About this Research Topic
Previous studies have proposed that many important ore deposits in Northwest China were enlarged and upgraded by multiple mineralization phases. However, the detailed ore-forming process, space-time framework and tectono-magmatic background related to such regional multi-phase metallogenesis is not yet clear. In recent years, several novel approaches have been applied to characterize the genesis of mineral deposits. These include the trace-element and stable isotope composition of ore minerals, the composition of fluid inclusions, and the ages of ore minerals (e.g., cassiterite, wolframite, chalcopyrite, and molybdenite), all of which can now be determined in situ using, for example, laser ablation micro-sampling. These methods are invaluable to characterizing the physicochemical processes that lead to critical metal mineralization, which is integral to our understanding of the occurrence of critical metal deposits in the geologic record and their mechanisms of formation.
This Research Topic aims to compile the latest progresses in scientific research and exploration of critical metal deposits in Northwest China. The Topic editors encourage contributions covering the following themes:
• Li, Rb, Cs, Be, Nb, Ta, REE, U, W and Sn, and related granites, pegmatites, carbonatites, etc;
• Ni(-Cu), Co, Cr, PGE and Au, and related mafic–ultramafic rocks;
• Au, Cu and Mo (Re), and related magmatism or orogeny;
• Enrichment and specific conditions of recoverable Ga–Ge–In–Cd–Tl–Re–Se–Te as by-products in hydrothermal deposits;
• Regional mineralization and tectonic evolution.
This Research Topic has been realized in collaboration with Dr. Matthew Brzozowski, Postdoctoral Fellow at Nanjing University.
Keywords: critical metals, physicochemical processes, northwest china
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