Application of local singularity model to delineate geochemical anomalies in Xiong'ershan gold and molybdenum ore district,Western Henan province,China

The local singularity model involved in the context of multifractal theory calculates an index which indicates the local elemental enrichment or depletion and can be used to delineate the weak anomalies. The index, called singularity exponent can be calculated using the total amount model and density model, respectively. The former is based on the power–law relationship between the cumulative concentrations of the neighboring samples in variable cell sizes and cell size, while the latter is between the average concentration and cell size. The influence of the two models on the calculation of the local singularity was estimated in this paper. The total amount model was thought to be preferable in calculating the singularity exponent, which was applied to stream sediment data from the Xiong'ershan gold and molybdenum ore district, Western Henan province, China, and an algorithm based on the window-based method was advanced to map the local singularity distributions of Au and Mo. The thresholds of Au and Mo calculated on the singularity map were used to delineate anomalies which were associated not only with known gold and molybdenum ore deposits in the northern part of EW-trending Machaoying fault, but also with the areas south of Machaoying fault where no gold deposits have yet been discovered. Neither were they clearly identified by the Concentration–Area model and mean + standard deviation of Au concentrations. The results show that weak anomalies hidden within the strong variance of background can be well identified by the local singularity model, and the delineated anomalies should be considered as favorable target areas.     

Delineation and explanation of geochemical anomalies using fractal models in the Heqing area,Yunnan Province,China

The Heqing area, located in the Sanjiang ore belt, China, consists of the Beiya gold orefield related to the alkaline porphyry, the Emeishan volcanic mafic rocks and a series of sedimentary rocks. Thirty-nine elements of stream sediment samples taken in the 1:200,000 geochemical survey in the Heqing area can be classified into four groups using principal component analysis. Two fractal models, i.e., the concentration–area model and the number–size model, are applied in determination of the thresholds for the representative elements in the four groups. The thresholds obtained from the two models are similar. According to the thresholds, the element concentration distribution can be divided into 3 segments, each of them is mainly correlated to one type of rocks, including the alkaline porphyry related to gold-mineralized rocks, mafic rocks and sedimentary rocks. This paper reveals that the various geological events can be characterized by the different fractal models of element distribution.     

Application of geostatistical methods in gold geochemical anomalies identification (Montemor-O-Novo, Portugal)

The study described herein concerns the application of geostatistical methods to data soil from Montemor-O-Novo area (Southern Portugal). In the area, the gold mineralised zones (Banhos, Caeiras, Falés, Gamela, Malaca and Monfurado) are characterised by different geological settings and mineralogical assemblages. A total of 1211 soil samples were collected in Montemor-O-Novo area and analysed for Cu, Pb, Zn, As, Ba and Au by atomic absorption spectrometry.To account for spatial structure, simple and cross variograms were computed for the main directions of the grid sampling. From the experimental variograms a linear model of coregionalization composed of three structures, a nugget effect and two anisotropic spherical structures, was fitted to each of the six variables. The coregionalization matrices deduced from the theoretical model show the relationships between the variables at different scales. These matrices were compared with those obtained by principal component analysis (PCA).This methodology was the basis for estimating the corresponding spatial components (Y0, Y1 and Y2) using factorial kriging analysis (FKA). Maps of raw data, Y0, Y1 and Y2 were made for each variable.The use of multivariate analysis permit the study of the spatial structure intrinsic to geochemical data and the identification and refinement of significant anomalies related to Au-bearing mineral deposits.     

Application of fractal content-gradient method for delineating geochemical anomalies associated with copper occurrences in the Yangla ore field,China

Fractal and multi-fractal content area method finds application in a wide variety of geological, geochemical and geophysical fields. In this study, the fractal content-gradient method was used on 1:10,000 scale to delineate geochemical anomalies associated with copper mineralization. Analysis of geochemical data from the Yangla super large Cu-Pb-Zn polymetallic ore district using the fractal content-gradient method, combined with other geological data from this area, indicates that ore-prospecting in the ore district should focus on Cu as the main metal and Pb-Zn and Au as the auxiliary metals. The types of deposits include (in chronological order) re-formed sedimentary exhalative (SEDEX), skarns, porphyries, and hydrothermal vein-type deposits. Three ore-prospecting targets are divided on a S–N basis: (1) the Qulong exploration area, in which the targets are porphyry-type Cu deposits; (2) the Zongya exploration area, where the targets are porphyry-type Cu and hydrothermal vein-type Cu-Pb polymetallic deposits; and (3) the Zarelongma exploration area, characterized mainly skarn-type “Yangla-style” massive sulfide Cu-Pb deposits. Our study demonstrates that the fractal content-gradient method is convenient, simple, rapid, and direct for delineating geochemical anomalies and for outlining potential exploration targets.     

