Metallogenic Regularity of Strontium Deposits in China

This article examines the characteristics, types, and spatiotemporal distribution of strontium resources in China and summarizes the ore-forming regularities of strontium deposits. It introduces the resource characteristics of strontium deposits in China, divides prediction types, and collates mineralization ages and spatial locations of strontium deposits. Strontium deposits in China can be classified into five types: strata-controlled, sedimentary, hydrothermal, epigenetic, and magmatic types. The spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of each type of strontium deposit are preliminarily delineated. According to statistics, the mineralization periods of strontium deposits in China can be divided into the Neoproterozoic, Early Paleozoic, Late Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic eras. Eleven strontium mineralization zones are divided, 30 mineralization series related to strontium are identified, and the mineralization lineage of strontium deposits in China is established. Based on comprehensive research, strontium deposits in northern China are mainly characterized as the strata-controlled type in the Cenozoic Qaidam. Strontium deposits in southern China are mainly characterized as strata-controlled type and hydrothermal type in the Late Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic Sichuan Basin and the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. The Qaidam Basin, the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and the Sichuan Basin can serve as exploration prospects for strontium.