Geology of critical mineral deposits of the Kuljuktau Mts., Central Kyzylkum (Uzbekistan)

Abstract

This article presents characteristics of geological and tectonic structures of the Kuljuktau Mountains, mineralogical and geochemical features of its volcanic and intrusive rocks and associated mineralisation of critical elements. The Taskazgan graphite, Shaidaraz lithium, and Tozbulak high-purity quartz deposits, and new prospects for rare earth mineralisation have been identified as the most significant critical mineral resources of the Kuljuktau Mts. The Taskazgan graphite deposit is confined to the melange at the contact between the gabbroids and the marbleised carbonate rocks. Rare metal (lithium) mineralisation is associated with pegmatite and aplite veins of the Shaidaraz intrusion. The Tozbulak high-purity quartz vein cuts through the intrusion of leucocratic granites and is the largest quartz manifestation in Uzbekistan. The new U–Pb zircon ages of the Kuljuktau and West Tozbulak intrusive complexes of 353.5 ± 2.1 Ma for the former and 349.1 ± 2.5 Ma, respectively, allowed the refinement of the regional metallogenesis in space and time.