Morphological evolution of gold nuggets in proximal sedimentary environments,southern New Zealand

A rare collection of centimetre-scale proximal gold nuggets has been examined in the context of the Late Pleistocene to Holocene eluvial and colluvial sediments in which they occur, in a range of environments from arid temperate to periglacial. Liberation of supergene nuggets from their basement source in fault zones occurred progressively by physical erosion as the host basement rocks were uplifted between middle Miocene and Holocene. The host sediments are made up of poorly sorted angular greenschist facies schist debris. Some nuggets were recycled through several generations of these colluvial deposits, and additional nuggets were liberated to younger sediments during this time. The nuggets did not migrate laterally more than a few tens of metres during this repeated recycling, and were passively elevated vertically with the rising basement on to the crest and slopes of a 1600 m high mountain range. The most recently liberated nuggets retain almost all the morphological features of their supergene origin, including coarse (cm scale) crystal shapes, delicate crystalline internal structure, and imprints of oxidised pyrite crystals. Minor transport in colluvium has caused some abrasion and rounding of gold crystals. Repeated recycling progressively obscured the crystal shapes, although relict crystals are still recognisable on parts of most nuggets. Differential timing of liberation from basement has resulted in a wide range of rounding effects in groups of closely-coexisting nuggets. Variably crystalline gold overgrowths (micron scale) coat abraded surfaces of all or part of most nuggets, commonly intergrown with authigenic smectite clay minerals. These overgrowths developed from alkaline groundwater (pH 7–9) that had undergone extensive chemical interaction with labile minerals in the host colluvium. Abrasion during recycling removed some of the overgrowths, but this was replaced in the new sedimentary hosts. Physical and chemical processes affecting nuggets in these sediments have similarly affected eluvial and colluvial nuggets in a wide range of settings around the world, including Yukon (Canada), California (USA) and arid parts of Australia.     

Diagenetic alteration of a Mesozoic fluvial gold placer deposit,southern New Zealand

Gold paleoplacers become progressively more affected by diagenetic processes with age and burial. Mesozoic paleoplacer deposits in southern New Zealand display intermediate stages of diagenetic transformation compared to little-affected Late Cenozoic paleoplacers and strongly-affected Paleozoic and Precambrian paleoplacers. The Mesozoic (Cretaceous) diagenesis resulted in near-pervasive alteration, cementation and lithification of the paleoplacer. Lithic clasts and matrix have been extensively altered to illite, ferrous iron-bearing smectite-vermiculite, and kaolinite, and the cement consists mainly of clays and calcite. Diagenetic pyrite, marcasite, vivianite, and Mn oxide also contributed to cementation. Alteration occurred under near-surface (<500 m depth) conditions with groundwater that had circumneutral pH, high alkalinity, and elevated dissolved K, Mg and Ca. Detrital albite remained unaffected by alteration. Detrital gold has been variably dissolved and redeposited, with widespread formation of gold overgrowths on the 1–10 μm scales, with 1–3 wt% Ag. Gold mobility was driven by reduced sulphur complexes in the low redox, high pH diagenetic environment. The overgrowth gold locally contributed to cementation of fine clastic grains, and has intergrown with diagenetic clays and Mn oxide. Post-diagenetic oxidation of the paleoplacer deposit has transformed much of the pyrite to ferric oxyhydroxide and deposited some ferric oxyhydroxide coatings on gold. These oxidation processes have had only minor effects on gold mobility and textures. Hence, the low redox conditions of diagenetic gold mobility were distinctly different from those typically associated with oxidation-related supergene gold mobility. Diagenesis can affect economics of paleoplacer mining by hindering rock disaggregation during processing, coating gold particles with secondary minerals, and increasing the clay content of the deposit, all of which can lower the efficiency of gold recovery.     

