The Alxa block is located in the southwestern margin of the North China Craton. The Paleoproterozoic tectonic evolution, crustal growth and tectonic affinity of the block remain unknown or controversial. The Longshoushan (LS) area is one of the few areas that outcrop Paleoproterozoic to crystalline basement rocks in the Alxa Block. In this study, we preset whole-rock geochemistry, zircon U–Pb geochronology and Lu–Hf isotope data from metagabbro, metadiorite, quartz syenite, granitic leucosome and pegmatoid leucosome in the LS area. These rocks all are enriched in LREE and LILE, and depleted in HREE and HFSE. Eight new LA-ICP-MS zircon U–Pb ages yielded three magmatic ages of 2044 Ma, 2029 Ma and 1940 Ma, and three metamorphic ages of 1891 Ma, 1848 Ma and 1812 Ma. Lu–Hf analyses reveal that the magmatic zircons and anatectic/metamorphic zircons from all the rock types are characterized by positive εHf(t) (−0.16 to 10.89) and variable εHf(t) (−11.21 to 6.24), respectively. Based on the previous studies and our new data, we conclude that the LS area experienced three magmatic events (2.5–2.45 Ga, ~2.1–2.0 Ga and ~1.95–1.91 Ga) and three regional metamorphism/anataxis events (~1.93–1.89 Ga, ~1.86–1.84 Ga and ~1.81 Ga) in Paleoproterozoic. The age–Hf isotope data establishes two main crustal growth events at ~2.9–2.5 Ga and ~2.2–2.0 Ga in the LS area. These data indicate that the LS area experienced intraplate extensional setting in the middle Paleoproterozoic, and continental subduction, collision and exhumation in the late Paleoproterozoic. Combining the geochronological framework and tectonic evolution, we suggest that the Alxa Block is part of the Khondalite Belt.

The Dongguashan copper (gold) deposit in Anhui Province is one of the largest copper (gold) deposits in the Tongling ore district, which is the most important region in the Middle–Lower Yangtze River Metallogenic Belt, Eastern China. Stratiform and lamellar orebodies are the major deposit types. Pyrite and pyrrhotite from the stratiform deposit type (Py I, Po I) and lamellar deposit type (Py II, Po II) are investigated using Electron-probe Microanalyses (EPMA) and Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). Py I, Py II, Po I and Po II have high contents of Cu, Co, Au and Se, low contents of As, Pb and Zn, with Co/Ni ratios of 0.50−48.00, 4.00−45.00, 1.55−14.45 and 1.02−1.36, respectively, most of which are greater than 1 and vary widely; these characteristics are consistent with those of pyrite with a magmatic–hydrothermal origin. The higher Au/Ag and Fe/(S + As) ratios of pyrite and crystallization temperatures (286–387 °C) of hexagonal pyrrhotite indicate that the mineralization occurrs in environments with medium- to high-temperatures, high sulfur fugacity and medium-shallow depths. Therefore, we suggest that the Dongguashan copper (gold) deposit is a stratabound skarn-type ore deposit associated with magma intrusion activity during the Yanshanian Period.

The Xialiugou polymetallic deposit is located in the North Qilian Orogenic Belt, Northwest China, of which the main ore-bearing strata are the Middle Cambrian Heicigou Group. The mineralization is zoned with “black” orebodies (galena–sphalerite), which are stratigraphically above the “yellow” orebodies (pyrite–chalcopyrite–tennantite) at the lower zone, corresponding to the alteration assemblages of quartz–sericite in the ore-proximal zone and chlorite in the ore-distal zone. The Xialiugou mineralization can be divided into three stages: (1) Stage I (pyrite); (2) Stage II (chalcopyrite–tennantite–sphalerite); and (3) Stage III (galena–sphalerite). Fluid inclusions data indicate that the physicochemical conditions that lead to ore formation were the medium–low temperature (157–350 °C) and low salinity (0.17–6.87 wt % NaCl_eqv), and that the ore-forming temperature tended to decrease with the successive mineralization processes. Taking the H–O isotopic compositions (δD_V-SMOW = −51.0‰ to −40.5‰, δ¹⁸O_H2O = −0.4‰ to 8.6‰) into consideration, the ore-forming fluids were most likely derived from seawater with a small amount of magmatic- and meteoric-fluids input. In addition, the combined S (−3.70‰ to 0.10‰) and Pb isotopic (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 18.357 to 18.422, ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 15.615 to 15.687, ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 38.056 to 38.248) data of pyrite indicate that the ore-bearing volcanic rocks may be an important source of ore-forming materials. Finally, we inferred that the Xialiugou deposit shares similarities with the most important volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposits (Baiyinchang ore field) in China and typical “black ore” type VMS deposits worldwide.