Skarn-related gold deposits in Tian Shan, Kyrgyzstan

Skarn-related gold deposits are widely distributed in Kyrgyzstan. These deposits account for about 10% of gold reserves of the country, and they include large deposits with the gold reserves exceeding 70 tons. Three geodynamic settings are distinguished associated with formation of this type gold deposits: early Paleozoic island arcs, Carboniferous active continental margins and settings transitional to collisional, and Permian intraplate tectono-magmatic reactivation. This article characterizes several gold deposits and describes their structural features.A conception of the formation and correlation of large, medium, and small skarn-related gold deposits is proposed. Of important significance for the gold mineralization formation are wallrock metasomatites superimposed on the skarns and their surrounding rocks. A number of the deposits are characterized by the presence of rare and unconventional types of the gold-bearing metasomatites, such as quartz-feldspar ones and hydrothermal (aposkarn) serpentinites, that serve as the prospecting guides and criteria for gold mineralization in areas of distribution of skarn-type ore deposits.