Te and Se mineralogy of the high-sulfidation Kochbulak and Kairagach epithermal gold telluride deposits (Kurama Ridge, Middle Tien Shan, Uzbekistan)

Summary The Late Paleozoic Kochbulak and Kairagach deposits are located on the northern slope of the Kurama Ridge, Middle Tien Shan, in the same volcanic structure and the same ore-forming system. Au–Ag–Cu–Bi–Te–Se mineralization is confined to veins and dissemination zones accompanied by quartz-sericite wall-rock alteration. The tellurides, calaverite, altaite, hessite, and tetradymite are widespread at both deposits; at Kairagach selenides and sulfoselenides of Bi and Pb are common, while at Kochbulak Bi and Pb telluroselenides and sulfotelluroselenides are typical. The paragenetic sequence of telluride assemblages are similar for both deposits and change from calaverite + altaite + native Au to sylvanite + Bi tellurides + native Te, Bi tellurides + native Au, and, finally, to Au + Ag tellurides with time. These mineralogical changes are accompanied by an increase in the Ag content of native gold that correlates with a decrease in temperature, fTe₂ and fO₂ and an increase in pH.