| Abstract: | Deeply buried Mississippi Valley-type deposits that have been or are currently being mined in North America were initially discovered by drilling. Conventional geochemical methods are ineffective for detecting these ‘blind' deposits when they occur deep within sequences of stable-platform carbonates and shales. The ‘enzyme' leach is a selective analytical technique for determining trace elements associated with amorphous Mn oxide coatings in soils. In many areas of the world, the enzyme leach method is useful for detecting low-level geochemical anomalies in soils, which are associated with blind mineral deposits. Enzyme leach analysis of soils, collected at the Elmwood Mine, Tennessee, revealed high-contrast anomalies over ore bodies 370 m below the surface. In areas where the soils are in chemical equilibrium, ‘combination' anomalies occur over Zn ore bodies. These are characterized by asymmetrical halogen halos which occur around a halogen ‘central low'. Commodity metals (Zn and Pb) and trace elements associated with the ore (Cd, Ba, and Mn) form apical anomalies, which occur over the ore bodies and within the halogen halo. Under most circumstances, agricultural practices do not affect enzyme leach results. However, agricultural activity in central Tennessee appears to have altered the proportion of amorphous Mn oxides in the soils in some locations. Where the MnO2-form equilibrium of the soil has been disturbed, enzyme leach data are erratic. In the one instance where this was encountered, ratioing the data to Mn reveals anomalies which bracket the blind ore bodies. |
