Effects of valley and local channel morphology on the distribution of gold in stream sediments from Harris Creek, British Columbia, Canada

Large (60 kg, minus 2 mm) sediment samples collected from a 5-km reach of a mature highland stream were used to investigate the effects of bar morphology and channel slope on the downstream dispersion of Au. Results are compared with those for an abundant heavy mineral (magnetite) and are discussed in terms of differential entrapment of light and heavy minerals by gravels and differences in supply of magnetite and Au to the study reach. Gold is selectively trapped in gravels; therefore, highest Au concentrations, a long dispersion train and lowest between-sampling-location variability were obtained with heavy-mineral concentrates of the minus 105+74 μm fraction from sandy gravels. In contrast, sands in bar-tail eddy pools gave the least reliable Au concentrations, due to random (Poisson) sampling errors and local post-depositional winnowing, and show rapid downstream anomaly decay.     

Distribution and behavior of gold in soils and tills at the Nickel Plate Mine, southern British Columbia, Canada

The Nickel Plate deposit, in which gold occurs as <25 μm blebs associated with arsenopyrite in garnet-pyroxene skarns, is in the subalpine zone near the southern limit of the Thompson Plateau. During the last glaciation the Cordilleran ice sheet moved south-southwest across the deposit and deposited a stony basal till. A dispersion train with anomalous concentrations of gold in tills and soils now extends 2 km down ice from the deposit.Gold contents of samples of humus (LFH horizon) and the −212 μm fraction of mineral soils (A, B and C horizons) was determined by instrumental neutron activation and fire assay-atomic absorption, respectively. Selected samples were examined in detail to determine distribution of gold between different size and density fractions.Despite erratic variability, Au contents of the −212 μm fraction generally decrease from 200–400 ppb close to the mine site to <50 ppb at distal sites. At most sites there is also a twofold increase of gold values down the soil profile. Within samples concentrations of Au in the −420 + 212 μm, −212 + 106 μm, −106 + 53 μm and −53 μm fractions are usually roughly constant. However, because of its abundance, the −53 μm fraction contains more than 70% of the gold. Amenability of gold in this fraction to cyanidation suggests that it is largely free gold. For size fractions > 53 μm the contribution of the heavy mineral (SG > 3.3) fraction to total gold content increases with decreasing grain size.Distribution of gold between size and density fractions is consistent with its release from the bedrock or pre-glacial regolith by glacial abrasion. The bulk of the gold was incorporated into the fine fractions of the till at or close to the source. However, differences between down ice dilution ratios for gold in different heavy mineral size fractions suggest that comminution of host minerals continued to transfer gold to the finer size fractions during glacial transport.For exploration purposes, B and C horizon samples provide the best anomaly contrast. Estimates of the abundance of gold particles in different size fractions indicate that the nugget effect, which causes erratic gold values in the −212 μm fraction, can be avoided by analysis of 30 g of −53 μm material.     

Form and distribution of gold mobilized into surface waters and sediments from a gossan tailings pile,Murray Brook massive sulphide deposit,New Brunswick,Canada

Stream waters and sediments draining a gossan tailings pile at the Murray Brook massive sulphide deposit were collected to investigate Au mobility. Weathering of the massive sulphides at Murray Brook during the Late Tertiary period resulted in the concentration of Au in the gossan cap overlying the supergene Cu and unoxidized massive sulphide zones of the deposit. The gossan was mined between 1989 and 1992, and Au and Ag were extracted using a cyanide vat leach process. Although stream sediments prior to mining had Au<5 ppb (the detection limit), sediments collected in 1997 had Au contents ranging up to 256 ppm with values up to 6 ppm more than 3 km downstream from the deposit. Dissolved Au contents were similarly anomalous, up to 19 μg/L and in excess of 3 μg/L 3 km downstream. The elevated Au contents in the waters and sediments are interpreted to reflect complexation of Au (as Au(CN)₂⁻) by cyanide hosted within the gossan tailings pile. Precipitation recharges through the tailings pile with groundwater flow exiting to Gossan Creek. Degradation of cyanide along the flow path and within Gossan Creek allows colloidal Au to form via reduction of Au(I) by Fe²⁺, consistent with SEM observations of Au as <1 μm subrounded particles. In the surface waters, the majority of the Au must be in a form <0.45 μm in size to account for the similarity in Au contents between the <0.45 μm and unfiltered samples. The very elevated stream sediment Au values close to the headwaters of Gossan Creek near the tailings indicate that upon exiting to the surface environment, Au(CN)₂⁻ complexes are rapidly destroyed and Au removed from solution. However, the high Au_{<0.004 μm}/Au_total in the headwaters and the extended Au dispersion in Gossan Creek waters and sediments suggest that Au(CN)₂⁻ complexes persist for the full length of Gossan Creek. The decrease in aqueous Au which is less than 0.004 μm indicates that Au is converted from a complexed form to a colloidal form with increasing distance downstream, consistent with dissolved NO₃⁻ contents which decrease from 5210 μg/L near the headwaters to 1350 μg/L at the lower end of the stream.     

