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Muruntau

Producer in Uzbekistan with commodities Gold, Palladium
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Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Commodities
  6. Materials information
  7. Alteration
  8. Host and associated rocks
  9. Nearby scientific data
  10. Geologic structures
  11. Ore body information
  12. Controls for ore emplacement
  13. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  14. Workings at the site
  15. Links to other databases
  16. Bibliographic references
  17. General comments
  18. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10039108
MRDS ID M046642
Record type Site
Current site name Muruntau
Alternate or previous names Murun Tau

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: 65.50088, 40.99825 (WGS84)
Relative position MINE IS APPROXIMATELY 150 KM NNW OF SAMARKIND.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Uzbekistan(country)

Geographic areas

Country
Uzbekistan

Comments on the location information

  • SE EDGE OF THE TANDY RANGE IN THE KYZYLKUM DESERT OF UZBEKISTAN (THE HERCYNIAN GEOSYNCLINAL BELT OF THE SOUTHERN TYAN'-SHAN').

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Palladium Critical Secondary

Comments on the commodity information

  • THE BULK OF THE ORE IS STOCKWORK, AND AVERAGES 2.5 TO 3 G AU/TONNE. THE CENTRAL VEINS GENERALLY CARRY GREATER THAN 5G AU/TONNE AND HAVE SOME VALUES > 50G AU /TONNE.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Bismutite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Galena Ore
Gold Ore
Molybdenite Ore
Pyrite Ore
Scheelite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Ankerite Gangue
Calcite Gangue
Feldspar Gangue
Mica Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Tourmaline Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Metasomatism, Lesser Serpentinization, Silicification, Chloritization; Albite, Quartz & Apatite Prior To Gold Deposition. Quartz, K-Feldspar, Ankerite, Biotite, Chlorite, Monazite, Plus Or Minus Apatite, Accompanying The Gold Mineralization. Post Gold Deposition Alkalic And Dioritic Dikes Were Emplaced Along The High-Angle Faults, And These Contain Quartz, Pyrite, Tourmaline Veinlets With K-Feldpar, Sericite,& Bastnaesite. Calcite And Pyrite Make Up The Last Stage Of Alteration.

Analytical data

Result GRAMS/TON PD = 0.04. TYPICALLY 0.5% TO 1.5% SULFIDES. GOLD FINENESS 880-910.

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Metasedimentary Rock > Slate
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Schist > Greenschist
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Shale
    Rock unit name Besopan Suite
    Rock description Besopan Suite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Siltstone
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Sandstone

Nearby scientific data

(1) 65.50088, 40.99825
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Southern Flank Taskazgan Anticline.
Type of structure Local
Structure description Small "En Echelon" Fissures, Prominent Ne Striking High Angle Faults Connecting Two Shear Zones. Principal Faults Are The Southern, The Structural And The Northwestern.

Ore body information

  • General form IRREGULAR

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Complex Folds & Faults Occurring During The Caledonian Orogenic Event.

Comments on the geologic information

  • THE STRUCTURE OF THE MARANTAU ORE-FIELD HAS BEEN DETERMINED BY A COMBINATION OF FOLD DISLOCATIONS WITH DISJUNCTIVE FAULTS. THE PRINCIPAL FOLD STRUCTURES ARE THE MURUNTAU ANTICLINAL AND THE SOUTHERN SYNCLINAL FOLDS, WHICH COMPLICATE THE NORTHERN LIMB OF THE LARGER TASKAZGAN ANTICLINE, THE AXIAL LANE OF WHICH PASSES TO THE SOUTH OF THE ORE FIELD. THESE FOLD STRUCTURES HAVE BEEN FURTHER COMPLICATED BY ADDITIONAL PLICATIVE DISLOCATIONS EXPRESSED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF GENTLE BENDS IN THE STRATA. THE MURUNTAU DEPOSIT IS LOCATED WITHIN ONE SUCH BEND. THE ORE FORMING PROCESS TOOK PLACE OVER A LENGTHY PERIOD IN A SERIES OF STAGES AND PHASES. THE STOCKWORK MINERALIZATION IS THE EARLIEST STAGE OF GOLD DEPOSITION WITH VEINLETS ALONG CALEDONIAN SCHISTOSITY, AXIAL PLANE CLEAVAGE, AND TRANSPOSED HERCYNIAN FRACTURES. THE CENTRAL VEINS CROSSCUT THE STOCKWORK ORE AND ARE CONTROLLED BY THE NE FAULTS. MANY OF THE EARLY-STAGE VEINLETS SHOW EVIDENCE OF BRITTLE-DUCTILE DEFORMATION INCLUDING FOLDS AND
  • BOUDINAGE STRUCTURES. THE CENTRAL VEINS ARE STRICTLY RELATED TO BRITTLE DEFORMATION. THE GOLD IS ASSOCIATED WITH PYRITE, ARSENOPYRITE, AND ANKERITE IN MILKY WHITE QUARTZ.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Large
Significant No
Discovery year 1956

