A review of mineral systems and associated tectonic settings of northern Xinjiang, NW China

Northern Xinjiang, part of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB), hosts diverse and economically significant mineral systems shaped by complex tectonic processes. The CAOB, formed through the amalgamation of microcontinents, island arcs, and oceanic plates from Early Palaeozoic to Early Permian times, was later influenced by strike-slip movements and intraplate magmatism linked to mantle plume activity. This study reviews representative mineral deposits in the Tianshan, West and East Junggar, and Altay orogenic belts, including porphyry and epithermal systems, volcanogenic massive sulphides, skarn deposits, shear zone-hosted Au lodes, and Alaskan-style mafic–ultramafic intrusions. A notable belt of pegmatites in the Altay orogen also hosts world-class rare metal deposits, while roll-front sandstone-hosted U mineralisation adds to the region's rich mineral endowment. The research integrates geological and tectonic insights to highlight the dynamic processes underlying these deposits.

Pirajno, F., Seltmann, R., & Yang, Y. (2011). A review of mineral systems and associated tectonic settings of northern Xinjiang, NW China. Geoscience Frontiers, 2(2), 157–185. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gsf.2011.03.006