz-vein type Sn ores. Among these, the No.I orebody is by far the largest,and contains about 90% of the total Sn–Be–F resources in the deposit.This orebody has a strike length of 700 m, an average thickness of16.5m, awidth of 250m, andan average grade of 0.83% Sn.Oremineralsinclude cassiterite, chrysoberyl, pyrite and fluorite, withminor amountsof galena and sphalerite. Gangue minerals are predominately quartz,muscovite, topaz and calcite.

4. Sampling and analytical methods

The analyzed samples were collected from drill core (hole zk5/132,Fig. 3). The zircon grains used for U–Pb dating were extracted fromgranite porphyry (sample JPL-28), and the muscovite and cassiteriteused for Ar–Ar dating were extracted from greisen-type tin ore (sampleJPL-20), and the muscovite is intergrown with cassiterite.

Zircon andmuscovite grainswere separated using standardmagnet-ic and heavy liquid techniques, and were subsequently handpickedunder a binocular microscope to obtain the best quality grains for anal-ysis at the Chengxin Services Ltd., Langfang, China. Representativezircon grainsweremounted in epoxy resin, and then polished to exposethe grain interiors. Prior to analysis, the zircons were examined in

transmitted and reflected light as well as by cathodoluminescence(CL) imaging to reveal their external and internal structures. The CLimages were performed using a JEOL JSM6510 scanning electronmicro-scope at Beijing Zircon Dating Navigation Technology Ltd.

U–Pb analyses were conducted using a laser ablation-multiplecollector-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-MC-ICP-MS) at the Institute of Mineral Resources, Chinese Academy of Geologi-cal Sciences (CAGS), Beijing. Laser samplingwas performedusing a NewWave UP 213 laser ablation system, and a Thermo Finnigan NeptuneMC-ICP-MS instrument was used to acquire ion-signal intensities. Thearray of four multi-ion counters and three Faraday cups allowed thesimultaneous detection of the ion signals for 202Hg (on ion counterIC5), 204Hg and 204Pb (on IC4), 206Pb (on IC3), 207Pb (on IC2), 208Pb(on Faraday cup L4), 232Th (on cup H2), and 238U (on cup H4). Heliumwas used as a carrier gas. Argon was used as the make-up gas andmixed with the carrier gas via a T-connector before entering the ICP.Each analysis incorporated a background acquisition lasting approxi-mately 20–30 s (gas blank) followed by data acquisition from thesample lasting 30 s. Off-line raw data selection and integration of back-ground and analytical signals, and time-drift correction and quantitativecalibration for U–Pb dating, were performed using ICPMSDataCal (Liuet al., 2008). The zircon GJ-1 (610.0 ± 1.7 Ma; Elhlou et al., 2006) wasused as the external standard for U–Pb dating, and was analyzed twiceevery 5–10 analyses. Time-dependent drifts of U–Th–Pb isotopic ratioswere corrected using a linear interpolation (with time) for every 5–10analyses according to the variations of GJ1 (Liu et al., 2008). PreferredU–Th–Pb isotopic ratios used for GJ1 were taken from Jackson et al.(2004). The uncertainty of the values obtained for the external standard

Fig. 3. Geological cross-section of No. 132 exploration line from the Jiepailing Sn–Be–F deposit.

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GJ-1 was propagated into the sample determinations. Common leadcorrections were not necessary for any of the analyzed zircon grainsdue to the low signal for common 204Pb and the high signal for206Pb/204Pb. U, Th, and Pb concentrations were calibrated using zirconM127 (with: U = 923 × 10−6, Th = 439 × 10−6, and Th/U = 0.475;Nasdala et al., 2008). Concordia diagrams and weighted mean calcula-tions weremade using Isoplot/Ex version 3.0 (Ludwig, 2003). The refer-ence zircon Plesovice was dated as an unknown sample and yielded aweighted mean 206Pb/238U age of 337 ± 2 Ma (2σ, n = 12), in goodagreement with the recommended 206Pb/238U age of 337.13 ±0.37 Ma (2σ) (Sláma et al., 2008). Detailed operating conditions forlaser ablation system and the MC-ICP-MS instrument, and data reduc-tion are as described by Hou et al. (2009).