Early Tertiary epithermal gold mineralization, Bahcecik prospect, northeastern Turkey

The Bahcecik prospect is located in the eastern Pontide tectonic province of the eastern Black Sea region of Turkey. It is one of the first low sulfidation epithermal systems to be described from this area of Turkey. Gold mineralization occurred within Late Cretaceous to early Tertiary volcanic rocks and is localized along east-trending normal faults and lithologic contacts. An early quartz–sericite alteration event was focused along the major fault in the area and resulted in precipitation of arsenian (?) pyrite with anomalous gold. A later, more spatially extensive, advanced argillic alteration event overprinted the quartz–sericite event. Native gold was precipitated during this event as disseminations and fracture fillings in quartz. Gold mineralization is restricted to the high-temperature portion of the alteration zone characterized by quartz veins with diaspore–pyrophyllite selvages. The prospect area was subjected to Tertiary to Holocene supergene alteration.     

Genetic aspects of gold mineralization in the Southern Granulite Terrain,India

Gold mineralization in Southern Granulite Terrain (SGT) of India has close spatial relationship with the shear zones (Moyar–Bhavani) present in Cauvery Suture Zone. Gold is found to be associated with primary quartz veins, placers and laterites. The gold prospects in SGT can be broadly grouped into three provinces i) Wynad-Nilgiri, ii) Malappuram and iii) Attappadi. The auriferous quartz veins are within the deformed biotite/hornblende bearing gneisses and amphibolite. Wall rock alteration is conspicuous around the mineralized veins and gives an assemblage of muscovite–calcite–ankerite–chlorite–biotite–pyrite related to fluid–rock interaction at the time of vein formation. Fluid inclusion studies of vein quartz gives an idea of the nature of the ore forming fluids, the fluid involved in gold mineralization is of low saline and aqueous-carbonic in composition and quite similar to the orogenic lode gold deposits reported world-wide. Micro-thermometric data indicates fluid immiscibility (phase separation) during trapping of fluid inclusions and this must have played an important role in gold deposition. Geochronological studies of mineral separates from Wynad-Nilgiri province using Rb–Sr and Sm–Nd isochron methods of the auriferous quartz veins gave an age of approximately 450 Ma for the vein formation. The present studies on SGT gold mineralization indicate 1. During the Pan-African orogeny, extensive fluid influx from mantle and metamorphism extracted gold from a mafic source and were focused along major structural discontinuities of Moyar–Bhavani Shear Zone, 2. The aqueous–carbonic ore fluid interacted with rocks of the upper crust and triggered a set of metasomatic changes responsible for the dissolved components such as Ca, Si and Fe and finally precipitating in the veins and 3. The mineralizing fluid with dissolved gold in sulphide complex got destabilized due to fluid immiscibility and wall rock alteration leading to the deposition of gold with associated sulphide minerals in the vein system.     

Petrography, mineralogy and geochemistry of the Zarshuran Carlin-like gold deposit, northwest Iran

Gold mineralisation at Zarshuran, northwestern Iran, is hosted by Precambrian carbonate and black shale formations which have been intruded by a weakly mineralised granitoid. Granitoid intrusion fractured the sedimentary rocks, thereby improving conditions for hydrothermal alteration and mineralisation. Silicification is the principal hydrothermal alteration along with decalcification and argillisation. Three hydrothermal sulphide mineral assemblages have been identified: an early assemblage of pyrrhotite, pyrite and chalcopyrite; then widespread base metal sulphides, lead-sulphosalts and zoned euhedral arsenical pyrite; and finally late network arsenical pyrite, massive and colloform arsenical pyrite, colloform sphalerite, coloradoite, and arsenic–antimony–mercury–thallium-bearing sulphides including orpiment, realgar, stibnite, getchellite, cinnabar, lorandite and a Tl-mineral, probably christite. Most of the gold at Zarshuran is detectable only by quantitative electron microprobe and bulk chemical analyses. Gold occurs mainly in arsenical pyrite and colloform sphalerite as solid solution or as nanometre-sized native gold. Metallic gold is found rarely in hydrothermal quartz and orpiment. Pure microcrystalline orpiment, carbon-rich shale, silicified shale with visible pyrite grains and arsenic minerals contain the highest concentrations of gold. In many ways Zarshuran appears to be similar to the classic Carlin-type sediment-hosted disseminated gold deposits. However, relatively high concentrations of tellurium at Zarshuran, evidenced by the occurrence of coloradoite (HgTe), imply a greater magmatic contribution in the mineralising hydrothermal solutions than is typical of Carlin-type gold deposits. Received: 13 May 1999 / Accepted: 2 February 2000     

