The Carboniferous Shikebutai Iron Deposit in Western Tianshan, Northwestern China: Petrology, Fe-O-C-Si Isotopes, and Implications for Iron Pathways

Submarine volcanic-hosted iron deposits are important sources of iron ore in northwestern China. Here we present the petrological characteristics and coupled Fe-O, C, and Si isotope data of iron ores from the Shikebutai submarine volcanic-hosted hematite deposit in the Western Tianshan region. Several stratiform and lenticular hematite-dominated orebodies occur in Carboniferous submarine volcano-sedimentary sequences in this region. The ores are...