The giant Oyu Tolgoi porphyry copper-gold deposit discovery history and exploration implications, south Gobi

Abstract

The giant Oyu Tolgoi porphyry copper-gold deposit is the largest of several porphyry copper systems identified in the south Gobi region of Mongolia and northern China (fig. 1)[see full text for figure]. Exploration by Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. has delineated a very large copper and gold resource which has highlighted the economic potential of the south Gobi as a major Palaeozoic porphyry province with in the framework of the Central Asian Mineral Belt.