Search Results (59)

Chelidonium majus L. is a species with a wide medicinal use, commonly found in anthropogenically degraded habitats, forest edges, and urban parks. This study aimed to determine the chemical composition of the leaves, stems, and roots of Ch. majus and the soil in its rhizosphere in terms of the content of the main elements (Fe, Ca, P, Mg, Al, Na, K, S), trace elements and rare earth minerals (Ti, Mo, Ag, U, Au, Th, Sb, Bi, V, La, B, W, Sc, Tl, Se, Te, Ga, Cs, Ge, Hf, Nb, Rb, Sn, Ta, Zr, Y, Ce, In, Be, and Li), and their comparison in the parts analyzed. The study was conducted in five urban parks in southern Poland in a historically industrialized area. The results showed that Ca has the highest content among the macroelements. Its leaf content ranges from 24,700 to 40,700 mg·kg⁻¹, while in soil, it ranges from 6500 to 15,000 mg·kg⁻¹. In leaves, low values of Al (100–500 mg·kg⁻¹) and Na (100 mg·kg⁻¹) were found in comparison to the other elements tested, while high values of Al (5100–9800 mg·kg⁻¹) were found in soils. Among the macroelements in the Ch. majus stems, K showed the highest concentration (>100,000 mg·kg⁻¹), while the Ca content was 3–4 times lower in the stems than in the leaves. Rhizomes of Ch. majus accumulate the most K and Ca, in the range of 22,800–29,900 mg·kg⁻¹ and 5400–8900 mg·kg⁻¹, respectively. Fe and Al in all locations have higher values in the soil than in the tissues. In turn, the content of Ca, P, Mg, K, and S is higher in plants than in the soil. Determining the elemental content of medicinal plants is important information, as the plant draws these elements from the soil, and, at higher levels of toxicity, it may indicate that the plant should not be taken from this habitat for medicinal purposes. Full article

There are a large number of fahlores recognized in the Zijinshan ore field, including tetrahedrite, tennantite, Zn-rich tetrahedrite, goldfieldite, Bi-rich tetrahedrite, etc. The changes in their mineral composition have significance for the evolution of the ore-forming environment. This article presents a detailed study of the fahlores using electron probe analysis. The results indicate that in the Zijinshan Au-Cu deposit, fahlores are Te-rich in shallow zones and Zn-rich in deep zones. The Zijinshan Xi’nan deposit is generally Zn-rich, with a Bi-rich in middle levels. The Longjiangting deposit is Sb- and Zn-rich in shallow zones and As- and Bi-rich in deep zones, whereas the Yueyang deposit is Sb- and Zn-rich in shallow zones and Bi-rich in deep zones. The fahlores in the Zijinshan ore field often show zoning in backscattered images due to As and Sb variations. From the porphyry to high-sulfidation stages, fahlores evolve from Fe-rich to Zn-, Bi-, and Sb-rich, and finally to Te-rich. From the porphyry to low-sulfidation stages, fahlores transition from Bi-rich to Zn-rich and eventually to Ag-rich compositions. The discovered mineral assemblages of the fahlores are of great significance for understanding the framework of complex porphyry shallow hydrothermal environments and prospecting for underlying porphyry ore bodies in the Zijinshan ore field. Full article

Characterizing alteration and its geochemical signature provides critical information relevant to ore-deposit genesis and its related footprint; for porphyry-type deposits, zoned potassic-phyllic-propylitic alteration and metal enrichment are critical features. Here we integrate earlier lithological and mineralogical studies of the (10+ Moz Au) Archean Côté Gold porphyry-type Au(-Cu) deposit (Ontario, Canada) with identified alteration types to provide exploration vectors. The ca. 2740 tonalite-quartz diorite-diorite intrusive complex and co-temporal Au(-Cu) mineralization as disseminations, breccias and veins are co-spatial with ore-related alteration types (amphibole, biotite, muscovite). An early, locally developed amphibole event coring the deposit is followed by emplacement of a Au(-Cu) mineralized biotite-rich magmatic-hydrothermal breccia body and broad halo of disseminated biotite and quartz veining. These rocks record gains via mass balance calculations of K, Fe, Mg, LILE, and LREE with Au, Cu, Mo, Ag, Se and Bi. Later muscovite alteration is enriched in K, Rb, Cs, Ba, CO₂, and LOI with varied Au, Cu, Mo, Te, As, and Bi values. A strong albite overprint records extreme Na gains with the loss of most other elements, including ore metals (i.e., Au, Cu). Together these data define an Au-Cu-Mo-Ag-Te-Bi-Se core co-spatial with biotite breccia versus a peripheral stockwork and sheeted vein zone with a Te-Se-Zn-Pb-As association. These features further support the posited porphyry-type model for the Côté Gold Au(-Cu) deposit. Full article