Distribution and dispersion of gold in glacial till associated with gold mineralization in the Canadian shield

The results described relate to an investigation into the nature of Au dispersion in glacial till, undertaken to identify optimum search techniques for use in exploration for Au mineralization.The diversity of Au mineralization, in terms of the host rock lithologies, mineralogy and grain size of the Au, would be expected to give rise to differences in the secondary response in the associated overburden. Common exploration procedures involve the analyses of the heavy-mineral fraction or a particular size fraction of the tills. However, having regard to the expected variable response of Au in associated glacial till, attributed to variations in primary mineralization, effective exploration requires that the methodology employed is capable of locating all types of Au mineralization.Bulk till samples were collected from various sites associated with the Owl Creek deposit near Timmins and the Hemlo deposits. Grain size analyses were carried out on the till samples and on the heavy-mineral concentrates. The concentration of the Au in the various fractions was determined by Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis.Preliminary results allow a number of provisional conclusions to be drawn:

1. (1) Grain size analysis of the −2 mm fraction of tills indicates that the silt and clay fraction constitutes 20–50%, whereas, in contrast, the equivalent heavy-mineral concentrates are dominantly composed of the coarser −500 + 63 μm material.

2. (2) The amount of Au present in the heavy-mineral concentrates of tills represents only a minor proportion of the total Au in the original till samples. In addition, the proportion of the total Au recovered in the heavy-mineral concentrate varies from 4 to 15%. Both factors indicate that caution is necessary in interpreting the significance of heavy-mineral Au data.

3. (3) Examination of the size distribution of Au within the heavy-mineral concentrate indicates that the majority of the Au is contained in the −125 μm fraction.

4. (4) The concentration factor (the original sample weight divided by the heavy-mineral concentrate weight) varies up to 7-fold between samples due presumably to the differing proportions of heavy minerals. Hence, in Au deposits of equivalent economic significance this gives rise to varying Au concentrations in heavy-mineral concentrates according to the quantity of heavy minerals present. Significant interpretation can only be achieved by re-expressing the Au contents of heavy-mineral concentrates in terms of the absolute amount of Au in heavy-mineral concentrates.

5. (5) A comparison of the heavy-mineral concentrates produced by different laboratories indicates marked differences in the weight of the heavy-mineral concentrate, the Au concentration of the heavy-mineral concentrate, the total weight of Au in the heavy-mineral concentrate and the size distribution of the Au in the heavy-mineral concentrate.

6. (6) Analysis of the −63 μm silt and clay size fraction indicates anomalous Au contents within this fraction of the tills collected from Owl Creek and Hemlo, extending over 500 m down-ice from mineralization at Hemlo.

7. (7) Analysis of the −63 μm silt and clay size fraction is suitable for the detection of fine-grained Au deposits that are not amenable to detection on the basis of heavy-mineral concentrate analyses.

8. (8) The analysis of the silt and clay fraction reduces the sample representativity problems associated with analyzing coarser fractions.

9. (9) A comparison of the Au distribution in heavy-mineral concentrates and the −63 μm fraction of till down-ice from the Owl Creek deposit indicates broadly similar dispersion patterns.

In conclusion, although the results are based on relatively few samples, their consistency permits some general conclusions to be drawn. The silt and the heavy-mineral concentrate analyses provide different information and in view of the diversity of exploration targets and surface environments exploration reliability can be increased by analyzing both the −63 μm silt and clay fraction and the heavy-mineral concentrate.     

