The concept of "gold mineralization concentration area" was put forward by Wu et al. when studying the gold mineralization law in China in 1980s. There are 23 gold mineralization concentration areas and 8 potential gold mineralization concentration areas in China, which are uniformly represented on the1∶ 40,000 China gold mineralization law map. It should be said that the concept of gold mineralization concentration area is another way to study the regularity of gold mineralization. As early as the end of 19, when the French geologist Louis Delaney first used the term "metallogenic regularity", he emphasized that the study of metallogenic theory must focus on the analysis of regional ore-bearing. In the mid-20th century, French geologist Pluthier put forward the trinity theory of homology, inheritance and geochemical regions. 1974, J. A. Noble put forward the concept of "metal province", that is, the area where some metals or metal combinations gather on the crust. D R Drey also believes that a region has one or a group of specific metal deposits, which are not of the same origin, but can be called a metal province, that is, a concentrated mineralization area. 1982, Professor Zhang Qiusheng formally used the term mineralization concentration area in his book Ore Source and Mineralization. Admittedly, on the one hand, the above-mentioned scholars put forward the objective reality that the uneven distribution of metal minerals in the crust is limited by specific regions, thus revealing that the formation of metal deposits is a comprehensive expression of the geochemical regions of the crust, such as the ore-forming material field, ore-forming energy field and ore-forming space. On the other hand, they did not deeply study the metallogenic regularity of a specific mineral, such as gold deposits, and certainly did not discuss whether gold deposits can form concentrated areas and what their contents should be.

At that time, the concept of "gold-rich area" was expressed as the basic unit of gold mineralization and the geochemical area of gold element in the crust, which objectively reflected the uneven distribution of gold in the crust. In the concentrated area, with the occurrence of different geological events in the development of geological history, different types of gold deposits gather in the same area in different periods, and the same deposit is superimposed many times for different reasons, thus reflecting the homology and inheritance characteristics of some gold deposits in some areas. Therefore, the relatively oldest gold-bearing body in many areas has become an important mineral base in local concentrated areas, which is caused by two reasons: first, the difference in material distribution during the formation of the crust, that is, the different types of crustal structure. Second, the difference of crustal development and evolution, that is, the difference of mineralization and geological events in different regions, leads to different concentrations of ore-forming elements. The former determines the source of gold ore-forming materials, while the latter determines the metallogenic model of gold deposits. The uneven distribution of gold in the earth's crust is the basis of reflecting a certain degree of homology and inheritance in the process of deposit formation, or discussing the uneven distribution of gold in the earth's crust, that is, discussing the regional metallogenic background and process of gold deposit formation.

An important problem in the study of gold mineralization concentration area is to study the background of gold mineralization. In addition to the geochemical areas where gold elements are formed, it is important to study specific geological bodies, that is, various geological bodies that have been formed before mineralization and are internally related to gold mineralization. This is the gold-bearing formation, which can be divided into two types, one is the primary gold-bearing formation, and the other is the gold-changing formation. The basis of primary gold-bearing formation is the iron affinity of gold in the diagenetic stage of geochemical behavior. At this stage, gold can only diffuse in mafic or ultramafic volcanic rocks in molecular form, or enter the crystal skeleton of mafic island and chain silicate minerals in ionic form. These mafic and ultramafic rocks all come from the upper mantle, which has the significance of primary gold-bearing formation and laid a material foundation for the formation of hydrothermal gold deposits in the later period. Metamorphic gold-bearing formations are primary gold-bearing formations (including previously formed ore bodies). In a long period of time, the geological environment has undergone fundamental changes, and the gold-bearing formations have been re-formed through various geological processes. Judging from the current research results, most metamorphic gold-bearing formations are specific sedimentary rock series, and the most important component feature is universal carbon. Another important problem in the study of gold concentration area is the study of metallogenic tectonic environment.

