Four main mineralogical types are identifed among a wide variety of metallurgical slags from the bronze Age sites of the South Urals and Kazakhstan: chromite-bearing olivine, sulfde-bearing olivine, glassy sulfde-bearing and pyroxene. The slag types signifcantly difer in morphology, major and accessory minerals and composition of melt inclusions. The temperature of melt and the dynamics of its changes are estimated from phase diagrams and experimental studies. Crystallization models are proposed on the basis of ontogeny of newly formed minerals, relict inclusions, and possible temperatures for all slag types.

Figures 15. Tables 3. References 46.

Key words: metallurgical slags, bronze Age, melt temperature, crystallization model, South Urals, Kazakhstan

M.N. Ankushev, South Urals Federal Research Center of Mineralogy and Geoecology UB RAS, Institute of Mineralogy, Miass, Chelyabinsk oblast, 456317 Russia; ankushev_maksim@mail.ru

D.A. Artemyev, South Urals Federal Research Center of Mineralogy and Geoecology UB RAS, Institute of Mineralogy, Miass, Chelyabinsk oblast, 456317 Russia;

I.A. Blinov, South Urals Federal Research Center of Mineralogy and Geoecology UB RAS, Institute of Mineralogy, Miass, Chelyabinsk oblast, 456317 Russia

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