Intrusion-related Gold Systems Research Articles

Hydrothermal monazite and xenotime chemistry as genetic discriminators for intrusion-related and orogenic gold deposits: implications for an orogenic origin of the Pogo gold deposit, Alaska

Attempts to geochemically distinguish between metamorphic-hydrothermal systems that form orogenic gold deposits and both reduced and oxidized magmatic-hydrothermal systems using isotopes or metal associations have proven ambiguous, particularly for orogenic gold and reduced intrusion-related gold systems. The absence of conclusive geochemical discriminators and the overlap in geologic characteristics have led to gold deposit models being potentially incorrectly applied, which in turn negatively affect regional mineral exploration and mine planning. In this study, in situ electron microprobe geochemical analyses of hydrothermal monazite and xenotime crystals associated with different types of gold-bearing deposits are shown to be effective geochemical discriminators. There are notable differences in mineral chemistry such as rare earth element (REE) profiles, total light REE, Dy, Er, Pr, Y, Nd/Sm, and La/Sm that distinguish monazite precipitated from metamorphic-hydrothermal fluids that form orogenic gold deposits and those precipitated from magmatic-hydrothermal fluids that form both porphyry Cu-Mo-Au and reduced intrusion-related gold deposits. Notable differences in overall xenotime abundances and concentrations of heavy REEs, Ca, and Sc are distinctive between the different deposit classes for xenotime. The origin of the controversially classified Pogo gold deposit, Tintina gold province, Alaska, which has been characterized as both a reduced intrusion-related and an orogenic gold deposit, is tested based upon the noted chemical differences associated with these hydrothermal phosphates. The findings of this study have implications for exploration and mine development in the Tintina gold province and other areas that contain deposits that are controversially classified as either orogenic or as magmatic-hydrothermal gold deposits.

The Baogutu gold deposit in west Junggar, NW China: An epizonal intrusion-related gold deposit

The Baogutu gold deposit (∼4 Mt ore @ 5.5 g/t Au) in West Junggar, is hosted by Early Carboniferous volcano-sedimentary rocks and Late Carboniferous dioritic dikes. Both the dikes and gold mineralization are controlled by NE-trending faults. Two diorite dikes in direct spatial association with gold-bearing quartz veins have LA–ICP–MS zircon U–Pb ages of 316 ± 5 Ma and 314 ± 3 Ma, respectively. The emplacement ages of the dikes are a little older than reported gold mineralization ages (312–311 Ma), which is consistent with their crosscutting relationships. Gold mineralization occurs in quartz veins and stockworks in altered tuff, tuffaceous siltstone, silty mudstone, and dikes. Three gold-bearing vein stages have been identified: (I) pyrite–quartz veins in the deep part of the system; (II) stibnite–quartz veins and (III) native arsenic–quartz veins at shallower-level. Fluid inclusion study shows that the pyrite–quartz veins of stage I formed at temperatures between 345 and 265 °C from fluids with salinities of 5.1–9.1 wt% NaCl equiv, whereas the native arsenic–quartz veins of stage III formed at ∼200 °C from fluids with salinities of 1.4–3.9 wt% NaCl equiv. The ore-forming pressure is estimated to be ∼50–62 MPa, corresponding to mineralization depth of ∼3.3–4.0 km. Oxygen and hydrogen isotope compositions of the fluids (δ18OH2O = 7.9 to 11.2 ‰, δD = -88 to −96 ‰) indicate that the initial hydrothermal fluids have a magmatic source, with involvement of meteoric water in the late stage. The in-situ lead isotopic compositions of pyrite in stage I pyrite–quartz veins are similar to those of bulk sulfide minerals in the Baogutu porphyry Cu deposit, and close to the porphyry stocks, whereas the stibnite and native arsenic in stage II and III quartz veins have more radiogenic lead isotopic signatures due to water–rock exchange with the wall rocks. The Baogutu gold deposit shows affinities to epizonal gold deposits in intrusion-related gold systems (IRGS). The IRGS model suggests that, sheeted, disseminated and vein-type Au–As–Bi mineralization might be found hosted in dioritic to granitic stocks and proximal strata, and vein-type Au–As–Sb mineralization in distal faults.

A general ore formation model for metasediment-hosted Sb-(Au-W) mineralization of the Woxi and Banxi deposits in South China

Metasediment-hosted Sb-(Au-W) deposits occur widely in the Jiangnan Orogen (South China), but their complicated metallogenic histories are still under debate. Ore formation models such as syngenetic (SEDEX), granitoid-related, and orogenic scenarios have been proposed by previous studies, but their metal provenance and fluid evolutionary processes are still uncertain. In this study, two typical Sb-(Au-W) deposits (Woxi and Banxi) from this region were studied by in-situ geochemical and geochronological analyses of sulfides to establish a general ore formation model for this type of deposit. Two stages of gold-related pyrite (Py1 and Py2) and one stage of stibnite in the Woxi Sb-(Au-W) deposit, and two stages of arsenopyrite (Apy1 and Apy2) and stibnite (Stb1 and Stb2) in the Banxi Sb deposit were differentiated. Compared to Py1, Py2 is depleted in V but enriched in Au, As, Bi, Pb and Ag, with more negative δ34Sv-CDT and lower Pb isotopic values. Compared with stibnite at Woxi, stibnite at Banxi has higher but more variable contents of most trace elements (e.g., Li, Mg, Al, Si, Cu, Pb, Co, Ni, Fe, Sr and Mn, except for As) and lower Pb isotopic ratios. At Banxi, Stb2 has lower Fe, Cu, Pb, Co, Ni, Sr and Mn contents than Stb1, and Apy2 has higher Co, Ni, Zr, Ti, and Nb contents than Apy1. Analyses of Re-Os isotopes in four samples yielded an isochron age of 439 ± 3.4 Ma (2σ) for Apy1, with an initial 187Os/188Os of 0.3373 ± 0.0009. The above results indicate that early-stage Au mineralization at Woxi may have been orogeny-related, and that ore metals were derived mainly from local epimetamorphic sedimentary rocks with limited input from magmatic fluids. In contrast, the late-stage Sb mineralization at Banxi may have been influenced by deep granitic magmatism. We propose that the common temporal and spatial mineralization sequence of the metasediment-hosted Sb-(Au-W) ores is: orogenic-type gold (early stage; at deep levels of the ore field) → orogenic + magmatic-hydrothermal W (middle stage; at middle levels) → magmatic-hydrothermal + meteoric water Sb (late stage; at shallow levels). Both local metasedimentary rocks and granite magmatism provide metals and ligands for mineralization, with magmatic fluids playing an essential role in late-stage ore formation. Metasediment-hosted Sb-(Au-W) ores in this region exhibit similarities to both orogenic-type and intrusion-related gold systems.

