The taloveis gold deposit in the precambrian Kostomuksha greenstone belt, Karelia

Abstract

The Kostomuksha greenstone belt is the main iron district of Karelia. Gold, diamonds, and molybdenum mineralization have been found in this belt over the last two decades. The gold occurrences and deposits pertaining to the gold-sulfide and gold-quartz types were formed at the orogenic stage. The Taloveis deposit and the Faktorny and Berendei ore occurrences are located in the South Kostomuksha area and related to a complex of porphyritic diorite and granite porphyry. The West Ruvinvaara, Niemijarvi, Eastern, and Kurgelampi gold-sulfide and gold-sulfide-quartz occurrences are controlled by metasomatized shear zones and recrystallized sulfide ore hosted in the Shurlovaara and Ruvinvaara formations in the contact aureole of granite of the framework of the greenstone belt near its margin. The gold-arsenopyrite mineralization of the South Kostomuksha open pit is related to shear and metasomatic zones at the contact between the Kostomuksha Formation and helleflinta. Significant concentrations of gold are related to the complex of diorite and granite porphyry and the shear and metasomatic zones formed at the collision stage after emplacement of potassium granite. The small Taloveis deposit is located in the southern portion of the Kostomuksha greenstone belt and related to an intrusion of diorite and granite porphyry dated at 2720 Ma. The gold-sulfide mineral type in beresitized granite is combined with the gold-quartz type in shear zones trending at an azimuth of 20 NNE and coinciding in orientation with shear zones in the Kostomuksha belt. The Au grade varies from 0.5 to 60 g/t.