Muscovite grains for Ar–Ar dating (about 60 mesh) were carefullyhandpicked under a binocular microscope from the crushed sample toreach purity up to 99.9%, followed by ultrasonic cleaning using ethanol.After cleaning by ultrasonic treatment, the sample was sealed into aquartz bottle for irradiation in a nuclear reactor (Swimming Pool Reac-tor, Chinese Institute of Atomic Energy, Beijing). The total time for irra-diation is 1444 min, the neutron flux is about 2.60 × 1013 n cm−2S−1,and the integrated neutron flux is 2.25 × 1018 n cm−2. The monitorused in this work is the internal Fangshan biotite (ZBH-25) standardwith an age of 132.7 ± 1.2 Ma and a potassium content of 7.6%, whichwas also irradiated. The sample and monitors were heated in graphitefurnace, and the heating-extraction step for each temperature incre-ment was 30 min, with 30 min for purification. Mass analysis wascarried out by multiple collector noble gas mass spectrometry HelixMC, and 20 sets of data were obtained for each peak value. Analysiswas performed in the Isotope Laboratory of Institute of Geology, CAGS.The measured isotopic ratios were corrected for mass discrimination,atmospheric Ar component, blanks and irradiation-induced mass

interference. The correction factors of interfering isotopes producedduring irradiation were determined by analysis of irradiated pureK2SO4 and CaF2, yielding the following ratios: (36Ar/37Ar0)Ca =0.0002389; (40K/39Ar)K = 0.004782; (39Ar/37Ar0)Ca = 0.000806. Thedecay constant used is λ = 5.543 × 10−10 year−1 (Steiger and Jager,1977). All 37Ar abundances were corrected for radiogenic decay (half-life 35.1 days), and the ISOPLOT programwas adopted to calculate pla-teau age, isochron and inverse isochron diagram (Ludwig, 2003). Theuncertainties of the ages are reported at a 95% confidence level (2σ).Operation and data processing procedures were similar to thosedescribed by Chen et al. (2006) and Yuan et al. (2010).

5. Results

5.1. Zircon U–Pb age

Zircon grains from the granite porphyry sample (JPL-28) have sizesranging from 50 to 150 μm with aspect ratio between 1:1 and 3:1.They are mostly euhedral in shape, prismatic, colorless, and displayoscillatory zoning. Representative CL images of dated zircons areshown in Fig. 5. The in situ zircon LA-ICP-MSU–Pb isotopic data are pre-sented in Table 1.

Zircon Th/U ratios are between 0.90 and 1.22, markedly higher thanthose of metamorphic zircons (b0.2, Belousova et al., 2002). Thisevidence, combinedwith their morphology and internal structure, indi-cates a magmatic origin (Hoskin and Black, 2000). Eleven spot analysesof the zircons yielded 206Pb/238U ages ranging from 89.7 ± 3.7 Ma to91.9 ± 1.7 Ma, with a weighted mean 206Pb/238U age of 90.5 ± 0.9 Ma(MSWD = 0.32) (Fig. 6). These ages are interpreted as thecrystallization age of the Jiepailing granite porphyry.

Fig. 4. Photographs and photomicrographs of granite and tin ores from the Jiepailing Sn–Be–F deposit. (A) Photograph of greisen tin ore. (B) Photomicrograph of greisen-type tin ore(under reflected plane-polarized light). (C) Photomicrograph of greisen-type tin ore (under plane-polarized light). (D) Photomicrograph of greisen-type tin ore (under crossed polarizedlight). (E) Photograph of granite porphyry. (F) Photomicrograph of granite porphyry (under crossed polarized light). Abbreviations: Bi (biotite), Cst (cassiterite), Kfs (K-feldspar), Mus(muscovite), Py (pyrite), Qtz (quartz).

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5.2. Muscovite Ar–Ar dating

40Ar–39Ar age determination were carried out on muscovite grainsintergrown with cassiterite from the greisen-type ore (separate JPL-20). Analytical results are listed in Table 2, and illustrated in Fig. 6,respectively. The apparent ages obtained from the low-temperaturesection are not considered to have geological significance because of

Fig. 5. Cathodoluminescence (CL) images of representative zircons separated from the Jiep

the low percentage of 39Ark released (Yuan et al., 2007, 2010), whichwas likely caused by the initial loss of small quantities of Ar from theedges of mineral grains (Hanson et al., 1975). In contrast, the eight con-tinuous steps at temperatures of 980–1280 °C are relatively coincident,and constitute a uniform and remarkably flat 40Ar/39Ar age spectra with97.6% 39Ark released. These steps yield a well-defined plateau age of92.1 ± 0.7 Ma (MSWD = 0.9), an isochron age of 91.3 ± 0.9 Ma

ailing granite porphyry. Also shown is the LA-MC-ICP-MS zircon U–Pb dating location.