Geology, U-Pb geochronology and stable isotope geochemistry of the Heihaibei gold deposit in the southern part of the Eastern Kunlun Orogenic Belt, China: A granitic intrusion-related gold deposit?

The Heihaibei gold deposit is a newly discovered gold deposit in the southern part of the Eastern Kunlun Orogenic Belt. Its most distinctive features are that the gold mineralization is hosted in monzogranite, and that the presence of pre-ore (possibly syn-ore) monzogranite and post-ore gabbro allows to constrain the mineralization’s formation age. Zircons from the monzogranites yield U-Pb ages of 454 ± 3 Ma, while zircons separated from the gabbro dikes cutting the monzogranites and gold mineralized body yield U-Pb ages of 439 ± 3 Ma, which is interpreted to be the minimum age of the Au mineralizing event. Combined with the regional geological background, we proposed that the Heihaibei Au mineralization occurred during the subduction stage of the Early Paleozoic Proto-Tethys ocean.The ore assemblage is dominated by pyrite, arsenopyrite and native gold. The hydrothermal alteration that has led to the peculiar enrichment of Au is not systematically distributed and displays no clear concentric zoning pattern. The main mineralization formed during three stages: the K-feldspar-quartz-pyrite (Py1)-arsenopyrite-sericite-epidote stage (I), the quartz-pyrite (Py2)-native gold-chlorite stage (Ⅱ), and the quartz-carbonate stage (III). The main gold mineralization occurred during stage Ⅱ. Fluid inclusion homogenization temperature and salinities decrease from stage I (Th., 268–412 °C; W., 6.87–16.63 wt% NaCl equiv.) to stage Ⅱ (Th., 183–288 °C; W., 3.69–14.84 wt% NaCl equiv.). The δ18O and δD values (δ18OH2O = 4.9 to 9.7‰; δDV-SMOW = -84.1‰ to −81.1‰) of quartz samples from stage I and stage Ⅱ are comparable to a magmatic-hydrothermal ore-forming fluid that possibly underwent fluid-rock interaction with the Nachitai Group metamorphic rocks during the early ore-forming stage. The relatively uniform δ34S values (δ34SV-CDT = 7.7 to 8.5‰) are slightly elevated compared to magmatic δ34S values, but could be derived from a magma if a significant crustal melt component is present. Moreover, the δ34S values are within the S isotopic composition range of a granitic reservoir, suggesting that they are probably inherited from the Heihaibei monzogranites. The Pb and Hf isotope compositions imply a close genetic association between the gold mineralization and granitic magmatism, which are both the products of the mixing of crustal and mantle sources. The trace element compositions of pyrite provide additional evidence that the gold mineralization in the Heihaibei deposit was related to the magmatism. Compared with the typical characteristics of orogenic gold and intrusion-related gold systems (IRGS) deposits, the Heihaibei gold deposit may instead be classified as a granitic intrusion-related gold deposit.

The Passa Três Granite Intrusion-Related/Hosted Neoproterozoic Gold Deposit (Paraná State, Brazil): Mineralogical, Geochemical, Fluid Inclusion and Sulphur Isotope Constraints

The Passa Três granite is a 5 km2 intrusion in southern Brazil with an NNE–SSW-elongated shape, hosting gold-bearing quartz veins with fluorite, carbonates, sulphides (pyrite, chalcopyrite, aikinite, molybdenite) and native gold. Orebodies are hosted by the pluton roof zone, which is marked by various textures indicating magmatic–hydrothermal transition processes. Mineralisation formed between 613 and 608 Ma in extensional pull-apart structures controlled by two conjugated N–S and E–W fault systems. We report results from petrography, quantitative evaluation of minerals by scanning electron microscopy (QEMSCAN), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electron probe microanalyses (EPMA), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), trace element analyses of pyrite by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), sulphur isotope (δ34S) analyses, and fluid inclusion microthermometry. Hydrothermal alteration is dominantly developed as phengite–quartz–carbonate and sericite–carbonate–chlorite assemblages along mineralised structures. Fluid inclusion study indicates mineralising fluids with H2O-CO2-NaCl composition, low to moderate salinity (0.2–12.84 wt % NaCl eq.), and temperatures from 400 to 150 °C. The sulphur isotopic composition of pyrite (−0.1 to 1.1‰) suggests magmatic origin. These data, in conjunction with structurally controlled mineralisation enriched in Au-Bi minerals shortly post-dating the granite emplacement, appoint towards similarities between the Passa Três deposit and intrusion-related gold systems. The specific location of the mineralisation in the core (and in the roof zone, regarding its vertical position) of the Passa Três granitic intrusion defines it as “granite-hosted” thus, it is representative of a specific model that can be used for exploration of other intrusion-related/hosted gold deposits near the studied area or in other locations.

