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1.
Gold anomalies in drainage sediments are often erratic, reflecting both the nugget effect and hydraulic effects whereby gold is concentrated at favorable sites along a stream. This study investigates these factors in a stream in northeastern Thailand.Bulk sediment samples, consisting of approximately 40 kg of −12 mm material, were collected from bar and pavement sites along an 8 km study reach. Samples were wet sieved into eight size fractions. The five fractions between 425 μm and 53 μm were then processed to obtain heavy mineral concentrates (SG > 3.3). Gold content of all size and density fractions finer than 425 μm was determined by fire assay-atomic absorption.Concentrations of Au in the heavy mineral concentrates typically range from 10,000 to 50,000 ppb (maximum 198,000 ppb), whereas the corresponding light mineral fractions and the −53 μm fraction generally contain <5 ppb gold. Within the heavy mineral fractions concentrations of Au generally increase downstream away from their supposed source and are higher at pavement than at point bar sites. Variations in abundance of gold between point bar sites can be related to stream characteristics (such as width, velocity and bed roughness) that are indicative of changing energy conditions and of the ability of the stream to winnow light minerals from its bed.The estimated median number of gold particles in the heavy mineral concentrates increase from less than one in the 212–425 μm fraction to about three in the 53–106 μm size range. However, because of dilution by the light mineral and −53 μm fractions, the probability of a 30 g analytical sub-sample containing a particle of gold is so low that in thirteen out of sixteen −149 μm sediment samples no gold was detected. Insofar as this results from dilution by large quantities of −53 μm sediment, failure of conventional sieved sediment samples to reliably detect the anomaly is probably a consequence of increased erosion caused by deforestation and land usage.Heavy mineral concentrates from pavement and other high energy sites are more reliable than conventional sediment samples for detecting gold anomalies of the Huai Hin Laep type. A low sample density is adequate but, because anomaly contrast may increase downstream, careful interpretation is required. 相似文献
2.
Several pilot studies were made in a PGE-mineralized area of central Madagascar in order to compare Pt,Pd halos in heavy mineral concentrates and to select the most suitable stream-sediment fractions, sampling densities and anomaly thresholds for regional PGE surveys. Results show low anomaly thresholds for Pt (30 ppb) and Pd (20 ppb) in the −63 μm fractions of the active sediment, with restricted halos of nearly 300 m for Pt and nearly 500 m for Pd. Using a slightly coarser fraction (−125 μm) increases the anomaly contrast. The Pt anomalies in heavy mineral pan concentrates are considerably enhanced (400–1,000 ppb) but occur further downstream in residual terraces. A regular increase in the weight of the heavy mineral concentrate for a given volume of sediment is noticed downstream. A simple weight correction of the raw Pt grade in the heavy mineral concentrate gives a better definition of the mineralized source upstream. Assessment of the corrected heavy mineral concentrate Pt anomalies together with Pt,Pd anomalies in the finest stream-sediment fraction produces the optimum definition of the target. Optical determination and scanning electron microscope studies of the PGM show sperrylite to be the major Pt-bearing mineral in the stream sediment, whereas the Pd mineralogy remains unresolved. Pt dispersion appears to be a predominantly mechanical process and Pd dispersion a chemical process with deposition controlled mainly by MnO scavenging. 相似文献
3.
The Nickel Plate deposit, in which gold occurs as <25 μm blebs associated with arsenopyrite in garnet-pyroxene skarns, is in the subalpine zone near the southern limit of the Thompson Plateau. During the last glaciation the Cordilleran ice sheet moved south-southwest across the deposit and deposited a stony basal till. A dispersion train with anomalous concentrations of gold in tills and soils now extends 2 km down ice from the deposit.Gold contents of samples of humus (LFH horizon) and the −212 μm fraction of mineral soils (A, B and C horizons) was determined by instrumental neutron activation and fire assay-atomic absorption, respectively. Selected samples were examined in detail to determine distribution of gold between different size and density fractions.Despite erratic variability, Au contents of the −212 μm fraction generally decrease from 200–400 ppb close to the mine site to <50 ppb at distal sites. At most sites there is also a twofold increase of gold values down the soil profile. Within samples concentrations of Au in the −420 + 212 μm, −212 + 106 μm, −106 + 53 μm and −53 μm fractions are usually roughly constant. However, because of its abundance, the −53 μm fraction contains more than 70% of the gold. Amenability of gold in this fraction to cyanidation suggests that it is largely free gold. For size fractions > 53 μm the contribution of the heavy mineral (SG > 3.3) fraction to total gold content increases with decreasing grain size.Distribution of gold between size and density fractions is consistent with its release from the bedrock or pre-glacial regolith by glacial abrasion. The bulk of the gold was incorporated into the fine fractions of the till at or close to the source. However, differences between down ice dilution ratios for gold in different heavy mineral size fractions suggest that comminution of host minerals continued to transfer gold to the finer size fractions during glacial transport.For exploration purposes, B and C horizon samples provide the best anomaly contrast. Estimates of the abundance of gold particles in different size fractions indicate that the nugget effect, which causes erratic gold values in the −212 μm fraction, can be avoided by analysis of 30 g of −53 μm material. 相似文献
4.
