Muruntau gold deposit

[1] The oldest, basement, consists of metamorphosed and folded Lower Palaeozoic carbonaceous and sulphidic clastic rock referred to as the Besopan Formation.

[2] [3] After erosion and exhumation it became basement to an unconformable unit of Devonian to Early Triassic carbonate and clastic sediments and volcanic rocks.

[1] The Kyzyl Kum area basement is strongly folded and pelitic rocks have a well-developed axial planar cleavage.

[4] Rubidium - Strontium dating of metamorphic micas has indicated a Caledonian (Early Devonian) cooling age of 401 ± 11 million years.

[3] A thrusting event at this time helps to explain the change at the top of the Carboniferous (in the Karatau Range) from shallow marine to terrestrial.

[3] The main mechanism of this event is the giant Karatau Fault, which has right-lateral displacement of 150 kilometres (93 mi) and related steeply-plunging Z-shaped folds.