The Nassara gold prospect,Gaoua District,southwestern Burkina Faso

The Nassara-Au prospect is located in the Birimian Boromo Greenstone Belt in southwestern Burkina Faso. It is part of a larger mineralized field that includes the Cu–Au porphyry system of Gaoua, to the north. At Nassara, mineralization occurs within the West Batié Shear Zone that follows the contact between volcanic rocks (basalt and andesite) and volcano-sediments (pyroclastics and black shales) at the southern termination of the Boromo Belt. Gold is associated with pyrite and other Fe-bearing minerals that occur disseminated within the sheared volcanic and volcano-sedimentary rocks. In particular, highest grades are distinguished in alteration halos of small quartz–albite–ankerite veins that form networks along the shear zone. Here, pyrites are marked by As-poor and As-rich growth zones, the latter containing gold inclusions. Gold mineralization formed during D2_NA. Subsequent shear fractures related to D3_NA related are devoid of gold. Nassara is a classical orogenic gold occurrence where gold is associated to disseminated pyrite along quartz veins.     

The Syama and Tabakoroni goldfields,Mali

Gold deposits in the Syama and Tabakoroni goldfields in southern Mali occur along a north-northeast trending mineralised litho-structural corridor that trends for approximately 40 km. The deposits are interpreted to have formed during a craton-wide metallogenic event during the Eburnean orogeny. In the Syama goldfield, gold mineralisation in 9 deposits is hosted in the hanging-wall of the Syama-Bananso Shear Zone in basalt, greywacke, argillite, lamprophyre, and black shale. Gold is currently mined primarily from the oxidised-weathered zone of the ore bodies. In the Syama deposit, mineralisation hosted in altered basalt is associated with an intense ankerite–quartz–pyrite stockwork vein systems, whereas disseminated style mineralisation is also present in greywackes. In contrast, the Tellem deposit is hosted in quartz–porphyry rocks.In the Tabakoroni goldfield, gold mineralisation is hosted in quartz veins in tertiary splay shears of the Syama-Bananso Shear Zone. The Tabakoroni orebody is associated with quartz, carbonate and graphite (stylolite) veins, with pyrite and lesser amounts of arsenopyrite. There are four main styles of gold mineralisation including silica-sulphide lodes in carbonaceous fault zones, stylolitic quartz reefs in fault zones, quartz–Fe–carbonate–sulphide lodes in mafic volcanics, and quartz–sulphide stockwork veins in silicified sediments and porphyry dykes. The several deposit styles in the goldfield thus present a number of potential exploration targets spatially associated with the regional Syama-Bananso Shear Zone and generally classified as orogenic shear-hosted gold deposits.     

河南省洛宁县三官庙金矿床构造控矿特征

三官庙金矿位于太华群与熊耳群接触带附近的似斑状花岗岩体南侧,矿床明显受断裂构造控制。矿区内拆离断裂带和层间滑脱断裂蚀变带发育,含金蚀变破碎带中的构造岩石为含矿主岩。矿体形态以较稳定的似层状为主,金矿物为银金矿等;金的载体矿物为黄铁矿、石英和方铅矿。围岩蚀变为硅化、黄铁矿化、方铅矿化、绿泥石化和绢云母化等,矿化类型属蚀变岩型金矿。在多期次强烈构造-岩浆活动、区域变质和混合岩化作用过程中,Au元素得以沿层间滑脱断裂蚀变带富集成矿。     

玲珑金矿大开头矿区金的赋存特征及其成因意义

金赋存状态的研究,不仅可为金矿选冶提供技术参数,还有成因和化探等方面的意义。通过玲珑金矿大开头矿区金及主要矿石矿物的电子探针分析,显示出金只以独立金矿物相形式;金矿物主要为银金矿和含银自然金;金矿物以裂隙金、粒问金和包体金存在于黄铁矿或石英等颗粒中,但主要是存在于黄铁矿的裂隙中和硫化物与石英之间的晶体间隙中。金矿形态有极细的脉状、角砾状、麦粒状、浑圆粒状和不规则粒状等;粒状金矿物粒度细小、多在10μm左右;细脉状金的脉宽多在1-5μm之间。以黄铁矿为主的硫化物化学成分中几乎不舍金,金仅呈独立金矿物相。根据金与硫化物和石英的相嵌关系,探讨了本区金成矿作用过程。     