Samples were collected near known gold mineralization from anomalous and background soils developed on glacial till in British Columbia and Ontario, and in residual soils in Nevada, Utah and the Yukon Territory. After wet sieving to five size fractions finer than 2000 mm, and separation of heavy minerals (S.G. > 3.3) for the − 212 + 106 μm and − 106 + 53 μm fractions, gold concentrations in each fraction were determined by fire assay-atomic absorption.In all cases more than 60% of the gold resides in the − 53 μm fraction. For the residual soils most of the remaining gold is associated with the light mineral fractions and only a negligible proportion resides in the heavy minerals. Estimates of the numbers of gold particles and subsampling variability suggest that gold, in both heavy and light mineral fractions, is largely present as inclusions of fine gold. For exploration purposes, optimum sample representativity would be obtained with the − 53 μm fraction. However, because this fraction is a major component of the soils, use of a coarser size fraction (e.g., − 212 μm) will only slightly reduce sample representativity. Also, because most of the gold is associated with the − 53 μm and light mineral fractions, use of heavy mineral concentrates offers no significant advantage and in some cases would result in anomalous conditions being overlooked. 相似文献
5.
Large (60 kg, minus 2 mm) sediment samples collected from a 5-km reach of a mature highland stream were used to investigate the effects of bar morphology and channel slope on the downstream dispersion of Au. Results are compared with those for an abundant heavy mineral (magnetite) and are discussed in terms of differential entrapment of light and heavy minerals by gravels and differences in supply of magnetite and Au to the study reach. Gold is selectively trapped in gravels; therefore, highest Au concentrations, a long dispersion train and lowest between-sampling-location variability were obtained with heavy-mineral concentrates of the minus 105+74 μm fraction from sandy gravels. In contrast, sands in bar-tail eddy pools gave the least reliable Au concentrations, due to random (Poisson) sampling errors and local post-depositional winnowing, and show rapid downstream anomaly decay. 相似文献
6.
Orientation studies were carried out by the BRGM mission in Saudi Arabia between 1982–1986 to investigate the dispersion of gold in soils and wadi sediments and to define the optimum sample medium around eight prospects in the central Arabian pediplain. A comparison of gold distribution in several sieved fractions with various pedologic horizons shows that the distribution of gold changes abruptly from the coarser sizes near the source to the finest sizes 150 m downstream.The coarse fraction recommended by previous workers is not representative and yields erratic results in the specific environment of the pediplain. Gold is enriched and more homogeneously distributed in the minus 80 μm fraction of the skeletal soils and wadi sediments.Regional geochemical survey can be effective using a sensitive analytical method for gold and the minus 80 μm fraction of the brown gravelly sediment with a minimum density of 2 samples per km2. Geochemical halos in the 30–50 ppb range indicate gold mineralization 500 to 1000 m upstream, depending on relief.In a first follow-up stage, continued use of the same size of the upper argillaceous layer with a regular reg sampling grid gives more contrasted and more extensive anomalies than using a coarse material. These anomalies may be slightly offset by the present arid erosion. A second follow-up stage is then recommended at a closer grid and sampling the brown blocky layer below the surficial reg pavement. Again, the use of the finest fraction at this exploration stage has given the best probability of finding a blind gold target.Optical determination of gold on a nonmagnetic fraction of heavy panconcentrate is not recommended, because nugget growth is practically absent in the present arid conditions and flour-sized gold particles are lost in desliming samples. 相似文献
7.