Pogo is identified as a deep-seated, intrusion-related gold deposit. Carbonate minerals have a close spatial relationship to hydrothermal gold mineralization in all of its principal ore zones. The carbon and oxygen isotopic ratios of carbonate minerals (siderite, ankerite, and calcite) present within the deposit illustrate the isotopic evolution of the ore-forming fluid. The initial hydrothermal fluid phase is interpreted to be magmatic in origin. The fluid evolution was characterized by a gradual decrease in δ¹⁸O and a slight increase in δ¹³C with decreasing temperature. The dominant carbon-bearing species was CO₂, with methane introduced sporadically. Siderite is associated with early-stage mineralization and occurs with ankerite in main-stage ore assemblages. Calcite is recognized in the later stages of mineralization. Gold in the Pogo deposit occurs as native gold, Au-Bi-Te minerals, inclusions in sulfide minerals, or as “invisible gold”. The latter is found in pyrite, chalcopyrite, arsenopyrite, and quartz, based on ion microprobe analysis. The presence of invisible gold in these minerals has significant metallurgical implications for gold processing at the Pogo mine. Full article

The work focuses on five epithermal Au-Ag deposits of the Kamchatka volcanogenic belts: Rodnikovoe, Baranyevskoe, Kumroch, Lazurnoe (adularia-sericite type–Ad-Ser) and Maletoyvayam (acid-sulfate type–Ac-Sul). The geochemical characteristics of the deposits were presented based on the results of ICP-OES and fire-assay analysis. The compositions and physicochemical parameters of ore-forming fluids were based on microthermometry, Raman spectroscopy and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. It was shown that all deposits were comparable in terms of temperatures, salinity and the predominance of H₂O and CO₂ in ore-forming fluids. The deposits were formed at temperatures of 160–308 °C by aqueous fluids with salinities of 0.5–6.8 wt. % (NaCl-eq.). The Maletoyvayam deposit differed from the other ones in significant enrichment in Se, Te, Sb, Bi and As, as well as much higher concentrations of hydrocarbons, nitrogenated and sulfonated compounds (31.4 rel.% in total) in the composition of fluid inclusions. This gave us a reason to assume that organic compounds favourably affected the concentrations of these elements in the mineralising fluid. Kumroch and Lazurnoe were distinguished from Rodnikovoe and Baranyevskoe by high Zn, Pb and Cu contents, where each of them represented a single system combining both Ad-Ser type epithermal gold-silver and copper porphyry mineralisations. The presence of alkanes, esters, ketones, carboxylic acids and aldehydes in different quantities at all deposits were indicators of the combination of biogenic and thermogenic origins of organic compounds. The contents of ore-forming elements in ores were consistent with the specificity of mineral assemblages in the Kamchatka deposits. Full article

The Sanhetun tellurium–gold (Te–Au) deposit, located in the Duobaoshan polymetallic metallogenic belt (DPMB) within the eastern section of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB), is a newly discovered small-scale gold deposit. The mineralization, with a resource of ≥4 t Au, is mainly hosted in three NNE-trending alteration zones between Early Carboniferous granitic mylonite and Lower Cretaceous volcanogenic-sedimentary formations. The genesis of formation of this deposit is poorly constrained. Here, we report the results of petrographic studies, TESCAN Integrated Mineral Analyzer (TIMA), major and trace element concentrations, and in situ S isotopes of pyrite. The results show that there are four types of pyrite: coarse-grained euhedral Py1, fine-grained quartz-Py2 vein crosscutting Py1, anhedral aggregated Py3, and anhedral aggregated Py4. The pre-ore stage Py1 contains negligible Au, Te, and other trace elements and has a relatively narrow range of δ³⁴S values ranging from −1.20 to −0.57‰. Py2 has higher concentrations of Au and Te and distinctly high concentrations of Mo, Sb, Zn, and Mn with markedly positive δ³⁴S values of 4.67 to 14.43‰. The main-ore stage Py3 contains high Au and Te concentrations and shows narrow δ³⁴S values ranging from −5.69 to 0.19‰. The post-ore stage Py4 displays low Au concentrations with the δ³⁴S values ranging from 2.66 to 3.86‰. Tellurides are widespread in Py3 and Py4, consisting mainly of native tellurium, tetradymite, tsumoite, hessite, and petzite. Especially, tetradymite commonly coexists with native gold. This study highlights the role of Te–Bi–S melt as an important gold scavenger in As-deficient ore-forming fluids. Full article

