Ni-Mo-PGE-Au-rich ores in Chinese black shales and speculations on possible analogues in the United States

Abstract

Molybdenum-rich black shales from the Cambrian of south China contain sulfide beds with >2 wt.% Mo, >2 wt.% Ni and 200–700 mg/T each for Au, Pt and Pd. Similar deposits occur in Canada. In the U.S. Midwest, Paleozoic black shales contain an extensive Mo anomaly and sporadic enrichments for Pt group elements, suggesting the presence of Ni-Mo-PGE-Au sulfide deposits like those being mined in China.