Surface sediment samples were collected from the Squamish River Delta, British Columbia, in order to determine the role of sediment surface area in the preservation of organic matter (OM) in a paralic sedimentary environment. The Squamish Delta is an actively prograding delta, located at the head of Howe Sound.Bulk total organic carbon (TOC) values across the Squamish Delta are low, ranging from 0.1 to 1.0 wt.%. The carbon/total nitrogen ratio (Corg/N) ranges from 6 to 17, which is attributed to changes in OM type and facies variations. The <25-μm fraction has TOC concentrations up to 2.0 wt.%, and a Corg/N ratio that ranges from 14 to 16. The 53–106-μm fraction has higher TOC concentrations and Corg/N ratios relative to the 25–53-μm fraction. The Corg/N ratio ranges from 9 to 18 in the 53–106-μm fraction and 5.5–10.5 in the 25–53-μm fraction. Surface area values for bulk sediments are low (0.5–3.0 m2/g) due to the large proportion of silt size material. Good correlation between surface area and TOC in bulk samples suggests that OM is adsorbed to mineral surfaces. Similar relationships between surface area and TOC were observed in size-fractionated samples. Mineralogy and elemental composition did not correlate with TOC concentration.The relationships between surface area, TOC and total nitrogen (TN) can be linked to the hydrodynamic and sedimentological conditions of the Squamish Delta. As a result, the Squamish Delta is a useful modern analogue for the formation of petroleum source rocks in ancient deltaic environments, where TOC concentrations are often significantly lower than those in source rocks formed in other geological settings. 相似文献
8.
Big sagebrush — a cold-desert species that dominates the terrain over large parts of western United States — was sampled along several traverses that crossed thermally metamorphosed limestone, phyllitic shale, and schist of the Middle and Upper Cambrian Preble Formation that host skarn-, disseminated gold and silver-, and hot springs gold-type mineral occurrences. Patterns of detectable levels of gold (8 to 28 ppb or ng g−1) in ash of new growth were consistent with areas affected by known or suspected gold mineralization. Soils collected along one of the traverses where a selenium-indicator plant was common contained no gold above background levels of 2ppb, but were consistently high in As, Sb, and Zn, and several samples were unusually high in Se (maximum 11 ppm or μg g−1). Sagebrush along this traverse contained Li at levels above norms for this species. We also found a puzzling geochemical anomaly at a site basinward from active hot springs along a range-front fault scarp. Sagebrush at this site contained a trace of gold and an unusually high concentration of Cd (13 ppm) and the soil had anomalous concentrations of Cd and Bi (3.2 and 6 ppm, respectively). The source of this anomaly could be either metal-rich waters from an irrigation ditch or leakage along a buried fault. Despite the limited nature of the study, we conclude that gold in sagebrush could be a cost-effective guide to drilling locations in areas where the geology seems favorable for disseminated and vein precious metals. 相似文献
9.
Suspended and equivalent active sediments were collected from streams at 84 sites at the eastern and western sides of a ridge with stratabound Zn mineralization, Rockingham County, Virginia (USA). The purpose was to evaluate the relative effectiveness of suspended and bottom sediment in the geochemical exploration for Mississippi-Valley type Zn ores. The orebody is composed of sphalerite and minor amounts of galena with some chalcopyrite, strikes parallel to the enclosing dolomite beds at N34°E, and cuts vertically across the 30°SE dip. Oxidation of the ore extends to about 100 m in depth.Zinc was effective in detecting the mineralized zone. Zinc in the suspensates provided a denser anomaly system (7 strong and 2 moderate samples) than Zn in the <150 μm size of the bottom sediment, either totally dissolved (4 strong and 1 moderate anomalies) or extracted with cold 3% HCl (5 strong and 3 moderate anomalies). The magnitude of the high values for suspensate Zn was considerably higher than those for the other sample types studied. Suspensate Zn was complemented by 3 strong suspensate Cu anomalies. The suspensate Zn anomaly dispersion was about 850 m, 400 m of which was upstream from the mineralization. Lead was detected only in the cold acid extraction and in combination with Cu and Zn gave an extensive overlapping multielement anomaly string that targeted the ore zone and had a dispersion downstream from the mineralization of more than 1000 m. The Pb anomalies extended about 900 m upstream and 400 m downstream from the ore zone. Together with suspensate Zn, the Pb anomalies suggest a continuation of mineralization upstrike from the known orebody.The major anomaly systems are along the eastern side of the ridge with comparatively few anomalies present in the drainage along the western side. The concentration of anomalies in the eastern drainage and anomaly disposition with respect to known mineralization result from structural control on the hydromorphic dispersion of metals from the orebody. 相似文献
10.
