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Volume 16
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10.3390/min16060578
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Article

Mineralogical and Geochemical Criteria of Porphyry Copper Mineralisation at the Bala-Urpek Deposit, Sarykol Intrusive Complex, Eastern Kazakhstan

by
Indira Mataibayeva
,
Saltanat S. Aitbayeva
*,
Bakytgul Agaliyeva
,
Zhylduz A. Shayahmetova
,
Saniya N. Alzhaparova
,
Gulden Sypainova
,
Nazerke Kassenova
,
Zhanar Kapzhaparova
,
Asel Akilbaeva
and
Kuanysh Tailym
Earth Sciences School, D. Serikbayev East Kazakhstan Technical University, Ust-Kamenogorsk 070010, Kazakhstan
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Minerals 2026, 16(6), 578; https://doi.org/10.3390/min16060578
Submission received: 2 April 2026 / Revised: 19 May 2026 / Accepted: 20 May 2026 / Published: 27 May 2026
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Role of Granitic Magmas in Porphyry, Epithermal, and Skarn Deposits)
Versions Notes

Abstract

Porphyry copper deposits are one of the main sources of copper in the world and are usually associated with intrusive complexes of calc-alkaline composition formed in subduction-related geodynamic settings. Eastern Kazakhstan is characterized by the presence of a number of large porphyry copper-molybdenum deposits, but the metallogenic potential of many intrusive complexes in the region remains insufficiently studied. This paper presents new geological, mineralogical, and geochemical data on the Bala-Urpek deposit, located within the Sarykol intrusive complex (Eastern Kazakhstan), aimed at identifying diagnostic criteria for porphyry copper mineralization. The present study is based on field geological observations, petrographic analysis, and whole-rock geochemical data obtained by XRF and ICP-MS. Intrusive ore-bearing rocks are mainly represented by granitoids of the calc-alkaline series with I-type geochemical characteristics. Mineralogical studies have revealed veinlet-disseminated sulphide mineralisation, represented mainly by chalcopyrite and pyrite, as well as the development of hydrothermal alteration associations typical of porphyry systems. The geochemical characteristics of the rocks, including enrichment with large-ion lithophile elements and depletion with high-charge elements, indicate the subduction nature of magmatism. The combination of the data obtained allows us to identify geological, mineralogical and geochemical criteria characteristic of copper-porphyry systems and indicates the potential of the Bala-Urpek deposit area and the associated apophyses of the Sarykol complex for further exploration and prospecting.
Keywords: porphyry copper mineralisation; Sarykol intrusive complex; Eastern Kazakhstan; I-type granitoids; potassic–sericitic–propylitic alteration; geochemical criteria porphyry copper mineralisation; Sarykol intrusive complex; Eastern Kazakhstan; I-type granitoids; potassic–sericitic–propylitic alteration; geochemical criteria

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MDPI and ACS Style

Mataibayeva, I.; Aitbayeva, S.S.; Agaliyeva, B.; Shayahmetova, Z.A.; Alzhaparova, S.N.; Sypainova, G.; Kassenova, N.; Kapzhaparova, Z.; Akilbaeva, A.; Tailym, K. Mineralogical and Geochemical Criteria of Porphyry Copper Mineralisation at the Bala-Urpek Deposit, Sarykol Intrusive Complex, Eastern Kazakhstan. Minerals 2026, 16, 578. https://doi.org/10.3390/min16060578

AMA Style

Mataibayeva I, Aitbayeva SS, Agaliyeva B, Shayahmetova ZA, Alzhaparova SN, Sypainova G, Kassenova N, Kapzhaparova Z, Akilbaeva A, Tailym K. Mineralogical and Geochemical Criteria of Porphyry Copper Mineralisation at the Bala-Urpek Deposit, Sarykol Intrusive Complex, Eastern Kazakhstan. Minerals. 2026; 16(6):578. https://doi.org/10.3390/min16060578

Chicago/Turabian Style

Mataibayeva, Indira, Saltanat S. Aitbayeva, Bakytgul Agaliyeva, Zhylduz A. Shayahmetova, Saniya N. Alzhaparova, Gulden Sypainova, Nazerke Kassenova, Zhanar Kapzhaparova, Asel Akilbaeva, and Kuanysh Tailym. 2026. "Mineralogical and Geochemical Criteria of Porphyry Copper Mineralisation at the Bala-Urpek Deposit, Sarykol Intrusive Complex, Eastern Kazakhstan" Minerals 16, no. 6: 578. https://doi.org/10.3390/min16060578

APA Style

Mataibayeva, I., Aitbayeva, S. S., Agaliyeva, B., Shayahmetova, Z. A., Alzhaparova, S. N., Sypainova, G., Kassenova, N., Kapzhaparova, Z., Akilbaeva, A., & Tailym, K. (2026). Mineralogical and Geochemical Criteria of Porphyry Copper Mineralisation at the Bala-Urpek Deposit, Sarykol Intrusive Complex, Eastern Kazakhstan. Minerals, 16(6), 578. https://doi.org/10.3390/min16060578

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