FORMATION STAGES OF THE LARGE-SCALE NOBLE METAL MINERALIZATION IN THE SUKHOI LOG DEPOSIT, EAST SIBERIA: RESULTS OF ISOTOPE-GEOCHRONOLOGICAL STUDY

Abstract

This paper presents results of the Rb–Sr and K–Ar isotope–geochronological study of the Sukhoi Log deposit, one of the world’s largest noble metal deposits localized among metasedimentary black shales. The deposits of this type (Muruntau, Uzbekistan; Nezhdaninskoe, Russia; Ashanti, Gana; and others) account for a considerable part in the balance of mined gold and its potential reserves. The significance of these deposits and, primarily, the Sukhoi Log deposit became even higher with the discovery of Pt mineralization in some of them. However, the origin and especially age of the noble metal mineralization in the Sukhoi Log deposit remain controversial.