Gold and copper mineralization at the El Indio deposit, Chile

A Middle Tertiary volcanic belt in the High Andes of north-central Chile hosts numerous precious- and base-metal epithermal deposits over its 150 km north-south trend. The El Indio district, believed to be associated with a hydrothermal system in the late stages of development of a volcanic caldera, consists of a series of separate vein systems located in an area of 30 km² which has undergone intense argillic-sericitic-solfataric alteration. The majority of the known gold-copper-silver mineralization occurs within a structural block only 150 by 500 m in surface area, with a recognized vertical extent exceeding 300 m. This block is bounded by two high-angle northeast-trending faults oriented subparallel to the mineralized veins.Hypogene mineralization at El Indio is grouped into two main ore-forming stages: Copper and Gold. The Copper stage is composed chiefly of enargite and pyrite forming massive veins up to 20 m wide, and is accompanied by alteration of the wall rocks to alunite, kaolinite, sericite, pyrite and quartz. The Gold stage consists of vein-filling quartz, pyrite, native gold, tennantite and subordinate amounts of a wide variety of telluride minerals. Associated with this stage is pervasive alteration of the wall rocks to sericite, kaolinite, quartz and minor pyrophyllite. The transition from copper to gold mineralization is marked by the alteration of enargite to tennantite and by minor deposition of sphalerite, galena, huebnerite, chalcopyrite and gold. Mineral stability relations indicate that there was a general decrease in the activity of S₂ accompanied by variations in the activity of Te₂ during the Gold stage.Fluid-inclusion data show homogenization temperatures ranging from about 220 to 280°C, with salinities on the order of 3–4 eq. wt. % NaCl for the Copper stage. The Gold-stage inclusions indicate a similar range in homogenization temperatures, but significantly lower salinities (0.1–1.4 eq. wt. % NaCl). Fluid inclusions of transition minerals show a weak inverse relationship between homogenization temperatures (190–250°C) and salinities (3.4–1.4 eq. wt. % NaCl), which may represent mixing of hotter Gold-stage fluids with cooler late-Copper-stage fluids. No evidence of boiling was found in fluid inclusions, but CO₂ vapor-rich inclusions were identified in wall-rock quartz phenocrysts which pre-date copper and gold mineralization.Mineral stability calculations indicate that given a fairly restricted range of solution compositions, the Copper-, Transition- and Gold-stage minerals at El Indio could have been deposited from a single solution, with constant total dissolved sulfur which underwent reduction through time. Limited sulfur-isotope data indicates that pyrite from the Copper stage was not in isotopic equilibrium with Copper-stage alunite or Transition-stage sphalerite. The sulfur-isotope and fluid-inclusion data indicate that two fluids with comparable temperatures but different compositions flowed through the El Indio system. The earlier fluid deposited copper attended by sericite-alunite-kaolinite alteration, and later epithermal fluids deposited gold with quartz-sericite-kaolinite-pyrite alteration.     

马来西亚吉兰丹SOKOR金矿地质特征及成因浅析

马来半岛金矿主要分布在半岛中央金矿带北部,该成矿带地处特提斯成矿带与环太平洋成矿带交汇处,成矿条件优越。含矿岩石主要是千枚岩及石英斑岩,矿物以黄铁矿为主,矿体产状与接触带产状基本一致,金矿化类型主要有含金块状硫化物型、含金石英脉型及褐铁矿型3种,品位变化较大。矿床地质特征、矿体产状及矿化蚀变信息表明成矿与热液活动紧密相关,应属于浅成低温热液型金矿。     

