LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb dating and geological significance of the Sunjialing scandium mineralized intrusion in the Beishan region, Gansu Province

Located in the Yamansu-Hongshishan-Heiyingshan Late Paleozoic rift of Xingxingxia-Mingshui-Hanshan microplate in Kazakhstan plate, the Sunjialing scandium mineralized intrusion emplaced in the Early Carboniferous Baishan Formation and consists of plagioclase amphiboles and amphiboles, with scandium mainly occurring in the amphibole. Scandium mineralized intrusion belongs to iron-rich ultrabasic intrusion, whose components are characterized by high alkali and alumina. The content of rare earth is high, and the light rare earth is slightly enriched, with obvious negative δ (Eu) anomaly. LILE elements Rb, Ba, Sr and U are enriched whereas HFSE elements Nb, Zr, Hf, Th, and P, Ti are depleted. LA-MC-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb dating of the hornblende yielded an age of (339.5 ±2.6)Ma, which suggests that both the intrusion of the ore-bearing complex and the mineralization occurred in early Carboniferous in a rift environment.