• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.491-503
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• 2010

Geochemical characteristics of the Moisan epithermal gold-silver deposit with total 140 samples in Haenam area, Jeollanamdo were studied by using multivariate statistical analysis (correlation analysis, factor analysis and cluster analysis). The correlation analysis reveals that Ag, Cu, Bi, Te are highly correlated with Au in the both non-mineralized and mineralized zone. It is resulted from the presence of Au-Ag bearing minerals (electrum, sylvanite, calaverite and stuezite) and non Au-Ag containing minerals (chalcopyrite, tellurobismuthite and bismuthinite). Mo shows relatively much higher correlation at the mineralized zone (0.615) than non-mineralized zone (0.269) which implies Mo content is strongly affected by Au-mineralization. While Mn, Cs, Fe, Se correlated with Au at the nonmineralized zone, they have negative correlation at the mineralized zone. Therefore, they seem to be eluviated elements from the host rock during gold mineralization. Sb is enriched during the gold mineralization showing high correlation at the mineralized zone and negative correlation at the non-mineralized zone. According to the factor analysis, Se, Ag, Cs, Te are the indicators of gold mineralization presence due to the strong affection of gold content in the non-mineralized zone. In the mineralized zone, on the other hand, Mo, Te and Sb, Cu are the indicators of gold and silver mineralization, respectively. While the cluster analysis reveals that Cd-Zn-Pb-S, Bi-Fe-Cu-Mn, Se-Te-Au-Cs-Ag, As-Sb-Ba are the similar behavior elements groups in the non-mineralized zone, Cd-Zn-Mn-Pb, Fe-S-Se, As-Bi-Cs, Ag-Sb-Cu, Au-Te-Mo are the similar behavior elements groups in the mineralized zone. Using multivariate statistical analysis as mentioned above makes it possible to compare the behavior of presented minerals and difference of geochemical characteristics between mineralized and non-mineralized zone. Therefore, it will be expected a useful tool on the similar type of mining exploration.

• Proceedings of the KSEEG Conference
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• 2007.04a
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• pp.164-166
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• 2007

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.211-220
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• 2002

The Xiaoxinancha Cu-Au deposit in the Jilin province, located in NNE 800 km of Beijing, is hosted by diorite. The ore mineralization of Xiaoxinancha Cu-Au deposit show a stockwork occurrence that is concentrated on the potassic and phyllic alteration zones. The Xiaoxinancha Cu-Au deposit in the south is being mined with its reserves grading 0.8% Cu, 3.64 g/t Au and 16.8 g/t Ag and in the north, grading 0.63% Cu, 3.80 g/t Au and 6.8 glt Ag. The alteration assemblage occurs as a supergene blanket over deposit. Hydrothermal alteration at the Xiaoxinancha Cu-Au deposit is centered about the stock and was extensively related to the emplacement of the stock. Early hydrothermal alteration was dominantly potassic and followed by propylitic alteration. Chalcocite, often associated with hematite, account for the ore-grade copper, while chalcopyrite, bornite, quartz, epidote, chlorite and calcite constitute the typical gangue assemblage. Other minor opaque phases include pyrite, marcasite, native gold, electrum, hessite, hedleyite, volynskite, galenobismutite, covellite and goethite. Fluid inclusion data indicate that the formation of this porphyry copper deposit is thought to be a result of cooling followed by mixing with dilute and cooler meteoric water with time. In stage II vein, early boiling occurred at 497$^{\circ}$C was succeeded by the occurrence of halite-bearing type III fluid inclusion with homogenization temperature as much as 100$^{\circ}$C lower. The salinities of type 1II fluid inclusion in stage II vein are 54.3 to 66.9 wt.% NaCI + KCI equiv. at 383$^{\circ}$ to 495$^{\circ}$C, indicating the formation depth less than 1 km. Type I cupriferous fluids in stage III vein have the homogenization temperatures and salinity of 168$^{\circ}$ to 365$^{\circ}$C and 1.1 to 9.0 wt.% NaCI equiv. These fluid inclusions in stage III veins were trapped in quartz veins containing highly fractured breccia, indicating the predominance of boiling evidence. This corresponds to hydrostatic pressure of 50 to 80 bars. The $\delta$$^{34}S$ value of sulfide minerals increase slightly with paragenetic time and yield calculated $\delta$$^{34}S_{H2S}$ values of 0.8 to 3.7$\textperthousand$. There is no mineralogical evidence that fugacity of oxygen decreased, and it is thought that the oxygen fugacity of the mineralizing fluids have been buffered through reaction with magnetite. We interpreted the range of the calculated $\delta$$^{34}S_{H2S}$ values for sulfides to represent the incorporation of sulfur from two sources into the Xiaoxinancha Cu-Au hydrothermal fluids: (1) an isotopically light source with a $\delta$$^{34}S$ value of I to 2$\textperthousand$, probably a Mesozoic granitoid related to the ore mineralization. We can infer from the fact that diorite as the host rock in the Xiaoxinancha Cu-Au deposit area intruded plagiogranite; (2) an isotopically heavier source with a $\delta$$^{34}S$ value of > 4.0$\textperthousand$, probably the local porphyry.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.193-199
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• 2016

