The paper describes different types of base metal mineralization of the Mikheevsky (Novonikolaevsky) ore cluster (South Urals, Russia). At the Mikheevskoe porphyry copper deposit, gold-base metal mineralization occurs as subepithermal veins up to 30 cm thick with pyrite, arsenopyrite, fahlore (tennantite-tetrahedrite-(Fe) and argentotetrahedrite-(Fe)), sphalerite and galena. Minor minerals include native gold of varying composition and polybasite. At the Novonikolaevskoe skarn porphyry Cu deposit, early galena and sphalerite occur in massive sulfide ores of the post-skarn stage, while propylites hosts late galena and sphalerite, as well as fahlores (tennantite-(Fe, Zn)–tetrahedrite-(Zn)). Minor native gold and rare Те, Hg, Bi, Ni, W, In, and Sn minerals belong to the same assemblage. At the Zapadnoe porphyry Cu deposit, the base metal assemblage includes pyrite, fahlore (tennantite-tetrahedrite-(Zn)), galena, and sphalerite and is accompanied by quartz-sericite-carbonate alteration. These types of base metal mineralization formed at a similar temperature range (from 290–320 to 280–220 °С), but differ in chemical composition of major ore minerals and a set of rare ore minerals. This diversity is caused by zoning and different evolution stages of a telescoped porphyry system.
Keywords: South Urals, Mikheevskoe porphyry deposit, Zapadnoe porphyry deposit, Novonikolaevskoe skarn porphyry deposit, copper, fahlore, sphalerite, galena, native gold.
Funding. This work was supported by state contract of the Institute of Geology of Ore Deposits, Petrography, Mineralogy and Geochemistry RAS (Moscow, Russia).
Acknowledgements. The authors express their gratitude to the management of the Mikheevsky GOK (Chelyabinsk region, Russia) for support during fieldwork, staff of the Laboratory of Local Analytical Methods of the Moscow State University (Moscow, Russia) and Laboratory of Crystal Mineral Chemistry of the Institute of Geology of Ore Deposits, Petrography, Mineralogy, and Geochemistry RAS (Moscow, Russia) for electron microprobe analysis, and Ya.E. Soldatova for assistance with data processing.
Conflict of interest. The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.
Author contribution. Plotinskaya O.Yu. – concept development, research, visualization, writing, editing the final version of the manuscript: Khrebtievsky V.V. – concept development, research, visualization, writing: Kovalchuk E.V. – research, Savostianova M.M. – research.
For citation: Plotinskaya O.Yu., Khrebtievsky V.V., Kovalchuk E.V., Savostyanova M.M. Gold-base metal mineralization of the Mikheevsky (Novonikolaevsky) porphyry copper ore cluster, South Urals. Mineralogy, 2026, 12(3), 66–92. https://doi.org/10.35597/2313-545X-2026-12-3-4

Received 29.05.2026, revised 30.76.2026, accepted 06.08.2026

Olga Yu. Plotinskaya – Doct. Sci. (Geol.-Mineral), Leading Researcher, Institute of Geology of Ore Deposits, Petrography, Mineralogy and Geochemistry RAS, Moscow, Russia; plotin@igem.ru
Vladimir V. Khrebtievsky – Post-Graduate Student, Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia; st064292@gmail.com
Elena V. Kovalchuk – Cand. Sci. (Geol.-Mineral), Scientific Researcher, Institute of Geology of Ore Deposits, Petrography, Mineralogy and Geochemistry RAS, Moscow, Russia; elena7kovalchuk@gmail.com
Margarite M. Savostyanova – Senior Specialist, Fedorovsky All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Mineral Resources, Moscow, Russia; savostyanova_m@inbox.ru

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