Axi Gold Deposit: A Paleozoic Low-Sulfidation Type of Epithermal Gold Deposit in
Axi gold deposit, occurring in the Tulasu volcanic fault-basin in the Paleozoic active-continental-margin on the north side of the Yili-Central Tianshan Plate, is a low-sulfidation type of epithermal gold deposit formed in the Paleozoic era. The host rocks are andesitic and volcaniclastic rocks of the Paleozoic Dahalajunshan Formation, and the ore bodies occurred as veins in annular faults of an old caldera. The deposit is characterized by enrichments of Au, Ag, As, Sb, Bi, Hg, Se, Te and Mo relative to average crust, and low Ag/Au ratios (0.46~11.1). The discovery of Axi is therefore critical for guiding the exploration of epithermal gold deposits in pre-Mesozoic orogenic belts.