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Quantitative analyses of the spatial distribution of fault structures can provide a theoretical basis for forecasting prospective ore deposits. Characteristics and complexity of fault structure distribution in the Qitianling area, Southern Hunan Province, China, were quantitatively calculated and appraised by fractal and multifractal methods to evaluate the relation between fault structures and ore-prospecting potential. The results show that the lengths of faults can be modeled as multifractals. Multifractal spectra evidently reflect the characteristics of the scaling of fault structures. The box-counting dimension value (D) of fault structures is equal to 1.656, as indicates complexity of the spatial distribution of faults and favorable structural conditions for the formation of ore deposits. Moreover, the D values of sub-regions were calculated and isopleths of their fractal dimension values were plotted accordingly. Overlay analyses of isopleths of fractal dimension values and distributions of known ore deposits show that areas with the larger fractal dimension values of fault structures have more ore deposits. This spatial coupling relationship between D values and ore deposits can be used to forecast and explore other ore deposits. On the basis of complexity theory for ore-forming systems, three exploration targets with high D values were delineated as prospective ore deposits.

Coesite was discovered as inclusions in zircon separates from pelitic gneiss associated with a large eclogite body in the North Qaidam ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) terrane. Some graphite inclusions were also found. This finding suggested the occurrence of in-situ UHP metamorphism and that the terrane was most likely recrystallized at pressures below the diamond stability field. It supported other previous indirect UHP evidence, such as polycrystalline quartz inclusions in eclogitic garnet, quartz lamellae in omphacite and P-T estimates for both eclogite and garnet peridotite. The U-Pb and Sm-Nd ages of the North Qaidam eclogite indicated that subduction of continental crust occurred in the Early Palaeozoic, which probably recorded a collision between the Sino-Korean and Yangtze plates.

Enclaves in intermediate-acid plutons from Tongling can be divided into three types: xenoliths, relics and magmatogenic enclaves. The magmatogenic enclaves consist of cumulates, micrograined dioritite mixtite and dioritic chilled border enclaves. Petrologically, relics with eyed and meta-poikilitic texture are characterized by high content of biotite (>80%) and low content of cordierite and grossular. The cumulates with accumulate texture consist of a great amount of pyroxene, hornblende and minor spinel and phlogopite. The micrograined dioritic mixtite is composed of more hornblendes and feldspar and less needle apatites and an ellipsoid basic core included in plagioclase. The chilled border enclaves have the same mineral association, but more dark minerals than the host rocks consisting of plagioclase, quartz, alkaline feldspar, hornblende and biotite. Geochemically, the relics exhibit high REE content (455.8×10−6) and high ratio of LREE/HREE, more obvious Eu negative anomaly and are rich in Cr and Ni, poor in Ba, Nb and Sr. All kinds of magmatogenic enclaves have the same REE pattern without Eu anomaly, and the total REE is 74.9×10−6 for spinel pyroxene cumulate, 179.7×10−6 for hornblende cumulate, 226.9 × 10−6 for hornblende cumulate crystal, 289.9×10−6 for micrograined dioritic mixtite and 131.2×10−6 for chilled border enclaves. Calculation with the thermometer and barometer for minerals shows that the temperature and pressure of formation are 1126 °C and 8.44 kbar (7.15–9.04 kbar) for the spinel pyroxene cumulate, 1065 °C-1029 °C and 8.23 kbar (7.13–9.50 kbar) for the hornblende pyroxene cumulate, 959 °C and 3.40 kbar (2.86–4.09 kbar) for the micrograined dioritic mixtite enclaves, and 951 °C and 0.59 kbar for the dioritic chilled border enclaves, respectively. Thus, the following conclusions can be drawn. Relic enclaves were derived from the crustal partial melting and all cumulate enclaves originated from deep magma chambers near the Moho in the lower crust, which are cumulate fragments formed by fractional crystallization of basic magma; mixtite came from shallow magma chambers in the middle-upper crust, formed by the mixture of mantle-derived magma and acid magma derived from the crustal partial melting; and the chilled border enclaves came from the border fragments of early intrusive bodies.