Table 1LA-MC-ICP-MS zircon U–Pb data of the granite porphyry sample (JPL-28) in the Jiepailing Sn–Be–F deposit, southern Hunan Province.

Spot no. Th (ppm) U (ppm) Th/U 207Pb/206Pb 1σ 207Pb/235U 1σ 206Pb/238U 1σ 207Pb/206Pb age/Ma 207Pb/235U age/Ma 206Pb/238U age/Ma

JPL-28-9 154 157 0.98 0.0488 0.0009 0.0944 0.0023 0.0140 0.0002 200 ± 42 91.6 ± 2.1 89.8 ± 1.3JPL-28-10 389 364 1.07 0.0503 0.0005 0.0992 0.0015 0.0143 0.0002 209 ± 24 96.0 ± 1.4 91.7 ± 1.1JPL-28-11 595 545 1.09 0.0496 0.0006 0.0963 0.0018 0.0141 0.0002 176 ± 31 93.4 ± 1.6 90.3 ± 1.5JPL-28-12 312 279 1.12 0.0495 0.0006 0.0969 0.0019 0.0142 0.0002 172 ± 28 93.9 ± 1.8 90.9 ± 1.4JPL-28-21 638 524 1.22 0.0535 0.0019 0.1024 0.0039 0.0140 0.0006 350 ± 47 99.0 ± 3.6 89.7 ± 3.7JPL-28-22 301 304 0.99 0.0490 0.0007 0.0953 0.0017 0.0141 0.0002 150 ± 36 92.4 ± 1.5 90.4 ± 1.4JPL-28-24 531 558 0.95 0.0489 0.0004 0.0944 0.0014 0.0140 0.0002 139 ± 20 91.5 ± 1.3 89.7 ± 1.2JPL-28-27 300 335 0.90 0.0522 0.0011 0.1011 0.0022 0.0141 0.0003 295 ± 44 97.8 ± 2.1 90.1 ± 1.7JPL-28-28 164 152 1.08 0.0493 0.0023 0.0941 0.0068 0.0138 0.0005 161 ± 107 91.3 ± 6.3 88.2 ± 3.2JPL-28-29 174 179 0.97 0.0529 0.0010 0.1047 0.0008 0.0144 0.0003 324 ± 43 101.1 ± 0.7 91.9 ± 1.7JPL-28-30 200 183 1.09 0.0522 0.0015 0.1019 0.0029 0.0142 0.0002 295 ± 69 98.5 ± 2.7 90.6 ± 1.2

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(MSWD=0.9) at an initial 40Ar/36Ar ratio of 310.9±6.3, and an inverseisochron age of 91.3±0.9Ma (MSWD=2.1) at an initial 40Ar/36Ar ratioof 311.1 ± 7.9. (See Fig. 7.)

6. Discussion

6.1. Timing of granite porphyry emplacement and Sn–Be–F mineralization

Previous studies have demonstrated that 40Ar–39Ar dating of hydro-thermal K-bearing minerals can be used to reliably date hydrothermalore deposits (e.g., Selby et al., 2002; Yuan et al., 2010). In the JiepailingSn–Be–F deposit, themuscovites are typically intergrownwith cassiter-ite (Fig. 3), fluorite and chrysoberyl, and the 40Ar–39Ar dating onmusco-vite shows excellent agreement between the plateau age, the isochronage and the inverse isochron age,within the applicable analytical uncer-tainty. Moreover, the isochron and inverse isochron treatments of thedata indicate that initial 40Ar/36Ar ratios are well consistent with Nier'svalue (295.5 ± 5, Nier, 1950) within error uncertainty, suggesting theabsence of excess argon. Therefore, the plateau age (92.1 ± 0.7 Ma) isbelieved as a better estimate of the crystallization age of the muscovite,and also represents the age of the Jiepailing Sn–Be–F deposit. It is alsocoincident with the zircon LA-MC-ICP-MS U–Pb age (90.5 ± 0.9 Ma)for the Jiepailing granite porphyry, indicating that the Jiepailing Sn–F–Be deposit is temporally, spatially, and almost certainly genetically asso-ciated with the emplacement of the Jiepailing granite porphyry. Inte-grating the zircon LA-MC-ICP-MS U–Pb and muscovite 40Ar–39Ar ages,we can conclude that the emplacement of the granite porphyry and as-sociated Sn–Be–F mineralization in the Jiepailing mining area occurredduring the Late Cretaceous.

