Chapter 1: Gold Deposit Types: An Overview

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-28
Author(s):  
Richard H. Sillitoe
Keyword(s):  
Gold Deposit ◽  
Unknown Origin ◽  
Mafic Magma ◽  
Massive Sulfide ◽  
Gold Deposits ◽  
Hydrothermal Fluids ◽  
Copper Gold ◽  
Deposit Type ◽  
Ambient Surface

Abstract Gold is either the only economically important metal or a major by-product in 11 well-characterized deposit types—paleoplacer, orogenic, porphyry, epithermal, Carlin, placer, reduced intrusion related, volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS), skarn, carbonate replacement, and iron oxide-copper-gold (IOCG), arguably more than for those of any other metal; it also dominates a number of deposits of uncertain or unknown origin. Major gold concentrations formed worldwide from the Mesoarchean to the Pleistocene, from Earth’s surface to midcrustal paleodepths, alone or in association with silver, base metals, and/or uranium, and from hydrothermal fluids of predominantly metamorphic, magmatic, meteoric, seawater, or, uncommonly, basinal origins, as well as from mafic magma or ambient surface water. Most of the Neoproterozoic and Phanerozoic deposits unequivocally formed in accretionary orogens. As an introduction to this compilation of the world’s major gold deposits and provinces, this paper provides a thumbnail sketch of each gold deposit type, including geologic and economic characteristics and widely accepted genetic models, as well as briefly discusses aspects of their spatial and temporal associations and distributions.

scholarly journals Major and Trace Element Geochemistry of Pyrite and Pyrrhotite from Stratiform and Lamellar Orebodies: Implications for the Ore Genesis of the Dongguashan Copper (Gold) Deposit, Eastern China

Minerals ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. 380 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhongfa Liu ◽  
Yongjun Shao ◽  
Haodi Zhou ◽  
Nan Liu ◽  
Kuanxin Huang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gold Deposit ◽  
Inductively Coupled Plasma ◽  
Eastern China ◽  
Gold Deposits ◽  
Trace Element Geochemistry ◽  
Magma Intrusion ◽  
Element Geochemistry ◽  
Important Region ◽  
Copper Gold ◽  
Deposit Type

The Dongguashan copper (gold) deposit in Anhui Province is one of the largest copper (gold) deposits in the Tongling ore district, which is the most important region in the Middle–Lower Yangtze River Metallogenic Belt, Eastern China. Stratiform and lamellar orebodies are the major deposit types. Pyrite and pyrrhotite from the stratiform deposit type (Py I, Po I) and lamellar deposit type (Py II, Po II) are investigated using Electron-probe Microanalyses (EPMA) and Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). Py I, Py II, Po I and Po II have high contents of Cu, Co, Au and Se, low contents of As, Pb and Zn, with Co/Ni ratios of 0.50−48.00, 4.00−45.00, 1.55−14.45 and 1.02−1.36, respectively, most of which are greater than 1 and vary widely; these characteristics are consistent with those of pyrite with a magmatic–hydrothermal origin. The higher Au/Ag and Fe/(S + As) ratios of pyrite and crystallization temperatures (286–387 °C) of hexagonal pyrrhotite indicate that the mineralization occurrs in environments with medium- to high-temperatures, high sulfur fugacity and medium-shallow depths. Therefore, we suggest that the Dongguashan copper (gold) deposit is a stratabound skarn-type ore deposit associated with magma intrusion activity during the Yanshanian Period.

Subduction, mantle metasomatism, and gold: A dynamic and genetic conjunction

2019 ◽  
Vol 132 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 1419-1426 ◽  
Author(s):  
David I. Groves ◽  
Liang Zhang ◽  
M. Santosh
Keyword(s):  
Subduction Zones ◽  
Massive Sulfide ◽  
Mantle Metasomatism ◽  
Gold Deposits ◽  
Genetic Models ◽  
Dynamic Factor ◽  
Convergent Margins ◽  
Copper Gold ◽  
Orogenic Cycle ◽  
Fluid Release