Mineralogical and geochemical data from shallow overburden surveys are examined to ascertain parameters which govern the distribution of gold in overburden in a 2400-km2 area of southwestern Gaspésie, Quebec, Canada.The area is a deeply dissected plateau underlain by faulted and gently folded Siluro-Devonian strata. Complex geomorphic and glacial histories are reflected in the non-glacial character of the landscape, the preservation of very old erosional landforms and extensive variation in the composition and distribution of overburden.Total sample analysis and heavy-mineral studies show that the composition of overburden changes across the area in approximate correspondence with changes in underlying bedrock. Three broad zones related to bedrock and overburden types are delimited. Gold analyses of <250 μm overburden are insensitive to regional variations, with only 15 samples out of 300 registering above the detection limit of 2 ppb. Better contrasts of gold concentrations are obtained from chemical analyses of nonmagnetic heavy-mineral concentrates (NM HMC). Although sample density is low, NM HMC data show anomalies which can be related to particular bedrock and structural settings. Particulate gold was not observed in any of the NM HMC. Gold is associated with secondary iron-oxide phases replacing primary sulphide minerals. High concentrations of gold in NM HMC of overburden collected north of the mouth of the Assemetquagan River support the hypothesis of a local source to the north or northwest for the alluvial gold in the lower 2 km segment of the river.Dilution by far-travelled, shield-derived heavy minerals is by far the most important cause of regional mineral variation. Conversion of gold concentrations in NM HMC to concentrations in total size fraction eliminates some of the erratic behavior of NM HMC data caused by variations in heavy-mineral abundance and corrects for the dilution effect where the proportion of heavy minerals in the far-travelled component of overburden is much greater than in the local component. These calculations suggest a contribution of gold to the background in the fine sand fraction of overburden of 0.07 ppb. Where the diluting component is local, conversion of NM HMC data to total size fraction may or may not correct for differences in heavy-mineral contributions of underlying bedrock, depending on local conditions. Where dilution by far-travelled components is excessive, NM HMC analyses are inadequate to reflect conditions in underlying bedrock. 相似文献
11.
Contamination of gold ring and natural gold grains into plastic capsules used in INAA analysis and the fine fraction of till (0.064 mm) have been studied. An artificial contamination of till samples with a gold ring caused Au contents of 100–600 ppb in the fine fraction. A few rubbings of plastic capsules with a gold ring gave Au amounts of 15–170 ng per capsule. Natural gold grains of sizes 0.1–1.0 mm added into “gold-free” till samples before drying and sieving caused Au contents of 1–27 ppb into the fine fraction. In a regional geochemical survey an anomaly of a few hundreds of square kilometers with concentrations of 100–600 ppb Au in the fine fraction of till was observed. Later studies showed that this area was very low in Au, concentrations being generally below one ppb. The anomaly was interpreted as a contamination caused by the gold rings of the samplers. 相似文献
12.
Radiocaesium (137Cs) dispersion and Cs+ fixation were studied in the sediments collected from the lagoon systems of “Ria de Aveiro”. The Cs+ sorption was tested for the fine mica grains and for the < 2 μm clay fractions extracted from silty clays. The Cs+ exchange is found strongly onto mica-rich fractions than smectite-rich fractions. The distribution coefficient increases if the silty material is constituted by rich-mica clay fractions or if the non-clay minerals are removed from the silty-clay material. The samples studied behave as multisite ion exchange, where Cs+ engages in ion-exchange reactions with hydrated cations on planar sites on expansible layer silicates. Higher concentrations of the 137Cs were found associated with mica-rich silty clays. The 137Cs ranges from 3.2 to 3.9 Bq kg− 1 in the < 38 μm fractions and from 2.9 to 3.3 Bq kg− 1 in the < 64 μm fractions. 相似文献
13.
