ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Earth Sci.
Sec. Geochemistry
Genesis of the Xiaotazigou Gold Deposit in the Northern Margin of the North China Craton: Constraints from Sulfur Isotopes, Rare Earth Elements, and Trace Elements
Provisionally accepted
- 1Harbin Center for Integrated Natural Resources Survey, China Geological Survey, Harbin, China
- 2Observation and Research Station of Earth Critical Zone in Black Soil, Harbin, Ministry of Natural Resources, Harbin, China
- 3Liaoning Nonferral Geology 109 Team Co., Ltd, Chaoyang, China
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The Xiaotazigou gold deposit is located in the eastern section of the Chifeng– Chaoyang gold metallogenic belt on the northern margin of the North China Craton. In this study, rare earth and trace element compositions of ores and host rocks, together with sulfur isotope data, were applied to constrain the geochemical characteristics of ore-forming fluids and the sources of ore-forming materials. The results show that the ores are enriched in light rare earth elements (LREE) and display negative Eu anomalies, with Hf/Sm, Nb/La, and Th/La ratios all <1. These features indicate that the ore-forming fluids were Cl-rich, reducing, medium–low temperature NaCl–H2O–CO2 hydrothermal solutions. Pyrite from the ores yields Co/Ni ratios >1, suggesting a magmatic– hydrothermal origin. Variations in Y/Ho and Zr/Hf ratios, coupled with relatively stable Nb/Ta ratios, imply that the hydrothermal system was influenced by fluid mixing with meteoric water during evolution. The δ34S values of pyrite (2.67‰–3.70‰, avg. 3.14‰) are close to mantle-derived sulfur, indicating a dominant mantle source for the ore-forming materials. Moreover, similar rare earth element distribution patterns and trace element geochemical behaviors between ores, monzogranite, and gneiss suggest that the granitoids and gneiss also contributed essential material to the mineralization. Integrating geochemical data and regional tectonic setting, the Xiaotazigou gold deposit is classified as an orogenic gold deposit formed in an intracontinental orogenic regime after the collision between the North China Craton and the Siberian Plate. This study provides new constraints on ore genesis and contributes to understanding gold metallogeny in the northern margin of the North China Craton.
Keywords: Ore-forming fluids, orematerial source, Rare Earth Elements, Sulfur Isotopes, Trace Elements, Xiaotazigou gold deposit
Received: 05 Nov 2025; Accepted: 11 Dec 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Yuan, Sun, Fu, Bai, Wei, Wang and Zhao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Jingyao Sun
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