Abstract Global gold deposit classes are enigmatic in relation to first-order tectonic scale, leading to controversial genetic models and exploration strategies. Traditionally, hydrothermal gold deposits that formed through transport and deposition from auriferous ore fluids are grouped into specific deposit types such as porphyry, skarn, high- and low-sulfidation–type epithermal, gold-rich volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS), Carlin-type, orogenic, and iron-oxide copper-gold (IOCG), and intrusion-related gold deposits (IRGDs). District-scale mineral system approaches propose interrelated groups such as porphyry Cu-Au, skarn Cu-Au-Ag, and high-sulfidation Au-Ag. In this study, the temporal evolution of subduction-related processes in convergent margins was evaluated to propose a continuum of genetic models that unify the various types of gold deposits. At the tectonic scale of mineral systems, all hydrothermal gold deposits are interrelated in that they formed progressively during the evolution of direct or indirect subduction-related processes along convergent margins. Porphyry-related systems formed initially from magmatic-hydrothermal fluids related to melting of fertile mantle to initiate calc-alkaline to high-K felsic magmatism in volcanic arcs directly related to subduction. Formation of gold-rich VMS systems was related to hydrothermal circulation driven by magmatic activity during rifting of oceanic arcs. Orogenic gold deposits formed largely through fluids derived from devolatilization of the downgoing slab and overlying sediment wedge during late transpression in the orogenic cycle. Carlin-type deposits, IRGDs, and some continental-arc porphyry systems formed during the early stages of orogenic collapse via fluids directly or indirectly related to hybrid magmatism from melting of lithosphere that was metasomatized and gold-fertilized by earlier fluid release from subduction zones near margins of continental blocks. The IOCGs were formed during postorogenic asthenosphere upwelling beneath such subduction-related metasomatized and fertilized lithospheric blocks via fluid release and explosive emplacement of volatile-rich melts. Thus, importantly, subduction is clearly recognized as the key unifying dynamic factor in gold metallogenesis, with subduction-related fluids or melts providing the critical ore components for a wide variety of gold-rich deposit types.

Evidence from lead isotopes regarding the genesis of ore deposits in the Chibougamau region, Quebec

1981 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 708-723 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. I. Thorpe ◽  
Jayanta Guha ◽  
Jules Cimon
Keyword(s):  
Lead Isotopes ◽  
Spatial Association ◽  
Massive Sulfide ◽  
Gold Deposits ◽  
Ore Deposits ◽  
Carbonate Sediments ◽  
Sulfide Deposits ◽  
Copper Gold ◽  
Genesis Of Ore Deposits ◽  
Isotope Analyses

Twenty-three lead isotope analyses are reported for massive sulfide deposits, the main copper–gold shear zone deposits in anorthosite of the Doré Lake complex, and two gold deposits, all in Archean terrane, in the Chibougamau district. Five analyses were also obtained for lead occurrences in Proterozoic carbonate sediments in the Mistassini Basin.Galenas from the Coniagas and Lemoine deposits of volcanogenic massive sulfide type, from the Taché Lake deposit of possibly the same type, from the Norbeau and Ayrhart gold properties, and one from within the Opemiska mine, have Archean compositions. Of these, the Lemoine, Norbeau, and Opemiska mine galenas are slightly younger than the others or were contaminated during later deformation and (or) metamorphism.Analyses for the main Cu–Au deposits generally form a cluster, although the spread in 206Pb/204Pb ratios is significant and three analyses for the Copper Rand deposit, in particular, are distinct from data for the other deposits. One interpretation is that the data, in combination with the Archean analyses, define a secondary isochron reflecting a primary age of Archean deposits and rocks at 2735–2800 Ma and a secondary event, including genesis of the Cu–Au ores, at 2240–2160 Ma. Additional evidence for a metamorphic–plutonic(?) event at about 2200 Ma has been provided by previous paleomagnetic studies. One galena from the Opemiska deposit appears to have had uranogenic lead added at 1735–2075 Ma. Three analyses of galena from the Campbell (Merrill) pit are anomalous or indicate they were formed at 162–300 Ma, and it is suggested they may have resulted from multiple episodic additions of ambient rock lead to galena originally deposited at about 2200 Ma.Two new analyses, together with four older values, for Mistassini Basin lead occurrences define a possible secondary isochron that may indicate an integrated source age of 2655 or 2940 Ma at mineralization ages of 2100 and 1700 Ma, respectively. This secondary isochron is very poorly defined because three other new analyses plot above the line.This study suggests that further geochronological investigation of the Cu–Au orebodies, and of felsic dykes that occur in many cases in close spatial association with them, should be undertaken.