Multistage ore-forming processes and metal source recorded in texture and composition of pyrite from the Late Triassic Asiha gold deposit, Eastern Kunlun Orogenic Belt, western China

The Asiha vein-type gold deposit, located in the Eastern Kunlun Orogenic Belt, provides an excellent opportunity for deciphering sources of metals and origins of orogenic intrusion-related gold systems. Within this deposit, four types of pyrite have been distinguished in three stages of hydrothermal activities. Pyrite (Py1) occurs in quartz-pyrite veins (stage I); pyrite (Py2), consisting of core (Py2a) and rim (Py2b), occurs in quartz-polymetallic sulfide veins (stage II); pyrite (Py3) occurs in quartz-pyrite-chalcopyrite veins (stage III). Py1 contains high concentrations of As (median of 2090 ppm) and Au (0.1 ppm). Py2a is enriched in Co (43.1 ppm) and Ni (50.9 ppm), but depleted in As and Au. By contrast, Py2b is enriched in As (7894 ppm) and Au (0.5 ppm), but depleted in Co and Ni. Although, Py3 shows enrichment in Co (1319 ppm) and Ni (1783 ppm), it is usually accompanied with chalcopyrite and visible gold. Three generations of gold-associated pyrite indicate three stages of hydrothermal mineralization, and the variation of metals in pyrite suggest that the ore-forming materials were predominantly derived from felsic magma mixed with different proportion of mafic-volcanic host rocks. U-Pb dating on hydrothermal monazite from stage III constrains the mineralization age at 227 ± 7 Ma, which is coeval with the concealed granite porphyry (228 Ma). The δ34S values of the pyrites vary from +4.8‰ to +8.9‰, which are slightly higher than magmatic pyrite in porphyry (+4.2‰ to +5.6‰). We tentatively propose that the ore-forming materials are closely related to the granite porphyry and the evolved magmatic hydrothermal fluids.

Geology of the Frontino-Morrogacho Gold Mining District and Metallogeny of the El Cerro Igneous Complex

The Frontino-Morrogacho gold district is located on the western flank of the Western Cordillera, NW of Antioquia Province. Gold mineralizations in the area are spatially and genetically associated with the cooling of three mid- to late-Miocene age intrusive centers in the form of stocks and dikes (12-9 Ma): Cerro Frontino, La Horqueta and Morrogacho (El Cerro Igneous Complex). These composite magmatic pulses, with ultramafic to intermediate compositions, vary into diorite-, gabbro- and monzonitic-bearing phases. Mineralization in the complex is present as several structurally controlled fault veins, shear-related veins, sheeted quartz extension veins and quartz-carbonate tabular extension veins, with the development of swarms and nests of veins-veinlets, breccias and stockworks. Structures range from centimeter-wide individual veinlets to several meter-wide swarms of veins developed within broad mineralized structural corridors, with a metallic signature that consists of Au + Ag + Cu + Zn + Pb + As (± Te ± Bi ± Sb ± Hg ± W) assemblages. Veins are composed of multiple stages of mineralization, and the formation of these structures is enhanced by the presence of a local regime of extension and E-trending structures, including evidence of faults and shear zones with right-lateral displacement, which are likely involved in pluton emplacement and cooling. The ore mineralogy is composed of pyrrhotite, pyrite, chalcopyrite, sphalerite, galena and arsenopyrite assemblages formed in two or more mineralization stages, with complex Bi, Te, Sb and Hg mineral specimens associated with Au and Ag. Mineralized structures of the district present a preferential E-strike with dominant vertical to subvertical and occasional subhorizontal S-dips and secondary N- and NW-strikes that are steep to vertically E-dipping.
 The Frontino-Morrogacho Gold district presents characteristics related to the architecture, mineralogy and alteration of reduced (ilmenite-series) intrusion-related gold systems but is genetically associated with a parental oxidized magma source. The gold content is associated with three different families involving electrum, tellurides and alloys: gold rich (66 to 78% Au, 22 to 34% Ag), average (50 to 60% Au, 40 to 50% Ag) and silver rich (32 to 40% Au, 60 to 68% Ag). The formation of these bodies is associated with an N-S magmatic-metallogenic trend of Au-Ag-Cu deposits, which extend for more than 300 km along the Western Cordillera of Colombia. Similar plutonic suites span from the south of Chocó Province to the north of Antioquia Province, which indicates that the Frontino-Farallones-Botón arc can be proposed as an individual metallogenic belt.

Gold in Paleoproterozoic (2.1 to 1.77 Ga) Continental Magmatic Arcs at the Tapajós and Juruena Mineral Provinces (Amazonian Craton, Brazil): A New Frontier for the Exploration of Epithermal–Porphyry and Related Deposits

