Discussion on Genesis of the Zhezkazgan Copper Deposit in Kazhkstan

카자흐스탄 제스카즈간 동광상의 성인 고찰

Geology of the Zbezkazgan copper deposit in Kazhkstan is mainly composed of Permian and Carboniferous sedimenary rocks in which copper minerals are mainly contained in grey sandstone of Carboniferous age. There are 28 layers of copper ore bodies in Zbezkazgan suite. Thickness of the ore bodies ranges from one to 35 meters, grade of the crude ore ranges from 2 to 5 wt % Cu and the extension of the orebodies is 5 to 7 km. Microscopic study on specimens from the Zbezkazgan ore deposit has exposed clues to understand the origin of this deposit. Alternatively deposited grey sandstone and red sandstone are mainly composed of quartz and feldspar grains. A big difference between the grey sandstone and the red sandstone is in grain size, the former is larger than the latter. Chalcocites as main copper minerals have cemented through grain boundary. It is assumed that quartz, feldspar and copper were derived from granitoid in which copper mineralization had taken place before exposing to weathering. The chalcocites were precipitated by a sudden change of geochemical condition (Eh, pH, temperature, etc.) of fluid which had carried quartz, feldspars, copper ions and sulphate during formation of grey sandstones. The copper ions and sulphate were stable in fluid during sedimentation of oxidation environment, however, the copper ions were no more stable at the reduced environment and changed to stable forms to precipitate copper minerals by reaction of copper ions and hydrogen sulfides. This chemical precipitation of copper minerals in the sandstone attributes to the assumption of hydrothermal origin on this sedimentary origined deposit.