Zircon U–Pb Ages of the Mianning–Dechang Syenites, Sichuan
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Ore Geology Reviews 64 (2015) 554–568 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Ore Geology Reviews journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/oregeorev Zircon U–Pb ages of the Mianning–Dechang syenites, Sichuan Province, southwestern China: Constraints on the giant REE mineralization belt and its regional geological setting Yan Liu a,ZengqianHoua,⁎, Shihong Tian b,QichaoZhangc, Zhimin Zhu d,JianhuiLiue a Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing 100037, PR China b Institute of Mineral Resources, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing 100037, PR China c Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing 100037, PR China d Institute of Multipurpose Utilization of Mineral Resources, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Chengdu 610041. PR China e Beijing SHRIMP Center, Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing 100037, PR China article info abstract Article history: The Himalayan Mianning–Dechang (MD) rare earth element (REE) belt in western Sichuan Province, southwest- Received 16 August 2013 ern China, is approximately 270 km long and 15 km wide, and contains total reserves of more than 3 Mt of light Received in revised form 27 March 2014 REEs (LREEs), comprising one giant (Maoniuping), one large (Dalucao), two small–medium-sized (Muluozhai Accepted 28 March 2014 and Lizhuang), and numerous smaller REE deposits. The belt occurs within the eastern Indo-Asian collision Available online 13 April 2014 zone (EIACZ), where its location is controlled by large-scale strike-slip faults and tensional fissure zones. Himalayan carbonatite–syenite complexes consist predominantly of alkaline syenite stocks and carbonatite Keywords: SHRIMP U–Pb dating sills or dikes that host REE mineralization. Previous studies have reported inconsistent ages for alkaline Syenite magmatism syenite formation and REE mineralization. Here, we present new results of sensitive high- Mianning–Dechang REE belt resolution ion micro-probe U–Pb dating of zircons from syenites from the Dalucao, Maoniuping, Lizhuang and Sichuan Province Diaoloushan areas, the first systematic and precise age determinations for these rocks in the MD belt. The Southwestern China new data give concordant ages of 12.13 ± 0.19 and 11.32 ± 0.23 Ma for the Dalucao deposit, 22.81 ± 0.31 and 21.3 ± 0.4 Ma for Maoniuping, 26.77 ± 0.32 Ma for Muluozhai, and 27.41 ± 0.35 Ma for Lizhuang. These ages, which should be regarded as maximum ages for the REE mineralization in the study area, can be split into two groups, i.e. 11–12 Ma in the southern part of the MD belt and 12–27 Ma in the northern part, suggesting a progression of magmatism from north to south. These data suggest that the majority of carbonatite–syenite magmatism within the EIACZ occurred during the main stage of Himalayan metallogenesis. The ages presented in this study suggest that strike-slip shear along the MD belt was initiated at ca. 27 Ma and ended ca. 12 Ma. This timing is consistent with movements along the adjacent Ailaoshan–Red River strike-slip fault in southeastern Tibet (to the south of the MD belt) and one of the three Cenozoic strike-slip faults in eastern Tibet. Ascent of an asthenospheric mantle diapir beneath the EIACZ in the Cenozoic may have provided a thermal mechanism for the generation of magmas that formed the carbonatite–syenite complexes in the study area. Alternatitvely, the magmas may have been generated by decompression melting associated with the transition from a transpressional to a transtensional regime at 38–40 Ma. The precise age results for syenite magmatism in the study area indicate that this transition occurred prior to carbonatite–syenite magmatism and the formation of the MD REE belt, which is consistent with the regional tectonic model. © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Langshan–Baiyan Obo Rift in northern China (Wang and Li, 1992). Other REE deposits occur in continental collision zones, such as the The majority of rare earth element (REE) deposits associated with Himalayan Mianning–Dechang (MD) REE belt in the western part of carbonatite–syenite complexes occur in continental rift zones, such as Sichuan Province, southwestern China. Such deposits are associated the East African Rift (Mitchell and Garson, 1981) and the Proterozoic with Cenozoic carbonatite–syenite complexes of the eastern Indian– Asian collision zone (EIACZ), a region of high topographic relief that is bounded by Cenozoic strike-slip faults (Fig. 1; Hou and Cook, 2009; Hou ⁎ Corresponding author at: Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological et al., 2003, 2006a,b; Yin and Harrison, 2000). The MD REE belt, which Sciences, Baiwanzhuang Road 26 #, Xicheng District, 100037 Beijing, PR China. fi Tel.: +86 1068990617. is one of the most economically signi cant mineral belts in China, is E-mail address: [email protected] (Z. Hou). 