This review paper aims to integrate geological, tectonic and metallogenetic data, including new data, and propose a regional model for the gold (and base metal) mineralization in the south Amazonian Craton to support the mineral exploration concerning magmatic–hydrothermal deposits. The Proterozoic evolution of the Amazonian Craton comprises the accretion of terrains to the Archean Carajás Mineral Province. In the Tapajós and Juruena mineral provinces, located at the south part of the Amazonian craton, a long-lived ocean–continent subduction event produced ca. 2.0 to 1.77 Ga continental magmatic arcs. Extensive lava flows, volcaniclastic, sedimentary, and plutonic rocks were originated during at least four major orogenic magmatic events (ca. 2.1, 1.9, 1.88, and 1.80 Ga) and two post- to anorogenic events (ca. 1.87 and 1.77 Ga). Gold mineralization occurs in: (i) alluvial/colluvial occurrences, (ii) orogenic carbonate–sulfide-rich quartz veins in shear zones, (iii) stockworks, veins, and dissemination in granites, (iv) contact of basic dikes, (v) well-preserved high-, intermediate- and low-sulfidation epithermal mineralization, and (vi) porphyry-like and intrusion-related gold systems associated with late- to post-orogenic epizonal granites. The estimated historical gold production, mainly in secondary deposits, is over 27 Moz at the Tapajós and 6 Moz at the Juruena provinces. A total resource of over 5 Moz Au is currently defined in several small to large primary gold deposits. Andesite to rhyolite, volcaniclastic, and clastic sedimentary rocks (1.96–1.88 Ga) host epithermal (high-, intermediate-, and low-sulfidation) Au–(Ag–Pb–Zn) mineralization, whereas Au–Cu and Cu–Mo–Au mineralization is hosted in sub-volcanic tonalitic to granitic plutons. Advanced argillic alteration (alunite, pyrophyllite, enargite) associated with high-sulfidation mineralization occurs in ring volcanoes around nested volcanic calderas. This zone grades outward to propylitic or chlorite alteration, often covered by silica caps with vuggy silica. Lava flows and volcaniclastic rocks within faults or associated with volcanic edifices and rhyolitic domes host low- and intermediate-sulfidation mineralization. Low-sulfidation alteration zones typically have adularia and illite or sericite. Chalcopyrite, sphalerite, galena, pyrite, digenite, and manganiferous calcite are related to intermediate-sulfidation gold mineralization. Late- to post-orogenic evolved oxidized I-type granitoids host alkalic-type epithermal and porphyry-like gold mineralization. Porphyry-style hydrothermal alteration is analogous to those of modern systems, with inner sodic and potassic (potassic feldspar ± biotite or biotite) alterations grading to propylitic, muscovite-sericite, chlorite–sericite, and chlorite alterations. Potassic alteration zones are the locus of Cu–Mo mineralization, and gold-rich zones occur in muscovite/sericite–quartz–pyrite alteration. The Paleoproterozoic epithermal and porphyry-like mineralization in these large provinces defines a new frontier for the exploration of world-class gold deposits in the worldwide Proterozoic arc-related magmatic terrains.

Intrusion-Associated Gold Systems and Multistage Metallogenic Processes in the Neoarchean Abitibi Greenstone Belt

In gold-endowed greenstone belts, ore bodies generally correspond to orogenic gold systems (OGS) formed during the main deformation stage that led to craton stabilization (syntectonic period). Most OGS deposits postdate and locally overprint magmatic-hydrothermal systems, such as Au-Cu porphyry that mostly formed during the main magmatic stage (synvolcanic period) and polymetallic intrusion-related gold systems (IRGS) of the syntectonic period. Porphyries are associated with tonalite-dominated and sanukitoid plutons, whereas most IRGS are related to alkaline magmatism. As reviewed here, most intrusion-associated mineralization in the Abitibi greenstone belt is the result of complex and local multistage metallogenic processes. A new classification is proposed that includes (1) OGS and OGS-like deposits dominated by metamorphic and magmatic fluids, respectively; (2) porphyry and IRGS that may contain gold remobilized during subsequent deformation episodes; (3) porphyry and IRGS that are overprinted by OGS. Both OGS and OGS-like deposits are associated with crustal-scale faults and display similar gold-deposition mechanisms. The main difference is that magmatic fluid input may increase the oxidation state and CO2 content of the mineralizing fluid for OGS-like deposits, while OGS are characterized by the circulation of reduced metamorphic fluids. For porphyry and IRGS, mineralizing fluids and metals have a magmatic origin. Porphyries are defined as base metal and gold-bearing deposits associated with large-volume intrusions, while IRGS are gold deposits that may display a polymetallic signature and that can be associated with small-volume syntectonic intrusions. Some porphyry, such as the Côté Gold deposit, demonstrate that magmatic systems can generate economically significant gold mineralization. In addition, many deposits display evidence of multistage processes and correspond to gold-bearing or gold-barren magmatic-hydrothermal systems overprinted by OGS or by gold-barren metamorphic fluids. In most cases, the source of gold remains debated. Whether magmatic activity was essential or marginal for fertilizing the upper crust during the Neoarchean remains a major topic for future research, and petrogenetic investigations may be paramount for distinguishing gold-endowed from barren greenstone belts.

Physico-chemical parameters of Neoarchean syntectonic magmatism: The example of the Muscocho Pluton, Abitibi Subprovince

The Muscocho Pluton is one of a number of syntectonic Neoarchean granodiorite intrusions formed during the main deformation phase in the Abitibi Subprovince that lead to stabilization of the Superior craton. Such magma locally are associated with magmatic-hydrothermal styles of mineralization, interpreted by some works to reflect intrusion-related gold systems (IRGS). Determining whether magmas can transport enough Au to fertilize the upper crust during this tectonomagmatic interval requires insights into physico-chemical parameters such as pressure, temperature, and oxygen fugacity (ƒO2). The ƒO2 parameter is particularly important because it affects S-speciation and S-solubility, which correlates with Au-solubility in magmas. Retrieving such parameters from the metamorphosed, locally hydrothermally altered, and generally deformed Neoarchean rocks is particularly challenging. As such, this contribution uses fresh to altered granodiorites of the Muscocho Pluton, a 16 km diameter granodiorite intrusion spatially associated with polymetallic mineralization, to evaluate whether physico-chemical parameters can be retrieved from ancient altered rocks based on amphibole, apatite, and zircon chemistry. This study also has implications for the origins of the Muscocho Pluton, which ascended slowly toward the upper crust as a single pulse of evolved magma and became emplaced at about 12 km depth. The magma had an ƒO2 above the Ni/NiO solid oxygen buffer (NNO + 1), which is not considered optimal for Au transportation. The magma also formed a deep intrusion unable to provide magmatic fluids to trigger an efficient hydrothermal system. This study provides the basis for a systematic evaluation of the physico-chemical conditions within which syntectonic magmas evolved in the upper crust. Knowledge of these physico-chemical conditions are necessary to better constrain the IRGS metallogenic model.

