Current research progress and future trends of porphyry-skarn copper and granite-related tin polymetallic deposits in the Circum Pacific metallogenic belts

Abstract

Porphyry copper deposits have been the focus of research and exploration for many years. Granite-related tin deposits were extensively studied from the 1970's to 1990's and has emerged as an important topic for exploration due to the shortage of tin in recent years. The magmatic-hydrothermal tin and copper deposits constitute important ore types in the Circum Pacific Rim, as well as over the world, and are usually derived from distinct sources through different ore-forming processes. Tin and copper deposits with enormous metal endowment in the Circum Pacific Rim mainly formed from Late Mesozoic to Cenozoic, and are genetically associated with subduction of the Pacific plates comprising the Paleo-Pacific, Izanagi and Farallon plates, as well as the modern Pacific plate. In this paper, we review the progress on the ore genesis, ore-related granitoids, and spatial-temporal distributions of porphyry-skarn copper and granite-related tin polymetallic deposits as well as the ore-forming tectonic settings. Although significant progress has been achieved, many scientific problems remain unresolved, including the three distinct spatial-temporal coupling of Mesozoic granite-related tin-tungsten and porphyry copper belts in East China, and the mechanism of formation of over 10, 000km long Cretaceous Cu-Au-Sn ore belt in which occurs within a series of extensional basins along the Eurasian continental margins. We propose that comparative studies on the genetic model of the Sn-Ag ore system in both Bolivia and South Khingan Range will be helpful to discover more tin polymetallic deposits in East China.