Geological characteristics of black shale-hosted ore deposits and their prospecting in the Tianshan

This paper briefly introduces the distribution of black shales and geological characteristics of black shale-hosted mineral deposits in the Chinese Tianshan, Xinjiang. Black shales are well developed in the Chinese Tianshan. They occur mainly in Paleozoic strata and less commonly in Mesozoic strata. Ore minerals associated with black shales found so far are gold, vanadium, uranium, phosphor and antimony minerals. The world-class Muruntau and Kumtor gold deposits in the Central Asian Tianshan occur in black shales, and the Chinese Tianshan is its eastward extension, where the Sawayaerdun, Dashankou and Sahentuohai gold deposits have been discovered in recent years, showing good ore prospects in this region. The Muruntau and Sawayaerdun gold deposits are representatives of black shale-hosted gold deposits. The black shale-hosted gold deposits in the Chinese Tianshan have many similarities to those in the Central Asian Tianshan. Jigen-Taertekuli, Wulansaier-Dashankou, Wushenbeishan and Akeyazihe, Xinjiang, are gold target areas with best gold prospects. In the future, efforts should be intensified to carry out exploration and study of the Sawayaerdun gold deposit and meanwhile attention should be paid to looking for Pt, Pd and Cu deposits in black shales.