Mineral Deposits of Myanmar (Burma)

10.5382/gb.62 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurence Robb ◽  
Andrew Mitchell
Keyword(s):  
Massive Sulfide ◽  
Gold Deposits ◽  
Late Triassic ◽  
Mineral Deposits ◽  
Magmatic Arc ◽  
Silver Deposits ◽  
Copper Gold ◽  
Lead Zinc ◽  
Lead Nickel ◽  
Complex Geology

Myanmar is richly endowed in natural resources that include tin, tungsten, copper, gold, zinc, lead, nickel, and silver, as well as gemstones. The material covered over a nine-day field trip explores the country’s complex geology, which reflects a collisional history stretching from the Late Triassic to at least Miocene, sited at the eastern end of the India-Asia suture. The country can be divided into three principal metallotects: the Wuntho-Popa magmatic arc, with granites and associated porphyry-type and epithermal Cu-Au mineralization; the Slate Belt (also called the Mogok-Mandalay-Mergui Belt), with multiple precollisional I-type and postcollisional S-type crustal melt granites that host significant tin-tungsten mineralization, and which also are host to a number of orogenic gold deposits; and the Shan Plateau with massive sulfide-type and also MVT-style lead-zinc-silver deposits.

scholarly journals Formation of giant iron oxide-copper-gold deposits by superimposed, episodic hydrothermal pulses

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Irene Del Real ◽  
Martin Reich ◽  
Adam C. Simon ◽  
Artur Deditius ◽  
Fernando Barra ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Iron Oxide ◽  
Genetic Model ◽  
Thermal Evolution ◽  
Gold Deposits ◽  
Temperature Gradients ◽  
Hydrothermal Fluids ◽  
Formation Temperature ◽  
Copper Gold ◽  
Compositional Variations ◽  
Apatite Type

AbstractIron oxide-copper-gold deposits are a globally important source of copper, gold and critical commodities. However, they possess a range of characteristics related to a variety of tectono-magmatic settings that make development of a general genetic model challenging. Here we investigate micro-textural and compositional variations in actinolite, to constrain the thermal evolution of the Candelaria iron oxide-copper-gold deposit in Chile. We identify at least two mineralization stages comprising an early 675–800 °C iron oxide-apatite type mineralization overprinted by a later copper-rich fluid at around 550–700 °C. We propose that these distinct stages were caused by episodic pulses of injection of magmatic-hydrothermal fluids from crystallizing magmas at depth. We suggest that the mineralisation stages we identify were the result of temperature gradients attributable to changes in the magmatic source, rather than variations in formation depth, and that actinolite chemistry can be used as a proxy for formation temperature in iron oxide-copper-gold systems.

scholarly journals Significance of Calcite Trace Elements Contents and C-O Isotopic Compositions for Ore-Forming Fluids and Gold Prospecting in the Zhesang Carlin-Like Gold Deposit of Southeastern Yunnan, China

Minerals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 338
Author(s):  
Jiasheng Wang ◽  
Jinyang Chang ◽  
Chao Li ◽  
Zhenchun Han ◽  
Tao Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rare Earth ◽  
Rare Earth Elements ◽  
Gold Deposit ◽  
Meteoric Water ◽  
Gold Mineralization ◽  
Mining Area ◽  
Gold Deposits ◽  
Hydrothermal Fluids ◽  
Magmatic Fluid ◽  
Isotopic Compositions

