ABSTRACT
Gold deposits in the Qinling orogen (Qinling-Dabie-Sulu orogen), mainly within the Shan-Gan-Chuan region to the west and the Xiaoqinling-Xiong’ershan region to the east, are characterized by gold reserves of about 400 tons and 550 tons, respectively. The gold deposits in the western Qinling belt can be divided into orogenic and Carlin-like types, which are hosted by Paleozoic through Triassic sequences that define a suture between the North China and Yangtze cratons. The eastern Qinling deposits, mainly orogenic and a few epithermal deposits, formed at ca. 210–170 Ma and immediately subsequent to final collision between the cratons. These ca. 170–100 Ma deposits, hosted in uplifted Precambrian blocks along the southern edge of the North China craton are genetically related to Pacific plate subduction and lithosphere delamination.
