Endogenous gold of the russian Altai

DOI: 10.47765/0869-5997-2023-10012

Abstract

The Altai of Russia in the geological and metallogenic sense includes the Altai Mountains and the northwestern part of Rudny Altai, and in administrative terms – the Altai Territory and the Altai Republic. Gorny Altai has experienced a complex history of geological development, including subduction,
accretion-collision and rifting processes with the formation of various types of magmatism and endogenous gold mineralization. The history of gold mining in the region is associated mainly with placers and currently the reserve of placer gold deposits is almost exhausted, and the prospects for primary mineralization have been little studied. In this regard, the problem of assessing the potential of ore gold in known ore occurrences and promising areas of ore clusters has become urgent in the region. In the Russian part of Rudny Altai, gold reserves are mainly associated with gold-bearing pyritepolymetallic deposits and less with small gold ore occurrences. Gold-sulfide-skarn, epithermal gold-silver, copper-gold-porphyry and gold-mercury types of mineralization may have important practical significance for the region. The increase in ore gold reserves in the Russian part of Rudny Altai is mainly due to additional exploration of pyrite-polymetallic deposits.