Sulfur isotopic composition and related issues of typical gold ore districts in China
In the Prospecting Breakthrough Strategy(2011~2020),China has made significant progress in the exploration of gold de-posits,demonstrating considerable prospecting potential.Element sulfur,a mineralizer,is closely associated with the formation of gold deposits,proved to be the most significant element in gold deposit formation by scholars at home and abroad.Sulfur isotopes have been extensively used to trace the sources of minerals in gold deposits.Different gold deposits reside in distinct geological settings.Since sulfur isotopic compositions are governed by various sulfur sources,sulfur isotopes in gold deposits can reflect the geological settings of mineralization.The ore-district-scale spatio-temporal distribution of sulfur isotopes has theoretical implications,playing a significant role in guiding ore prospecting.The gold resources in China are distributed in 42 gold ore districts,typified by Jiaodong,Xiaoqinling,and Yunnan-Guizhou-Guangxi.This study comparatively analyzed and summarized the characteristics of sulfur isotopes in the three typ-ical gold ore districts,providing theoretical and methodological support for future gold prospecting.