The Wangershan gold deposit and spatially related Shangzhuang granite, eastern Shandong Province, have been precisely dated by 40 Ar/ 39 Ar laser incremental heating technique. Magmatic hornblende and biotite, collected from the Shangzhuang granites, yielded well-defined and reproducible plateau ages at 128.1-127.5 and 124.4-124.1 Ma (2 σ ), measuring the cooling ages of the intrusion at ca. 500 ℃ and 300-350 ℃, respectively. Hydrothermal sericite extracted from auriferous vein gave high-quality plateau ages between (120.6±0.3) Ma and (120.0±0.4) Ma (2 σ ). Given the similarity of the closure temperature for argon diffusion (300-350 ℃) in the sericite mineral to the homogenization temperature of primary fluid inclusions in the quartz from gold ores, and the intergrowth of sericite with native gold, present 40 Ar/ 39 Ar sericite ages can be reliably interpreted in terms of the mineralization age for the Wangershan deposit. 40 Ar/ 39 Ar hornblende and biotite ages permit an estimate for the cooling rate of the Shangzhuang granite at about 50 ℃/Ma. There are abundant intermediate-mafic dikes in most gold camps of eastern Shandong, whose ages of formation have been previously constrained mainly at 121-119 Ma. The temporal association between the Shangzhuang granite, the Wangershan gold deposit, and the widespread dikes confirms that intrusive activity, gold mineralization, and dike emplacement in this region were broadly coeval, reflecting significant continental lithosphere thinning and resulting crustal extension of Early Cretaceous in eastern China. The Wangershan gold deposit and spatially related Shangzhuang granite, eastern Shandong Province, have been followed by 40 Ar / 39 Ar laser incremental heating technique. Magmatic hornblende and biotite, collected from the Shangzhuang granites, well-defined and reproducible plateau ages at 128.1 -127.5 and 124.4-124.1 Ma (2σ), measuring the cooling ages of the intrusion at ca. 500 ° C and 300-350 ° C, respectively. Hydrothermal sericite extracted from auriferous vein gave high-quality plateau ages between (120.6 ± 0.3) Ma and (120.0 ± 0.4) Ma (2σ). Given the similarity of the closure temperature for argon diffusion (300-350 ° C) in the sericite mineral to the homogenization temperature of primary fluid inclusions in the quartz from gold ores, and the intergrowth of sericite with native gold, present 40 Ar / 39 Ar sericite ages can be sure interpreted in terms of the mineralization age for the Wangershan deposit. 40 Ar / 39 Ar hornblende and bioti te ages permit an estimate for the cooling rate of the Shangzhuang granite at about 50 ° C / Ma. There are abundant intermediate-mafic dikes in most gold camps of eastern Shandong, whose ages of formation have been previously constrained mainly at 121-119 Ma. The temporal association between the Shangzhuang granite, the Wangershan gold deposit, and the widespread dikes confirms that intrusive activity, gold mineralization, and dike emplacement in this region were broadly coeval, reflecting significant continental lithosphere thinning and resulting crustal extension of Early Cretaceous in eastern China .