Separation of a geochemical anomaly from background by fractal and U-statistic methods,a case study: Khooni district,Central Iran

Separation of geochemical anomalies from background are one of the important steps in mineral exploration. The Khooni mineral district (Central Iran) has complex geochemical surface expression due to a complex geological background. This region was chosen as a study area for recognition of the spatial distribution of geochemical elements and separating anomalies from background using stream sediment geochemical data. In the past decades, geochemical anomalies have been identified by means of various methods. Some of these separation methods include: statistical analysis methods, spatial statistical methods and fractal and multi-fractal methods. In this article, two efficient methods, i.e. U-statistics and the fractal concentration-area for separation and detection of anomalous areas of the background were used. The U spatial statistic method is a weighted mean, which considers sampling point positions and their spatial relation in the estimation of anomaly location. Also, fractal and multi-fractal models have also been applied to separate anomalies from background values. In this paper, the concentration–area model (C–A) was suggested to separate the anomaly of background. For this purpose, about 256 stream sediment samples were collected and analyzed. Then anomaly maps of elements were generated based on U spatial statistics and the C-A fractal methods for Au, As and Sb elements. According to obtained results, the U-statistics method performed better than C-A method. Because the comparisons of the known deposits and occurrences against the anomalous area created using thresholds from U-statistics and C-A method show that the spatial U-statistics method hits all of 3 known deposits and occurrences, the C-A fractal method hits 1 and fails 2. In addition, the results showed that these methods with regard to spatial distribution and variability within neighboring samples, in addition to concentration value frequency distributions and correlation coefficients, have more accurate results than the traditional approaches.     

辽东地区金地球化学异常评价

本文在研究区域地球化学异常特征及其与地质背景关系的基础上,指出:金质量分数变化规律主要地质因素是辽河群的盖县组、大石桥组以及中生代侵入岩的发育程度。应用因子分析、聚类分析等数学方法,确定白云、猫岭、五龙及小佟家堡子等典型矿床中典型异常的元素组合类型:白云金矿床为Au-As-Sb,猫岭金矿床Au-As-Bi-Mo,五龙金矿床Au-As-Bi-W,小佟家堡子金床Au-As-Bi-Mo-Sb。在已圈定的金地球化学异常中,应用多元统计分析方法优选出62处矿致异常,同时依据典型异常的元素组合类型,将矿致异常分成4种异常类型,分类结果为:白云式金地球化学异常4处,猫岭式金地球化学异常36处,五龙式金地球化学异常11处,小佟家堡子式金地球化学异常11处。     

Application of singularity mapping technique to identify local anomalies using stream sediment geochemical data,a case study from Gangdese,Tibet, western China

Identifying geochemical anomalies from background is a fundamental task in exploration geochemistry. The Gangdese mineral district in western China has complex geochemical surface expression due to complex geological background and was chosen as a study area for recognition of the spatial distribution of geochemical elements and separating anomalies from background using stream sediment geochemical data. The results illustrate that weak anomalies are hidden within the strong variance of background and are not well identified by means of inverse distance weighted; neither are they clearly identified by the C–A method if this method is applied to the whole study area. On the other hand, singularity values provide new information that complements use of original concentration values and can quantify the properties of enrichment and depletion caused by mineralization. In general, producing maps of singularities can help to identify relatively weak metal concentration anomalies in complex geological regions. Application of singularity mapping technique in Gangdese district shows local anomalies of Cu are not only directly associated with known deposits in the central part of the study area, but also with E–W and N–E oriented faults in the north of the study area. Both types of anomalies should be further investigated for undiscovered Cu mineral deposits.     

