# Age and Source of the Jinjingzui Skarn-Type Gold Deposit in the Southeastern Hubei Province, China
## 1 Introduction  
The Middle-Lower Yangtze River Valley Metallogenic Belt (MLYRVB), located in Hubei Province, China, is one of the most significant porphyry-skarn Cu-Fe-Au-W-Mo belts in the country. It is renowned for its extensive metal resources [1, 2, 3]. The belt is comprised of seven ore clusters, namely Edong, Jiurui, Anqing-Guichi, Tongling, Luzhong, Ningwu, and Ningzhen (Figure 1), with these clusters having a long history of research and development [4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13]. The Edong ore cluster is located in the west segment of the MLYRVB, (Figures 1 and 2), and previous studies have demonstrated that the primary metallogenic elements are Fe, Cu, Au and Mo. Fe and Fe-Cu deposits are identified in the northwest Edong district, including the Chengchao Fe deposit, the Jinshandian Fe deposit and the Tieshan Fe-Cu deposit. Cu(Au, Mo) and W-Cu deposits are typically located in the southeast, such as the Tonglushan Cu-Fe-Au ore deposit, the Jiguanzhui Cu-Au deposit, the Qianjiawan Cu-Au deposit, the Tongshankou Cu-Mo deposit and the Ruanjiawan W-Cu deposit.  
The Jinjingzui Au ore deposit (Figure 2) is located in the central part of the Edong ore cluster, with large gold reserves and great metallogenic potential [16]. The gold deposits are primarily skarn type and located in association with Yanshanian granitoid intrusions. These ore bodies are typically in the contact zone between intermediate-acid intrusive rocks and wall rock, or in the carbonate stratum wall rock [7, 11, 17]. The ore body of the Jinjingzui deposit principally occurs in the altered fracture zone, located between the marginal and internal facies of the diorite pipe in the mining area. Early studies of the deposit's geological characteristics indicate that mineralization is related to diorite, with the metallogenic type being altered diorite-type gold ore. Early studies indicated that the diagenetic processes and metallogenic materials might have a common source, but there was a lack of supporting isotope evidence [16]. However, recent studies have demonstrated that the deposit is a typical skarn-type deposit [18]. Few studies have systematically investigated the genesis of the Jinjingzui deposit, particularly regarding the geochronology of the host diorite intrusion and associated gold mineralization. This paucity of accurate geochronological data has significantly complicated efforts to establish a robust genetic model for understanding the metallogeny of the Jinjingzui deposit and its broader regional context within the western segment of the Middle-Lower Yangtze River Valley metallogenic belt (MLYRVB).  
Figure 1: Sketch map illustrating the distribution of porphyry-related, skarn, and stratabound Cu–Au–Mo–Fe deposits (>135 Ma), as well as magnetite–apatite and Fe skarn deposits (<135 Ma), along with associated granitoids and Cretaceous volcano-sedimentary basins within the Middle-Lower Yangtze River Valley metallogenic belt (modified from [11, 14, 15]). TLF: Tancheng–Lujiang fault, XGF: Xiangfan–Guangji fault, YCF: Yangxing–Changzhou fault. SMF: Shangma–Tuanfeng–Liangzihu fault.  
Accurate dating of the mineral deposit is critical for understanding the genesis of the Jinjingzui deposit and analogous mineral systems. This study aims to conduct an evaluation of selected variables that indicate ore genesis and summarize the regional metallogenic characteristics. Specifically, this paper presents sulfide mineral S-Pb isotopic compositions, geochemistry data of diorite, and Re-Os isochron dating of molybden. These data will constrain the sources of hydrothermal components and the relationship between Au mineralization and diorite.