Nanoscale metals in Earthgas and mobile forms of metals in overburden in wide-spaced regional exploration for giant deposits in overburden terrains

Abstract

This paper describes the use of NAnoscale Metals in EarthGas (NAMEG) and MObile forms of MEtals in Overburden (MOMEO) methods in regional scale geochemical exploration for giant deposits in terrains covered by overburden. These methods are based on the premise that gases generated from the earth's interior can not only transport mobile forms of elements from an ore deposit and its geochemical halos to the surface to form a local anomaly, but also transport them from distinct bedrock “geochemical blocks” hosting large and giant ore deposits and give rise to large regional geochemical anomalies and geochemical provinces at the surface. Regional NAMEG and MOMEO surveys for giant gold deposits were carried out in Shandong Province, where the largest gold deposits in China are found, and in the Muruntau region of the Kyzylkum Desert, Uzbekistan, one of the world's largest gold ore provinces. In Shandong Province, where most of the area is covered by complex overburden, large regional anomalies in earthgas and water-extractable Au were delineated over and around the giant gold deposits. For many trace elements, the anomalies are larger in area and have greater contrast than those from other methods. High concentration of water soluble Au extends into the southern area covered by transported overburden, suggesting that this region may have potential for the discovery of new concealed gold deposits. The anomalous provinces of Au in both earthgas and water soluble salts coincide with a deep fault, supporting the idea that the deep fault is the main conduit of Au from the interior. In the central Kyzylkum Desert, nearly all Au-hosting rocks are covered by sedimentary sequences overlain by desert sand. Gold and As anomalies over Muruntau and Kokpatas gold deposits have contrasts ranging from 2 to 400 times background. Strong anomalies were also discovered in the south of the Muruntau region, suggesting a promising area for the discovery of new giant gold deposits.