对数比变换和偏最小二乘法在地球化学组合异常提取中的应用--以湘西北铅锌矿为例

以湘西北水系沉积物测量常量元素含量数据为研究对象,针对湘西北铅锌矿床的层控特征,以研究区含矿层地球化学常量元素含量的统计规律为基础,利用对数比变换( alr、clr、ilr变换)对原始数据进行预处理,并在此基础上进行偏最小二乘( PLS)降维分析,提取了地球化学组合异常,并与常用的主成分分析、因子分析的结果进行对比。分析结果表明,等距对数比变换( ilr变换)相对于其他变换方法有明显的优势,变换后的数据对称特征明显,更趋于正态分布。相对于其他两种降维方法,偏最小二乘法提取的元素组合与研究区铅锌矿的地球化学基本特征更为接近,组合异常与已知矿床分布和构造特征耦合良好,与研究区地质特征吻合,比主成分分析与因子分析得到的结果更易于地质解释。     

Incorporation of principal component analysis,geostatistical interpolation approaches and frequency-space-based models for portraying the Cu-Au geochemical prospects in the Feizabad district,NW Iran

Delineation of mineralization-related geochemical anomalies of stream sediment data is an essential stage in regional geochemical exploration. In this study, principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to 12 selected elements to acquire a multi-element geochemical signature associated with Cu-Au mineralization in Feizabad district, NE Iran. The spatial distribution of enhanced multi-element geochemical signature of the second component (PC2) was modeled by different geostatistical procedures including variogram calculation, ordinary kriging (OK) and inverse distance weighting (IDW) interpolation techniques. Concentration-area (C-A) fractal and U-spatial statistics models were then applied to the continuous-value interpolated models for delineation of geochemical anomalies. Quantitative comparison of results based on the known mineral occurrences in the study area was carried out using normalized density index and success-rate curves. All generated models represent a high positive relation with known Cu (±Au) deposits in the study area, although, comparison of the results revealed that the OK-based U-spatial statistics model was superior to the rest of models. Besides, the low, moderate and high-intensity anomalies are spatially associated with geological-structural features in the study area.     

新疆比勒提地区地球化学场多重分形及异常解释

通过对新疆比勒提地区1∶50000水系沉积物测量Cu、Pb、B、Ti元素进行多重分形分析,划分出两类多重分形特征模式,即多重分形幂律图可用2段直线来拟合的模式一和可用3段直线拟合的模式二。模式一中元素可分解为背景与区域异常2个部分,无明显富集,不具成矿潜力;模式二元素除了具有模式一的背景与区域异常外,还发育较强的局部异常,在局部异常处,有较大的找矿潜力。通过对该区地球化学和地质特征分析,圈定靶区4处,为寻找Cu、Pb多金属矿产提供了依据。     

Investigation on the Distribution of Gold Across the Ahar Area (NW Iran) Using Stream‐Sediment and BLEG Methods

The Ahar area is located in NW Iran. The main part of the area is covered by Eocene andesitic and andesi‐basaltic rocks within which several granitoid intrusives of Oligocene age are emplaced. This caused vast hydrothermal alterations and Cu and Au mineralization. In this regard, this contribution aims to explore the distribution of gold across the region based on systematic sampling of stream sediments and using the secondary geochemical halos, as well as the bulk leach extractable gold (BLEG) method. Meanwhile, the results obtained from these two methods will be compared in order to find out if the anomalous zones match with each other. For this, 620 stream sediment samples of ?80 mesh grain size and 422 BLEG samples were collected and analyzed by Fire Assay and atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) methods, respectively. For BLEG samples, gold was first dissolved using KCN before being analyzed by the AAS method. Furthermore, 84 rock samples were also collected during the field control surveys and were analyzed by Fire Assay and ICP‐OES methods for gold and other elements, respectively. After determining the distribution characteristics and statistical parameters of gold in each group of samples, anomaly maps of gold for each method were prepared, revealing almost similar anomalous zones across the region. Based on these maps, most of the discovered anomalies correlate well with granitoid intrusives of Oligocene age and the related hydrothermal alterations, which have occurred within the intrusives and the host andesitic‐basaltic rocks of Eocene age, especially at the NE and central parts of the area and east of Ahar. Some silicic veins and veinlets have been observed during field surveys in these parts, within which high concentrations of Au and sometimes Cu are determined. Another anomalous zone is located over the hydrothermal alterations within trachy‐andesitic and andesitic volcanics of Pliocene age at the SE part of the quadrangle, where vast alterations caused by volcanic fumaroles and epithermal mineralization of gold and Pb–Zn is discovered. In this regard, the SE and NE parts of the area and the east Ahar area are proposed, in order of importance, for further detailed investigations.     

