Zircon U–Pb and phlogopite 40Ar–39Ar age of the Chengchao and Jinshandian skarn Fe deposits, southeast Hubei Province, Middle–Lower Yangtze River Valley metallogenic belt, China

The Chengchao and Jinshandian deposits in the southeast Hubei Province are the two largest skarn Fe deposits in the Middle–Lower Yangtze River Valley metallogenic belt (MLYRVMB), China. They are characterized by NW-striking orebodies that are developed along the contacts between the Late Mesozoic granitoid and Triassic carbonate and clastic rocks. New sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry zircon U–Pb dating of the mineralization-related quartz diorite and granite at Chengchao yield ages of 129 ± 2 and 127 ± 2 Ma, respectively, and those at Jinshandian of 127 ± 2 and 133 ± 1 Ma, respectively. These results are interpreted as the crystallization age of these intrusions. Hydrothermal phlogopite samples from the skarn ores at Chengchao and Jinshandian have the plateau 40Ar–39Ar ages of 132.6 ± 1.4 and 131.6 ± 1.2 Ma, respectively. These results confirm that both intrusions and associated skarn Fe mineralization were formed contemporaneously in the middle Early Cretaceous time. New zircon U–Pb and phlogopite 40Ar–39Ar ages in this study, when combined with available precise geochronological data, demonstrate that there were two discontinuous igneous events, corresponding to two episodes of skarn Fe-bearing mineralization in the southeast Hubei Province: (1) 140–136 Ma diorites and quartz diorites and 141–137 Ma skarn Cu–Fe or Fe–Cu deposits and (2) 133–127 Ma quartz diorites and granites and 133–132 Ma skarn Fe deposits. This scenario is similar to that proposed for the entire MLYRVMB. The intrusions related to skarn Fe deposits show obviously petrological and geochemical differences from those related to skarn Cu–Fe or Fe–Cu deposits. The former are quartz diorite and diorite in petrology and have similar adakitic geochemical signatures and in equilibrium with a garnet-rich residue, whereas the latter are petrologically granite and quartz diorite that are distinguishable from adakitic rocks and in equilibrium with a plagioclase residue. These features indicated that two episodes of magmatism and the formation of skarn Fe-bearing deposits in the southeast Hubei Province, MLYRVMB, might be associated lithosphere thinning induced by asthenosphere upwelling during the Late Mesozoic.