Reconstruction of Ore-controlling Structures Resulting from Magmatic Intrusion into the Tongling Ore Cluster Area during the Yanshanian Epoch

摘要

The Tongling ore cluster area experienced intensive compression and associated shearing during the Indosinian-Yanshanian Epoch, which formed a trunk ore-controlling fold and fault system in the caprock. The magmatic intrusion in the Yanshanian Epoch induced a multi-stage unmixing of poly-phase fluids, resulting in mineralization characterized by multi-layer, wide-range, and multiform styles. The magmatic intrusion in the Tongling area not only supplied the essential ore-forming materials, but also reconstructed the ore-controlling structures according to a trend surface simulation of the following five strata boundaries: Silurian-Devonian, Devonian-Carboniferous, Carboniferous-Permian, Middle Permian-Upper Permian and Permian -Triassic. The result of this simulation shows that there exists a significant difference between the strata in the upper part and those in the lower. The lower trend surfaces are antiform whereas the upper trend surfaces are synform. In addition, superposing of the trend surfaces of adjacent bed boundaries (such as, Silurian-Devonian boundary superposed upon Devonian-Carboniferous boundary) shows, that the lower trend surface always pierces the one above. Moreover, the position and orientation of the pierced parts of the different superposed trend surfaces are similar and show E-W-trending zonal distribution in accordance with the distribution of the regional E-W-trending magmatic-metallogenic belt. Based on comprehensive analysis of the mechanical properties of the strata, structural deformation mechanisms, and field phenomena, it seems that the special characteristics of the stratal trend surface resulted from jacking due to magmatic intrusion into the caprock previously controlled by an E-W-trending basement fault. Therefore, it is deduced that the major ore-controlling structures, which formed during regional horizontal compression, were reconstructed by the vertical jacking function of ore-forming magmas during the Yanshanian Epoch. During the ore-forming process, the local vertical jacking of magmas, coupled with the regional horizontal compression, optimized an extensive environment in the fluid-conduit network and accelerated the unmixing of poly-phase fluids following magmatic emplacement. Jacking also strengthened the vertical and lateral fluid-guiding structures, supplying more suitable physical conditions for multi-layer emplacement and wide-ranging transport of poly-phase fluids.