Zn/Cd ratios in calcsilicate-hosted sphalerite ores at Tumurtijn-ovoo, Mongolia

As other calcsilicate-hosted ore deposits the Tumurtijn-ovoo Fe–Mn–Zn deposit is subdued to the question how the ore elements took place, whether linked to epigenetic silicification of a limestone host or bound to syngenetic precipitation during the deposition of a calcareous-siliceous sediment. The comparison of high Zn/Cd ratios of ores from Tumurtijn-ovoo ranging from 514 to 724 with those of other ore deposits relates Tumurtijn-ovoo to the group of submarine hydrothermal deposits which got their ore elements from basaltic source rocks by subseafloor leaching. Hence, respecting geological and textural features of the ores, a synsedimentary precipitation of zinc and cadmium in a volcano-sedimentary environment is suggested for Tumurtijn-ovoo. A group of low Zn/Cd ratios (274–297) is correlated with processes of mobilization and redeposition of sphalerite.