The Zhesang gold deposit of southeastern Yunnan is an important component of the Dian-Qian-Gui (Yunnan, Guizhou, and Guangxi) “Golden Triangle”, which hosts a multitude of Carlin-like gold deposits (CLGDs). Calcite is one of the most common gangue minerals in Zhesang. The calcites that have been found in the mining area are classified as ore-stage and post-ore calcites. The ore-stage calcite exhibits a clear paragenetic relationship with gold-bearing arsenopyrite and with an alteration halo that has been cut by the post-ore calcite. To elucidate the origin of the ore-forming fluids of the Zhesang gold deposit and to investigate the possibility of utilizing calcite geochemistry as prospecting indicators, the rare earth elements (REEs), Y, Fe, Mn and Mg contents, and C-O isotopic compositions of calcites from Zhesang have been analyzed. The ore-stage calcite is enriched in middle rare earth elements (MREEs) relative to light rare earth elements (LREEs) and heavy rare earth elements (HREEs) (MREE/LREE = 1.11–1.61, MREE/HREE = 6.12–8.22), whereas post-ore calcite exhibits an enrichment in LREE (LREE/HREE = 4.39–14.93, MREE/LREE = 0.35–0.71). The ore-stage and post-ore calcites were both formed by hydrothermal fluids; however, these hydrothermal fluids may have different sources. The Fe contents of the ore-stage calcite are significantly higher than those of post-ore calcite (4690–6300 μg/g versus 2030–2730 μg/g). Ore-stage calcite also has significantly lower δ18OV-SMOW values than post-ore calcite (11.03–12.49‰ versus 16.48–17.14‰). These calcites with an MREE/LREE ratio greater than 0.92, MREE/HREE ratio greater than 5.69, Fe content greater than 3827 μg/g, and δ18OV-SMOW value less than 14.40‰ represent ore-stage calcites and are important prospecting guidelines. According to the REE, C-O isotopic characteristics of the calcites and the previous findings, it is inferred that the ore-forming fluids of the Zhesang gold deposit were a mixture of crustal fluid by meteoric water leaching wall rocks and a small amount of basic magmatic fluid. The formation of post-ore calcite might be derived from meteoric water and marine carbonates interaction. The ore-forming fluids of the Zhesang gold deposit may be associated with the intrusion of diabase that outcrops in the mining area, and that the basic magmatic activities of the Indosinian period also provided some of the ore-forming materials and heat for gold mineralization.

Studi Awal Geologi di Daerah Beruang Kanan Kabupaten Gunung Mas Propinsi Kalimantan Tengah

PROMINE ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Retno Anjarwati ◽  
Arifudin Idrus ◽  
Lucas Donny Setijadji
Keyword(s):  
Gold Mineralization ◽  
Volcanic Rocks ◽  
Gold Deposits ◽  
Central Kalimantan ◽  
Magmatic Arc ◽  
Tertiary Sediment ◽  
Copper Gold ◽  
Regional Tectonic ◽  
Mineralization Processes ◽  
High Yields

The regional tectonic conditions of the KSK Contract of Work are located in the mid-Tertiary magmatic arc (Carlile and Mitchell, 1994) which host a number of epithermal gold deposits (eg, Kelian, Indon, Muro) and significant prospects such as Muyup, Masupa Ria, Gunung Mas and Mirah. Copper-gold mineralization in the KSK Contract of Work is associated with a number of intrusions that have occupied the shallow-scale crust at the Mesozoic metamorphic intercellular junction to the south and continuously into the Lower Tertiary sediment toward the water. This intrusion is interpreted to be part of the Oligocene arc of Central Kalimantan (in Carlile and Mitchell 1994) Volcanic rocks and associated volcanoes are older than intrusions, possibly aged Cretaceous and exposed together with all three contacts (Carlile and Mitchell, 1994) some researchers contribute details about the geological and mineralogical background, and some papers for that are published for the Beruang Kanan region and beyond but no one can confirm the genesis type of the Beruang Kanan region The mineralization of the Beruang Kanan area is generally composed by high yields of epithermal sulphide mineralization. with Cu-Au mineralization This high epithermal sulphide deposition coats the upper part of the Cu-Au porphyry precipitate associated with mineralization processes that are generally controlled by the structure

scholarly journals Genesis of the Late Cretaceous Longquanzhan Gold Deposit in the Central Tan-Lu Fault Zone, Shandong Province, China: Constraints from Noble Gas and Sulfur Isotopes

