Abstract
The large Shuangwang gold deposit (>80 t gold) is located in the Western Qinling Orogen (WQO) of central China. It is an orogenic-type gold deposit hosted in an NW-extending breccia belt in the Devonian Xinghongpu Formation. Gold mineralization of the Shuangwang deposit is featured by hydrothermal breccia ores with strata fragments cemented by hydrothermal minerals dominated by ankerite, quartz, and pyrite with minor amounts of calcite and albite. Pyrite is the major gold-hosting sulfide and the most abundant ore mineral. Crystal habits, thermoelectricity, and trace-element composition of pyrites from the main ore-forming stage of the Shuangwang gold deposit were studied by microbinocular, BHTE-06 thermoelectric coefficient measuring instrument, and high-resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HR-ICP-MS). Spatial distribution of the above data for pyrites was delineated by contour maps of morphology index, P-type frequency, and primary halo elements (e.g., supraore halo elements Ba and Sb; near-ore halo elements Pb, Zn, and Cu; and subore halo elements Co, Mo, and Bi). Based on the above results, four target areas (areas between prospecting lines 0 and 1, between lines 14 and 18 below orebody KT9; areas between prospecting lines 30 and 34, between lines 44 and 46 below orebody KT8) were put forward for deep gold exploration in the future. These targets are consistent with the depth extrapolation of proven gold orebodies, indicating the practicality of typomorphic characterization of pyrites as vector to deep/concealed gold orebodies. The effectiveness of the pyrite typomorphic parameter for deep gold prediction seems to be chemical composition, crystal habits, and then thermoelectricity.
Highlights
Pyrite is one of the most common gold-bearing sulfides in a series of hydrothermal gold deposits, such as orogenic-type, Carlin-type, and epithermal-type gold deposits [1,2,3,4,5]
The present study focuses on the typomorphic characteristics of gold-bearing pyrite and its application to deep ore targeting in the Shuangwang gold deposit
The Shuangwang gold deposit occurred in an NW-extending hydrothermal breccia belt in the Devonian strata of the Fengtai basin, which was described as a forearc basin by previous work [25]
Summary
Pyrite is one of the most common gold-bearing sulfides in a series of hydrothermal gold deposits, such as orogenic-type, Carlin-type, and epithermal-type gold deposits [1,2,3,4,5]. Typomorphic characteristics of pyrite can be used in studying the genesis of gold-ore deposits [2,3] and for gold-ore exploration [6,7], especially for deep ore predictions [8,9]. The Shuangwang gold deposit is a large orogenic gold deposit (>80 t Au) in the Western Qinling. It occurs in the Devonian strata and is characterized by breccia-type mineralization [10]. Orebodies KT8 and KT9 are the two major orebodies that account for >75% of the total gold reserve [11,12] of the Shuangwang gold deposit. The present study focuses on the typomorphic characteristics of gold-bearing pyrite and its application to deep ore targeting in the Shuangwang gold deposit
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
