The Zhilingtou Au-Ag deposit is situated in the eastern part of the complexly deformed and metamorphosed South
China Caledonian Fold Belt. It consists of seven orebodies that are almost exclusively hosted by biotite plagioclase
gneiss of the Precambrian Chencai Group. They form an apparent en echelon pattern in both cross-section and level
plan. Three different ore types, based on mineralization textures, have been recognized within the Zhilingtou lode.
These are Au-Ag-rich quartz veins, Au and Ag-bearing silicified rocks and Au-Ag-containing altered rocks with quartz
stockworks. The mineralization is principally composed of electrum, argentite, pyrite and minor sphalerite, galena as
well as traces of hessite and chalcopyrite plus a gangue assemblage of quartz, rhodonite, sericite and chlorite. Fluid
inclusions related to Au-Ag mineralization yield a wide range of homogenization temperatures from 110 to 447C,
with two distinctive peak values at 250-300C and 350-400C respectively. S30Si values of quartz veins and
silicification from the three stages of mineralization range from -0.1 to -0.4%o. The mineralization at Zhilingtou is
interpreted as forming by recirculated meteoric water extracting ore-forming elements from metamorphic rocks due to
Mesozoic volcano-magmatic activity.