The Perron deposit, located in the northern part of the Archean Abitibi belt, bears some of the highest gold-grade mineralization for orogenic-vein-type deposits worldwide (High-Grade Zone: HGZ). More than 13 gold-bearing zones with different sulfide assemblages, hydrothermal alterations, and gold grades have been recently outlined, and they range from volcanogenic to orogenic in origin. In addition, seven zones are hosted in a restricted volume of ~1 km³, which is called the Eastern Gold Zone. Pyrite, sphalerite, pyrrhotite, and chalcopyrite—each from a different gold-bearing zone—were analyzed with LA-ICP-MS to decipher their genetic links, mineralizing processes, and temperature of formation. The temperatures calculated with the sphalerite GGIMFis thermometer range from 348 to 398 °C. All gold-bearing zones recorded volcanogenic hydrothermal inputs at different intensities, manifested by pyrrhotite. Pyrite was late-metamorphic and related to the orogenic gold system induced by the contact metamorphism of amphibolite facies. The pyrrhotite grains had very homogeneous trace element signatures in all zones, which is a characteristic of metamorphic recrystallization, exhibiting a loss of mobile elements (Au, Te, Bi, Tl, Sn, W, In) but high concentrations of Ni, Co, and As. Conversely, the pyrite was systematically enriched with all elements depleted from pyrrhotite, bearing five specific signatures of element enrichments: W, Tl, Sn, In-Cd-Zn, and Bi-Te-Au. For gold-rich zones (e.g., the HGZ), gold was linked to the Bi-Te-Au signature of pyrite, with Bi enrichment occurring at up to 72,000 times the background level in Archean shale pyrite. It was concluded that gold was transported, at least in part, as Bi-Te melts in the previously documented non-aqueous orogenic fluids, hence accounting for the very-high-grade gold content of the HGZ. Genetically, the metamorphism of primary gold-bearing volcanogenic mineralizations was the main source of gold during the overprinting of amphibolite (600 °C) in a metamorphically induced orogenic mineralizing event. A strong volcanogenic pre-enrichment is considered the main factor accounting for the gold endowment of the Eastern Gold Zone. Full article

As the global demand for tellurium (Te) increases, it is crucial to develop efficient recovery methods that consider existing supply streams. This research combines gravity separation and froth flotation processes to enhance the recovery of Te minerals from tailings produced during the beneficiation of copper porphyry ores. Prior to processing, a systematic and comprehensive characterization study of copper tailing (CT) samples was conducted to examine the deportment of Te minerals in different mineral phases and to understand their locking and liberation behavior. Characterization techniques included inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and TESCAN’s integrated mineral analysis (TIMA). Copper tailing characterization showed that minerals with gold (Au), silver (Ag), bismuth (Bi), and Te were present in various forms, including native Au, electrum, tellurides, and sulfosalts. TIMA revealed that >90% of these minerals were primarily hosted in pyrite as less than 10 µm inclusions in the CT. TIMA also revealed that Te minerals exhibited fine-grained liberation of less than 20 μm. Moreover, TIMA results showed that >80% of mica and other silicate minerals were concentrated in size fractions < 38 μm, suggesting that desliming processes would positively impact Te enrichment. The results from the processing tests showed a Te recovery rate of ~77% and a Te enrichment ratio of 13 when using the combination of gravity separation and froth flotation at 90 g/t xanthate collector and 50 g/t glycol frother. The findings from this study show a significant potential for Te recovery from unconventional sources if appropriate physical beneficiation approaches are adopted. Full article

