Petrophysical Characteristics of Geological Complexes in the Southeastern Part of the Sarysu–Teniz Uplift (Central Kazakhstan) and Their Significance for Ore Mineralization Prospecting

Kuanysh Togizov, Geroy Zh. Zholtayev, Nurbakyt Zhumabay, Daulet Muratkhanov, Aibek TLEUBERGEN, Aizere Zhumabay

2026

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DOI 10.3390/min16070706
Data confidence 70 medium
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Abstract

Petrophysical characterization of rocks is essential for the reliable interpretation of gravity and magnetic fields in ore districts where sedimentary, volcanogenic, and intrusive rocks occur in complex structural relationships. This study uses a database comprising 643 bulk-density determinations and 650 magnetic-susceptibility determinations obtained from drill-core and hand-specimen samples from the southeastern part of the Sarysu–Teniz uplift, Central Kazakhstan. In this study, these measurements are presented and interpreted in an aggregated form by the main lithostratigraphic and lithological groups; for each group, the number of determinations, weighted-average values, and diagnostic petrophysical characteristics are reported. The unit-level weighted-average density values range from 2.14 to 2.73 g/cm3, whereas mean magnetic-susceptibility values vary from 0 to 913 × 10−5 SI. Carbonate-dominated units, including limestones, marls, dolomites, and dolomitized limestones, are non-magnetic to practically non-magnetic, mostly at 0–14 × 10−5 SI. The highest values are recorded in andesite-basalts and quartz syenite porphyries, reaching 766–913 × 10−5 SI; granodiorites have an average value of approximately 452 × 10−5 SI. Density values partly overlap between sedimentary and intrusive rocks, especially within the interval range of 2.48–2.66 g/cm3, whereas magnetic susceptibility provides a more reliable criterion for distinguishing carbonate host rocks from magnetite-bearing magmatic assemblages. The combined density–magnetic susceptibility framework indicates that exploration targeting should prioritize bodies with elevated magnetic susceptibility or sharp magnetic gradients, especially where χ > 450 × 10−5 SI, provided that these features coincide with faults, lithological contacts, practically non-magnetic carbonate host rocks, and independent geochemical evidence or known mineral occurrences. Consequently, magnetic anomalies are interpreted as indirect structural–lithological indicators rather than as direct evidence of ore bodies.