Some observations on the geochemistry of gold mineralization in the weathered zone at Norseman, Western Australia

At Norseman Au mineralization is hosted by parallel easterly dipping quartz reefs in a westerly dipping sequence of Archaean basaltic flows and As is strongly correlated with this mineralization. Near-surface exploration is hampered by an extensive cover of deeply weathered soils and a veneer of silty calcareous material, probably of aeolian origin, which, because of its low Fe content of < 5%, has a very low (< 10 ppm) and often indiscernible As signature over mineralization. At a test traverse over the southern end of the Mararoa quartz reef, drill sampling to 10 m depth in highly weathered in situ material beneath the calcareous veneer produced As anomalies which are strongly correlated with the extrapolation to surface of a shear zone hosting Au mineralization which is probably blind. The As anomalies can be extended into the surface horizon by manipulating the data to compensate for the low Fe content of the calcareous layer.The Au values in the drill samples were very low and poorly correlated with the extrapolation to surface of the Mararoa shear. However, the absence of a Au halo (at a 10 ppb detection limit) may be due to the shear being barren near surface, or may be due to the samples being taken from the strongly leached zones of a laterite profile. In the area of the test traverse at the southern Mararoa area, the upper horizons of the original laterite profile have been eroded away and the remaining horizons covered by a veneer of calcareous material. There is a better correlation of the Au values of the shallow drill samples with the projection to surface of a porphyry, which hosts minor low-grade Au mineralization.The results for Au dispersion around the Mararoa shear contrast with dispersion at the nearby Hinemoa Mine where gold mineralization crops out. Channel sampling in costeans showed that an Au anomaly (threshold 40 ppb) extends 50 to 150 m into oxidized wall rocks. This well defined halo may be due to the secondary dispersion of Au from the quartz reef into the ferruginous zone of the laterite profile.Gold in the leaves and twigs of Melaleuca pauperiflora F. Muell. from the traverse at the southern end of the Mararoa shear was determined by neutron activation analysis and found to be broadly correlated with the projected Au mineralization. However, the lack of correlation with the soil Au values to 10 m may be due to the plants taking up most of their water from below the depth of sampling.     

Soil and stream sediment geochemical dispersion over the Bell Springs deposit, Hog Ranch Mine, Washoe County, Nevada

The Bell Springs deposit is a bulk-tonnage, low-grade gold deposit, formed in a hot-spring environment, that is hosted by middle Miocene weakly peralkaline, high-silica rhyolite ash flows and rheomorphic tuffs. Ore grade mineralization over about 460 × 460 m was controlled by northeast- and northwest-trending structures. Sixty-nine soil samples collected along a traverse across the Bell Springs deposit, screened into six mesh size fractions, +10, −10+35, −35+80, −80+120, −120+200, and −200, were treated by low-detection-limit acid digestion/organic extraction procedures, and analyzed by ICP or graphite furnace techniques for Au, Ag, As, Bi, Cd, Cu, Ga, Hg, Mo, Pb, Sb, Se, Te, Tl, and Zn. Twenty-five stream-sediment samples were collected from a drainage crossing mineralization and from a nearby tributary. Sediment size fractions of −200 mesh and −10+200 mesh were analyzed by the same procedures used for soils. In addition, analyses of bulk leachable gold via cyanide leach method (BLEG) was done on bulk −10 mesh sediments.Anomalous Au, Ag, As, Sb, and Mo in all soil size fractions revealed the underlying ore. Areas with anomalous Sb and As were about three times larger than areas with anomalous Au and Ag. Analyses of fine-fractions of stream sediments provided the best-defined Au anomalies in drainages. A multi-element factor calculated by multiplying Au, As, Sb, and Mo reinforced anomalous Au in drainages and correlated well with Bell Springs mineralization.     

