Medium-scale shear-zone hosted vein-type gold deposit, occurring in the NW-SE trending, steeply NE-dipping Ma'erkakuli ductile shear zone (MDSZ) and its secondary structures, which transect Middle and Lower Devonian metamorphic rocks of lower greenschist facies. Gold deposition is divided into four stages and two main ore-forming events are recognized. It is presumed that early gold mineralization was related to large-scale sinistral strike-slip whereas late gold mineralization resulted from post-collisional structural transition.
Four groups of orebodies occur in a belt that is about 18 km long and 2 km wide. Each group of orebodies occurs in an area of about 4 x 1 km. They are composed of the auriferous quartz vein type, the auriferous altered dyke type, and the auriferous altered rock type. The quartz vein type is dominant and mainly consists of quartz with small amounts of fine grained sulphides, hosted by phyllite along the shear zone over intervals of several hundred metres in length and around 0.25 to 10 m or more wide. The individual veins are generally several centimeters to several tens of centimeters in width. In their upper parts, the vein systems consist of discontinuous and/or brecciated quartz veins, which grade into auriferous stockworks and quartz veinlets with depth.
Ref.:
- Chen Huayong, Chen Yanjing, and Liu Yulin (2001): Metallogenesis of the Ertix gold belt, Xinjiang and its relationship to Central Asia-type orogenesis. Science in China, Series D (Earth Sciences), 44(3), 245-255.
- Guang-Ming Li, Yuan-Chao Shen, Tie-Bing Liu, Ping Shen, and Neng-Wu Zhou (2007): Metallogenic Evolution of Tuokuzibayi Gold Deposit in Southern Altay, North Xinjiang: Evidence from Characteristics of Quartz Vein Systems, Isotopic Geochemistry and Ar-Ar Chronology. Mineral Deposits [Kuangchuang Dizhi] 26(1), 15-32.
- Yuan-Chao Shen, Ping Shen, Guang-Ming Li, Qing-Dong Zeng, and Tie-Bing Liu (2007): Structural ore-control Regularities of Ertix Gold Belt in North Xinjiang. Mineral Deposits [Kuangchuang Dizhi] 26(1), 33-42.
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http://www.portergeo.com.au/database/mineinfo.asp?mineid=mn105124 entries listed. 19 valid minerals.
