Metallogenetic epoch and mechanism of the tungsten ore in Yushan, Beishan orogenic belt, Gansu

Using SHRIMP zircon U-Pb dating methods and cathodoluminescence (CL) technique, we have precisely dated ore samples from tungsten ore deposit, ore-bearing volcanic-sedimentary strata and granite in the Yushan region within the east Tianshan-Beishan W-bearing zone. This study reveals Yushan tungsten ore deposit zone formed in 250 ± 9 Ma, and it is closely associated with the Permian granites and felsic volcanic rocks. This new type of tungsten ore deposit in the east Tianshan-Beishang multiple-metallogenetic province may probably be associated with the regionally right-literal shearing after the main Carboniferous collisional orogeny, and the formation of pull-apart basin and the felsic magmatism. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 40572045), the State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources in China University of Geosciences (GPMR0543), and the research project ‘The study of metallization of ore deposits in Gansu Province’ in Gansu Geology and Mineral Resources Bureau