金窝子金矿金的赋存状态和金矿物特征

金窝子金矿属于岩浆热液型金矿床,金矿化类型有石英脉型和蚀变糜棱岩型.金多呈独立金矿物形式出现,少许呈分散状,以银金矿为主,次为自然金,平均成色782.金矿物以粒间金、裂隙金、连生金和包体金等形式嵌布于黄铁矿、石英、方铅矿及闪锌矿等主要载金矿物中,且黄铁矿、石英较金属硫化物中占优势,黄铜矿中未见金矿物.金矿物形态各样,粒度以中细粒为主.金矿物特征反映出本区金矿床的成矿物质主要来源于变质岩,成矿作用与华力西、燕山期中酸性侵入岩有关.这与地质地球化学研究所获得的矿床成因认识相一致.     

Ore and Alteration Types of the Gold and Copper Mineralization in the Lascogon Project, Surigao del Norte, Mindanao Island, Philippines

Two ore and three alteration types were identified in the Lascogon Project of Philex Gold Philippines, in Surigao del Norte, Mindanao Island, Philippines. The jasperoid ore is the host to the Carlin‐like gold mineralization in the Lascogon and Danao prospects. The ore occurs in a decalcified and silicified horizon, with minor chlorite and goethite, stibnite, pyrite and quartz crystals ranging from cryptocrystalline to botryoidal. The stringer–stockwork type Cu‐Au mineralization in the Suyoc prospect is hosted in argillized andesitic rocks of the Mabuhay Formation. The primary ore minerals are chalcopyrite with minor amounts of sphalerite. The alteration types identified are propylitic alteration, argillic alteration and silicification. The propylitized basaltic and andesitic flows of the Bacuag Formation bound the jasperoid mineralization in the Lascogon prospect. Stratigraphically, the relationship between propylitized basalts and stringer–stockwork Cu‐Au is not clear but a lateral change can be inferred from jasperoid in the center and stringer–stockwork towards the east.     

The Bepkong gold deposit,Northwestern Ghana

The Bepkong gold deposit is located in the Wa–Lawra belt of the Paleoproterozoic Baoulé-Mossi domain of the West African Craton, in NW Ghana. It occurs in pelitic and volcano-sedimentary rocks, metamorphosed to greenschist facies, in genetic association with zones of shear interpreted to form during the regional D₃ deformational event, denominated D_B1 at the deposit scale. The ore zone forms a corridor-like body composed of multiple quartz ± carbonate veins surrounded by an alteration envelope, characterized by the presence of chlorite, calcite, sericite, quartz and disseminated pyrite, arsenopyrite plus subordinate pyrrhotite and chalcopyrite. The veins contain only small proportions of pyrite, whereas most of the sulphides, particularly arsenopyrite, occur in the altered host rock, next to the veins. Pyrite is also common outside of the ore zone. Gold is found in arsenopyrite, where it occurs as invisible gold and as visible – albeit micron-size – grains in its rims, and as free gold within fractures cross-cutting this sulphide. More rarely, free gold also occurs in the veins, in fractured quartz. In the ore zone, pyrite forms euhedral crystals surrounding arsenopyrite, but does not contain gold, suggesting that it formed at a late stage, from a gold-free hydrothermal fluid.     

Remobilization of gold from a chalcopyrite-pyrite mineralization Hamash gold mine,Southeastern Desert,Egypt

Pyrite, chalcopyrite, and gold occur in quartz veins in granitic rocks and as scattered and disseminated impregnations in shear zones of the highly altered metavolcanics in the Hamash area, Southeastern Desert, Egypt. The minerals are associated in part with pyrrhotite, digenite, tetrahedrite, chalcocite, bornite, and covellite. Pyrite occurs in two forms: (1) idio- to hypidiomorphic coarse crystals with inclusions of preexisting sulfides, and (2) fine-crystalline aggregates. Chalcopyrite occurs in three forms: (1) idiomorphic coarse crystals, (2) fine-crystalline microinclusions, and (3) xenomorphic relicts. Three genetic phases of sulfide mineralization were identified. They are related to the successive cooling of the crystallizing solutions. Gold was hosted in the older sulfide minerals during a high-temperature disorder phase. Native gold was formed during the latest, decreasing-temperature phase through remobilization of auriferous pyrite. Microprobe analysis confirmed that gold and copper are relatively enriched in the late pyrite. Identified surface-alteration products include goethite, limonite, gold, carbonates, and sulfates of iron and copper.     

