Deep Tectonic Processes and Superaccumulation of Metals Related to Granitoids in the Nanling Metallogenic Province, China

Abstract The Nanling region is an important nonferrous and rare metal metallogenic province in South China, in which most of the deposits are related to granitoids in genesis. It covers southern Hunan, southern Jiangxi, Guangxi, Guangdong and Fujian provinces, with a total area of about 550,000 km2. This metallogenic province is well known in the world for its rich tungsten and tin resources. In the past 40‐odd years, a vast amount of mineral exploration activities and studies of the geology of mineral deposits have been carried out and great achievements obtained in the province. This paper is focused on a discussion about the deep tectonic processes in the orogenic belt during the Mesozoic and their contribution to the superaccumulation of metals. Tectonically, this metallogenic province is composed of three units: (1) the marginal continental orogenic belt in the Southeastern Coast fold system in the Yanshanian; (2) the intercontinental orogenic belt in the collision suture belt between the Yangtze and Cathaysian plates mainly in the Caledonian; and (3) the intracontinental orogenic belt induced by subduction of the ocean crust and delimination of the mantle lithosphere in the Yanshanian. It is suggested that superaccumulation of metals in this metallogenic province was caused by the existence of mantle rooted tectonics at the depth based on comprehensive studies of geophysical information of seismic, geothermal and magnetotelluric surveys in Nanling and its adjacent areas. The Xihuashan wolframite quartz vein deposit, the Shizhuyuan W, Sn, Mo, Bi greisen‐skarn deposit and the Dachang tin‐polymetallic deposit are three typical examples of the deep tectonic processes. However, this kind of deep tectonic processes only act as the “engine” of the superaccumulation of metals, which means that they should have to correspond with the super‐crust ore‐controlling pattern of “lines‐rows‐clusters” (L‐R‐C). This recognization is expected to play an important role in assessment of mineral resources in this province.