New Occurrence of Gold Mineralization at the Eastern Part of Wadi El Gemal, South Eastern Desert, Egypt

Abstract

The basement rock units of the study area are represented by metasediments-metavolcanics association, diorite rocks, granodiorites and syenogranites. The whole sequence is cut by basic dykes, pegmatites and different quartz (jasper) veins. Metasediments-metavolcanics association is represented by hornblende schist and metadacite respectively. There is visible sulfides mineralization in hornblende schist, metadacite and diorite rocks at their contacts at the wadi level. So, polished sections were prepared to study opaque minerals under the ore microscope, which reveals the presence of gold, pyrite and goethite. The radioactivity of this area is weak, where the average eU contents in metasediments-metavolcanics association, diorites, granodiorites, syenogranites, pegmatites and jasper veins are 2.8 ppm, 1.9 ppm, 3.26 ppm, 4.91 ppm, 4.32 ppm and 6.7 ppm respectively. The intrusion of granodiorite rocks may act as a source for hydrothermal solutions ascending along fractures of all older rocks. During this stage, a chemical reaction of hydrothermal fluids with metasediments-metavolcanics association and diorite rocks lead to forming sericite and enrichment of silica content. The enrichment of silica content led to the formation of quartz-diorite. Also, iron derived from the host rocks and sulfur from the hydrothermal fluids could have formed pyrite while the gold was precipitated at the contact between metasediments-metavolcanics association and diorite rocks.