6.2. Regional metallogenic implications

Previous studies have revealed that the extensive Mesozoic mineraldeposits of East China are the products of multiple pulses of igneousactivity and mineralization. Each pulse is characterized by differentmetal associations, spatial distributions and distinct geodynamic setting

Table 240Ar–39Ar data for muscovite from sample JPL-20 of the Jiepailing Sn–Be–F deposit, southern H

T (°C) (40Ar/39Ar)m (36Ar/39Ar)m (37Ar/39Ar)m (38Ar/39Ar)m 40Ar (%)

JPL-20, sample weight = 28.82 mg, J = 0.001471800 221.6865 0.6838 0.0000 0.1481 8.86900 89.5234 0.2008 0.0000 0.0534 33.72980 48.8516 0.0436 0.0000 0.0217 73.611020 40.4441 0.0162 0.0042 0.0168 88.161060 38.6721 0.0107 0.0000 0.0154 91.791100 37.2550 0.0063 0.0000 0.0146 95.001130 37.8299 0.0079 0.0000 0.0146 93.841160 39.5103 0.0130 0.0000 0.0162 90.301210 40.5137 0.0192 0.0000 0.0172 85.991280 51.2447 0.0510 0.0000 0.0231 70.591400 44.5028 0.0244 0.0000 0.0139 83.82

(Mao et al., 2011, 2013). Among those, the W–Sn and rare metal de-posits are mainly distributed in South China, constituting the largestW–Sn metallogenic province in the world. Integrating the geochrono-logical data with regional geological data and field observations, Maoet al. (2013) proposed that the Mesozoic W–Sn and rare metal depositsin South China can be divided into three distinct episodes. These are:Late Triassic W–Sn–Nb–Ta mineralization (230–210 Ma); Late Jurassicpolymetallic W–Sn mineralization (160–150 Ma); and the Cretaceouspolymetallic Sn–W mineralization (134–80 Ma).

The Nanling W–Sn metallogenic province is an important EW-trendingMesozoic granitic magmatic belt in South China, characterizedby voluminous granitic rocks, and endowed with numerous W–Snpolymetallic deposits. For a long time, the Mesozoic W–Sn and raremetal deposits in Nanling region were considered as the products of asingle mineralization event collectively called “Yanshanian mineraliza-tion”. In the past decade, a large number of precise geochronologicaldata, including SHRIMP and LA-(MC)-ICP-MSU–Pb on zircon,molybde-nite Re–Os, cassiteriteU–Pb, and 40Ar–39Ar onK-bearingminerals, showthat the W–Sn-polymetallic mineralizations and related graniticmagmatism in Nanling regionmainly occurredwithin amuch narrowerage range of 160–150 Ma (Hu et al., 2012b; Li et al., 1996; Liu et al.,2012; Mao et al., 2004; Peng et al., 2006, 2007; Yuan et al., 2007,2008b, 2011, 2012a,b). This event is currently regarded as one of themost important mineralization events in East China (Hua et al., 2010;Mao et al., 2007, 2008, 2011, 2013; Peng et al., 2008). Combined withthe previous studies on the geochemical characteristics of granites(Chen and Jahn, 1998; Gilder et al., 1996; Li and Li, 2007), the mafic en-claves in ore-bearing granite (K.D. Zhao et al., 2012; Wang et al., 2014),and noble gas isotopes (Hu et al., 2012a; Li et al., 2007;Wu et al., 2011),Mao et al. (2007, 2008) andWang et al. (2014) suggested that the large-scale W–Sn mineralization event at 160–150 Ma formed under thegeodynamic setting of slab window or slab break-off.

However, more andmore additional Late Triassic raremetal andW–

Mo deposits in the Nanling area have been identified in recent years. Inthewestern part of the Nanling area, Yang et al. (2009) obtained amus-covite 40Ar–39Ar age of 214.1 ± 1.9 Ma from the Limu granite-related

unan Province.

