Boron-bearing skarn-magnetite mineralization of the Mingbulak ore field, Eastern Uzbekistan

Abstract

Spatial distribution of skarn-magnetite deposits in the Tien Shan region is closely related to gabbroid magmatism that accompanies wide fault zones bordering the South Tien Shan folded system from the north and south and extending as a latitudinal belt towards the Middle and Southwestern Tien Shan.Studies fulfilled during recent decades in the Karzhantau Ridge area have quite clearly demonstrated its gold-copper-bismuth metallogenic specialization with the leading role of gold. The most promising position is characteristic of the Aktash group ore occurrences (Aktam-I, Aktam-II, and Yuzhnoe).Within the studied Mingbulak area of Karzhantau, the most widely distributed are mineral occurrences of iron ore, lead and zinc, gold, and copper, and less developed boron-bearing, tungsten, and fluorite ones. Most of the mineral occurrences in the area formed as a result of magmatic-hydrothermal activity and are confined to fault zones characterized by long duration and complexity of the formation. The mineralization is usually localized in the crush zones and feathering fractures of the faults. The skarn type includes ore occurrences of iron, a metal that is currently strongly deficient for mining enterprises in the Tashkent region.