Age, Genesis and Tectonic Setting of the Sayashk Tin Deposit in the East Junggar Region: Constraints from Lu-Hf Isotopes, Zircon U-Pb and Molybdenite Re-Os Dating

The Sayashk tin (Sn) deposit is located within the southern part of the Eastern Junggar orogenic belt in Xinjiang Province and forms part of the Kalamaili alkaline granite belt. There are many Sn polymetallic deposits in the area. To constrain the age, genesis, and tectonic setting of the Sayashk tin deposit in the East Junggar region, we conducted a bulk-rock geochemical analysis of the granite porphyry (SR1) and medium- to fine-grained granite (SR2) hosts of the deposit, LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb dating and Lu-Hf c Re-OS dating and combined our results with the metallogenic conditions and other geological characteristics of the deposit. The results show that the Sayashk Sn deposit is indeed spatially, temporally, and genetically closely related to the granite porphyry and medium-fine-grained granite. Both zircon U-Pb ages are 308.2 +/- 1.5 Ma and 310.9 +/- 1.5 Ma, respectively. The isochron age of molybdenite is 301.4 +/- 6.7 Ma, which represents the crystallization age of the granite porphyry and medium-fine-grained granite. Therefore, all of them formed in the late Carboniferous epoch. The medium-fine-grained granites and granite porphyry are characteristically rich in Si and alkali, poor in Ca and Mg, rich in high field-strength elements (HFSE, e.g., Zr, Hf) and Ce, and deficient in Ba, Sr, Eu, P, and Ti. They are typical A-type granites, showing the characteristics of a mixed crustal mantle source. The epsilon Hf(t) values of the zircon from the granite porphyry (SR1) range from 10.27 to 16.17 (average 13.71), epsilon Hf(t) values of the zircon from the medium-fine-grained granites (SR2) are between 5.72 and 9.21 (average 7.08), and the single model ages (T-DM1) and two-stage model ages (T-DM2) of the granite porphyry (SR1) fall within the ranges of 319 similar to 535 Ma and 339 similar to 644 Ma. The single model ages (T-DM1) and two-stage model ages (T-DM2) of the medium-fine-grained granites (SR2) fall within the ranges of 346 similar to 479 Ma and 309 similar to 557 Ma. There is little difference between their two-stage model ages and zircon U-Pb ages, indicating that the Sayashk granite may be the product of partial melting of juvenile crustal. Combined with previous research results, the Sayashk Sn deposit formed in a post-collision extensional tectonic setting after the late Carboniferous in the Kalamaili area.

Automated summary

This study investigates the age, genesis, and tectonic setting of the Sayashk tin deposit in the Eastern Junggar region of Xinjiang Province. The results show that the deposit is closely related to granite porphyry and medium-fine-grained granite and formed in a post-collision extensional tectonic setting after the late Carboniferous.