Yangshan Gold Deposit: The Largest Carlin and Carlin‐Iike Type Gold Deposit in China

AbstractGold Headquarter of the CAPF has discovered the Yangshan super large‐scale gold deposit in Gansu Province, which is a great breakthrough of gold exploration and prospecting in Western Qinling Mountains of China. The gold resources of this deposit achieved 308 tons with increasing potentials. Preliminary geological investigations indicate that the Yangshan gold deposit is located in the intra‐continental collision orogenic belt; and the deposit was formed during the continent‐continent collision orogenic processes. The geological characteristics of the deposit are similar to that of the typical Carlin‐type gold deposits, while differences still exist. The ore‐forming background is notably different from the Carlin gold deposit province in the United States; and the ore‐forming fluids are similar with that of the orogenic‐type gold deposit. Accordingly, the Yangshan gold deposit is a transitional type between the Carlin‐type and the orogenic type gold deposits. At present, the Yangshan gold deposit is the largest Carlin and Carlin‐like type gold deposit that is ever discovered in China. Researches on metallogeny, metallogenic model and ore‐enrichment regularities of the Yangshan gold deposit are crucial to meet the pressing needs of the current geological investigation and ore exploration of the deposit.