新疆比勒提地区地球化学场多重分形及异常解释简

通过对新疆比勒提地区1∶50000水系沉积物测量Cu、Pb、B、Ti元素进行多重分形分析,划分出两类多重分形特征模式,即多重分形幂律图可用2段直线来拟合的模式一和可用3段直线拟合的模式二。模式一中元素可分解为背景与区域异常2个部分,无明显富集,不具成矿潜力;模式二元素除了具有模式一的背景与区域异常外,还发育较强的局部异常,在局部异常处,有较大的找矿潜力。通过对该区地球化学和地质特征分析,圈定靶区4处,为寻找Cu、Pb多金属矿产提供了依据。     

Application of K-means and PCA approaches to estimation of gold grade in Khooni district (central Iran)

Grade estimation is an important phase of mining projects, and one that is considered a challenge due in part to the structural complexities in mineral ore deposits. To overcome this challenge, various techniques have been used in the past. This paper introduces an approach for estimating Au ore grades within a mining deposit using k-means and principal component analysis (PCA). The Khooni district was selected as the case study. This region is interesting geologically, in part because it is considered an important gold source. The study area is situated approximately 60 km northeast of the Anarak city and 270 km from Esfahan. Through PCA, we sought to understand the relationship between the elements of gold, arsenic, and antimony. Then, by clustering, the behavior of these elements was investigated. One of the most famous and efficient clustering methods is k-means, based on minimizing the total Euclidean distance from each class center. Using the combined results and characteristics of the cluster centers, the gold grade was determined with a correlation coefficient of 91%. An estimation equation for gold grade was derived based on four parameters: arsenic and antimony content, and length and width of the sampling points. The results demonstrate that this approach is faster and more accurate than existing methodologies for ore grade estimation.     

基于元素含量和空间变异系数的化探异常信息识别

化探异常信息识别是化探数据分析最重要的任务之一, 也是化探数据在资源勘查领域受到广泛关注的最重要原因, 前人对化探异常信息识别做过大量研究, 这些研究中的大多数主要关注化探示踪元素的含量, 近而根据含量指标计算异常阈值, 而对示踪元素在空间中的分布特征关注较少。本文选择 1: 20万比例尺的克拉玛依幅为研究区, 根据区内金矿的矿床地球化学特征选择Ag、As、Au和Sb等4种元素为本区内金矿的示踪元素, 以地球化学元素分散晕形成理论为依据, 使用GIS技术和Matlab软件绘制研究区内4种金矿示踪元素的综合地球化学异常图。结果表明, 与传统阈值方法得到的化探异常图相比, 本文得到的化探异常图能够更好地指示研究区内已知金矿。     

Application of multifractal modeling technique in systematic geochemical stream sediment survey to identify copper anomalies: A case study from Ahar,Azarbaijan, Northwest Iran

This research is based on the application of stream sediments to mineral exploration. Identifying the geochemical anomalies from background is a fundamental task in exploration geochemistry. This paper applied the element concentration–area (C–A) model, to separating the geochemical anomalies from background based on a fractal approach and for the compilation of geochemical mapping from stream sediment samples (n = 620) of the Ahar region (Iran), where some Cu mineralization occurs. Comparisons of the known copper occurrences against the anomalous area created using thresholds from C–A method illustrate these hits. All of known Cu mineralizations and moreover defines two extra Cu anomaly districts. Additional sampling (n = 186) around new Cu anomaly confirms this anomaly within the district.     

Distribution of base metals and the related elements in the stream-sediments around the Ahar area (NW Iran) and their implications