The significance of the concept of gold concentration area in studying the metallogenic regularity and prospecting direction of gold deposits lies in:

(1) The gold concentration area is formed by multidimensional (time is very important) factors, that is, it includes ore-forming material field, ore-forming tectonic environment, ore-forming thermal field and final ore-forming location space. Among them, the material field and metallogenic tectonic environment are of fundamental significance, and the material field is embodied in the gold-bearing formation. The "greenstone belt" should be regarded as the main gold-bearing formation in many dense areas. Most of the "greenstone belt" seen in the world has undergone different metamorphism, resulting in disseminated and veined gold deposits and late metamorphic conglomerate (Rand) gold deposits. In China, after the formation of "greenstone belt", it means that the mineralization in some gold concentrated areas is supergene, homologous and inherited, and has a unified metallogenic background.

(2) The types of gold deposits in the concentrated area of gold deposits are often diverse, and the metallogenic age is often multi-stage, which depends on the geological evolution history of this area. However, due to certain differences in geological evolution in different regions, each gold concentration area is always dominated by a certain type. For example, in the North China block, Proterozoic-Neoarchean primary gold-bearing formations (i.e., greenstone belts) are widely developed, and the ore-forming geological events are mainly Precambrian regional dynamic metamorphism and Mesozoic magma (including volcanic rocks) activities, so the types of gold deposits are mainly "greenstone belt type" disseminated gold deposits and vein gold deposits. For another example, in the concentrated area of gold deposits in northwest Guizhou and southwest Guangxi, the Paleozoic metamorphic gold-bearing formations were widely developed, but only micro-disseminated gold deposits were formed under the influence of some geothermal systems. This shows that it is more important to establish mineralization concentration area than mineralization type when deploying gold prospecting work.

(3) One of the important means to find large and super-large gold deposits is to study their metallogenic background and events. Whether there are well-developed ore-bearing formations in gold concentration areas is its important connotation. Large-scale super-large gold deposits named after the geographical names of the deposits spread all over the world, including China, such as Rand type, Carlin type, Mulongtao type, Shandong Zhao Ye type and greenstone belt type. Extensive gold-bearing formations have been found, either single or overlapping, but there are also some gold deposits, such as epithermal gold deposits related to volcanic activities. They occur in gold deposits in Cenozoic island arc area, and the source of ore-forming materials may be related to mantle action.

(4) Because the gold-rich area is a geochemical area of gold, the known distribution trend of gold mineralization certainly reflects the enrichment state of gold elements in this area. In view of the lack of comprehensive gold geochemical data, it is difficult to divide gold-rich areas in China. Even if these data are accumulated in some areas, the demarcation of the boundary line is vague, but after all, the demarcation of its scope still depends on geological data, that is, the boundary of structural units that control the distribution of gold-bearing formations is considered according to the distribution range of gold-bearing formations. Obviously, the structural pattern of large faults affects the distribution of gold concentration areas. Since Paleozoic, China has been divided into three huge deep fault structural systems, namely, Central Asia-East Asia (ancient ocean island) system, Pacific system and Tethys-Himalaya system. The first system controls the distribution range and direction of gold-bearing formations in the north, making some gold concentration areas roughly east-west; The second system often runs through the former, controlling the Mesozoic tectonic magmatism, making the outlines of some gold concentration areas northeast, while others obviously retain the northeast compound on the basis of east-west, and the gold deposits in the concentration areas also form the east-west belt and northeast string distribution pattern; The third system tends to concentrate gold deposits in the north-south direction.

(5) The ore-bearing buildings in the gold concentration area provide minerals to varying degrees, but the ore-bearing surrounding rocks are by no means limited to this. After studying the properties of Archean gold-bearing hydrothermal solution, Phillips pointed out that gold-bearing sulfur complexes were mainly formed in ore-bearing solutions. From the isogram of gold solubility drawn by C N Phillips, it can be seen that the solubility of gold can be reduced no matter whether the oxygen fugacity or pH value is changed, that is to say, it is not only one precipitation that can cause gold precipitation, in other words, there are many options that can cause gold precipitation, so gold deposits can occur in all kinds of rocks. Based on this understanding and the discovered geological facts, it can be extended to other rock series when discussing the prospecting scope of concentrated areas.