R. Beeson 《Journal of Geochemical Exploration》1984,22(1-3)
Partitioning of Cu, Pb, Zn, U, As and Mo between the minus 70 μm and minus 200 μm fractions of stream sediments from arid and semi-arid terrains is examined in the light of published case histories supplemented by new data. The advantages of selecting a particular fraction for routine sampling in such arid environments are assessed in terms of five criteria: (1) homogeneity of background population; (2) definition of threshold; (3) absolute element abundance levels; (4) contrast between anomalous and background populations; and (5) length of dispersion train. The most homogeneous background population distributions and improved definition of the threshold between background and anomaly occur in the very fine, minus 70 μm fraction of stream sediments for the majority of elements, in particular for Zn, Cu, U and As. Data for Pb and Mo do not consistently favour either size fraction in the case histories studied. Increased abundance levels of elements which are normally close to the analytical detection limit (U, Mo, As) occur most frequently in the minus 70 μm fraction, although Cu, Pb and Zn levels are commonly higher in the coarser fraction. In addition the finer size fraction better defines the anomalous population and provides the longer dispersion trains for Cu, Pb, Zn, U and As in the majority of case histories.The data examined indicate that the minus 70 μm fraction provides more useful information, in many instances, than the minus 200 μm fraction. The evidence suggests that problems expected with the use of the fine fraction — dilution through the abundance of wind blown material, and insufficient fine sediment — do not restrict the use of this fraction in stream sediment surveys in arid terrains. 相似文献
14.
An orientation survey was conducted over the Quartz Mountain, Oregon, hot-spring type disseminated gold deposit to address three questions critical to successful exploration of the area: What is the relationship between bedrock geology and the trace-element content of trees and soils; do these relationships change seasonally; are these relationships similar in the two tree species which discontinuously blanket the area?Twig, needle and wood samples were collected four times during the year from both ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) and white fir (Abies concolor). Soils were collected once. All samples were analyzed for Au and As and the wood samples were analyzed also for Sb.Arsenic was the best pathfinder element, having little analytical, spatial, or seasonal variation in the twig and needle samples. Anomalous levels were 150 μg/g (ppm) As in pine and 30 μg/g in fir. Gold showed analytical variation of 20–30%, sample duplicate variation up to 90%, spatial changes, and seasonal variation ranging from winter-summer background [10–20 ng/g (ppb) Au] to anomalies of 300–400 ng/g (ppb) Au in pine and 100 μg/g (ppb) Au in fir in the spring and fall. Antimony could not be completely evaluated as a pathfinder element because it was only determined in wood samples.Needles and twigs from both species proved to be viable sample media for exploration of the area. Wood was not a suitable medium because of low, erratic values, perhaps due in part to analytical technique. Needles had 2 to 20 times higher As concentrations than did twigs. Twigs had a slightly higher Au content [25 ng/g (ppb)] than did needles. The pine samples were higher in both elements than were the fir samples. The data, normalized by species, could be treated as one homogeneous data base.The soil Au and As data outlined the mineralization clearly with a central Au anomaly [100 ng/g (ppb) and greater] surrounded by As anomalies [100 μg/g (ppm) and greater] over a distance of 594 m. Neither spring nor fall tree Au anomalies were coincident with the soil Au anomaly. Consistent throughout the year, tree As anomalies coincided with the soil As anomalies, but covered a smaller area. Both the Au and As anomalies in trees appeared to be related to bedrock contact zones rather than to the soil the trees were growing in. 相似文献
15.
The distribution of gold in a short 120 m reach of an upland stream in Scotland has been investigated using an established freeze-core sampling method that avoids problems of elutriation. Thirty cores were taken from six sites chosen to represent the variety of geomorphological settings. Bed sediments varied between sites(24.3>D50>9.2 mm). Gold distribution is described in terms of concentration, mass and number of grains. Data are erratic in coarse fractions (>500 μm) because of the low number of individual gold grains and the high frequency of barren samples. The < 63 μm fraction gave the most consistent results, especially for gold loads (g · kg −1) reflecting the high number of individual grains. The distribution of gold is discussed in relation to the geomorphological controls and sediment transport processes that lead to enrichment and dilution of gold deposits. The sampling method is shown to provide a practical approach for obtaining representative and quantitative data on fine-grained gold distributions. 相似文献
16.
