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Article: Gold distribution in As-deficient pyrite and telluride mineralogy of the Yangzhaiyu gold deposit, Xiaoqinling district, southern North China craton

TitleGold distribution in As-deficient pyrite and telluride mineralogy of the Yangzhaiyu gold deposit, Xiaoqinling district, southern North China craton
Authors
Issue Date2011
PublisherSpringer Verlag. The Journal's web site is located at http://link.springer.de/link/service/journals/00126/index.htm
Citation
Mineralium Deposita, 2011, v. 46 n. 8, p. 925-941 How to Cite?
AbstractThe Mesozoic Yangzhaiyu lode gold deposit is situated in the southern edge of the North China craton. Gold mineralization is hosted in Archean amphibolite facies metamorphic rocks, and consists mainly of auriferous quartz veins. Pyrite is the predominant sulfide mineral, with minor amounts of chalcopyrite, sphalerite, and galena. Based on morphology and paragenesis, there are three generations of pyrite, termed as first generation (G1), second generation (G2), and third generation (G3). They have distinct contents, occurrences, and distribution patterns of gold. The coarse-grained, euhedral G1 pyrite contains negligible to low levels of gold, whereas both invisible and visible gold are present in the fine- to medium-grained G2 pyrite that is characterized by abundance of microfractures and porosities, forming a foam-like texture. Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) depth profiles indicate that invisible gold occurs either as solid solution or as nanoparticles of gold-bearing tellurides in the G2 pyrite. Visible gold is widespread and present as irregular grains and stringers of native gold mostly along grain boundaries or filling microfractures of pyrite, likely resulting from remobilization of invisible gold once locked in the G2 pyrite. The G3 pyrite, invariably intergrown with chalcopyrite, sphalerite, and galena, contains the highest levels of invisible gold. There is a positive correlation between Au, Ag, and Te, indicating that gold occurs as submicroscopic Au-bearing telluride inclusions in the host minerals. Whenever gold, either invisible or visible, is present, As is always below or only marginally higher than the detection limit of LA-ICP-MS. This indicates that As played an insignificant role in gold mineralization. Tellurides are widespread in the auriferous quartz veins, consisting mainly of petzite, calaverite, hessite, altaite, and tellurobismuthite. Native gold commonly occurs as intergrowths with tellurides. Textural evidence indicates a precipitation sequence, in a temporal order, of calcaverite, petzite, altaite, tellurobismuthite, and hessite. Little amount of sulfide phases has been found in association with the tellurides, indicating that tellurides were deposited under low S fugacity (fS2) and/or high Te fugacity (fTe2) conditions. The textural relationships, when combined with fluid inclusion microthermometric data of auriferous quartz veins and tellurides thermodynamic data, permit estimation for logfTe2 during telluride formation, which are -6. 8 to -10. 8 at 300°C and -9. 6 to -17. 6 at 250°C. Available geochronological and geochemical data suggest that Te was most likely derived from the late Mesozoic magmatic rocks widespread in the Xiaoqinling district and other parts of the southern North China craton, which were emplaced broadly contemporaneous with gold mineralization at Yangzhaiyu. This study highlights the role of Te and tellurides as important gold scavengers in As-deficient ore fluids. © 2011 Springer-Verlag.
Persistent Identifierhttp://hdl.handle.net/10722/151346
ISSN
2023 Impact Factor: 4.4
2023 SCImago Journal Rankings: 1.913
ISI Accession Number ID
Funding AgencyGrant Number
Natural Science Foundation of China90814004
40821061
Fundamental Research Funds for the Central UniversitiesCUG090102
MOST from the State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral ResourcesMSFGPMR201005
Funding Information:

Financial supports for this study were provided by the Natural Science Foundation of China (90814004 and 40821061), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (CUG090102), and the MOST special fund from the State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources (MSFGPMR201005). Prof. Zhang Suxin and Mr. Zheng Shu provided kind assistance during the SEM-EDS and EMP analysis, which are gratefully acknowledged. Mr. Qiang Shanfeng and Xing Tianwei are thanked for their logistic supports during the field work. Two anonymous journal reviewers, the Associate Editor Christina Yan Wang and the Editor-in-Chief Bernd Lehmann provided constructive comments and suggestions, which has been useful in our revision.