270 km long and 15 km wide, and hosts one giant (Maoniuping), one http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.oregeorev.2014.03.017 0169-1368/© 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Y. Liu et al. / Ore Geology Reviews 64 (2015) 554–568 555 large (Dalucao), and two medium-sized REE deposits (Muluozhai and Lizhuang), in addition to numerous other mineralized carbonatite– syenite complexes (Fig. 2). The REE belt is located within the Panxi Rift, a Permian paleorift zone, which was formed as a result of the Emeishan mantle plume (Cong, 1988; Zhang et al., 1988). Previous dating of both References Tian et al. (2008a,b) Tian et al. (2006) Yuan et al. (1995) Tian et al. (2008b) host rocks and gangue minerals, however, indicates that these REE deposits formed during Himalayan metallogenesis (40–10 Ma; Pu, 2001; Tian et al., 2008a,b; Yuan et al., 1995), suggesting formation during collisional orogenesis rather than continental rifting. This indicates that ed) fi the timing of mineralization in this area is important for constraining the type of mineralization within this giant REE belt, the processes that formed the carbonatite–syenite complex within the belt, and the geodynamic setting of the study area. Previous studies have used a num- Os – ber of differing analytical techniques, isotope systems and minerals to Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) (error not speci date these REE deposits, yielding a wide range of ages that are often inconsistent or contradictory, even for dates obtained within the same deposit. Such problems are exemplified by the interpreted formation age of the Lizhuang deposit (30.55 ± 0.5 Ma, Ar–Ar on biotite; 28.5 Ma, model age, Re–Os on molybdenite), which is older than the carbonatite–syenite complex that hosts the deposit (27.1 Ma, total fusion age, Ar–Ar on microcline; Tian et al., 2008b)(Table 1), whereas the local geology suggests that the carbonatite–syenite complex formed before the development of REE mineralization (Hou et al., 2006a; Hou et al., 2009). Furthermore, 27.1 Ma is a total fusion age rather than a plateau age, which cannot represent an accurate age for syenite in Ar Re the Lizhuang deposit (Tian, 2005). A similar situation exists for the – Flame spectrophotometer + integrated database management system (FP + IDMS) 40.3 ± 0.70 Ma (Bi) 31.7 ± 0.70 Ma (Af) Muluozhai deposit, whose age (35.5 ± 0.5 Ma, Ar–Ar on phlogopite) is older than the age of the carbonatite–syenite complex (31.2 ± 0.56 Ma, Ar–Ar on microcline) that hosts the deposit (Tian et al., 2006). Single deposit can have multiple mineralization ages that differ by up to 10 Ma, a significant discrepancy considering that the entire MD REE belt formed during the Himalayan orogenesis. This is exemplified Ar K by the Maoniuping deposit within the MD REE belt, where bastnäsite– – 35.5 ± 0.5 Ma (Ph) 12.95 ± 0.22 Ma (Mu) Mass spectrometer (MS) 13.33 ± 0.41 Ma (Mu) 30.55 ± 0.5 Ma (Bi)aegirine–augite–fluorite 28.5 Ma (model age) –barite and bastnäsite–barite–calcite veins yielded ages of 40.3 and 31.7 Ma, respectively; a much younger U–Pb age of 12.2 Ma, measured on zircons by isotope-dilution thermal ioniza- Dechang REE metallogenic belt, southwestern Sichuan. – tion mass spectrometry (ID-TIMS), was regarded to make the onset the of the REE mineralization at the late stage of formation of the – – ed) carbonatite syenite complex. It is unclear at present if an older U Pb fi age of 22.4 Ma, also measured on zircons by ID-TIMS, could represent the timing of formation of the carbonatite–syenite complex at Maoniuping (Yuan et al., 1995)(Table 1). These ages imply that the REE Pb K mineralization is much older than the formation of the carbonatite– – 12.2 Ma (Sy) 22.4 Ma (Sy) (total fusion age) (error not speci Isotopic dilution thermal ionization mass spectrometry (ID-TIMS) syenite complex. However, the difference between the formation ages rocline; Mo = molybdenite; Mu = muscovite; Ph = phlogopite; Sy = syenite. of the coarse-grained mineralized veins and their host igneous rocks is still unclear, because the emplacement of syenite and carbonatite in the Maoniuping REE deposit has not been accurately dated yet. In previous studies, most syenite formation ages were measured on muscovite or microcline using Ar–Ar methods. Considering the lower closure tempera- ture of these minerals compared with those of zircon and syenites and the fact that carbonatite and REE deposits are spatially close or adjacent to Pb U – 12.13 ± 0.19 Ma (Sy) (this study) 11.32 ± 0.23 Ma (Sy) (this study) (this study) 21.30 ± 0.4 Ma (Sy) (this study) 27.41 ± 0.35 Ma (Sy) (this study) microprobe (SHRIMP) 12.99 ± 0.94 Ma (Ca) 26.77 ± 0.32 Ma (Sy) (this study) one another, syenites could have been readily affected by ore-forming or other later-stage fluids, meaning that the Ar–Ar dates may not repre- syenite complexes and their mineralization in the Mianning – sent the actual age of syenite crystallization.