Temporal and spatial distribution of major metal deposits in the Eastern Tethyan metallogenic domain: a review

摘要

The metal deposits in the Tethyan metallogenic domain (TMD) are much more poorly documented as a synthesized classical metallogenic model than other such domains.Here we attempt to classify spatially the major metal deposits in the eastern TMD into seven areas on the basis of previously published data and metallogenic models.These areas are: Turkey, Iran, Five Central Asian countries, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tebet-Sanjiang in China, and Indochina, According to published geochronological data, the major metal deposits can be placed into six main metallogenic epochs: the Late Devonian-Early Permian, Late Permian, Middle-Late Jurassic, Middle Cretaceous, Late Cretaceous-Early Paleocene and middle Eocene-Present, which were related with tectonic processes associated with opening, subduction and closure of the Paleo-Tethyan and Neo-Tethyan Oceans.All of the deposits are areally scattered rather than occurring in continuous belts.This distribution pattern of the deposits is closely related to the tectonic-metallogenic processes involved in their formation.