Pegmatites of the Kalba–Narym Batholith (East Kazakhstan): Origin and Classification

Mizernaya M.A. Aitbayeva S.S. Kotler P.D. Dolgopolova A.V. Seltmann R. Bekishev Y. Kuzmina O.N. Oitseva T.A. Shayakhmetova Z.A. Akbarov Y.Y. Baisalova A.O.
February 2026 Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)

Minerals
2026 #16 Issue 2

This study investigates the trace-element geochemistry of rare-metal pegmatites from the Kalba–Narym Batholith, Eastern Kazakhstan, to establish geochemical indicators of zonation and subtype differentiation within pegmatite fields. Detailed ICP-MS analyses of muscovite and K-feldspar reveal systematic variations in Li, Cs, Rb, Ta, Nb, P, and Ga contents that reflect progressive melt fractionation during the evolution of granitic magmas. These data allow the identification of four main pegmatite subtypes, including barren, beryl, albite–spodumene, and albite, representing successive stages of LCT (Li-Cs-Ta) pegmatite evolution. Both vertical and lateral geochemical zonation are recognized across the Kalba–Narym Batholith, controlled by magmatic differentiation and volatile enrichment. The results highlight the diagnostic value of trace-element systematics in rock-forming minerals as reliable indicators of fractionation and ore potential, and they provide quantitative criteria for the classification and exploration of rare-metal pegmatites within the Kalba–Narym Batholith.

East Kazakhstan , K-feldspar , Kalba–Narym Batholith , LCT pegmatites , muscovite , rare-metal mineralization , trace-element geochemistry

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Faculty of Earth Sciences, D. Serikbayev East Kazakhstan Technical University, 19, Serikbayev Str., Ust’-Kamenogorsk, 070000, Kazakhstan
V.S. Sobolev Institute of Geology and Mineralogy Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Koptyug Ave., 3, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russian Federation
Centre for Russian and Central EurAsian Mineral Studies (CERCAMS), Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD, United Kingdom
Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan, 19 Qabanbay Batyr Ave., Astana, 020000, Kazakhstan
Department of Geological Survey, Prospecting and Exploration of Mineral and Petroleum Industries, Institute of Geology and Petroleum Science Named after K. Turysov, K. I. Satbayev Kazakh National Research Technical University, 22 Satbaev str., Almaty, 050013, Kazakhstan

Faculty of Earth Sciences
V.S. Sobolev Institute of Geology and Mineralogy Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Centre for Russian and Central EurAsian Mineral Studies (CERCAMS)
Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan
Department of Geological Survey

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