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Kanggur, Matoutan
Xinjiang, China
Main commodities: Au Ag


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The Kanggur and Matoutan gold deposits are 4 km apart and located in the East Tianshan Mountains of northern Xinjiang Province, China, some 350 km south east of Urumqi. They are interpreted to be low sulphidation epithermal gold deposits.

Kanggur is one of a number of gold deposits (including Xitan, Kangxi, Xifenshan, Dadonggou and Mazhuangshan) forming the Kanggurtag Gold Belt in the East Tianshan Mountains which fall within the eastern section of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt.   This part of the orogenic belt is a Palaeozoic volcanic island arc at the junction between the Junggar microplate to the north and the Tarim plate to the south.   The major regional, more than 500 km long, east-west trending, north dipping, Qiugemingtashi-Huangshan ductile shear zone was developed along the northern margin of the arc complex.   Kanggur and the other deposits of the Kanggurtag Gold Belt are distributed along the southern margin of this shear zone.

The host sequence comprises a lower Carboniferous (330 Ma) suite of intermediate to acid lavas, pyroclastics and sediments of the Aquishan Formation, which is subdivided into two lithological associations, namely:
i). a southern to central 1700 m thick sequence of andesite, tuff and volcanic breccia with intercalated sandstone and bioclastic limestone, and
ii). a 1000 m thick northern association of dacite, rhyolite, pyroclastics and tuffite.
Subvolcanic intrusives of quartz-syenite and rhyolite porphyries occur in the deposit area as dykes and sills (282 ±16 Ma to 300 ±13 Ma).   A 275 ±7 Ma tonalite 4.5 km NW of Kanggur cuts the shear zone without deformation or displacement.   The ore is developed in highly altered (to sericite and chlorite) calc-alkaline andesites, dacites and pyroclastics.

The structure in the district comprises an ENE shear schistosity dipping at 70 to 80° N, two parallel east-west trending brittle-ductile shears (which host the ore) and a set of post ore conjugate brittle NE and NW faults.

A representative example of the Kanggur orebodies, orebody VI, comprises three sub-orebodies in the southern of the two main brittle-ductile shear zones.   These are the:
VI-1 body which trends at 85°, dips at 70 to 75°N, is 1000 m long, 1 to 10.25 m (averaging 3.95 m) thick,
VI-2 body also trending at 85°, is 650 m long, 0.5 to 6.3 m (averaging 3.1 m) thick, and
VI-3 body which trends at 85°, dips at 75 to 85°N, is 700 m long, 0.3 to 5.6 m (averaging 1.95 m) thick.
All extend for more than 600 m down dip.

Body VI-1 is composed of three parallel veins, each zoned along the vein from Au rich in the upper levels to Pb-Zn in the middle and Cu at depth.   The gold rich zone averages 9.92 g/t Au, 4.66 g/t Ag, 0.76% Cu, 0.82% Pb, 1.35% Zn, although the grade at any one section is proportional to the mineralised thickness.   The gold ores occur as auriferous magnetite-chlorite altered rock, as auriferous pyrite-quartz veins and as polymetallic sulphide quartz veins.   The principal metallic minerals are native gold, electrum, pyrite, galena, sphalerite and chalcopyrite, with minor pyrrhotite, arsenopyrite and bornite in a gangue of quartz, chlorite, magnetite and sericite, secondary calcite, dolomite, siderite and barite.

In contrast the other main vein system, orebody VIII, exhibits no clear metal zonation.

Kanggur is believed to contain more than 40 tonnes of gold in two main and a number of other orebodies.   Grades range from 3.2 to 40.5, averaging 9.92 g/t Au.

Matoutan, which is 4 km east of Kanggur, consists of four mineralised veins with average grades varying between 4 and 8.5 g/t Au. The veins are all parallel, approximately 80 m apart and strike at 80°. The largest of these is 600 m long, 2 to 22 m wide and persists down the 80°N dip for more than 400 m. Alteration and mineralisation is similar to that at Kanggur.

For detail consult the reference(s) listed below.

The most recent source geological information used to prepare this decription was dated: 2003.    
This description is a summary from published sources, the chief of which are listed below.
© Copyright Porter GeoConsultancy Pty Ltd.   Unauthorised copying, reproduction, storage or dissemination prohibited.


  References & Additional Information
   Selected References:
Lianchang Zhang, Yuanchao Shen, Jinsheng Ji  2003 - Characteristics and genesis of Kanggur gold deposit in the eastern Tianshan mountains, NW China: Evidence from geology, isotope distribution and chronology: in    Ore Geology Reviews   v23 pp 71-90
Mao J, Goldfarb R J, Wang Y, Hart C J, Wang Z, and Yang J,  2005 - Late Paleozoic base and precious metal deposits, East Tianshan, Xinjiang, China: Characteristics and geodynamic setting: in    Episodes   v.28 pp. 23-36
Wang Yitian, Jingwen Mao, Wang Zhiliang, Li Huaqin and Wang Jianmin,  2003 - The Kanggur and Matoutan gold deposits, Eastern Tianshan, Xinjiang: in Mao, Goldfarb, Seltmann, Wang, Xiao and Hart (Eds.), 2003 Tectonic Evolution and Metallogenesis of the Chinese Altay and Tianshan, Proceedings Volume of the International Symposium of the IGCI-473 Project in Urumqi and Guidebook of the Field Excursion in Xinjiang, China: August 9-21, 2003 Tectonic Evolution IAGOD Guidebook Series 10: CERCAMS/NHM London,    pp 271-282
Wang, Y.-H., Xue, C.-J., Zhang, F.-F., Liu, J.-J., Gao, J.-B. and Qi, T.-J.,  2015 - SHRIMP zircon U-Pb geochronology, geochemistry and H-O-Si-S-Pb isotope systematics of the Kanggur gold deposit in Eastern Tianshan, NW China: Implication for ore genesis: in    Ore Geology Reviews   v.68, pp. 1-13.
Wang, Y.T., Mao, J.W., Chen, W., Yang, J.M., Wang Z.L. and Yang F.Q.,  2005 - Strike-slip fault controls on mineralization in the Kanggurtag gold belt in the Eastern Tianshan, Xinjiang, NW China: in   Mineral Deposit Research: Meeting the Global Challenge, Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg,    pp. 1347-1349.


Porter GeoConsultancy Pty Ltd (PorterGeo) provides access to this database at no charge.   It is largely based on scientific papers and reports in the public domain, and was current when the sources consulted were published.   While PorterGeo endeavour to ensure the information was accurate at the time of compilation and subsequent updating, PorterGeo, its employees and servants:   i). do not warrant, or make any representation regarding the use, or results of the use of the information contained herein as to its correctness, accuracy, currency, or otherwise; and   ii). expressly disclaim all liability or responsibility to any person using the information or conclusions contained herein.

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