Centre for Russian and Central EurAsian Mineral Studies (CERCAMS)

Summary: IGCP Project #473

“Metallogeny of Central Asia:
a GIS-based synthesis on a modern geodynamic background”

Project rationale and background

A follow-up project to IGCP-373 (“Ore-bearing granites of Eurasia”, 1997-2002) has been submitted to the IGCP Board in Fall 2001 under the new IGCP’s Young Scientist Project scheme and funding was approved in begin February 2002 to run the research as a normal IGCP project (# 473) for five years (2002-2006). The accepted co-operation project is focused on the geodynamics and GIS metallogeny of the Uralides-Altaids orogenic collage.

IGCP-473 is a merging project within a larger research network. The research is co-ordinated through Dr Reimar Seltmann (project leader) from the Center for Russian and Central Asian Mineral Studies (CERCAMS) that hosts CERCAMS at the Mineralogy Department, NHM London. The project benefits from an accompanying training component for young scientists in the frame of EU-funded and national grant schemes (pending applications). The project (experts from 30 countries indicated collaboration interest) brings together geoscientists of different specialization, GIS experts, and young postdoctoral and postgraduate researchers from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, China, Mongolia and Russia, who use the chance to cooperate with researchers from other parts of the world.
CERCAMS hosts experts and young scientists from the former Soviet Union for short-term visits in the frame of the project research, provides training and lab access, to work on GIS datasets and metallogenic-geodynamic maps that are of interest also to the mining industry and government agencies. CERCAMS contributes a sum equal to the annual IGCP grant allocation by waiving any overheads (covering bench fees, providing free lab access). CERCAMS sponsored already the new office equipment for visiting scientists. Leading senior researchers and expert teams in the research field are invited to contribute to the cooperation network and GIS products and are invited to attend joint project meetings.
The project management structure has been defined (appointment of co-leaders, establishing network structure and meeting schedule). The approved IGCP-473 co-leaders are: O. Fedorenko (Kazakhstan, coordination of Central Asian research and representing simultaneously network partners from Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan); Mao Jingwen (China), and V. Shatov (Russia).

Summary

The Central Asian region, occupying the territories of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and adjacent areas of the Russian Federation ? countries with a transition economy (Target Countries), hosts over 2500 mineral deposits of variable size, age and type (Au, Cu, Pb-Zn, U, Mo-W, Cr and Sb-Hg deposits). The mineral potential of this region is tremendous, however, the present-day metal production, coming largely from state-owned enterprises, has declined sharply in the past decade. It is a vital need for the Central Asian countries to develop their mineral resource base in order to solve their current transition economy problems (need of know-how, investment, sustainable use of raw material base) and this project will be a contribution to that. Large areas of Central Asia have had traditional Soviet-style prospecting, but relatively insignificant modern exploration by advanced technologies. The territory of Central Asia has been thoroughly studied during the last 50 years. Although these studies were successful in recognition of more than 250 metallogenic zones and ore fields of different ore composition and age of mineralization, an understanding of the factors, which control the distribution of major ore deposits remains equivocal. Earlier metallogenic studies were based on largely dogmatic views, assuming that the crustal evolution of Central Asia was essentially static. In addition, many deposits were typified according to standards, which significantly differ from the internationally accepted classifications of exploration models. There is a serious scientific gap between existing old-style knowledge of the Central Asian metallogeny and modern-style understanding of its geodynamic evolution.
This study will help to overcome these problems as the proposed geodynamic analysis will take into account metallogenic constraints. Until present time there were no studies of the metallogenic evolution of Central Asia and adjacent areas on the basis of the plate tectonic approach. Despite many attempts, there are no geodynamic and metallogenic maps of Central Asia and adjacent areas available yet that are of suitable quality to satisfy international standards, because the existing maps cover either only selected orogens or selected republics of Central Asia and are not accompanied by GIS-oriented thematic databases. The main goal of the proposed research will be achieved through the correlation of the stages of crustal evolution, magmatism and ore formation across the national borders. The proposed study will integrate the currently available data, including results obtained during the previous INTAS-93-1783 and IGCP-373 projects, new data in order to combine the geotectonic units of Central Asia and its mineral inventory, and to see the metallogenic evolution against the background of crustal growth during accretionary orogeny aiming to develop a unified metallogenic–geodynamic model of Central Asia. The selected mineral deposit sites will be studied in the field and by modern laboratory methods to obtain data on geochemistry of ores, mineralized rocks, wallrock alteration, and country rocks for developing genetic models of major mineral deposits in accordance with the best international practice.
This complex interdisciplinary research through the complementary teams will result in the compilation of a set of GIS-based geological, geodynamic and metallogenic maps of Central Asian countries at a scale of 1:1 500 000 aiming to assess the mineral potential of the study area. It is expected that the final maps and databases will be available in a single GIS-based package and might help in recognition of prospective exploration terrains and mineral assessment of Central Asia.