Details of the Abstract
| Title of paper | Lithospheric Electrical Structure beneath Bayan Obo Region Derived from MT Data |
| List of authors | Yang, B., Wu, Y., Meng, X., Zhou, F., Su, M., Wen, G., Zhu, K., Yang W. |
| Affiliation(s) | School of Earth Sciences, Zhejiang University, Institute of Geologic Survey and Research of Inner Mongolia, The Surveying and Mapping Geographic Information Center of Inner Mongolia |
| Summary | We investigated the Bayan Obo REE-Fe-Nb deposit, the world's largest rare earth element deposit, located at the suture zone between the Central Asian Orogenic Belt and the North China Craton. Despite nearly a century of study, its origin remains debated. To gain insights into the regional tectonic regime and mineralization processes, we deployed a dense magnetotelluric (MT) array in the Bayan Obo region in 2022. We employed 51 long-period MT sites and 110 wide-band MT sites to image the three-dimensional electrical resistivity structure of the area. Using the ModEM, we identified a plume-like conductive diapir extending from the asthenosphere to the upper crust, with significant conductive anomalies corresponding to major tectonic features. Our results indicate a complex tectonic history with contributions from multiple magmatic and tectonic events, including the subduction and closure of the Paleo-Asian Ocean. These findings enhance our understanding of the mineralization processes at Bayan Obo and the tectonic evolution of the region, highlighting the importance of deep geophysical structures in unraveling the origins of such giant ore deposits. |
| Session Keyword | 4.0 Tectonics and geodynamics, including magmatism |
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