Trace element contents and in situ sulfur isotope analyses of pyrite in the Baiyun gold deposit, NE China: Implication for the genesis of intrusion-related gold deposits

Trace elements distribution in minerals and formation mechanism of visible gold are poorly understood in intrusion-related gold systems. Here, we choose the Baiyun gold deposit, which is hosted within the Paleoproterozoic metamorphic rocks in the Liaodong Peninsula, NE North China Craton (NCC), as a case study, to address these issues. The ore deposit geology characteristics and paragenesis are described in details; In situ geochemical and sulfur isotopic compositions of pyrite and bulk Pb isotopic ratios of pyrite were presented to define the genesis of pyrite that is closely associated with gold mineralization. Three generations of pyrite were recognized based on petrographic studies: metamorphic pyrite (Py0), hydrothermal pyrite (Py1) coexisting with milky quartz, and hydrothermal pyrite (Py2) coexisting with smoky quartz. In situ laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometer (LA-ICP-MS) spot analysis suggests that both Py0 and Py1 contain low contents of invisible gold (mean 0.19 ppm and 0.17 ppm, respectively). However, Py1 is low in most other trace element contents and contains Au-Ag-Cu-Pb-Bi micro-inclusions. In contrast, Py2 contains both invisible gold (mean 0.50 ppm) and Au-Ag-Cu-Pb-Bi micro-inclusions. Furthermore, LA-ICP-MS mapping reveals the distributions of Ag, Cu, Pb, Bi and Te closely mimic that of Au, indicating an episode of ore-forming fluid rich in Au, Ag, Cu, Pb, Bi and Te. In situ sulfur isotope analysis of pyrite shows that Py0 has significantly positive δ34S values (+11.74–17.33‰), suggesting that sulfur was derived from sedimentary sources. Py1 and Py2 have negative δ34S values (–8.53––6.19‰, –10.44––6.86‰, respectively), indicating that sulfur was derived from oxidized magmatic fluids. The magmatic fluids are concluded to be released from the early Cretaceous microdiorite magmas, providing most of the sulfur and ore-forming metals. Proofs include the close spatial association of the ore bodies and the dykes, as well the uniform Pb isotopic ratios of Py1 and the early Cretaceous microdiorite. Lines of geological, mineralogical, geochemical and isotopic evidence consistently suggest that the gold mineralization in the Baiyun deposit is intrusion-related, and was resulted from the ~126 Ma magmatic-hydrothermal activities in the region. Visible gold precipitating in pyrite and fractures was from metal-rich magmatic fluids rather than being remobilized from the metamorphic pyrite.

The Kis-Kuel Fe-Cu-Au±(Ag, Mo, Bi) deposit, Eastern Yakutia (Russia) – a link between Iron Oxide Copper-Gold and Intrusion Related Gold systems

The Iron Oxide Copper-Gold (IOCG) deposit class includes a number of loosely related deposits with a pool of common characteristics. The Kis-Kuel intrusion-related IOCG deposit in Eastern Yakutia (Russia) with a wide range of mineral styles has a direct genetic link with a cooling intrusion during its formation. The IOCG and the Kis-Kuel have common features for this style - the abundance of iron oxides and low of sulfides. Magmatic contribution to the Kis-Kuel deposit is significant. Intrusive rocks range from diorite to granodiorite in composition. Rare-earth geochemical system of igneous rocks of the Kis-Kuel intrusive is characterized by behavior close to the CHArge-and-RAdius-Controlled CHARAC-system (26<Zr/Hf<46 и 24<Y/Ho<34) in which the Н/Ho – Zr/Hf ratios of the pair show a distribution close to chondrite (Zr/Hf – 36.6 and Y/Ho – 27.7). Minor deviations of the Kis-Kuel rocks from the CHARAC intervals indicate a unevolved magmatic system. Mineralization was discovered at the top of small Kis-Kuel pluton and includes several types of ore. Iron Oxide Copper-Gold and Cu-Au-porphyry ore breccia in hornfelsed aureole of intrusive grades FeOX – 13.58-63.24%; Cu – 0-3.57%; Au – 12.93-64.48 g/t; Ag – 2.7-830 g/t. Associated with IOCG, quartz-hematite-galena veins grade Ag – 22.4-3680 g/t; Cu – 0.014-0.534%; Pb – 0.1-81.63%. Arrays of sheeted auriferous quartz veins with arsenopyrite, native gold and bismuth and Ag-Bi sulphosalts grade: Au – 0.15-4.6 g/t; Ag – 20.6-196 g/t; Cu – 0.048-0.24%; Pb – 0.3-3.73%. This paper is devoted to a Kis-Kuel diorite-granodiorite related deposit in the Eastern Yakutia (Russia). It is regarded as Intrusion Related Gold Deposit (IRGD) with a main IOCG and minor Cu-Au-porphyry component of mineralization.