Seasonal variation of gold and arsenic in biogeochemical samples from a disseminated gold deposit in the Northern Cordillera

An orientation survey was conducted over the Quartz Mountain, Oregon, hot-spring type disseminated gold deposit to address three questions critical to successful exploration of the area: What is the relationship between bedrock geology and the trace-element content of trees and soils; do these relationships change seasonally; are these relationships similar in the two tree species which discontinuously blanket the area?Twig, needle and wood samples were collected four times during the year from both ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) and white fir (Abies concolor). Soils were collected once. All samples were analyzed for Au and As and the wood samples were analyzed also for Sb.Arsenic was the best pathfinder element, having little analytical, spatial, or seasonal variation in the twig and needle samples. Anomalous levels were 150 μg/g (ppm) As in pine and 30 μg/g in fir. Gold showed analytical variation of 20–30%, sample duplicate variation up to 90%, spatial changes, and seasonal variation ranging from winter-summer background [10–20 ng/g (ppb) Au] to anomalies of 300–400 ng/g (ppb) Au in pine and 100 μg/g (ppb) Au in fir in the spring and fall. Antimony could not be completely evaluated as a pathfinder element because it was only determined in wood samples.Needles and twigs from both species proved to be viable sample media for exploration of the area. Wood was not a suitable medium because of low, erratic values, perhaps due in part to analytical technique. Needles had 2 to 20 times higher As concentrations than did twigs. Twigs had a slightly higher Au content [25 ng/g (ppb)] than did needles. The pine samples were higher in both elements than were the fir samples. The data, normalized by species, could be treated as one homogeneous data base.The soil Au and As data outlined the mineralization clearly with a central Au anomaly [100 ng/g (ppb) and greater] surrounded by As anomalies [100 μg/g (ppm) and greater] over a distance of 594 m. Neither spring nor fall tree Au anomalies were coincident with the soil Au anomaly. Consistent throughout the year, tree As anomalies coincided with the soil As anomalies, but covered a smaller area. Both the Au and As anomalies in trees appeared to be related to bedrock contact zones rather than to the soil the trees were growing in.     

辽西养马甸钼矿原生晕元素的统计分析及其找矿意义

通过对原生晕的统计分析可研究出地球化学元素在成矿中的演化特征,从而为预测、找矿提供有力的依据。文章通过对有关元素的聚类分析、因子分析及轴向分带序列的研究,揭示了养马甸钼矿区内Mo与Au,As的相关性较好,Au和As可以作为找钼的近程指示元素,而Ag对钼的寻找也有一定的指示意义。Ag和Sb的关系表明,Sb对钼的寻找具有一定的远程指示意义。通过轴向分带的研究,结合ZK5地球化学变化曲线可知,ZK5的地球化学参数值于250m左右由升到降,表明了下部隐伏矿体存在的可能。     

南秦岭香沟—夏家店金成矿带中重晶石的矿物学特征及其找矿意义

陕西山阳县香沟—夏家店金成矿带,是南秦岭地区重要的金多金属成矿带,产出有王家坪金矿、龙头沟金矿、香沟金-钨矿、夏家店金矿等矿床;在金矿的勘查和研究中均发现Ba元素异常或重晶石化是重要的找矿标志之一。本文通过矿床地质资料对比分析,结合龙头沟金矿、香沟金矿和桐树沟金矿重晶石的电子探针测试研究,发现重晶石中具有一定的金、银矿化特征,尤其是桐树沟金矿区内重晶石中显示一定的金异常(w(Au)=0.03%),同时具有Sb、Cu、Mo、Bi元素异常,与矿区金异常化探元素组合特征一致,有同期矿化的特点。重晶石化或Ba元素化探异常与金化探异常叠加部位均已发现金矿体(金矿床)。结合研究区区域磁异常带是构造岩浆活动带的认识,认为重晶石是深部成矿热液反复活动的指征;在山阳县桐树沟金矿—磨房沟金矿一带和商南县青石沟、过凤楼地区还具有发现金矿床的潜力。     

利用矿床原生晕进行深部隐伏矿体预测——以山东埠上金矿为例

科学的成矿预测实质上是在正确的成矿分析基础上的合理推断。埠上金矿是胶东招掖金矿带中部的一个中型金矿,经过多年开采之后,后备储量严重不足,争待扩大远景储量。由于有５０～２００ｍ标高的采矿坑道及几个钻孔资料,使得采集不同垂深之样品成为易事,为矿床原生晕方法提供了基础和前提。研究后认为,埠土金矿原生晕为正向分带序列,在－３００ｍ标高之下有盲矿体存在,矿体向下仍有很大延伸,深部矿体向ＳＷ方向测伏。到１９９     