References

 

DC FieldValueLanguage
dc.contributor.authorBi, SJen_US
dc.contributor.authorLi, JWen_US
dc.contributor.authorZhou, MFen_US
dc.contributor.authorLi, ZKen_US
dc.date.accessioned2012-06-26T06:20:54Z-
dc.date.available2012-06-26T06:20:54Z-
dc.date.issued2011en_US
dc.identifier.citationMineralium Deposita, 2011, v. 46 n. 8, p. 925-941en_US
dc.identifier.issn0026-4598en_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10722/151346-
dc.description.abstractThe Mesozoic Yangzhaiyu lode gold deposit is situated in the southern edge of the North China craton. Gold mineralization is hosted in Archean amphibolite facies metamorphic rocks, and consists mainly of auriferous quartz veins. Pyrite is the predominant sulfide mineral, with minor amounts of chalcopyrite, sphalerite, and galena. Based on morphology and paragenesis, there are three generations of pyrite, termed as first generation (G1), second generation (G2), and third generation (G3). They have distinct contents, occurrences, and distribution patterns of gold. The coarse-grained, euhedral G1 pyrite contains negligible to low levels of gold, whereas both invisible and visible gold are present in the fine- to medium-grained G2 pyrite that is characterized by abundance of microfractures and porosities, forming a foam-like texture. Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) depth profiles indicate that invisible gold occurs either as solid solution or as nanoparticles of gold-bearing tellurides in the G2 pyrite. Visible gold is widespread and present as irregular grains and stringers of native gold mostly along grain boundaries or filling microfractures of pyrite, likely resulting from remobilization of invisible gold once locked in the G2 pyrite. The G3 pyrite, invariably intergrown with chalcopyrite, sphalerite, and galena, contains the highest levels of invisible gold. There is a positive correlation between Au, Ag, and Te, indicating that gold occurs as submicroscopic Au-bearing telluride inclusions in the host minerals. Whenever gold, either invisible or visible, is present, As is always below or only marginally higher than the detection limit of LA-ICP-MS. This indicates that As played an insignificant role in gold mineralization. Tellurides are widespread in the auriferous quartz veins, consisting mainly of petzite, calaverite, hessite, altaite, and tellurobismuthite. Native gold commonly occurs as intergrowths with tellurides. Textural evidence indicates a precipitation sequence, in a temporal order, of calcaverite, petzite, altaite, tellurobismuthite, and hessite. Little amount of sulfide phases has been found in association with the tellurides, indicating that tellurides were deposited under low S fugacity (fS2) and/or high Te fugacity (fTe2) conditions. The textural relationships, when combined with fluid inclusion microthermometric data of auriferous quartz veins and tellurides thermodynamic data, permit estimation for logfTe2 during telluride formation, which are -6. 8 to -10. 8 at 300°C and -9. 6 to -17. 6 at 250°C. Available geochronological and geochemical data suggest that Te was most likely derived from the late Mesozoic magmatic rocks widespread in the Xiaoqinling district and other parts of the southern North China craton, which were emplaced broadly contemporaneous with gold mineralization at Yangzhaiyu. This study highlights the role of Te and tellurides as important gold scavengers in As-deficient ore fluids. © 2011 Springer-Verlag.en_US
dc.languageengen_US
dc.publisherSpringer Verlag. The Journal's web site is located at http://link.springer.de/link/service/journals/00126/index.htmen_US
dc.relation.ispartofMineralium Depositaen_US
dc.titleGold distribution in As-deficient pyrite and telluride mineralogy of the Yangzhaiyu gold deposit, Xiaoqinling district, southern North China cratonen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US
dc.identifier.emailZhou, MF:mfzhou@hkucc.hku.hken_US
dc.identifier.authorityZhou, MF=rp00844en_US
dc.description.naturelink_to_subscribed_fulltexten_US
dc.identifier.doi10.1007/s00126-011-0359-2en_US
dc.identifier.scopuseid_2-s2.0-82255175198en_US
dc.relation.referenceshttp://www.scopus.com/mlt/select.url?eid=2-s2.0-82255175198&selection=ref&src=s&origin=recordpageen_US
dc.identifier.volume46en_US
dc.identifier.issue8en_US
dc.identifier.spage925en_US
dc.identifier.epage941en_US
dc.identifier.isiWOS:000297597300005-
dc.publisher.placeGermanyen_US
dc.identifier.scopusauthoridBi, SJ=37032546000en_US
dc.identifier.scopusauthoridLi, JW=36067183300en_US
dc.identifier.scopusauthoridZhou, MF=7403506005en_US
dc.identifier.scopusauthoridLi, ZK=36437391500en_US
dc.identifier.citeulike9327637-
dc.identifier.issnl0026-4598-

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