Estudo de inclusões fluidas em quartzo do garimpo do Papagaio, um sistema magmático-hidrotermal, Província Aurífera de Alta Floresta (MT), Cráton Amazônico

O garimpo aurífero do Papagaio, localizado em Paranaíta, Mato Grosso, insere-se no setor noroeste da Província Aurífera de Alta Floresta, sul do Cráton Amazônico. Está hospedado em dacito porfirítico inicialmente afetado por alteração potássica, sobreposta por forte alteração sericítica pervasiva e, por fim, por alteração propilítica. O minério é representado pela paragênese pirita + calcopirita + esfalerita ± galena ± calcocita ± covelita e ocorre associado a sistemas de veios de quartzo e stockworks que truncam os setores de alteração potássica e sericítica. Estudos de inclusões fluidas dos veios mineralizados e estéreis presentes no garimpo permitiram identificar três grupos de inclusões fluidas: tipo I) inclusões aquocarbônicas; tipo II) aquosas bifásicas; tipo III) aquosas tri a multifásicas. Nos veios mineralizados houve a crepitação das inclusões do Tipo I a 325ºC. Foram encontradas temperaturas de homogeneização de 115,1 a 216,2ºC e salinidades entre 0,5 a 24,0% para as inclusões do Tipo II. Nos veios estéreis, as inclusões do Tipo II resultaram em temperaturas de homogeneização total entre 135,9 e 190,3ºC e salinidades de 26,0 a 30,2%. No Tipo III a homogeneização total ocorreu entre 323,2 e 402,9ºC com salinidade superior a 40,0%. Portanto, fluidos de elevada temperatura e salinidade com características de origem magmática tiveram um papel essencial na formação das zonas mineralizadas do garimpo. Nesse contexto, a colocação de corpos subvulcânicos teria sido essencial na gênese da mineralização aurífera do Papagaio, pois teria servido como fonte de calor, fluido e metais para a instalação de um sistema magmático-hidrotermal profundo, relacionado ao ambiente dos depósitos do tipo pórfiro e intrusion-related gold systems (IRGS).

West Africa: The World’s Premier Paleoproterozoic Gold Province

West Africa, with presently an approximate 10,000-metric ton (t) gold endowment, is one of the world's great gold provinces and the largest Paleoproterozoic gold-producing region. The gold resources are concentrated within the 2250 to 2000 Ma greenstone belts of the Man-Leo shield, forming the southern part of the West Africa craton. Most of the major orebodies are best classified as orogenic gold deposit types, although there are paleoplacer and porphyry-skarn deposits within some of the greenstone belts, and perhaps local intrusionrelated gold systems. The gold-hosting, mainly greenschist metamorphic facies greenstone belts are dominated by tholeiitic volcanic rocks, with clastic and chemical sediments filling adjacent subbasins. The Paleoproterozoic sequences formed in what was likely a rift or series of rifts in a Precambrian cratonic block; it is not clear whether significant Late Archean lithospheric roots occur below these Paleoproterozoic arcs that formed in the resulting ocean subbasins. Although diachronous across West Africa, the Eburnean orogeny is typically indicated to have been initiated at ca. 2130 Ma, with closure of the subbasins, amalgamation of the Paleoproterozoic arcs, and their accretion back to the continental margin of Archean rocks. Compressional tectonics took place for about 25 to 30 m.y., with widespread crustal thickening along orogen-parallel, commonly NE-trending, firstorder thrust fault systems. This was followed by more than 100 m.y. of transcurrent tectonism and associated exhumation; gold ores mainly formed late during the Eburnean deformation.

Fluid evolution in Tertiary magmatic-hydrothermal ore systems at the Rhodope metallogenic province, NE Greece. A review

Characterization of various fluid parameters in magmatic-hydrothermal ore mineralizationsis potentially essential for interpretation of the conditions of formation and therefore formineral exploration. Fluid inclusions can provide a useful and promising tool in the researchof the ore forming processes in these systems. This review focuses on the nature,composition and origin of magmatic-hydrothermal ore forming fluids involved in the formationof representative Tertiary ore deposits at the Rhodope metallogenic province in NEGreece. These deposits are spatially related to Tertiary magmatism in NE Greece. Casestudies are presented here and include an intrusion-hosted sheeted vein system (Kavala), aAu-rich carbonate replacement and quartz-vein mineralization (Asimotrypes), mineralizedveins in Eptadendro-Rachi and Thasos island (Kapsalina and Panagia), porphyry Cu-Mo-Re-Au deposits in Pagoni Rachi and Maronia and epithermal Au-Ag mineralizations inPerama and Loutros. Hydrothermal fluids rich in CO2 together with elevated Au and Tecontent are common and occur at the Kavala intrusion hosted sheeted vein system, at theAsimotrypes Au-rich carbonate replacement mineralization and at the Panagia (Thasos)vein system. We classify all these ore mineralizations as intrusion-related gold systems(IRGS)v. Transport and precipitation of metals including Au and Te is favoured when CO2is present. Precipitation of the ore mineralization takes place due to the immiscibility of thecarbonic and the aqueous fluids which have a magmatic origin with the contribution ofmeteoric water. Cooling of magmatic hydrothermal fluids and dilution with meteoric wateris a common cause for ore mineral formation in the vein mineralizations of Eptadendro/Rachi and Kapsalina Thasos. At the Pagoni Rachi and Maronia porphyry deposits, boilingand the high proportion of the vapour phase are the most essential fluid processes whichaffected ore formation. The epithermal veins overprinting the Pagoni Rachi and the Maroniaporphyry systems and the HS-IS epithermal system in Perama Hill and the IS epithermalmineralization in Loutros are characterized by low to moderate temperatures and lowto moderate salinities. Cooling and dilution of the ore fluids are the main process for goldprecipitation. We conclude that the different fluid parameters and microthermometric dataindicate a variety of fluid origin conditions and sources which can affect the strategy forexploration and prospecting for gold, rare and critical metals.

The giant Jiaodong gold province: The key to a unified model for orogenic gold deposits?