A biogeochemical orientation survey in the Moisan gold-mineralized area, Haenam district in Korea

A biogeochemical orientation survey was carried out in the vicinity of an epithermal Au deposit in the Moisan Au–Ag mineralized area, Haenam district in Korea. The Au–Ag bearing quartz veins of the mine occur as narrow open-space fillings within Cretaceous silicic pyroclastics. The vein minerals consist mainly of quartz, sericite, pyrite, chalcopyrite, and galena, with some electrum and argentite. The main objectives of this study were to study the geochemical characteristics of rocks, soils and plants in this area, to investigate the spatial relationship between Au and associated elements in rock–soil–plant system, and to evaluate the applicability of biogeochemical prospecting for Au vein occurrences in Korea. Samples of rocks and soils, and leaves of three plant species (Japanese red pine — P. densiflora, oriental white oak — Q. aliena, Japanese mallotus — M. japonicus) were collected from the target mineralized area and control barren locations, and analyzed for trace elements by instrumental neutron activation analysis. Sampling lines were composed of one slope line which is almost parallel to the mineralized quartz-veins, and four transect lines spaced 100 m apart across the veins at 20 m sampling intervals. From the multi-element data of rock samples (n = 9), high values of Au (maximum 2030 ppb) are spatially related to Au–quartz veins. Soil samples (n = 61) collected from five sampling lines show higher values of Au (24–825 ppb) whereas soil samples from the control locations have lower values of Au (below 25 ppb). Many plant species collected from the vicinity of the veins have high Au contents compared with those at the control locations, but the ranges of Au values are variable among plant species. In a total of 128 samples of plant leaves, Q. aliena yielded Au values of 0.4 to 6.9 ppb, and M. japonicus 0.9 to 4.1 ppb. Gold contents in P. densiflora ranged from 0.1 to 5.6 ppb. Plant leaves from control areas show less than 1.6 ppb Au. The biological absorption coefficient (BAC) of Au in plants decreases in the order of Q. aliena > M. japonicus > P. densiflora. Based on the results of the study, Q. aliena appeared to be the best sampling media for biogeochemical prospecting of Au in the study area.     

The behaviour of platinum group elements in the surficial environment at Ferguson Lake, N.W.T., Rottenstone Lake, Sask. and Sudbury, Ont., Canada

A multidisciplinary geochemical study of the distribution, dispersion, and glacial dispersal, of the pge and associated elements has been undertaken within soil, till, humus, vegetation and water at Ferguson Lake, Northwest Territories, Rottenstone Lake, Saskatchewan and Sudbury, Ontario.As the pge generally are present at low levels in surficial materials, development work on analytical techniques was an essential part of this study.At Ferguson Lake, the spatial distribution patterns of Au, Pt and Pd in till clearly indicate the exposed gossan zones, as expected, but also indicate a possible extension of the zone beneath a peat bog- and till-covered area. Down-ice dispersal of Au, Pt and Pd is limited to one to two hundred metres, in the <63 μm component of the till samples collected from frost boils. In vegetation the pge enrichment extends for several hundred metres down-ice and is best defined by Pd in birch twigs. Detectable, although extremely low, levels of Pt (2.8 ppt) and Pd (2.0 ppt) are present in waters in the vicinity of the gossanous zones at Ferguson Lake.At Rottenstone Lake, moderate to high concentrations of pge, Au, and base metals were found in ashed twigs of black spruce and the hmc of the tills for a distance of less than two hundred metres down-ice of the mineralization. Low Pd and Au concentrations were present in ashed spruce twigs about one kilometre down-ice of the mineralization, where only the hmc of the tills yielded anomalous concentrations of Pt and Au. There appears to be only limited dispersal of the pge and Au. These data indicate that only the hmc and the spruce twigs are of value in detecting Pt and Au in this area. Palladium presents a different picture, being detectable in only some of the soils, absent in the tills and hmc, yet appreciably enriched in the twig ash. The inference is that Pd is moving in solution and is being somewhat adsorbed in the soil but is much more significantly being taken up by the plant roots.At the Sudbury areas the pge, hosted in the Ni-Cu mineralization, are best reflected by elevated levels in the ashed humus of almost all elements examined. There is only minimal response in pge and Au to the mineralization from any of the fractions of the soil; whereas the <2 μm fraction of the B-horizon soil reflects the mineralization by elevated levels of As, Sb, Se, Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Pb and Zn. Only hmc from the tills show elevated pge, Au and variable enhancement in As, Sb, Se and the base metals. The < 2 μm portion of the tills tends to be highest in As, Se, Cr and the base metals.This ongoing study shows that surficial materials and vegetation are effective in identifying areas of concealed pge mineralization. Various pathfinder elements, primarily Cu and Ni, but perhaps also As, Se, Sb and the other base metals, in the < 2 μm B-horizon soils and tills, may be informative in a preliminary evaluation of the pge potential of an area, prior to undertaking the more expensive precious-metal analyses. Humus and vegetation both appear extremely effective, and most cost efficient, and heavy-mineral concentrates (hmc) appear effective, for identifying areas with pge potential, whereas hmc from tills appear most effective for zeroing in on the site of the pge mineralization.     

