Identification of mineral associations in skarn-rare-metallic deposits in Western Uzbekistan

Abstract

This article solves the applied scientific problem of identifying mineral carriers and mineral associations of platinum mineralization in the skarn-gold-rare metal Koytash and Lyangar deposits. One of the applied research tasks was to identify the forms of mineral carriers and mineral associations of platinum-metal mineralization for these deposits. We carried out geological fieldwork of the Koytash and Lyangar deposits, which included a sampling of sulphide-rare metal and silver-polymetallic ores, and conducted laboratory studies by using mass spectrometry, atomic absorption, electron microprobe, and other modern methods. This article addresses the complex formation of sulphide-rare-metal and silver-polymetallic ores of the above-mentioned deposits. The formation of mineral associations bearing rare-metal (W-Mo) mineralization that formed in the early alkaline stage, in almost all sites, is completed by sulphide-rare metal and silver-polymetallic mineralization that often carry industrial-grade concentrations of noble and other metals. We have identified a recommended location for the concomitant extraction of useful components, the mineral composition, and the impure elements in them. These data show the prospects of sulphide-rare metals and sulphidepoly-metallic ores in the Koytash deposit for precious metals, bismuth, etc.