The interaction of organic compounds with the mineral phase is considered as one stabilization mechanism for organic carbon (OC) in soils. The objective of this study is to assess the role of mineral surfaces for the long-term stabilization of OC in arable soils, with special emphasis on iron oxides. Soil samples were taken from two contrasting treatment types, i.e. fertilized plots and C-depleted plots, in long-term agroecosystem experiments. The soil organic carbon pool of the C-depleted plots is considered to show a lower contribution of labile compounds and consequently to be relatively enriched in refractory compounds compared with the fertilized counterparts. In fractions <6 μm, OC was studied in relation to total mineral surface area, surface area contributed by oxides and silicates, and the content and type of iron oxides (dithionite and oxalate extractable iron, Fed and Feo). In two sandy soils, OC contents were linearly related to total mineral surface area and the content of the two iron oxide fractions (Fed and Feo). The surface area developed by the silicates was low and thus the surface area contribution from oxides was dominant in fractions <6 μm. In contrast to the sandy soils, in a loamy soil OC was not correlated with surface area or the iron oxide content. However, the different soils agreed with respect to the behavior of C in density fractions: losses of OC occurred mainly from the light fraction (2 g cm−3), whereas C in the heavy fraction (>2 g cm−3) proved to be stable. For the sandy soils, mineral surface area appears to control the storage of OC in fine fractions. Given the dominant surface area contribution from oxides, OC storage here primarily depends on the oxides. The C-depleted plots in particular show that surface area controls the accumulation of refractory C. The interaction of organic compounds with the mineral phase, mainly with the surface of oxides, seems to be a major mechanism for the long-term stabilization of OC in these sandy soils. An interaction with minerals seems to be important for stabilizing OC also in the loamy soil, although this is not reflected by a proportional relation between OC and surface area across the fractions. 相似文献
17.
In order to study the first steps of incorporation of lipids in recent organic-rich sediments into free and bound fractions, we have selected the Santa Barbara Basin, off California. This basin with a maximum of 590 m water depth is characterized by high phytoplankton production in surface waters and a low oxygen content in bottom waters. Sediments show the following features: high sedimentation rate ≈ 4 mm/yr, no bioturbation, and development of a bacterial mat community at the surface with predominance of sulphur-oxidizing bacteria trapping particles, thus preventing re-distribution of sediment, which permit a unique observations of organic sedimentation on a new few years basis.A sediment core has been divided into 2 cm thick slices corresponding to a time resolution of ≈5 years, from 1835 up to 1987. Samples have been analyzed using a multi-parameter approach, such as for plankton species identification, carbon stable isotope ratios and, as reported here, for lipid organic tracers. Organic tracers have been analyzed in the sterol and fatty series for both free and bound compounds by gas chromatography and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry.The incorporation processes of sterols with depth appear different for free and bound compounds. Total free sterol concentrations show high values in surface sediments (≈ 100 μg/g dry sediment), rapidly decrease up to ≈ 10 cm depth and remain at a constant value of 30–40 μg/g. Total bound sterol concentrations show low values in surface sediment (13.6 μg/g), and vary irregularly with depth up to a value of 55 μg/g at 7.3 m, and then remain constant at 25–26 μg/g.Profiles of evolution with depth of free C27, C28 sterols show a regular decrease, whereas C29 sterols show an irregular decrease with anomalies at 7.3 cm (approximately age: 1977–1978) and at 14.1 cm (1962–1964). Profiles of bound compounds are rather different, very regular for C28 sterols, irregular with oscillations for C27 and C29 sterols at 7.3, 12.2 and 18.0 cm (1954–1956), suggesting a different mode of incorporation and probably different inputs for C27, C29 and C28 sterols.The study of the kinetics of degradation of sterols between surface (1987) and 10.5 cm (1968–1972) shows that C27 compounds are degraded at a slight higher rate (0.53 μg/μg of initial C27 concentration/ year) than are C28 and C29 compounds (0.047 μg/μg of initial concentration/year). An intermediate value is found for brassicasterol: 0.049 μg/μg/year. 相似文献
18.