Although the term orogenic gold deposit has been widely accepted for all gold-only lode-gold deposits, with the exception of Carlin-type deposits and rare intrusion-related gold systems, there has been continuing debate on their genesis. Early syngenetic models and hydrothermal models dominated by meteoric fluids are now clearly unacceptable. Magmatic-hydrothermal models fail to explain the genesis of orogenic gold deposits because of the lack of consistent spatially – associated granitic intrusions and inconsistent temporal relationships. The most plausible, and widely accepted, models involve metamorphic fluids, but the source of these fluids is hotly debated. Sources within deeper segments of the supracrustal successions hosting the deposits, the underlying continental crust, and subducted oceanic lithosphere and its overlying sediment wedge all have their proponents. The orogenic gold deposits of the giant Jiaodong gold province of China, in the delaminated North China Craton, contain ca. 120 Ma gold deposits in Precambrian crust that was metamorphosed over 2000 million years prior to gold mineralization. The only realistic source of fluid and gold is a subducted oceanic slab with its overlying sulfide-rich sedimentary package, or the associated mantle wedge. This could be viewed as an exception to a general metamorphic model where orogenic gold has been derived during greenschist- to amphibolite-facies metamorphism of supracrustal rocks: basaltic rocks in the Precambrian and sedimentary rocks in the Phanerozoic. Alternatively, if a holistic view is taken, Jiaodong can be considered the key orogenic gold province for a unified model in which gold is derived from late-orogenic metamorphic devolatilization of stalled subduction slabs and oceanic sediments throughout Earth history. The latter model satisfies all geological, geochronological, isotopic and geochemical constraints but the precise mechanisms of auriferous fluid release, like many other subduction-related processes, are model-driven and remain uncertain.

The conjunction of factors that lead to formation of giant gold provinces and deposits in non-arc settings

It is quite evident that it is not anomalous metal transport, nor unique depositional conditions, nor any single factor at the deposit scale, that dictates whether a mineral deposit becomes a giant or not. A hierarchical approach thus is required to progressively examine controlling parameters at successively decreasing scales in the total mineral system to understand the location of giant gold deposits in non-arc environments. For giant orogenic, intrusion-related gold systems (IRGS) and Carlin-type gold deposits and iron oxide-copper-gold (IOCG) deposits, there are common factors among all of these at the lithospheric to crustal scale. All are sited in giant gold provinces controlled by complex fundamental fault or shear zones that follow craton margins or, in the case of most Phanerozoic orogenic giants, define the primary suture zones between tectonic terranes. Giant provinces of IRGS, IOCG, and Carlin-type deposits require melting of metasomatized lithosphere beneath craton margins with ascent of hybrid lamprophyric to granitic magmas and associated heat flux to generate the giant province. The IRGS and IOCG deposits require direct exsolution of volatile-rich magmatic-hydrothermal fluids, whereas the association of such melts with Carlin-type ores is more indirect and enigmatic. Giant orogenic gold provinces show no direct relationship to such magmatism, forming from metamorphic fluids, but show an indirect relationship to lamprophyres that reflect the mantle connectivity of controlling first-order structures.In contrast to their province scale similarities, the different giant gold deposit styles show contrasting critical controls at the district to deposit scale. For orogenic gold deposits, the giants appear to have formed by conjunction of a greater number of parameters to those that control smaller deposits, with resultant geometrical and lithostratigraphic complexity as a guide to their location. There are few giant IRGS due to their inferior fluid-flux systems relative to orogenic gold deposits, and those few giants are essentially preservational exceptions. Many Carlin-type deposits are giants due to the exceptional conjunction of both structural and lithological parameters that caused reactive and permeable rocks, enriched in syngenetic gold, to be located below an impermeable cap along antiformal “trends”. Hydrocarbons probably played an important role in concentrating metal. The supergiant Post-Betze deposit has additional ore zones in strain heterogeneities surrounding the pre-gold Goldstrike stock. All unequivocal IOCG deposits are giant or near-giant deposits in terms of gold-equivalent resources, partly due to economic factors for this relatively poorly understood, low Cu-Au grade deposit type. The supergiant Olympic Dam deposit, the most shallowly formed deposit among the larger IOCGs, probably owes its origin to eruption of volatile-rich hybrid magma at surface, with formation of a large maar and intense and widespread brecciation, alteration and Cu-Au-U deposition in a huge rock volume.

The Vilalba gold district, a new discovery in the Variscan terranes of the NW of Spain: A geologic, fluid inclusion and stable isotope study

This work defines the Vilalba gold district, a new gold region in the NW of Spain comprising three mineralized areas (Castro de Rei, Valiña–Azúmara and Arcos) and two different types of mineralization: 1) W–Au skarn in Castro de Rei, and 2) Au–As (Ag–Pb–Zn–Cu–Sb) vein/disseminated mineralization in Valiña–Azúmara and Arcos. Mineralization is mainly hosted by impure limestone and black slates (lower Cambrian) and spatially related to Variscan and Late-Variscan structures. Rhyolite dikes occur in Arcos (299±6Ma) and Castro de Rei, both consisting of peraluminous, high-potassium and calc-alkaline rocks. These dikes represent the fractionated expression of unexposed post-tectonic granitoids located at depth. The Castro de Rei area exhibits a contact aureole with biotite±cordierite and calc-silicate hornfels. Prograde skarn consists of garnet, pyroxene, quartz, wollastonite and scheelite. The retrograde alteration took place in two stages and mainly consists of amphibole, epidote, zoisite, quartz, calcite, chlorite and sulfides. Gold mineralization in the skarn occurs as invisible gold in sulfoarsenides and as electrum related to Bi–Te–S minerals. The mineralization of Valiña–Azúmara and Arcos comprises two stages. The first consists of As-rich pyrite and arsenopyrite with invisible gold. The second stage mainly consists of base metal sulfides and Ag–Pb–Zn–Cu–Sb sulfosalts.Hydrothermal fluids involved in the skarn formation are low salinity (up to 6.6wt.% NaCl eq.) aqueous carbonic fluids (H2O+CO2±CH4±N2) evolving into aqueous fluids during the last stage of gold mineralization. Stable isotope geochemistry indicates the importance of a magmatic fluid in the early stages (δ18OSMOW from 7.5 to 11‰; δ34SCDT from 2.7 to 5.9‰) that evolved through interaction with host-rocks and mixing with metamorphic and/or meteoric fluids. The δ34SCDT values (7.8–10.9‰) of second retrograde stage sulfides suggest the incorporation of 34S-enriched from host-rocks. In Valiña–Azúmara and Arcos, the fluid inclusion and isotope studies indicate similar hydrothermal fluids to those associated with the second retrograde skarn stage. Taking into account the fluid inclusion study and mineral geothermometry, an attempt was made to determine the P–T conditions of ore formation. The prograde skarn of Castro de Rei formed at temperatures and pressures ranging from 520 to 560°C and from 1.7 to 2.5kb. The mineralization of Valiña–Azúmara formed at minimum P–T conditions of 1.7kb and 355°C. The estimated temperatures for the Arcos mineralization are similar to those of Valiña–Azúmara (up to 383°C) but at lower pressures.We propose the model of intrusion related gold systems (IRGSs) to explain the mineralizations of the Vilalba gold district. In this model, the Castro de Rei skarn and the Valiña–Azúmara mineralization represent a proximal and a distal deposit, respectively, relative to an unexposed granitoid situated at depth. We also consider Arcos as a distal deposit in relation to another unexposed granitoid located further south in the district.

