• S. Glorie
  • G. Jepson
  • D. Konopelko
  • R. Mirkamalov
  • F. Meeuws
  • S. Gilbert
  • J. Gillespie
  • A. S. Collins
  • W. Xiao
  • S. Dewaele
  • J. De Grave

The Uzbek Tian Shan is a prominent metal-rich belt, hosting world-class orogenic Au deposits such as Muruntau. However, its post-collisional history in relation to fluid alteration and mineralisation remains elusive. We present apatite U–Pb dates and rare earth element geochemistry for 44 granitoids, revealing a prolonged history of low-grade metamorphism and associated fluid alteration between ~285 and ~240 Ma. A resulting apatite U–Pb age interpolation map reveals two young anomalies that are interpreted as post-orogenic fluid circulation cells. In addition, the extent of Meso-Cenozoic denudation is presented using apatite fission track (FT) age data. In areas of good data coverage, the combined Apatite U–Pb and FT anomalies reveal a correlation with the locations of orogenic Au mineralisation. Although more data is required to further evaluate such correlation, our study illustrates that integrated multi-method apatite thermochronology and geochemistry may have the potential to become a novel viable tool for mineral exploration.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1-15
Number of pages15
JournalGondwana Research
Volume71
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jul 2019

    Scopus subject areas

  • Geology

    Research areas

  • Apatite U–Pb, Central Asian Orogenic Belt, Fluid alteration, Orogenic au, Tian Shan, Trace element geochemistry

ID: 41123625