Constancia mine is a deposit developed within Andahuaylas-Yauri Cu-Mo-Au metallogenic belt, southeastern Peru and is located in the southwestern part of Abancay deformation zone structurally as the porphyry copper deposit type. Mineralized zone in Constancia mine are composed of leached zone, secondary enrichment zone(ca. 1% Cu), mixed zone, primary mineralized zone(ca. 0.5%), skarn zone(ca. 1.5% Cu) from the upper part. Main country rock is monzonitic porphyry. Leached zone are characterized by the precipitation of limonite and looks brown in the outcrop. Oxidized zone have green due to the occurrence of copper oxide and secondary enrichment zone are characterized by the occurrence of chalcocite. Skarn zone are characterized by the occurrence of magnetite and garnet. Now, Hudbay, Canadian mining company, have 100% share about Constancia mine and started to produce commercially from January, 2015.

• Proceedings of the KSEEG Conference
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• 2007.04a
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• pp.167-169
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• 2007

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.54 no.6
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• pp.753-765
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• 2021

The Dongwon Au-Ag deposit is located within the Paleozoic Taebaeksan province, Okcheon belt. Mineral paragenesis can be divided into two stages (stage I, ore-bearing quartz veins; stage II, barren carbonate veins) by major tectonic fracturing. Stage I, at which the precipitation of major ore minerals occurred, is further divided into three substages(early, middle and late) with paragenetic time based on minor fractures and discernible mineral assemblages: early, marked by deposition of pyrite with minor magnetite, pyrrhotite and arsenopyrite; middle, characterized by introduction of electrum and base-metal sulfides with minor sulfosalts; late, marked by argentite, Cu-As (and/or Sb) and Ag-Sb sulfosalts with base-metal sulfides. Fluid inclusion data show that stage I ore mineralization was deposited between initial high temperatures (≥430℃) and later lower temperatures (≤230℃) from fluids with salinities between 6.0 to 0.4 wt. percent equiv. NaCl. The relationship of salinity and homogenization temperature suggest that ore mineralization at Dongwon was deposited mainly due to fluid boiling, cooling and dilution via influx of cooler, more dilute meteoric waters. Changes in stage I vein mineralogy reflect decreasing temperature and fugacity of sulfur by evolution of the Dongwon hydrothermal system with increasing paragenetic time. The Dongwon deposit may represents a Korean-type and/or Au-Ag type mesothermal/epithermal gold-silver deposit.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.54 no.1
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• pp.49-60
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• 2021

The Geumhwa Au-Ag deposit is located within the Cretaceous Gyeongsang basin. Mineral paragenesis can be divided into two stages (stage I and II) by major tectonic fracturing. Stage II is economically barren. Stage I, at which the precipitation of major ore minerals occurred, is further divided into three substages(early, middle and late) with paragenetic time based on minor fractures and discernible mineral assemblages: early substage, marked by deposition of pyrite with minor wolframite; middle substage, characterized by introduction of electrum and base-metal sulfides with Cu-As and/or Cu-Sb sulfosalts; late substage, marked by hematite and Bi-sulfosalts with secondary minerals. Changes in vein mineralogy reflect decreases in temperature and sulfur fugacity with a concomitant increase in oxygen fugacity. Fluid inclusion data indicate progressive decreases in temperature and salinity within each substage with increasing paragenetic time. During the early portion of stage I, high-temperature (≥410℃), high-salinity fluids (up to ≈44 equiv. wt. % NaCl) formed by condensation during decompression of a magmatic vapor phase. During waning of early substage, high-temperature, high-salinity fluids gave way to progressively cooler, more dilute fluids associated with main Au-Ag mineralization (middle) and finally to ≈180℃ and ≥0.7 equiv. wt. % NaCl fluids associated with hematite and sulfosalts (± secondary) mineralization (late substage). These trends are interpreted to indicate progressive mixing of high- and medium to low-salinity hydrothermal fluids with cooler, more dilute, oxidizing meteoric waters. The Geumhwa Au-Ag deposit may represent a vein-type system transitional between porphyry-type and epithermal-type.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.267-278
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• 2013

