Characteristic features of the vast low-temperature mineralization province in southwest China

THE low-temperature mineralization province is a concept relative to low-temperature hydrothermal ore deposits, which refers to a special area where low-temperature hydrothermal deposits are concentrated ingroups. In Southwest China there is an area of about 90 x 10 km where there are widely developed lowtemperature hydrothermal ore deposits. This area is the so-called vast low-temperature mineralizationprovince in Southwest China. This mineralization province is so large in area, so diverse in ore type andso numerous in mineralization belt that no other one could be found in other parts of the world. In recentyears of study the following features have been obtained. (i) This mineralization province is, for the most part, located in the southwestern part of theYangtze Block and extends to the Southwest Folded Zone and part of the Sanjiang (the three-river) Foldedzone adjacent to the Yangtze Craton. (ii) The mineralization province is of double-layered structure. At the basement there are devel-