Geochemical studies in the central Brooks Range, Alaska, delineate a regional, structurally controlled mineral belt in east—west-trending metamorphic rocks and adjacent metasedimentary rocks. The mineral belt extends eastward from the Ambler River quadrangle to the Chandalar and Philip Smith quadrangles, Alaska, from 147° to 156°W. longitude, a distance of more than 375 km, and spans a width from 67° to 69°N. latitude, a distance of more than 222 km. Within this belt are several occurrences of copper and molybdenum mineralization associated with meta-igneous, metasedimentary, and metavolcanic rocks; the geochemical study delineates target areas for additional occurrences.A total of 4677 stream-sediment and 2286 panned-concentrate samples were collected in the central Brooks Range, Alaska, from 1975 to 1979. The −80 mesh (< 177 μm) stream sediment and the heavy (specific gravity > 2.86) nonmagnetic fraction of the panned concentrates from stream sediment were analyzed by semiquantitative spectrographic methods.Two geochemical suites were recognized in this investigation; a base-metal suite of copper-lead-zinc and a molybdenum suite of molybdenum-tin-tungsten. These suites suggest several types of mineralization within the metamorphic belt. Anomalies in molybdenum with associated Cu and W suggest a potential porphyry molybdenum system associated with meta-igneous rocks. This regional study indicates that areas of metaigneous rocks in the central metamorphic belt are target areas for potential mineralized porphyry systems and that areas of metavolcanic rocks are target areas for potential massive sulfide mineralization. 相似文献
19.
Laser ablation of the Fe and Mn oxide coatings on stream sediments has been tested as a means of rapidly introducing this highly sorptive geochemical exploration medium into an inductively coupled plasma emission spectrometer (ICP) for simultaneous multielement analysis.Training data were obtained by selectively leaching coatings on about ten 1-cm diameter pebbles from 50 sites in the Allen drainage system, Southwest England. The Pb, Zn, Fe and Mn concentrations of the resulting leachates were determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. This procedure is relatively rapid and economical, but the leachate is suitable only for the determination of a restricted range of elements (mainly heavy metals). The laser-microprobe testing data were obtained by vaporizing approximately 1 μg of coating from one pebble from each sample site with a laser pulse, producing a crater in the coating 150–200 μm in diameter and 30–50 μm deep. The ablation was effected within a cell which the laser beam penetrates via a quartz window and the vaporized material quickly condenses into an aerosol which is carried in a flow of argon passing through the cell to the ICP, for simultaneous determination of up to 36 elements.Training and testing data for the elements determined were normalized by ratioing to Fe or Mn following a preliminary statistical inspection of the data to ascertain predominant correlations. In the Allen drainage basin, where a narrow and impersistent galena vein with subordinate sphalerite occupies a north-south-trending fracture, Pb determinations on coatings correlate well with the Fe content of coatings, while Zn correlates with Mn. The Pb/Fe dispersion patterns produced by the training and testing procedures are essentially similar, as are the Zn/Mn patterns from each of the procedures, demonstrating the potential of the novel laser microprobe technique.Anomalous Pb/Fe and Zn/Mn ratios in pebble coatings occur in the vicinity of the mineralized fracture. These compare favourably in terms of anomaly contrast and length of dispersion trains (especially their extension beyond major confluences) with the Pb and Zn anomalies detected by the more conventional analysis of the minus 200 μm fraction of the stream sediment. The low levels of potential pathfinder elements associated with mineralization do not lend themselves readily to determination in leachates derived from pebble coatings. Laser microprobe data, however, revealed a low-order but punctual As/Fe anomaly in a tributary, where this cuts the mineralized vein. 相似文献
20.
The mechanism of Au dispersion in sediments of mountainous desert environments has been studied in two different areas of the Chilean Andes. The San Pedro de Cachiyuyo placer (ca. 1800 m a.s.l.) consists of alluvial fans and ephemeral stream sediments deposited in a stable piedmont. The primary Au source is Cu–Au-bearing hydrothermal tourmaline breccia. The relief of this area is low (1850 m) and the average annual rainfall is ca. 20 mm. The La Coipa area (ca. 4000 m a.s.l.) is characterized by a rugged relief. The annual average rainfall is ca. 100 mm. The sedimentary deposits are less sorted than in San Pedro de Cachiyuyo and consist of ephemeral stream alluvium and slope deposits formed in a periglacial environment. The primary Au sources are two volcanic-hosted epithermal precious metal deposits. At San Pedro de Cachiyuyo, the halo is less than 1 km in length and the highest Au concentration are observed at the break in slope between the hillside and the piedmont. In the La Coipa area, Au was only detected by chemical analysis in the 125–63 μm and <63 μm fraction; however, the dispersion halo extends for over 10 km from the source. In both cases the geochemical signal of gold was strongest in the fraction <63 μm. 相似文献