40Ar⁎/39Ar 39Ar (×10−14 mol) 39Ar (Cum.) (%) Apparent age (±1σ)/Ma

19.6322 0.01 0.06 51 ± 2530.1888 0.10 0.57 78.4 ± 5.035.9619 1.57 8.39 92.99 ± 0.9335.6570 0.88 12.77 92.2 ± 1.035.4986 3.98 32.58 91.82 ± 0.9035.3938 9.83 81.57 91.56 ± 0.8935.5013 1.34 88.25 91.83 ± 0.9335.6763 0.82 92.33 92.27 ± 0.9634.8378 0.63 95.45 90.2 ± 1.136.1736 0.59 98.37 93.5 ± 1.137.3003 0.33 100.00 96.4 ± 1.4

Fig. 6. LA-MC-ICP-MS zircon U–Pb Concordia diagram curves for the granite porphyry inthe Jiepailing Sn–Be–F deposit.

290 S. Yuan et al. / Ore Geology Reviews 65 (2015) 283–293

Nb–Ta–W–Sn deposit. Zou et al. (2009), Wu et al. (2012) and Li et al.(2012) reported molybdenite Re–Os ages from the Liguifu, Yuntoujie,and Gaoling skarn W–Mo deposits of 211.9 ± 6.4 Ma, 226.2 ± 4.1 Mato 219.3 ± 4.0 Ma, and 227.3 ± 3.4 to 213.6 ± 5.6 Ma, respectively.Cai et al. (2006) obtained a molybdenite Re–Os age for the HehuapingSn deposit of 224 ± 1.9 Ma. In the eastern part of the Nanling region,Liu et al. (2008) reported a muscovite Ar–Ar age for the Exiangtangquartz vein-type Sn–W deposit of 231.4 ± 2.4 Ma. All those TriassicSn–W deposits in Nanling region are temporally coincident with theother Triassic Sn–W deposits in South China (e.g. the Nanyangtian Wdeposit and the Xinzhai Sn deposit with age of about 209 Ma (Fenget al., 2011)). Generally, the Triassic W–Sn–Nb–Ta deposits in SouthChina including those of the Nanling area are scattered throughout theentire region of South China. It is widely accepted that South Chinawas in a post-collisional geodynamic setting during the Late Triassic(Wang et al., 2007, 2010; Zhou et al., 2006). Based on previous studiesof regional tectonic–magmatic evolution processes and the characteris-tics of the granitic rocks related to TriassicW–Sn–Nb–Tbmineralization,Mao et al. (2013) suggested that the Late Triassic peraluminous granitesand associated W–Sn–Nb–Tb mineralization formed during post-collisional processes involving the South China Block, the North ChinaCraton, and the Indo-China Block.

In this contribution, our new high precise geochronological datasuggest that the Jiepailing giant Sn–Be–F deposit and related graniteformed during the Late Cretaceous (92–90 Ma). This represents

Fig. 7. Plateau and isochron 40Ar–39Ar ages of muscovite and cassite

convincing evidence for a previously unrecognized metallogenic eventrelated to Late Cretaceous granitic magmatism in Nanling W–Snprovince. Comparedwith the geochronological data fromother depositsin South China, the Late Cretaceous W–Sn mineralization in Nanlingregion is well coincident with those of the Late Cretaceous Snmetallogenic belt along the margin of the Youjiang Basin, e.g. theworld-class Gejiu tin (82–85 Ma, Yang et al., 2008) and Dachang tin(95Ma,Wang et al., 2004), which represented an important Late Creta-ceousW–Snmetallogenic event in South China. In addition, there is alsoa significant number of important Late Cretaceous porphyry Cu-epithermal Cu–Au–Ag, and vein-type Pb–Zn deposits in South China.These include the world-class Zijinshan porphyry-epithermal Cu–Au–Ag deposits in western Fujian Province (Liang et al., 2012; Zhang et al.,2003), the Longtoushan epithermal Au deposit (W.F. Chen et al., 2008)and the Wutong Ag–Pb–Zn deposit (Lecumberri-Sanchez et al., 2014)in eastern Guangxi Province, the Yinyan porphyry Sn deposit (Hu,1989), the Dajinshan granite-related W deposit (Yu et al., 2012), theShilu skarn-type Cu–Mo deposit (H.J. Zhao et al., 2012), and theTiantang vein-type Pb–Zn–Ag deposit (Zheng et al., 2013) in westernGuangdong Province.