陕西镇安丘岭卡林型金矿金的赋存状态和富集机理

丘岭金矿床是西秦岭地区重要的卡林型金矿之一, 金矿化赋存于上泥盆统南阳山组和下石炭统袁家沟组地层中, 容矿岩石的岩性为钙质粉砂岩、粉砂质页岩和泥质灰岩.金矿石中主要金属矿物为黄铁矿和毒砂, 非金属矿物则以石英、方解石和绢云母为主.通过对矿石矿物黄铁矿和毒砂的扫描电镜-能谱分析、电子探针分析和激光剥蚀电感耦合等离子体质谱分析, 对丘岭金矿床金的赋存形式和富集机理进行了较为详细的研究.结果表明, 丘岭金矿床中金主要以次显微不可见金的形式存在, 其次为显微可见金.次显微金包括: (1)固溶体金(Au+), 主要存在于环带状细粒黄铁矿的含砷增生边区域和毒砂中, 少量存在于环带状黄铁矿的核部不含砷区域; (2)纳米级自然金颗粒(Au0), 存在于粗晶黄铁矿中.环带状细粒黄铁矿核部的次显微金可能主要以胶体吸附的形式存在, 暗示容矿岩石在沉积成岩过程中有金的初步富集, 而环带状黄铁矿幔部和毒砂中的Au则主要来源于成矿流体, 以S和As的络合物形式搬运.显微可见金主要分布在细粒黄铁矿的晶体边缘和热液蚀变绢云母、石英及方解石中, 粒径通常小于3~5 μm, 其形成可能与成矿流体中金的局部过饱和及成矿流体对细粒黄铁矿和毒砂中次显微金的活化和再次富集有关.      

The Crater Mountain Deposit,Papua New Guinea: Porphyry‐related Au–Te System

Ore mineralization and wall rock alteration of Crater Mountain gold deposit, Papua New Guinea, were investigated using ore and host rock samples from drill holes for ore and alteration mineralogical study. The host rocks of the deposit are quartz‐feldspar porphyry, feldspar‐hornblende porphyry, andesitic volcanics and pyroclastics, and basaltic‐andesitic tuff. The main ore minerals are pyrite, sphalerite, galena, chalcopyrite and moderate amounts of tetrahedrite, tennantite, pyrrhotite, bornite and enargite. Small amounts of enargite, tetradymite, altaite, heyrovskyite, bismuthinite, bornite, idaite, cubanite, native gold, CuPbS₂, an unidentified Bi‐Te‐S mineral and argentopyrite occur as inclusions mainly in pyrite veins and grains. Native gold occurs significantly in the As‐rich pyrite veins in volcanic units, and coexists with Bi‐Te‐S mineral species and rarely with chalcopyrite and cubanite relics. Four mineralization stages were recognized based on the observations of ore textures. Stage I is characterized by quartz‐sericite‐calcite alteration with trace pyrite and chalcopyrite in the monomict diatreme breccias; Stage II is defined by the crystallization of pyrite and by weak quartz‐chlorite‐sericite‐calcite alteration; Stage III is a major ore formation episode where sulfides deposited as disseminated grains and veins that host native gold, and is divided into three sub‐stages; Stage IV is characterized by predominant carbonitization. Gold mineralization occurred in the sub‐stages 2 and 3 in Stage III. The fS₂ is considered to have decreased from ～10^?2 to 10^?14 atm with decreasing temperature of fluid.     

