Trace-element geochemistry of pyrite and arsenopyrite: ore genetic implications for late Archean orogenic gold deposits in southern India

2017 ◽  
Vol 81 (3) ◽  
pp. 661-678 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pranjit Hazarika ◽  
Biswajit Mishra ◽  
Kamal Lochan Pruseth

AbstractThe distribution of Au and associated trace elements in pyrite and arsenopyrite from late Archean Hutti and Hira-Buddini orogenic gold deposits, eastern Dharwar Craton, southern India was investigated by laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. X-ray element maps acquired by electron probe microanalyser reveal oscillatory zoning of Co and As indicating the crystallization of pyrite and arsenopyrite in an episodic fluid flow regime in which fluid salinity fluctuated due to fault-valve actions. The absence of any relationship between Au and As in pyrite obviate the role of As in the incorporation of Au into pyrite, particularly here and may be generally the case in orogenic gold deposits. On the other hand, positive correlations of Au with Cu, Ag and Te suggest possible influence of these chalcophile elements in the enhanced gold concentrationin sulfides. Pb-Bi-Te-Au-Ag bearing micro-particles (<2 μm) are observed exclusively in micro-fractures and pores in arsenopyrite. The absence of replacement features and element gradient suggests direct precipitation of Pb, Bi, Te, Au and Ag from a fluid that was unreactive towards arsenopyrite. An intermittent fall in fluid pressure caused by the fault-valve action would have resulted in the sporadic precipitation of Au, Pb, Ag, Bi and Te.

2020 ◽  
Vol 105 (11) ◽  
pp. 1712-1723
Author(s):  
Yu Zhang ◽  
Pete Hollings ◽  
Yongjun Shao ◽  
Dengfeng Li ◽  
Huayong Chen ◽  
...  

Abstract The origin of stratabound deposits in the Middle-Lower Yangtze River Valley Metallogenic Belt (MLYRB), Eastern China, is the subject of considerable debate. The Xinqiao Cu-Fe-Au deposit in the Tongling ore district is a typical stratabound ore body characterized by multi-stage magnetite. A total of six generations of magnetite have been identified. Mt1 is commonly replaced by porous Mt2, and both are commonly trapped in the core of Mt3, which is characterized by both core-rim textures and oscillatory zoning. Porous Mt4 commonly truncates the oscillatory zoning of Mt3, and Mt5 is characterized by 120° triple junction texture. Mt1 to Mt5 are commonly replaced by pyrite that coexists with quartz, whereas Mt6, with a fine-grained foliated and needle-like texture, commonly cuts the early pyrite as veins and is replaced by pyrite that coexists with calcite. The geochemistry of the magnetite suggests that they are hydrothermal in origin. The microporosity of Mt2 and Mt4 magnetite, their sharp contacts with Mt1 and Mt3, and lower trace-element contents (e.g., Si, Ca, Mg, and Ti) than Mt1 and Mt3 suggest that they formed via coupled dissolution and reprecipitation of the precursor Mt1 and Mt3 magnetite, respectively. This was likely caused by high-salinity fluids derived from intensive water-rock interaction between the magmatic-hydrothermal fluids associated with the Jitou stock and Late Permian metalliferous black shales. The 120° triple junction texture of Mt5 suggests it is the result of fluid-assisted recrystallization, whereas Mt6 formed by replacement of hematite as a result of fracturing. The geochemistry of the magnetite suggests that the temperature increased from Mt2 to Mt3 and implies that there were multiple pulses of fluids from a magmatic-hydrothermal system. Therefore, we propose that the Xinqiao stratiform mineralization was genetically associated with multiple influxes of magmatic hydrothermal fluids derived from the Early Cretaceous Jitou stock. This study demonstrates that detailed texture examination and in situ trace-elements analysis under robust geological and petrographic frameworks can effectively constrain the mineralization processes and ore genesis.


Geology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iain K. Pitcairn ◽  
Nikolaos Leventis ◽  
Georges Beaudoin ◽  
Stephane Faure ◽  
Carl Guilmette ◽  
...  

The sources of metals enriched in Archean orogenic gold deposits have long been debated. Metasedimentary rocks, which are generally accepted as the main metal source in Phanerozoic deposits, are less abundant in Archean greenstone belts and commonly discounted as a viable metal source for Archean deposits. We report ultralow-detection-limit gold and trace-element concentrations from a suite of metamorphosed sedimentary rocks from the Abitibi belt and Pontiac subprovince, Superior Province, Canada. Systematic decreases in the Au content with increasing metamorphic grade indicate that Au was mobilized during prograde metamorphism. Mass balance calculations show that over 10 t of Au, 30,000 t of As, and 600 t of Sb were mobilized from 1 km3 of Pontiac subprovince sedimentary rock metamorphosed to the sillimanite metamorphic zone. The total gold resource in orogenic gold deposits in the southern Abitibi belt (7500 t Au) is only 3% of the Au mobilized from the estimated total volume of high-metamorphic-grade Pontiac sedimentary rock in the region (25,000 km3), indicating that sedimentary rocks are a major contributor of metals to the orogenic gold deposits in the southern Abitibi belt.


2006 ◽  
Vol 40 (8) ◽  
pp. 874-886 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank P. Bierlein ◽  
David I. Groves ◽  
Richard J. Goldfarb ◽  
Benoit Dubé

2013 ◽  
Vol 734-737 ◽  
pp. 265-268
Author(s):  
Jun Hao Cui ◽  
Tao Ren

On the basis of predecessors study, this paper found that outbreak frequency of mantle plume is increase, while scale is reduce. The mantle plume provides ore-forming minerals to orogenic gold deposits, as well as affords force to supercontinent formation and decomposition, for the more controls the global tectonic. Supercontinent is the movement of upper crust that could be cause by combine factors of cold and heat mantle plume. Supercontinent supply suitable tectonic environment for orogenic gold deposits. Further, we discuss the relationship between mantle plume, supercontinent and orogenic gold deposit on space and time. With the evolution of the earth, especially the energy loss, the frequency of orogenic gold mineralization is increasing, while the scale is reducing.


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