High-Grade Magnetite Mineralization at 1.86 Ga in Neoarchean Banded Iron Formations, Gongchangling, China: In Situ U-Pb Geochronology of Metamorphic-Hydrothermal Zircon and Monazite

Although less common than hematite ores, high-grade magnetite ores represent a distinct type of iron mineralization hosted by banded iron formations (BIFs). The Gongchangling iron deposit hosted in ~2.55 Ga BIFs in the North China craton represents one of the most economically important iron deposits in China. Located in mining area II, it is a high-grade (>50 wt % Fe) magnetite deposit and one of the largest of its type in the world....