Minerals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 250
Author(s):  
Chuanpeng Liu ◽  
Wenjie Shi ◽  
Junhao Wei ◽  
Huan Li ◽  
Aiping Feng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gold Deposit ◽  
Fault Zone ◽  
Late Cretaceous ◽  
Genetic Model ◽  
Gold Mineralization ◽  
Sulfur Isotopes ◽  
Noble Gas ◽  
Gold Deposits ◽  
Shandong Province ◽  
Magma Sources

The Longquanzhan deposit is one of the largest gold deposits in the Yi-Shu fault zone (central section of the Tan-Lu fault zone) in Shandong Province, China. It is an altered-rock type gold deposit in which ore bodies mainly occur at the contact zone between the overlying Cretaceous rocks and the underlying Neoarchean gneissic monzogranite. Shi et al. reported that this deposit formed at 96 ± 2 Ma using pyrite Rb–Sr dating method and represents a new gold mineralization event in the Shandong Province in 2014. In this paper, we present new He–Ar–S isotopic compositions to further decipher the sources of fluids responsible for the Longquanzhan gold mineralization. The results show that the δ34S values of pyrites vary between 0.9‰ and 4.4‰ with an average of 2.3‰. Inclusion-trapped fluids in ore sulfides have 3He/4He and 40Ar/36Ar ratios of 0.14–0.78 Ra and 482–1811, respectively. These isotopic data indicate that the ore fluids are derived from a magmatic source, which is dominated by crustal components with minor mantle contribution. Air-saturated water may be also involved in the hydrothermal system during the magmatic fluids ascending or at the shallow deposit site. We suggest that the crust-mantle mixing signature of the Longquanzhan gold deposit is genetically related to the Late Cretaceous lithospheric thinning along the Tan-Lu fault zone, which triggers constantly uplifting of the asthenosphere surface and persistent ascending of the isotherm plane to form the gold mineralization-related crustal level magma sources. This genetic model can be applied, to some extent, to explain the ore genesis of other deposits near or within the Tan-Lu fault belt.

Low-temperature thermal history of the Gilmore Dome area, Fairbanks Mining District, Alaska

1993 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 764-768 ◽  
Author(s):  
John M. Murphy ◽  
Arne Bakke
Keyword(s):  
Gold Deposit ◽  
Fission Track ◽  
Hydrothermal Fluids ◽  
Mining District ◽  
Cooling Path ◽  
Alteration Assemblage ◽  
Zircon Fission Track ◽  
History Of ◽  
Maximum Temperatures ◽  
Fission Track Ages

Eight apatite and two zircon fission-track ages provide evidence of complex Tertiary thermal overprinting by hydrothermal fluids in the Gilmore Dome area. Five ages on apatite from the Fort Knox gold deposit average 41 Ma, one from the Stepovich prospect is 80 Ma, and two from Pedro Dome average 67 Ma. Elevations of these samples overlap but their ages do not, indicating that each area experienced a different thermal history.Ages of apatite from the Fort Knox gold deposit decrease with elevation from 42 to 36 Ma but have data trends indicative of complex cooling. Two ~51 Ma ages on zircon indicate that maximum temperatures approached or exceeded ~180 °C. An alteration assemblage of chalcedony + zeolite + calcite + clay in the deposit resulted from deposition by a paleo-hydrothermal system. The data suggest that the system followed a complex cooling path from > 180 to < 110 °C between 51 and 36 Ma, and that final cooling to below 60 °C occurred after ~25 Ma.The 80 Ma age from Stepovich prospect either resulted from cooling after intrusion of the underlying pluton (~90 Ma) or records postintrusion thermal overprinting sometime after ~50 Ma. The 67 Ma samples from Pedro Dome may also have experienced partial age reduction during later heating. The differences in the data from the different areas and the presence of a late alteration assemblage at Fort Knox suggest that the fluids responsible for heating were largely confined to the highly fractured and porous Fort Knox pluton.

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