Peculiarities of search for placer deposits of gold of the south of Ukraine

Abstract

The long-term high level of world gold prices against the background of depletion of reserves with easily extracted metal leads to the search for and introduction into industrial development of deposits, even with low-tech ores and sands. This, in turn, requires the introduction of effective technologies for the enrichment and extraction of gold, contributes to the improvement of methods of exploration. At present, numerous manifestations of placer gold of various scales are known in the sedimentary strata of Meso-Cenozoic deposits in the south of Ukraine. But the real picture of the distribution and the actual scale of gold deposits in Ukraine are uncompleted and unreliable. This is due to the inconsistency of the applied search technique, which was aimed at identifying near-subglacial valley deposits, to the actual properties of gold-bearing formations. Gold in most Ukrainian placers is represented mainly by small, fine and dispersed particles in a significantly clay substrate. Therefore, the traditional geological samples washing by tray led to excessive losses of fine gold and to a significant underestimation of the gold potential. That is why we need to revise the results of previously obtained geological data. Detection of placer gold deposits of Ukraine is possible under the condition of increasing the efficiency of the local forecast and the reliability of field research. The most favorable situations for the accumulation of a useful component are structural denudation traps in tectonic depressive zones. The technology of sample enrichment must correspond to the actual properties of specific raw materials in the placer object. The types of technological equipment are given and some ways of increase of efficiency and reliability of test are offered. The article continues the series of publications devoted to solving the problems of studying placer gold content with a dominant share of fine and dispersed gold in sedimentary formations of the south of Ukraine.