Abstract
Geochemical anomalies play an important role in mineral exploration, because they are closely related to the formation of ore deposits. In this paper, the Au in the geochemical samples of 1:50,000 stream sediments in the Gouli exploration area, Qinghai Province, is selected as an example. The cumulative frequency method, local singularity analysis, and exploration data analysis method are used to process the Au data and determine the abnormal thresholds. Robust principal component analysis is used to explore the elemental associations. Among them, the effect of local singularity analysis is the best and it delineates the weak geochemical anomalies not delineated by cumulative frequency method and exploration data analysis method, which shows its superiority. Robust principal component analysis shows that Sb, W, and As are closely related to Au mineralization. Three anomalous areas are delineated in the Gouli exploration area. Gold ore-body is found to occur within anomaly area I. The other anomalous areas are highly consistent with abnormal elemental composition of Sb, W, and As. Moreover, these two areas are extremely conformable with the high-value areas determined by the binary state method. The optimality of the three methods are compared comprehensively, it is pointed out that it is more reasonable to use the local singularity analysis to determine the abnormal threshold. The anomaly areas II and III of Au determined by local singularity analysis have shown great potential for prospecting.
Highlights
IntroductionAt the International Conference in Sydney in 1976, the abnormal threshold was defined as a value determined by the geochemical makers according to some analysis and test results of samples
At the International Conference in Sydney in 1976, the abnormal threshold was defined as a value determined by the geochemical makers according to some analysis and test results of samples.It can identify the anomalies associated with the mineralization
This paper evaluates the gold metallogenic potential in the Gouli exploration area and delineates the gold metallogenic target areas
Summary
At the International Conference in Sydney in 1976, the abnormal threshold was defined as a value determined by the geochemical makers according to some analysis and test results of samples. It can identify the anomalies associated with the mineralization. The determination of the threshold of geochemical anomalies is directly related to the identification of mineralization information. The determination of the threshold of geochemical anomalies is very significant for mineral exploration. Since the 1970s, many countries in the world have carried out regional geochemical surveys successively and obtained primary and secondary samples, such as rocks, stream sediments, water, and Minerals 2019, 9, 368; doi:10.3390/min9060368 www.mdpi.com/journal/minerals
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