Distribution of gold, arsenic, antimony and tungsten around the Dest-Or Orebody, Noranda district, Abitibi, Quebec

The Dest-Or epigenetic Au deposit occurs in a breccia zone within gabbro, basalt and andesite of the Archean Upper Deguisier Formation. It is located approximately 30 km NE of Noranda. Quebec and 2.5 km N of the Porcupine-Destor Fault, an important vertical shear zone that extends east-west for more than 100 km. The known orebody contains 2.44 Mt of ore at 4.29 g/t Au.Host rocks of the Upper Deguisier Formation typically contain 3.6 ppb Au, 0.8 ppm Sb and 4.5 ppm As. The Au values are comparable to those of tholeiitic mafic rocks elsewhere in the world. but Sb and As values are a little higher.Gold values on approximately 30% of the area of the Dest-Or and Bassignac properties define a log-normal distribution with a median at 9.4 ppb Au (P₁₆ at 3.1 and P₈₄ at 27). These are referred to as ore zone halos: they envelop orebody halos which in turn envelop orebodies.An orebody halo can best be defined by close sampling in the immediate vicinity of a known orebody. Around the Dest-Or orebody, this halo is approximately 100 m wide (60 m on the hanging wall and 40 m on the footwall), and it has a median value at 37 ppb Au (P₁₆ at 17 and P₈₄ at 74).Gold enrichment in the orebody is 1900 times background value. There are also lesser but significant Sb and As enrichments (20 /sX each). High W values occur in the ore ( > 30 ppm W), but background values were too low ( <5 ppm) to be established with confidence.Gold analyses in the 0.2–100 ppb range can be gainfully used in the search for blind gold ore deposits: As, Sb and W can also be used, but anomalies are less extensive and enrichment is also less pronounced.     

稳健协同克立格因子分析及其在化探中的应用

稳健协同克立格因子分析集稳健统计、协同克立格和因子分析的优点于一体,可同时研究多个变量不同方向的结构差异及变化性,用该方法研究次生晕指示的结构特征可在一定程度反映原生晕的特征,揭示其深层次信息．对团结沟金矿区次生晕分析表明：在矿产预测中矿床原生晕组合标志并不适用于次生晕及分散流的研究,本方法对大（中）比例尺次生晕、分散流与原生晕的信息转换和关联有独到之处．     

Gold and associated trace elements in Newfoundland lake sediment: their application to gold exploration

Lake sediments were collected from four glaciated areas, three of which include significant Au mineralization. Neutron activation analyses for Au successfully delineate known mineralization and suggest areas for further follow-up. Gold is the only universal indicator although Sb gives a broader dispersion pattern at the Hope Brook deposit. Copper, Pb and Zn have above-background content down-ice from some mineralized zones. Gold values above 8.0 ppb in these study areas indicate the presence of Au mineralization. Gold analyses of site duplicates and analytical splits reproduce satisfactorily above 3.0 ppb.     