An intrusion-related gold deposit (IRGD) in the NW of Spain, the Linares deposit: Igneous rocks, veins and related alterations, ore features and fluids involved

The Linares deposit is an intrusion-hosted gold deposit located in the NW of the Iberian Variscan Belt. The igneous rocks hosting the ore are the Linares adamellite and the Arganzúa leucogranite. They are high-K, calc-alkaline and slightly peraluminous post-collisional igneous rocks, a mixture of I- and S-types, the Arganzúa leucogranite representing a late-stage fractionated phase. The intrusions have a reduced to intermediate oxidation state which spans the boundary between the ilmenite and magnetite series. The gold mineralization occurs disseminated or along a network of microfractures and veins of variable size, commonly in sheeted vein array. The alteration observed includes both potassic, with K-feldspar and secondary biotite developed mainly in the Arganzúa leucogranite, and sericitic and propylitic alterations. A sericite–chlorite–carbonate alteration, related to hairline fractures, is broadly distributed but rarely pervasive. Wolfram-bearing mineralization is followed by sulphide precipitation, mainly pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite, pyrite, arsenopyrite, molybdenite and galena, with minor löllingite and sphalerite. Gold is commonly associated with Bi–Te-bearing minerals with Bi/Te(S+Se)≥1, consistent with a pyrrhotite-buffered environment. This is reflected in the strong correlation observed between Au and Bi. The fluids involved in the sulphide precipitation are aqueous-carbonic (CO2 and ±CH4), with low salinity (0.5–6.3wt.% NaCl eq.) and variable amounts of other volatiles (N2 and H2S). The fluid inclusion study registered an adiabatic drop from a lithostatic pressure of 1.8–2.6kbar to a hydrostatic pressure of 0.3–0.9kbar, at temperatures of 300–400°C. The fault-valve phenomena could explain the pressure drop producing a volatile release from an early CO2-rich fluid. A later trapped fluid with a wide-ranging CO2/CH4 ratio suggests an isothermal mixture with a CH4(±N2)-rich fluid external to the granitoid (metamorphic). The effervescence and the fluid-mixing could be the possible mechanisms of ore precipitation in this system. The Linares deposit presents a number of features in common with intrusion-related gold deposits elsewhere in Phanerozoic orogenic belts. The existence of intrusion-related gold systems would have potentially important implications for exploration in the NW of the Iberian Variscides.

Geology and Intrusion-Related Affinity of the Morila Gold Mine, Southeast Mali

The ~8 Moz Morila gold mine, hosted within Paleoproterozoic Birimian volcano-sedimentary rocks of southeast Mali, is spatially and temporally associated with prolonged (2098–2065 Ma) arc magmatism during the late stages of the Eburnean orogeny. Visible gold at Morila is associated with variably deformed polymineralic veins containing native bismuth, maldonite, aurostibite, rare tellurobismuthite, and lollingite, suggesting a proximal intrusion-related source for this period of gold mineralization. This early formed mineralization is contained within a zone of hornblende hornfels contact metamorphism and is spatially associated with syn- to post-D2 emplacement of 2098 to 2091 Ma quartz-diorite, granodiorite, and leucogranite magmas. The occurrence of immiscible Au-Sb-Bi-Te blebs within sills or dikes associated with gold mineralization at the Morila deposit explicitly links granitic magmatism with gold mineralization This early intrusion-related gold system was over-printed by a younger post-D2 stage of hydrothermal alteration recorded by sulfidation along a north-north-east–trending zone characterized by disseminated idioblastic arsenopyrite porphyroblasts that contain polygonal gold blebs. Silicate alteration during this stage includes albitization of plagioclase and the growth of randomly distributed biotite and titanite, the latter typically surrounding ilmenite. Uranium-Pb dating of this generation of titanite yields a preliminary age for late-stage sulfidation of 2074 ± 14 Ma, which brackets mineralization to the interval 2098 ± 4 to 2074 ± 14 Ma. The geochemistry and isotope systematics of syn- to post-tectonic intermediate intrusions at the Morila deposit point to their derivation in a suprasubduction zone setting and emplacement into tectonically thickened crust. Based on these observations, it is suggested that the Morila gold deposit formed during late-stage collisional orogenesis involving the accretion of juvenile volcanic arc terranes against the Archean Man (Liberian) cratonic nucleus. This setting is analogous to younger Phanerozoic active continental margin settings which host the best-described examples of intrusion-related gold systems.