Meilibanyingzi village, Fuxin, Liaoning, Chinai

Regional Level Types
Meilibanyingzi village	Outcrop
Fuxin	Prefecture-level City
Liaoning	Province
China	Country

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The Cretaceous continental volcano-sedimentary rocks unconformably overlie the Archean gneisses and the Mesoproterozoic carbonates. The Cretaceous strata, from bottom upward, include the Lower Cretaceous Yixian and Jiufotang formations, and the Upper Cretaceous Sunjiawan Formation. The Yixian Formation (135–122 Ma), >2000 m thick, is composed predominantly of mafic–intermediate–felsic lavas, tuffs, breccias, and agglomerates, with minor interbeds of conglomerates, sandstones, and shales. The green Fuxin moss agate is mainly hosted in the andesitic breccias. Unconformably overlying the Yixian Formation, the Jiufotang Formation mainly comprises sandstones, shales, and conglomerates, with several thin coal seam intercalations. This ~320-m-thick lacustrine sequence is unconformably overlain by the ~800-mthick continental clastic rocks (conglomerates, sandstones, and shales) of the Sunjiawan Formation. The Yixian Formation and its coeval strata elsewhere in the eastern NCC were deposited in rift basins as a result of the intense lithospheric extension and thinning during the early Early Cretaceous, whereas the post-122 Ma Cretaceous strata accumulated during the downwarping stage. Several mineralized zones have been identified near Meilibanyingzi village and have been largely mined out (Figure 2). These zones are broadly confined to the andesitic breccias of the Yixian Formation, predominantly strike N–NNE, dip gently (commonly <35°) to the E–ESE, and vary in size (typically <300 m long and <50 m wide). The green Fuxin moss agate is mainly hosted in pores and fractures within these breccias, which are significantly silicified and carbonatized. The breccias commonly display a brecciated texture and contain angular, poorly sorted andesitic clasts ranging from 0.5 to 6 cm. The clasts commonly exhibit a porphyritic texture with a few plagioclase phenocrysts in a glassy groundmass containing numerous subparallel plagioclase microlites. The green mineral phase observed in the agate was not found in the plagioclase phenocrysts or their surrounding groundmass. Relatively pure green moss agate is of various tones (dark green, green, light green, and yellowish green), whereas multi-colored specimens may contain bands or patches of red, yellow, and white. A typical feature of this type of agate is the presence of clustered or filamentous green inclusions. Typically, these inclusions extend from the agate–breccia boundary toward the interior. These green inclusions or aggregates are commonly mantled with cryptocrystalline silica (opal-CT) of milky-white color. Sometimes, macrocrystalline quartz cores and/or cavities are found in the center of the agate nodules. Generally, the agate blocks are 5–8 cm, with some larger examples reaching up to several tens of centimeters.

Commodity List

This is a list of exploitable or exploited mineral commodities recorded at this locality.

Mineral List

5 valid minerals.

Rock Types Recorded