Abstract
In recent years, the geological service of Kazakhstan has been assigned the task of searching for sites where ores would meet modern industrial requirements. It has become a matter of re-evaluation of lead-zinc deposits and of identification among them of promising non-traditional commercially genetic types. One of these is the karst type, which has the following features: high lead and zinc content, compact ore deposits, effective ore enrichment, wide development in Kazakhstan of carbonate rocks with lead-zinc mineralisation, potentially promising rich karst ores. One of the regions in Kazakhstan with widespread development of the most favourable karst-forming carbonate rocks with numerous occurrences of stratified lead-zinc mineralisation and extensive development of both palaeokarst and modern karst is the Big Karatau. Lead-zinc deposits and ore occurrences represent the main group of ore formations for Karatau, which determine the metallogenic profile of the region. A simpler approach to the identification of transverse zones was proposed using the lead geochemical field. The map of the lead geochemical field (figure) clearly shows that the individual anomalies are combined into zones with northwest and northeast extensions. We interpret the latter as stretching zones developing across the compression zones of the northwestern (Karatau) strike of the structures. Geochemical halos are formed by ore matter "flowing" from the compression zones into the extension zones.