Epithermal Au Au-Ag Ag Deposits

GEOE/GEOL 362 Gema Ribeiro Olivo Ph.D., P.Eng. g

Gold Deposits p
1. Shallow environments Epithermal (HS, LS, ILS) Submarine exhalative Wit t Witwatersrand d (?)

2. Moderately deep 2 Porphyry Carlin Skarn Manto 3. Deep environments

Geological setting of gold deposits

EPITHERMAL: at shallow depth: from the surface to as deep as 2 km over the temperature range of >150 to 300 C.

Poulsen, 1996

Tectonic Setting

Hagemann and Brown (2000), p. 2

Richards 2009- Geology v. 37 p. 247-250

Epithermal Gold Deposits

(Kirkham and Sinclair, 1995; In Sinclair, 2007) 7)

in subductionrelated, continentalarc, and island arc settings, or

back arcs. hosted by volcanic, volcanoclastic and epiclastic rocks, and sometimes i the in th basement b t units.

Sillitoe, 2010

Host rocks and ages H g

1. subaerial volcanic rocks of magnetite series calc-alkaline suites
most of the deposits 2. shoshonitic or alkalic igneous rocks in: mature (crustal thickness > 20 km) intraoceanic arcs (e.g., Landolam and Emperor mines) continental regions (Cripple creek mine)

Ages: western Pacific: late Miocene, Pliocene and Quaternary (10 Ma-R). Western America and Caribbean: early Cretaceous to late Miocene (110- 9 Ma) Precambrian (metamorphosed) epithermal deposits

W ld Distribution World Di ib i

Taylor, 2007

Gold and Tonnage of Low and High Sulfidation deposits

Hedenquist, 2000

Tonnage and Grade

Median tonnage/grade: C: Creede-type LS S:Summitille HS P: Porphyry-type H: Hishikari LS I El Indio I: I di HS

Taylor, 2007

Poulsen, 1996

Nomeclature

Hedenquist et al., 2000

Types of epithermal gold deposits

Ch l Chalcopyrite: i CuFeS C F S2

Enargite (luzonite): : Cu3AsS4 Tennantite: (Cu,Fe)12As4S13

Corbett and Leach, 1998

Low vs High sulfidation systems

adularia

Corbett and Leach, 1998

Alteration

Cobertt C b and d Leach, 1999

Morphology of orebodies found in HS and LS epithermal h l g gold deposits

Hedenquist et al., 1996

Low Sulfidation AuAu -Ag deposits

Types of epithermal gold deposits

Ch l Chalcopyrite: i CuFeS C F S2

Enargite (luzonite): : Cu3AsS4 Tennantite: (Cu,Fe)12As4S13

Corbett and Leach, 1998

Low sulfidation Au-Cu: types yp and model

Low sulfidation: temporal and spatial zonations

Alteration in Low Sulfidation Deposits

Hedenquist et al., 2000

LS deposit p : alteration mineralogy gy

Textures and alteration associated with low sulfidation deposits

Poulsen et al., 2000

LS laminated veins
Banded veins with quartz ( hit ) and (white) d adularia (pink) cut by hematite breccia, breccia from NF, Canada

Round Mountain LS Au-Ag deposit

Southwest S th t Nevada N d

W ld Distribution World Di ib i

Taylor, 2007

Round Mountain
Large disseminated orebody with 277 Mt at 1.2 g/t Au reserves

Round Mountain: geology and mineralization

Most of the ore occurs in the poorly welded tuffs (26.7 Ma) Veins or fissure filling in welded tuff Stratabound (low grade) in poorly welded tuff

Hedenquist, 1996

Round Mountain: alteration and grade

Hedenquist, 1996

High g Sulfidation AuAu -Ag Deposits

High sulfidation: controls

High Sulfidation: alteration zonation

Hedenquist et al., 2000

High sulfidation alteration

Core:
vuggy silica

Intermediate:
quartz + alunite + pyrophyllite (kaolinite)

Outer zone:
- clay minerals
Atlas of alteration: Thompson and Thompson, 1996

High sulfidation alteration

Core:
vuggy silica

Intermediate:
quartz + alunite + pyrophyllite (kaolinite)

Outer zone:
- clay minerals
Atlas of alteration: Thompson and Thompson, 1996

High sulfidation alteration

Core:
vuggy silica

Intermediate:
quartz + alunite + pyrophyllite (kaolinite)

Outer zone:
- clay minerals
Atlas of alteration: Thompson and Thompson, 1996

High sulfidation: alteration

High sulfidation: metal zonation

High sulfidation: genetic model

Genesis of epithermal Au-Ag d deposits it

Ch l Chalcopyrite: i CuFeS C F S2

Enargite (luzonite): : Cu3AsS4 Tennantite: (Cu,Fe)12As4S13

Corbett and Leach, 1998

Mechanisms of metal zoning in LS and HS Au-Ag deposits

Corbett and Leach, 1998

Solubility of gold

Corbett and Leach, 1998

Solubility y of Au, Cu and Zn

Sillitoe, 2010

SILLITOE, 2010

G Genetic i Q Questions: i
WHAT ARE THEIR CHARACTERISTICS? ( ) in a hydrothermal y Where did the solution(s) system originate? What was the force that made the solution flow? What were the sources of the metals? What caused the solution to deposit minerals?

Engineering Issues: Discussions

Exploration guidelines p Environmental issues: HS vs LS deposits Mining: relationship alteration and rock property Processing: mode of occurrence of Au and Ag and relationship with other alteration minerals Economic and socials issues

Useful References
Corbett and Leach (1998) Southwest Pacific Rim Gold-Copper Systems: Structure, Alteration and Mineralization. Society y of Economic Geologists g Special p Publication Number 6, , 237 p p. Hagemann, S.G., Brown, P. E. (2000). Gold in 2000. Reviews in Economic Geology, v.13, 559 p. Hedequist, J.W., Arribas, A.R. and Gonzales-Urien, (2000). Exploration for Epithermal Gold Deposits. In Gold in 2000. Reviews in Economic Geology, v. 13, p 245-314 Hedequist, J.W., Izawa, E., Arribas, A., White, N.C. (1996). Epithermal gold deposits: Style, characteristics, and exploration. The Society of Resource Geology, Special Publication n.1. Jannas, R. Bowers, T. S. and Petersen, U. and Beane, R. (1999). Geology and Ore Deposits of the Central Andes. Society of Economic Geologists, special publication n. 7 Poulsen, K.H., Robert, F., and Dube, B (2000). Geological Classification of Canadian Gold Deposits; Geological Survey of Canada, bulletin 540, 106 p. There are a great variety of good papers published in Economic Geology and Mineralium Deposita in Epithermal Gold Deposits.