It is widely accepted that large-scale lithospheric extension occurredin South China during the Cretaceous, which was characterized by ex-tensively developing mafic dykes, pull-apart basins, volcanic basins,and metamorphic core complexes (Faure, 1998; Faure et al., 1996;Gilder et al., 1991; Hu et al., 2007; Li, 2000; Wang et al., 2001; Yuet al., 2005). Based on the previous studies of the regional tectonicevolution, and the temporal–spatial distribution of the Late Cretaceousdeposits in SouthChina,Mao et al. (2013) suggested that the subductiondirection of the Paleo-Pacific plate changes from oblique subduction toparallel with respect to the continental margin at 135–80 Ma. Thischange induced large-scale lithospheric thinning and the formation ofthe sinistral strike-slip faults and related pull-apart basins, leading toformation of a wide range of Cretaceous mineral deposits in SouthChina. In the Nanling region, the red-colored Nanxiong faulted-depression basin developed in the east part of the Nanling region,from which intercalated olivine basalt occurred has been dated at96 ± 1 Ma (Shu et al., 2004). Contemporaneously, the occurrence ofCretaceous volcanic-intrusive magmatism (ca. 100 Ma) in westernGuangdong, at the southwesternmargin of theNanling region, occurredat ca. 100 Ma (Geng et al., 2006). Previous studies on the geochemicalcharacteristics of magmatic rocks and the evolution of Cretaceousbasin indicate that the Nanling region experienced a strong regionallithospheric extensional event during the late Early Cretaceous toearly Late Cretaceous (Li et al., 2014; Meng et al., 2012). The emplace-ment of the Jiepailing granite porphyry and associated Sn–Be–F miner-alization therefore occurred under a geodynamic setting of regionallithospheric extension in Nanling region.

The giant Jiepailing Sn–Be–F deposit is the first example of the LateCretaceous tin deposit in Nanling region, revealing an important Late

rite from the greisen-type ore in the Jiepailing Sn–Be–F deposit.

291S. Yuan et al. / Ore Geology Reviews 65 (2015) 283–293

Cretaceous W–Sn metallogenic event in the Nanling region, whichdemonstrated that Cretaceous W–Sn mineralization in South Chinanot only occurred along the continental margin, but also developed inintracontinental setting such as in Nanling region. Integrating our newevidence with high precise geochronological data obtained previously,it is suggested that theNanling regionmainly experienced three distincttectonomagmatic activities and lithospheric thinning events during theMesozoic, which are responsible for three Sn–W metallogenic events,which led to form theworld-class NanlingW–Snmetallogenic province.

7. Conclusions

Through combined muscovite 40Ar–39Ar dating of the Jiepailinggiant Sn–Be–F deposit and LA-MC-ICP-MS zircon U–Pb dating of therelated granite porphyry, the following conclusions can be reached.

(1) 40Ar–39Ar dating on muscovite shows that the Jiepailing giantSn–Be–F deposit formed at 92.1 ± 0.7 Ma, well coincident withthe LA-MC-ICP-MS zircon U–Pb age (90.5 ± 0.9 Ma) for theJiepailing granite porphyry responsible for the Sn–Be–F mineral-ization, indicating a temporal link between the emplacement ofthe Jiepailing granite porphyry and the Sn–Be–F mineralization.

(2) Our new high precise geochronological data suggest that theJiepailing giant Sn–Be–F deposit and related granite formed dur-ing the Late Cretaceous (92–90 Ma). This is convincing evidencefor a previously unrecognized metallogenic event related to LateCretaceous granitic magmatism in Nanling W–Sn province.

(3) Integrated with high precise geochronological data obtainedpreviously, it is suggested that the Nanling regionmainly experi-enced distinct three tectonomagmatic activities and lithosphericthinning events during Mesozoic. Each event is responsible for adistinct generation of Sn–W deposits. The combination of thethree metallogenic events in the same region contributed tothe metal endowment Nanling W–Sn metallogenic province.The new data are consistent with mineralization epochs acrossthe whole of southeastern China.

Acknowledgments

This work was jointly supported by the National Nonprofit NaturalScience Foundation of China (K1204), the National Basic ResearchProgram of China (No. 2012CB416704), and the National NaturalScience Foundation of China (Nos. 41173052, 41373047, 40903020).

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