Metamorphic Rock-hosted Disseminated Gold Deposits—A Case Study of the Xiaotongjiapuzi Gold Deposit of Eastern Liaoning

The Xiaotongjiapuzi gold deposit occurs in a Palaeoproterozoic rift accretionary terrane in eastern Liaoning and is hosted by a carbonate formation of the Dashiqiao Formation, Liaohe Group. The metamorphic grade of the host rock is low amphibolite-high greenschist facies. Gold, which is mainly invisible, is distributed in pyrite and arsenopyrite. The grains of Au-bearing sulphide minerals are fine, ranging from 0.0 n to 1 mm. The wall-rock alterations are characterized by low-temperature silification, hydro-sericitization, sericitization and carbonatization. The homogenization temperatures of the fluid inclusions in quartz closely associated with gold mineralization range from 140 to 240° C. The metallogenic age represented by the Ar-Ar isotopic age of sericite is 167 Ma. Comparisons and studies show that the Xiaotongjiapuzi gold deposit can be classified as the submicron-sized disseminated deposit (analogous to the Carlin-type) hosted in metamorphic rocks.     

Low potassium hydrothermal alteration in low sulfidation epithermal systems as detected by IRS and XRD: An example from the Co–O mine,Eastern Mindanao,Philippines

Detailed hydrothermal alteration investigations, including petrography, infrared reflectance spectroscopy (IRS) and XRD of the low sulfidation epithermal Co–O mine, located in Eastern Mindanao (Philippines) revealed that both distal and intermediate hydrothermal alteration zones contain dominantly illite and chlorite, whereas the proximal alteration zone comprises mainly illite, chalcopyrite and pyrite. The gold-bearing veins and the proximal hydrothermal alteration zone display a distinct absence of K-rich hydrothermal alteration minerals such as K-feldspar (adularia).Gold mineralization in the Co–O mine is controlled by an extensive quartz-breccia vein system, which is characterized by three distinct stages of vein (incl. breccias) formation. Gold is mainly observed in stages 2 and 3 veins. Stage 1 veins appear as fragments in stage 2 veins and display boiling textures such as quartz pseudomophs after bladed calcite. These veins further display colloform to crustiform banding and contain pyrite, chalcopyrite and minor gold located in the colloform bands and between bladed quartz pseudomorphs. Stage 2 veins comprise mostly banded to massive quartz and contains sulfides parallel to bands or disseminated. These veins are fine-grained with mosaic/jigsaw quartz and contain calcite blebs and/or fragments of stage 1 veins. Gold is in textural equilibrium with chalcopyrite, sphalerite, and locally pyrite. Stage 3 veins consist of quartz and carbonate (locally Mn-rich), and display irregular banded and comb textures. In auriferous veins of this stage gold is in textural equilibrium with chalcopyrite and pyrite (with local abundance of sphalerite). Other sulfide minerals observed with gold in stages 2 and 3 are galena, acanthite and locally jalpaite.The XRD and IRS provide inconsistent results regarding the abundance of K-rich clays (e.g., illite) associated with auriferous veins. Illite, with possibly interlayered swelling clays, such as Al-smectite, was identified in auriferous vein stages 2 and 3 using IRS, but could not be confirmed by XRD. Comparative analysis of the results of these techniques with respect to the ordering of micaceous minerals, suggest less ordered white mica proximal to the veins.Vein textures such as banded quartz, the absence of K-feldspar and the abundance of illite (interlayered Al-smectite) suggest relatively low temperatures of formation of the hydrothermal alteration system and point to a potential boiling horizon located deeper or marginal to the currently exploited levels of the Co–O mine. The absence of K-feldspar may also be related to relatively low temperatures of the hydrothermal fluid, the medium potassium-rich magma series of the host rocks, and/or a relatively low oxidation state of the hydrothermal fluid.     

Soil geochemical prospecting for gold at Marrancos (Northern Portugual)

This paper discusses some geochemical mapping techniques and their effectiveness in detecting of gold and its pathfinder's geochemical anomalies. The study area (Marrancos area) is situated in Northern Portugal. Gold occurs in a quartz breccia with pyrite and arsenopyrite hosted by metamorphic rocks (hornfels) and it is present in these two sulphide minerals as inclusions or disseminated in the crystal lattice. In this area, the geochemical anomalies obtained by isoconcentration mapping of single elements were difficult to interpret. The use of alternative geochemical mapping such as multielement halos (additive halos) proved to be effective in the definition of Au, As, Bi, Sb, Te and Se secondary geochemical signature.