The deposit type, mineralization age and their geological significance of the Wandao gold deposit in Zhaoping County, Guangxi Province

The Wandao gold deposit is located in the west of Gupao gold field within the Dayaoshan uplift, the southwestern segment of the Qin-hang Metallogenic Belt. The gold ore bodies are characterized by quartz veins, which mostly presents within the granitic porphyry and Cambrian sandstone/slate. The trend of ore bodies is parallel to nearly EW faults rather than around the magmatic rock in surface (ring) distribution; moreover, the ore structure is of large quartz vein instead of stockwork. Therefore, the Wandao gold deposit is believed to be quartz vein deposit rather than porphyry gold deposit, like the Gupao and Taohua gold deposits. Furthermore, a great number of Molybdenite-scheelite quartz veins were found in porphyry granite and along the contact zone of porphyry granite,cut by the gold-bearing sulfide quartz veins, suggesting the presence of two different mineralization stages. Zircon LA-ICP-MS dating showed porphyry age of 436.1±2.1 Ma-436.4±2.4 Ma; molybdenite Re-Os chronology measurement indicated the age of tungsten-molybdenite quartz veins of 436.6±3.8 Ma. Combined with previous dating results of Taohua gold deposit 148±10 Ma, it is believed that the porphyry within the Wandao gold deposit was emplaced during the Caledonian, and was closely associated with tungsten/molybdenum mineralization; however, it was irrelevant to the local gold mineralization during the Yanshanian; the gold mineralization was mainly controlled by a set of EW trending faults. In this paper, we suggest that gold deposits are the most economic exploration targets in Liucen-Taohua-Gupao gold mineralization belt, and the Caledonian Shedong type of quartz vein-skarn-porphyry tungsten-molybdenum deposit deserves equal efforts. ©, 2015, Chinese Academy of Forestry. All right reserved.