Metallogenic Processes and Molybdenum Deposits in Northeast China

In Northeast China the metallogenic architecture hosting molybdenum deposits is intimately linked to the Mesozoic geodynamic evolution of the eastern Central Asian Orogenic Belt and the northern margin of the North China Craton. Porphyry and quartz-vein molybdenum systems predominantly formed during the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous in response to subduction of the Paleo-Pacific Plate and a subsequent transition to extensional tectonics. Intrusive suites range from high-K calc-alkaline I-type granites to highly fractionated A-type monzogranites, which generated chloride-rich hydrothermal fluids capable of transporting molybdenum. Multi-stage fluid inclusion and isotope studies reveal an evolution from high-temperature, metal-rich magmatic fluids to lower-temperature fluids enriched by meteoric water, with fluid mixing, boiling and cooling driving metal precipitation. Structural controls such as fault corridors and granite-country rock contacts localise ore bodies, while U–Pb zircon, Re–Os molybdenite and Pb isotopic data point to mixed crust–mantle sources. Advances in geophysical imaging have further refined subsurface models of deep porphyry systems. These deposits supply a significant share of global molybdenum for steel alloying and chemical catalysts, and insights from this region guide exploration in comparable metallotects worldwide.

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Technical terms

Porphyry deposit: A large, low- to medium-grade mineral system associated with porphyritic intrusions and metal-bearing hydrothermal fluids.

Hydrothermal fluid: Hot, aqueous solution derived from magmatic or metamorphic sources that transports metals and volatiles.

Fluid inclusion: Microscopic pocket of trapped fluid in a mineral, preserving temperature, pressure and chemical data of ore-forming systems.

I-type granite: Metaluminous to weakly peraluminous granite derived from igneous protoliths, typically associated with magmatic arcs.

A-type granite: Alkali-rich, anorogenic granite formed in extensional environments, often linked to high geothermal gradients and crustal thinning.

Re–Os isotopic dating: Chronometric method using the decay of rhenium to osmium to date sulphide minerals such as molybdenite.

References

1. Geochronological, Geochemical and Pb Isotope Inferences for Genesis of Wulandele Porphyry Molybdenum Deposit, Inner Mongolia, Northeast China. Minerals (2024).
2. Geochronology and Tectonic Implications of the Nianzigou Granites and Associated Mo Deposit, Inner Mongolia. Minerals (2022).
3. Geochronology, Geochemistry, and Lu-Hf Isotopic Compositions of Monzogranite Intrusion from the Chang’anpu Mo Deposit, NE China: Implications for Tectonic Setting and Mineralization. Minerals (2022).