Comments on the production information

  • GIVEN ANNUAL PRODUCTION FOR 1971 AND 1983 REPRESENTS ESTIMATED ANNUAL PRODUCTION RATES FOR THE EARLY 1970'S AND 1980'S.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface
    Length 3000M
    Overall depth 300M
    Overall width 2500M

Comments on the workings information

  • PIT

Comments on development

  • ECON.COM: THE ORIGINAL RESERVES WERE PURPORTEDLY ABOUT 1150 TONNES AU, AND IT HAS BEEN MINED FOR 25 YEARS; THE ACTUAL RESOURCE IS MUCH BIGGER THAN THIS AND THE MINE WILL PROBABLY BE OPERATING IN MUCH OF THE 21ST CENTURY. (BERGER, 1992)

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    BADALOV, S. T. ET AL., 1969, GEOCHEMISTRY OF PLATINOIDS...IN CENTRAL ASIA, DOKLADY OF THE ACADEMY OF SCIENCE, USSR, ESS, VOL. 184, PP. 170 - 172

  • Deposit

    KRASON, JAN, 1984, MURUNTAU: THE WORLD'S LARGEST GOLD PRODUCING MINE COMPLEX: MINING ENGINEERING, NOV., P. 1549-1550.

  • Deposit

    INTERNATIONAL GEOLOGY REVIEW, 1968, ORE DEPOSITS, SEPT., V.10, NO.9, P. 141.

  • Deposit

    SMIRNOV, V.I., 1977, ORE DEPOSITS OF THE USSR, V.III, P. 35.

  • Deposit

    BERGER, BYRON, 1992, MINING THE MYSTERY AT MURUNTAU, USGS MINERAL RESOURCES NEWSLETTER, V.3, NO.2, P.8.

  • Production

    KRASON, 1984

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit THERE ARE TWO STYLES OF MINERALIZATION: "STOCKWORK-BANDED" AND "CENTRAL VEINS". NATIVE AU AND SULFIDES OCCUR IN MICROFISSURES AND VEINS BUT THE MAJOR ORE IS IN YOUNGER BRECCIAS AND AN EVEN YOUNGER SET OF NATIVE-AU AND SULFIDE-BEARING VEINLETS. THERE ARE "SEVERAL" ORE BODIES. THE SHAPE AND STRUCTURE OF THE ORE BODIES ARE QUITE COMPLEX, COMPRISED OF A COMBINATION OF STEEPLY-DIPPING AND GENTLY-DIPPING QUARTZ VEIN AND VEINLET ZONES. STEM PORTIONS HAVE A STEEP DIP; FROM THEM EXTEND NUMEROUS BRANCHES, CONFORMABLE WITH THE STRATIFICATION OF THE ORE-ENCLOSING SEQUENCES ALONG LITHOLOGICALLY FAVORABLE HORIZONS. DIKE BELTS OCCUR MAINLY ON THE PERIPHERY OF THE ORE FIELD IN SEVERAL DIFFERENTLY ORIENTED ZONES. THE DIKES DIP PREDOMINANTLY NEAR VERTICAL, AND CONSIST OF PLAGIOGRANITE PORPHYRIES, SYENITE PORPHYRIES, AND SPHERULITIC SYENITE PORPHYRIES. IN THE SOUTHEASTERN PORTION OF THE DEPOSIT TWO STOCK-LIKE BODIES OF GRANODIORITE HAVE BEEN EXPOSED MEASURING 120 X 300 M. THE DEPOSIT COMPRISES A
Deposit LARGE STOCKWORK. THE DISTRIBUTION OF MINERALIZATION WITHIN THE STOCKWORK IS UNEVEN. ALL THE ORE BODIES ARE LOCATED NEAR TO NORTHEASTERLY-STRIKING FAULTS.
Deposit COMPLEX PRODUCED APPROXIMATELY 1/2 RUSSIAN AU IN EARLY 1980'S, WHICH WOULD MAKE MURUNTAU THE WORLD'S LARGEST PRODUCING AU MINE COMPLEX.
Deposit Discovery Year: 1956-57
Deposit THIS RECORD IS AN UPDATED VERSION INCLUDING DUPLICATE INFORMATION FROM RECORD # W701783 WHICH HAS BEEN DELETED.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-MAR-1976 Till, Alison B. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-DEC-1987 Orris, Greta J. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-JUL-1990 Paidakovich, Matthew E. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-JAN-1993 Moyer, Lorre A. (Marcus, S.M.) U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

Supplemental information added by qvyshift.com. Not part of the original USGS MRDS record.

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