The new results have been represented of mineralogical–geochemical and geochronological studies of rocks of the Yehe-Shigna ophiolite massif located in the Tuva-Mongolian microcontinent in the northern part of the Central Asian orogenic belt (Eastern Sayan, Southern Siberia). The Yehe-Shigna ophiolite massif is part of the Belsk-Dugda ophiolite belt. The structural position, age, and geochemical characteristics of the belt indicate its formation in the setting of the back-arc basin of the Shishkhid intraoceanic island arc, developing in the period of 810–750 million years. It is assumed that together with the same-age formations of the Oka accretion wedge and the Sarkhoi active margin, it formed on the convergent margin of the Gondwana supercontinent. Its basement is represented by the Archean-Early Precambrian crystalline rocks and carbonate cover (“Gargan Glyba”). The gold-bearing Neoproterozoic deposits with dominant gold-telluride assemblages are localization in large ophiolites thrust zones along with the frame of the “Gargan Glyba”. They are allochthonous with respect to the Late Neoproterozoic-Cambrian Tuva-Mongolian island arc of the Siberian continent. A similar type of gold deposit is probably worth looking for ophiolites thrust zones in other Precambrian Gondwana-derived microcontinents.
On the one hand, the widespread use of electron microprobe analysis in the version of a scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with an energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) and, on the other hand, the comparability of the metrological characteristics of the EDS and wavelength dispersive spectrometry (WDS) in the case of determining the major components of minerals are a favourable background for investigating the possibility of using SEM-EDS for chemical dating of uranium mineralization. Carbonaceous-siliceous formations of the Dabanzhalga suite are widespread in carbonate deposits of the Lower Paleozoic in the Oka structural-formational zone of the East Sayan and represent deep-water deposits of the back-arc basin. All varieties of carbonaceous-siliceous rocks of the Dabanzhalga suite are characterized by increased U, Au, Ag, Pt, Pd, Mo, V, P, Cu. Their amounts are 5–10 times higher than those for other black shale deposits of the Eastern Sayan. Uranium forms its minerals – uraninite and brannerite, in association with carbonaceous matter and sulfides, and is also part of anhydrous phosphates – xenotime, monazite. The paper presents data on the composition and dating of brannerite and uraninite in samples of carbonaceous-siliceous shale sampled at three sites: Uber-Zhadoy, Deed-Khara-Zhalga and Erye-Khara-Zhalga. The obtained estimates of the isochronous dates of uraninite and brannerite grains for these areas are 523±26, 506±10, and 511±17 Ma, respectively. It was shown that these dates could be compared with the age of metamorphism at the Sukhoi Log deposit, estimated using modern methods of isotope geochronology. It should be noted that the average estimates of the dates of uraninite and brannerite in all studied areas of the Dabanzhalga suite are lower than the corresponding estimates of the isochronous date, which is probably due to the partial loss of radiogenic lead. For the Uber-Zhadoy site, a comparison of the EDS and WDS data was carried out, and it was shown that when using the EDS data, there is an underestimation of the Pb content in uraninite, and, as a consequence, an underestimation of the age of uraninite.
The paper reports the comprehensive study of phosphorus-rare metal (polymineral) carbonatites (I) and rare metal (ankerite) carbonatites (II) of the Tomtor massif based on ICP-MS, XRF, XRF-SI, SEM methods and isotope determination of C, O and 86Sr/87Sr. With a similar mineral composition, the REE+Y content in carbonatites (I) averages 0.38 wt. %, and in carbonatites (II) it is 1.3 wt. %. The δ18О-δ13С diagram provides the C and O isotopic compositions of carbonatites (I) and (II) as two intersecting trends: (I) carbonates from wells 4041, 6151, 115-117 represent the secondary generation of carbonates derived with the deuterium fluid involved; (II) depicts transformation of carbonate by low-T fluid, with fluid/rock ratio = 5. The study identified an increase in the REE and δ18O contents in carbonatites as the temperature of their formation decreases and enrichment of rocks with REE minerals, associated with REE mobility reduction in the fluid while the temperature is decreasing.
The Vladimirskoe deposit is one of the largest gold ore deposits in the southeastern part of the Eastern Sayan. This work is devoted to the localization of mineralized zones and the determination of the formation time of gold mineralization. The geological and structural analysis has shown that second-order discontinuous disturbances accompanied by zones of beresitization, calcification, sulfidization and dyke bodies are the main ore-controlling structures of gold mineralization. For the first time, the age of rocks of dyke complexes and ore mineralized zones of the deposit has been established by 40 Ar/ 39 Ar dating methods.