Elimination of hydraulic effects for cassiterite in a Malaysian Stream

Geochemical patterns for elements, such as Sn, W and Au, present in drainage sediments as resistate heavy minerals are often erratic and difficult to interpret. To investigate the source of these problems and develop methods of eliminating them we have compared the behavior of Sn, present as cassiterite, and associated pathfinder elements downstream from a small primary Sn deposit in Perak, Peninsular Malaysia.Dispersion trains for the pathfinder elements are characterized by smooth decay patterns and differences in concentrations between high- and low-energy environments, characterized by coarse-and medium-grained sands respectively, are not significant. In contrast, Sn (and magnetite) concentrations are extremely erratic with significantly higher concentrations in high- compared to low-energy environments. As a result the dispersion train for Sn exhibits no regular decay pattern away from its source. These findings suggest that the action of the stream is analogous to that of sluice box, with light minerals being winnowed away and cassiterite, together with magnetite, accumulating. For all but the finest sizes this process, which is most efficient in high-energy environments, causes considerable local variability in Sn content of the sediments. However, because the hydraulic behavior of cassiterite and magnetite is similar, but magnetite is not associated with the primary mineralization, the Sn/magnetite ratio can be used to eliminate Sn anomalies resulting from local variations in hydraulic conditions.The concept of hydraulic equivalence of cassiterite and magnetite was extended to examining the relationship between Sn and different size fractions of the light minerals that constitute the bulk of most sediments. Greatest contrast is obtained when the Sn content of the −270 mesh (−53 μm) fraction is re-expressed as its hydraulic equivalent concentration in −65 + 100 mesh (−212 + 150 μm) material.For exploration purposes it is concluded that: (1) providing cassiterite is present in the fine size fractions, sampling of this material will reduce hydraulic effects, thereby reducing data variability, and can also increase the length of the anomalous dispersion train; and (2) hydraulic effects can also be reduced by re-expressing Sn concentrations as ratios to magnetite (provided this is not associated with the primary Sn mineralization) or a hydraulically equivalent size fraction of the light minerals that constitute the bulk of the sediment. Similar principles probably apply to the interpretation of geochemical data for other elements dispersed in drainage sediments as heavy minerals; this warrants further investigation.     

Secondary dispersion from gold deposits in west Turkey

Orientation studies over the Sarpda? prospect in the Biga peninsula and the Arapdagi deposit near Izmir have provided elear evidence for elemental dispersion around west Turkish gold prospects. Although these deposits are of different types, silicification associated with the deposits results in the main part of both deposits forming topographic highs.At Sarpda? gold mineralisation is relatively weak compared with nearby prospects and associated with a silicified cap on the main hill. Comparison of coarse and fine fractions, based on a 190 μm size split of 8 kg of -2 mm material, suggests that gold disperses clastically on the steep slopes, probably within silica, but coarse grains break down giving Au concentrations in the finer fractions at the base of the main slope. Discrete gold grains, that can be panned, only occur 1–2 km downstream within the streams and heavy mineral concentrations are very limited. This interpretation of Au dispersion is consistent with the data from 1 kg samples collected at the higher primary grade, but more contaminated, Arapda?i prospect.Antimony is the most consistent pathfinder both for the silicified cap at Sarpda? and for gold-rich veins at Arpada?i. It gives high contrast anomalies. Arsenic is useful being more mobile than Sb, although contrast may be low. High resolution Ag data can be useful but base metal enrichments are also often associated with Ag anomalies. Most prospects have some base metal enrichments although they can be displaced from the main gold-rich parts of the deposit and anomalies may be weak. Lead and Cu are the more consistently useful elements.The use of large (> 8 kg of -2 mm material) samples produces consistent stream sediment data that can be used to reliably interpret single samples and quantify Au anomalies. A survey around the Halíköy Hg and Emirli Sb mines, using these large samples, confirmed the extension of the known gold-bearing Emirli structure. In contrast the major Hg-bearing Halíköy Fault is gold poor although a structure parallel to it is auriferous.     