The East African Rift System(EARS) is known to be hosted epithermal Au-Ag deposits, and the best-known example is Main Ethiopian Rift Valley(MER) related to Quaternary bimodal volcanism. Large horst-graben system during rifting provides open space for emplacement of bimodal magmas and flow channel of geothermal fluids. In recent, large hydrothermally altered zones(Shala, Langano, and Allalobeda) and hot spring related to deeply circulating geothermal water have been increasing their importance due to new discoveries in MER and Danakil depression. The hot springs in Shala and Allalobeda occur as boiling pool and geyser on the surface, whereas some areas didn't observe them due to decreasing ground water table. The host rocks are altered to quartz, kaolinite, illite, smectite, and chlorite due to interaction with rising geothermal water. The hot springs in MER are neutral to slightly alkaline pH(7.88~8.83) and mostly classified into $HCO_3{^-}$ type geothermal water. They are strongly depleted in Au, and Ag, but show a higher Se concentration of up to 26.7 ppm. In contrast, siliceous altered rocks around hot springs are strongly enriched in Pb(up to 33 ppm, Shala), Zn(up to 313 ppm, Shala), Cu(up to 53.1 ppm, Demaegona), and Mn(up to 0.18 wt%t, Shala). In conclusion, anomalous Se in hot spring water, Pb, Zn, Cu, and Mn in siliceous altered rocks, and new discoveries in MER have been increasing potential for epithermal gold mineralization.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.463-472
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• 1998

The survey was carried out in order to delineate the occurrence of ore deposits and the mineralized characteristics in the Estancia de la Virgen area through the 1:2,000 scaled geological mapping and topographic measuring surveys. Gold-silver mineralization is in the fault block developed between the San Agustin Fault and Cabanas Fault. It is associated with ore bearing quartz veins controlled by the fault structure. The contents of Au and Ag range from traces up to 72 g/t and 180 g/t respectively. According to traversing the outcrops, the quartz veins are traced by 0.5 Km trended to north and south. In those extended part, they continue for 1,000 m intermittently. Gold-silver mineralization could be divided into three stages. In the first stage, pyrite, galena, sphalerite, and chalcopyrite were formed with the primary silver and gold associated with galena and copper sulfides respectively. In the second stage, Cu-Bi-Au-Ag bearing sulfides such as chalcocite, covellite, and linarite are formed and usually deposited on the cataclastic fractures of galena and/or chalcopyrite. In the third stage, both the carbonation of galena and sphalerite and the sulphatization of galena, took place in the surface environment. And then primary silver was carried away off and was deposited on galena and/or copper sulfides during oxidation near the water table. Low partitionings of Fe in sphalerite assist that the minerals were formed at the relatively low temperature, which is coincided with previously reported homogenization temperature of fluid inclusions.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2002

Manus Basin, located in the equatorial western Pacific, is a back arc basin formed by collision between the IndoAustralian and the Pacific Plates. The basin is host to numerous hydrothermal vent fields and ore deposits. The basement rocks of the Manus Basin consist primarily of dacite and basaltic andesite. Some of the minerals that form the hydrothermal chimneys that were dredged on the Manus basin include pyrite, chalcopyrite, marcasite, sphalerite and galena. The chimneys can be classified into chalcopyrite dominant Cu-rich type and sphalerite dominant Zn-rich type. The concentration of Zn shows good positive correlation with that of Sb, Cd and Ag. The content of Cu, on the other hand, positively correlates with that of Mo, Mn and Co. For samples that were taken from Zn-rich chimney, a strong positive correlation is found between Au and Zn contents. The chimney also shows enrichments of Cd, Mn and Sb. On the other hand, the samples from Cu-rich chimney exhibit strong correlation among Au, Zn and Pb, and are enriched in Mo and Co concentration. Average contents of Au in Cu-rich and Znrich chimneys were 15.9 ppm and 29.0 ppm, respectively. Because of high concentration of Au with Ag and Cu, the ore deposit have high economic potential. Homogenization temperatures and salinities of fluid inclusions in anhydrite and amorphous silica from Zn-rich chimney are estimated to be l74-220$^{\circ}$C and 2.7-3.6 equiv. wt. % NaCI, respectively. These value suggest that ore forming processes were occurred at around 200$^{\circ}$C and that the oxygen fugacity changed from 2: 10$^{-39.5}$bar to -s: 10$^{-40.8}$bar and the sulfur fugacity from -s: 10$^{-14.7}$bar to 10$^{-13.4}$bar during the process. It appears that the temperature at which the ores formed on Cu-rich chimney was higher than that on Zn-rich chimney.