Age and Petrogenesis of the Dongjin Rare Metal Mineralized Intrusion in the Northern Margin of the North China Craton

• Published in: Minerals (Basel) Vol. 13; no. 12; p. 1477
• Main Authors: Liu, Chenyu, Chen, Gongzheng, Wang, Jinfang, Cheng, Yi, Li, Kangshuo, Lu, Zeqian, Song, Yutong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.12.2023
• Subjects: Anomalies; Biotite; columbite U-Pb dating; Cratons; Crystallization; Dating; Evolution; Fault lines; Feldspars; Fractional crystallization; Geochemistry; Geochronology; Geochronometry; Geology; Granite; Heavy metals; highly fractionated I-type granite; Intrusion; Lava; Magma; Metals; Mineralization; Mineralogy; Niobium; northern margin of the North China Craton; Petrogenesis; Plagioclase; Radiometric dating; Rare earth elements; Rare earth metals; rare metal mineralization; Rocks; Trace elements; Triassic; Zirconium; Canada; China; Brazil; Australia
• ISSN: 2075-163X; 2075-163X
• DOI: 10.3390/min13121477

Highly fractionated granites are widespread in the middle part of the northern margin of the North China Craton (MNNCC), and several are accompanied by rare metal mineralization. The Dongjin rare metal mineralized intrusion, which is representative of this region, is composed of fine-grained alkali-feldspar granite (FAG) and kali-feldspar granite (KG). The FAG and KG evolve continuously, exemplifying the relationship between magmatic evolution and rare metal mineralization. In this contribution, we present integrated columbite U-Pb geochronology, mineralogy, and whole-rock geochemistry analyses of the Dongjin intrusion to determine the timing of the mineralization, petrogenesis, and geodynamic setting, from which the following results are obtained: (1) LA-ICP-MS U-Pb dating for columbite of the FAG and KG yielded the lower intercept ages between 248.9 ± 1.9 Ma and 250.1 ± 1.1 Ma on the Tera–Wasserburg concordia diagram; (2) Geochemically, the Dongjin intrusion is characterized by an enrichment in Si, Al, Rb, Th, U, Nb, and Zr and a strong depletion in Ba, Sr, P, and Ti, with extremely negative Eu anomalies, high LREE and HREE values, and a noticeable tetrad effect of rare earth elements; as a result, it belongs to high-K calc-alkaline rocks; (3) The Dongjin intrusion belongs to a highly differentiated I-type or A-type granite; (4) The fractional crystallization of plagioclase, K-feldspar, and biotite occurred during magmatic evolution; (5) The Dongjin intrusion was formed in a post-collisional extensional environment. In conclusion, the FAG and KG have a homologous evolution, and the FAG has a higher degree of fractional crystallization. The enrichment and mineralization of Nb-Ta are related to the highly fractionated crystallization of granitic magma and fluid–melt interactions in the final stages of magmatic evolution, and there is a rare metal mineralization related to highly fractionated granite in the MNNCC in the Early Triassic, which deserves full attention in future research and prospecting.