辽宁五龙金矿163矿脉深部钻孔地球化学特征及找矿意义

五龙金矿是辽东地区大型岩浆热液型金矿床,163矿脉是矿区内目前发现的最大含矿构造。为进一步探测深部找矿潜力,近几年矿山对163矿脉进行了大量的探采工程,其中在-762 m坑道实施了600 m钻孔。本文在详细编录该钻孔的基础上,对全孔样品进行成矿元素测试工作,利用SPSS软件对所得测试数据进行元素相关性、聚类、因子分析。相关性分析显示,具有显著正相关的元素主要为Bi、W、Cu、Ag、Au和As、Sb、Sn、Zn两组;Mo元素与Sn、Ag、Cu、Bi、W、Sb地素具有显著正相关性,而Pb元素与Cu、Mo、Au、W元素呈显著负相关性,Hg元素与其它元素相关性不明显。聚类分析结果表明,R型聚类在类的距离为5的水平上,这些元素明显可分为3组：Hg、Cu、Pb、Zn、Sn、Mo、As、W;Ag、Au、Sb、Bi。因子分析结果表明,提取3个因子可以反映出12个元素变量64.42%的地球化学信息,F1的主要载荷因子组成为Sn、Ag、As、Zn、Sb, F2的主要载荷因子组成为Au、W、Bi、-Pb, F3的主要载荷因子组成为Hg。根据成矿元素随深度变化特征,结合前人构造叠加晕研究成果,推测该钻孔深部还...     

金矿立体地球化学探测模型与深部钻探验证

深部资源地球化学探测科学问题的的焦点是元素大深度垂向迁移机理和立体地球化学探测模型的建立。本文以胶东蚀变岩型金矿和贵州水银洞卡林型金矿钻孔岩芯和地表联合取样获得的数据, 建立千米深度立体地球化学探测模型。蚀变岩型金矿立体地球化学模型显示, Au、S和Hg与金矿密切相关, 分布模式既有相似性又有差异性, Au的立体几何分布模式兼具矿化剂元素S和远程指示元素Hg的双重特征, 金异常和矿化剂元素硫与矿体倾斜方向一致, 反映了成矿过程中流体沿控矿构造的轴向运移; 金异常与类气体元素汞在垂向上一致, 而且出现从矿体到地表的连续贯通式异常, 反映了流体沿微裂隙和纳米孔的垂向迁移。卡林型金矿立体地球化学模型显示, Au、As、Sb、Hg、Tl和S在不整合面都显示高含量特征, 与深部层状主矿体分布一致; 在矿体上覆地层中都存在弱异常, 显示了明显的成矿流体沿隐伏微小断裂垂向迁移特点; 所不同的是Sb和Tl元素在不整合面附近显示了最高的元素含量, 而Sb和Hg在近地表均显示了明显高的异常特征。立体几何模型清晰地显示了矿体的展布特征和范围, 而且金及其伴生元素垂向迁移在地表形成清晰异常, 为利用金及伴生元素和矿化剂元素进行深部矿体三维预测提供了重要依据, 对指导深部金矿勘查发挥了重要作用。针对胶东蚀变岩型金矿地表完全被土壤覆盖区的穿透性地球化学微细粒级土壤采样, 金属活动态提取分析圈定的异常, 经深部钻探验证, 胶东焦家成矿带五一村3200 m钻探, 在2428.00~3234.16 m深度发现6层矿化体, 其中高品位矿体位于2854 m深度; 上宫金矿地表基岩出露, 采集断层泥或裂隙岩石样品, 可以清晰探测深部异常, 经2000 m钻探, 在1312 m处发现高品位金铅锌银矿体; 贵州水银洞采集地表细粒级土壤, 能够直接有效地揭示深部金矿体, 经500~1500 m钻探验证, 在300~1500 m深度新增金资源量203 t。     

广西贵港六梅金矿原生晕及深部找矿

六梅金矿床位于广西贵港市龙山矿田福六岭金矿区,属于卡林型金矿床,矿体呈脉状分布。对矿山已开采中段系统采样,进行原生晕研究。矿床元素的空间分布规律显示六梅金矿床中Au、As为正相关关系,含量等值线在空间上吻合性良好,As可作为Au找矿的主要指示元素。原生晕轴向垂直分带序列自上而下为:Cu-Zn-Pb-Hg-Mo-W-Au-As-Ag-Bi-Sb,为"反分带"序列,显示出该金矿床具有多期次多阶段叠加成矿成晕的特点。根据矿床原生晕地球化学特征预测深部矿化的存在。