Zircon SHRIMP ages of the Aolaoshan granite on the south margin of the Qilian Mts. range from 445±15.3 to 496±7.6 Ma (averaging 473 Ma), belonging to the Early Ordovician. Geochemically, the granite is similar to I-type granite and, tectonically, was formed in an island-arc environment based on relevant diagrams for structural discriminations. Considering also the regional geology, the authors suggest that the granite is part of an ultrahigh-pressure belt on the south margin of the Qilian Mts. and that its formation bears a close relationship to this belt.

There is a large ductile shear zone, 2 km wide and more than 350 km long, in the South Qilian Mountains, western China. It is composed of volcanic, granitic and calcareous mylonites. The microstructures of the ductile shear zone show nearly E-W extending subvertical foliation, horizontal and oblique stretching lineations, shearing sense from sinistral to oblique sinistral strike-slip from east to west, “A” type folds and abundant granitic veins. Measured lattice preferred orientations (LPOs) of the mylonitic and recrystallized quartz of the granitic mylonite in the west segment suggest a strong LPO characterized by the dominant slip systems {10times10} formed at high temperature (>650°C). K-feldspar of the mylonite shows an 39Ar/40Ar high-temperature plateau age of 243.3±1.3 Ma, and biotite, 250.5±0.5 Ma, which represent the formation age of the ductile shear zone. The 39Ar/40Ar plateau ages of 169.7±0.3 Ma and 160.6±0.1 Ma and the 39Ar/40Ar isochron ages of 166.99±2.37 Ma and 160.6±0.1 Ma of biotites in the mylonite represent the subsequent deformation age. These ages indicate that this ductile shear zone is similar to the Altun and South Kunlun sinistral ductile shear zones in its ages of movement, formation, reactivation and duration.

The Tula A2-subtype granite pluton is located between the Altun fault and its branching fault. According to the geological, geochemical, REE and trace elements characteristics, it belongs to the A2 (PA) subtype granite. The SHRIMP U-Pb zircon dating gives a result of 385.2±8.1 Ma, which is located between the Middle and Late Devonian in the international stratigraphic chart, and can be regarded as the crystallization age of the Tula granite. The study indicates that the Tula area was in a local extensional environment in the end of the Middle Devonian, and that environment was probably related to the synchronized strike-slip activity of the Altun fault.

Two types of granitic intrusives occur in the lower Paleozoic strata in north Qilian. One is the hornblende-bearing granitic body in Jingzichuan, characterized by the REE total of 90×10−6106×10−6, LREE/HREE ratio of less than 8 (ranging from 6.9 to 7.8) and zircon SHRIMP age of 464 Ma. These intrusives have island-arc affinity. The other is biotite-bearing granitic body in Huangyanghe with the REE total of 214×10−6250×10−6, LREE/HREE ratio of more than 8 (ranging from 8.2 to 9.7) and zircon LA-ICP-MS age of 383 Ma. They were tectonically intruded in a post-coilisional or within-plate environment.

An Early Palaeozoic UHP metamorphic belt was recently discovered in the North Qaidam Mountains in the north-eastern part of the Tibet Plateau. The belt contains abundant eclogite with lesser amounts of garnet peridotite and gneiss. The paragneiss contains abundant zircon with coesite inclusions whereas the eclogite has garnet with coesite pseudomorphs and omphacite with exsolved quartz. The calculated peak metamorphic conditions for the eclogite are T = 730 °C and P = 2.8 GPa. The garnet peridotites are magnesium-rich with Mg#s [100 × Mg/(Mg + Fe)] up to 92. Olivine in the peridotites is highly magnesian (Fo > 91.5) and TiO2-poor and is typical of low-T garnet peridotites. Calculated peak metamorphic conditions for the peridotites are T = 837 °C and P = 2.5 GPa. U–Pb and Sm–Nd isotope dating indicate that continental subduction started during the early Ordovician (∼ 495 Ma). The North Qaidam UHP, together with the North Qilian HP belt about 300 km to the north, constitute a pair of genetically related early Palaeozoic subduction zones along the northern margin of the Tibet Plateau.