A cobalt deposit discovered in copper-bearing sandstone-shale in the Karatax ore district, Western Kunlun Mountains

Copper-bearing sandstone-shale in the Karatax ore district in the Tamu-Kalangu lead-zinc-copper belt, West Kunlun, has higher cobalt contents, associated with many useful components such as copper, nickel, lead and silver. Primary cobalt minerals may occur as separate minerals associated with nickel. In the study area the host rock of the cobalt deposits copper-bearing sandstone-shale and according to its genesis it may belong to an exhalative-sedimentary type cobalt-copper-lead polymetallic deposit.