Geological characteristics and research progress of Apuseni-Banat-Timok-Srednogorie Cu-Au metallogenic belt in Southeast Europe

The ABTS belt is part of the Tethyan Eurasian Metallogenic belt and hosts Cu-Au-Mo porphyry (some with notable PGE abundances), Mo-Fe-Pb-Zn skarn, and Cu-Au-Ag epithermal deposits. These deposits are mainly associated with the late Cretaceous calc-alkaline magmatite. All the deposits in this belt were emplaced at 20Ma, indicating that the fundamental tectonic process was short-lived. In space, ages for magmatism and mineralization in Srednogorie decrease from north to south. At present, the main metallogenic model of this ore belt is plate roll back. According to the plate roll back model, steepening of the slab during roll-back led to an increased corner flow of upper lithospheric mantle and asthenospheric material, combined with extension of the upper plate, the melt rose to the shallow horizon and generated related magmatites and deposits. Continued slab rolling back shifted the locus of melt generation southward, resulting in the unequivocal age trend identified in Timok and Srednogorie. This belt is similar to Gangdise belt in deposit type and metallogenic age distribution, but there are some differences in metallogenic age and metallogenic tectonic setting.