Study on the Lithium Anomaly Zone within Sulatsay Area, Uzbekistan
Abstract
The Sulatsay rare metal field formed through pegmatite generation associated with fertile granitic magmatism, with lithium mineralization occurring in lithium-cesiumtantalum (LCT)-type pegmatites at contacts with syenite. This study provides fundamental geochemical data to support future lithium resource development in the Sulatsay Area. Thirty samples were collected from rare metal-bearing pegmatite bodies, and chemical analyses were performed at the Institute of Mineral Resources (IMR), Uzbekistan. Lithium was detected in all samples, with concentrations ranging from 26.34 to 2,124.76 ppm. Field observations and mineralogical assemblages indicate that albitized quartz-microcline pegmatites are characteristic of the study area. Most rare metal pegmatites are interpreted to have been enriched through greisenization processes. Future work will focus on identifying the fertile granites responsible for pegmatite formation using geochronological dating. Once these granites are delineated, a detailed geological survey covering approximately 10-20 km<sup>2</sup> will be conducted, based on the hypothesis that rare metal pegmatites occur within a 10 km radius of the fertile granite.