The study area is located in the Ahar region, NW Iran. Volcanic rocks of Eocene cover major parts of the area, within which granitic-granodioritic intrusive bodies of Oligocene intruded and produced hydrothermal alterations and Cu-Au mineralization. This paper aims to explore anomalies of base metals and related elements across the region based on systematic sampling of stream sediments and using the secondary geochemical halos. In this regard, by taking into account factors such as stratigraphy, lithology, tectonics and the topologic center of the drainage system, 620 samples were taken from stream sediments and analyzed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES) method.All the distinguished anomalies correlate well with Oligocene granitic-granodioritic rocks and the related hydrothermal alterations occurred within the Eocene andesitic-basaltic volcanics, especially at the NE part of the quadrangle, as well as with alterations within trachy-andesitic and andesitic volcanics of Pliocene at the SE part of the quadrangle, where epithermal gold and Pb-Zn mineralization is found. Most of he studied elements also show moderate to strong anomalies over the Sonajil porphyry-type Cu mineralization. Copper, and to some extent Mo, as well as Pb, Zn, Sn, W, As and Sb are the best examples of this association. Bismuth has more limited anomalies across the region, showing correlation with the granitoid intrusion at the east of Ahar and the hydrothermal alterations within the Pliocene andesitic and basaltic rocks at SE of Ahar quadrangle which, considering the presence of epithermal gold and Pb-Zn veins in both areas, can be attributed to epithermal processes. However, anthropogenic pollutions are also found for As, Fe, V, Ti, Ni and Co downstream the urban and rural areas. In this regard, besides the Sonajil area, where porphyry-type Cu mineralization is discovered, the NE and SE parts of the quadrangle present promising areas for further investigations.     

新疆比勒提地区地球化学场多重分形及异常解释

通过对新疆比勒提地区1：50000水系沉积物测量Cu、Pb、B、Ti元素进行多重分形分析,划分出两类多重分形特征模式,即多重分形幂律图可用2段直线来拟合的模式一和可用3段直线拟合的模式二。模式一中元素可分解为背景与区域异常2个部分,无明显富集,不具成矿潜力;模式二元素除了具有模式一的背景与区域异常外,还发育较强的局部异常,在局部异常处,有较大的找矿潜力。通过对该区地球化学和地质特征分析,圈定靶区4处,为寻找Cu、Pb多金属矿产提供了依据。     

西准噶尔走滑断裂系元素分布特征及其成矿意义

我国新疆西北部西准噶尔走滑断裂构造体系(简称"西准系")是中亚造山带巴尔喀什马蹄形构造的向东延伸部分,由于中生代成吉思-准噶尔断裂的右行走滑断裂作用而被分成了两个部分。西准系是一个多米诺式的走滑断裂构造体系,主要由达拉布特断裂、玛依勒断裂、巴尔鲁克断裂等三条NE走向的左行走滑断裂及其夹在它们之间的地块所组成,可能是晚古生代与走滑断裂相关的陆条弯曲(褶皱)作用的产物。同时,西准噶尔地区也是重要的晚古生代成矿带,产出有一些大型和超大型的金属矿床,包括包古图斑岩铜矿、哈图金矿、萨尔托海铬铁矿和杨庄铍矿床等。本文分析了西准系走滑断裂构造与元素分布之间的关系。结果显示,西准噶尔成矿带元素与地球化学块体以及铜、金、钼、铬铁矿等矿床的分布,均受晚古生代西准系的形成与演化过程的控制。其中,庙尔沟、红山岩体与金地球化学块体之间的反对称分布特征,说明了花岗岩类侵入体和金元素在达拉布特断裂左行走滑过程中发生了重要的物质调整与迁移作用。庙尔沟岩体的逆时针旋转运动,造成了环状断裂与裂隙系统,以及与之相对应的Cu、Pb等元素风火轮式的分布形式。走滑断裂作用与岩体旋转运动的共同结果,导致了金元素沿断裂和裂隙的迁移与成矿,使得西准地区金矿床在断裂和裂隙中的发育。断裂构造体系与元素地球化学异常之间的关系,可以用来有效指导西准地区未来矿产资源的勘查。     

Application of a generalized power transformation to geochemical data

In the context of analysis of variance, Box and Cox (1964) developed a generalized technique for power transformation of frequency distributions to normality. It is here applied to geochemical data, based on the nonlinear optimization of skewness and kurtosis. The transform appears to be particularly well suited to the preprocessing of geochemical data prior to multivariate analysis.     

子区中位数衬值滤波法在地球化学异常识别中的应用

传统化探方法可能漏掉强度不大但可能致矿的异常,而子区中位数衬值滤波法可以有效地避免地质背景对异常圈定的影响,解决了低背景区和高背景区弱小异常的识别问题,消除了全区统一划分异常下限对化探异常识别的影响。采用该方法在江西某地区发现了多个新的化探铀异常区,并在其中的一些异常区内发现了铀矿点,显示出较好的应用效果。