The Mineral Resources of the Bor Metallogenic Zone: A Review

The Bor metallogenic zone is one of the most important metallogenic units in the Republic of Serbia. Volcanic processes in this unit are characterized by the domination of extrusive volcanic activity, and the change of depositional environment during the numerous volcanic cycles, as well as facial transitions and huge deposition of syn- and post eruptive resedimented volcanoclastics. The predominant metals in the Bor metallogenic zone are copper and gold, accompanied by iron, base-metals, silver, molybdenum, and minor platinum-group elements. The most prominent morphogenetic types of deposit comprise porphyry copper-gold, cupriferous pyrite, massive base-metal sulphides and hydrothermal veins, iron oxides skarns, carbonate replacement polymetallic deposits, volcanogenic epithermal gold mineralization of the high sulphidation type, and exceptionally rare clasts of copper sulphide ore mechanically accumulated in small sedimentary basins filled by pyroclastics. The total production of the Bor metallogenic zone since 1902 has been near 652 Mt of ore with 4.93 Mt of copper and 280 tons of gold. Mineral resources of the Bor metallogenic zone are estimated at over 20 millions of tons of copper and 1,000 tons of gold. The main geological characteristics of selected metallic mineral deposits in this area are described in this paper.