Gold occurrence Maljavr is the first Archean conglomerate-hosted gold mineralization found in the Fennoscandian Shield. Gold-mineralized metasomatic rocks form a set of lenses within a 10 m thick linear zone, conformable to the bedding of host conglomerates. The lenses are up to 10 m long and up to 1 m thick and they clearly exhibit three alteration envelopes: the rock in the central part consists of garnet and quartz or garnet-only; biotite, garnet, and quartz make the intermediate biotite–garnet envelope; hornblende, hedenbergite, and quartz are the principal rock-forming minerals in the outer zone of the lenses. All metasomatic rocks contain sulfide mineralization up to 15–20 vol.% and up to 0.6 g/t Au. The main ore mineral is pyrrhotite, and the minor minerals are arsenopyrite, chalcopyrite, pentlandite, löllingite, and troilite. The age of zircon from biotite gneiss in the zone of alteration is 2664 ± 18 Ma, this is considered as the time of formation of lenses of metasomatic rocks. Biotite gneiss-conglomerate and metasomatic rocks were later intruded by tourmaline granite pegmatite 2508 ± 7 Ma. The injection of pegmatite caused re-crystallization of sulfides (mainly arsenopyrite and löllingite) and redistribution of gold. Visible gold in association with Bi minerals native bismuth, ehrigite, maldonite, bismuthinite, joseite-B, and hedleyite was found in inclusions in recrystallized arsenopyrite and löllingite. Au content in the rocks with recrystallized arsenopyrite and löllingite is >1 g/t, up to 30 g/t in hand samples. The 2508 Ma pegmatite is interpreted as synchronous with formation of gold mineralization in its present form. The linkage of gold mineralization with pegmatite and geochemical association Au-As-Se-Te-Bi in the mineralized rocks agree with characteristics of intrusion-related gold deposits worldwide. Biotite gneiss–metaconglomerate, hosting the mineralized altered rocks, was the probable primary source of arsenic and gold for mineralization. Full article

Mineral assemblages containing Cu-Bi sulfosalts, Bi chalcogenides, and Ag-(Au) tellurides have been identified in the mid-Miocene Zhibula Cu skarn deposit, Gangdese Belt, southern Tibet. Different mineral assemblages from three locations in the deposit, including proximal massive garnet skarn, proximal retrogressed pyroxene-dominant skarn in contact with marble, and distal banded garnet–pyroxene skarn hosted in marble, are studied to constrain the evolution of the mineralization. Hypogene bornite contains elevated Bi (mean 6.73 wt.%) and co-exists in proximal andradite skarn with a second bornite with far lower Bi content, carrollite, Au-Ag tellurides (hessite, petzite), and wittichenite. This assemblage indicates formation at relatively high temperatures (>400 °C) and high f_S2 and f_Te2 during prograde-stage mineralization. Assemblages of Bi sulfosalts (wittichenite, aikinite, kupčíkite, and paděraite) and bismuth chalcogenides (e.g., tetradymite) in proximal pyroxene skarn are also indicative of formation at relatively high temperatures, but at relatively lower f_Te2 and f_S2 conditions. Within the reduced distal skarn (chalcopyrite–pyrrhotite-bearing) in marble, cobalt, and nickel occur as discrete minerals: cobaltite, melonite and cobaltic pentlandite. The trace ore mineral signature of the Zhibula skarn and the distributions of precious and critical trace elements such as Ag, Au, Co, Te, Se, and Bi support an evolving magmatic–hydrothermal system in which different parts of the deposit each define ore formation at distinct local physicochemical conditions. This is the first report of kupčíkite and paděraite from a Chinese location. Their compositions are comparable to other occurrences, but conspicuously, they do not form nanoscale intergrowths with one another. Full article

The Biche-Kadyr-Oos epithermal Au-Ag ore occurrence is a prospective object in the Ak-Sug porphyry copper ore cluster (Eastern Sayan) in the northern part of the Central Asian orogenic belt (CAOB). The mineralization consists of gold-sulfide-quartz and gold-polysulfide-carbonate-quartz veins with argillic zones in the Lower Cambrian volcanic-sedimentary rocks. The origin of the Au-Ag ore occurrence is still debatable. To determine the origin, we examined the mineralogical and geochemical features, conditions of formation, and fluid sources of the Biche-Kadyr-Oos ore. A mineralogical and geochemical investigation outlines three stages of mineral formation: early argillic stage; gold-sulfide-quartz stage with pyrite, marcasite, pyrrhotite, arsenopyrite, chalcopyrite, less frequently sphalerite, hessite, gold, and electrum; and late gold-polysulfide-carbonate-quartz stage with gold, electrum, Hg-electrum, Se-acanthite, Se-galena, bornite, tennantite, tetrahedrite, hessite, tellurobismuthite, bismuthinite, matildite, jamesonite, ourayite, native Bi, and barite. Fluid inclusion study (thermometry, Raman spectroscopy) in quartz and mineral thermometry (electrum and sphalerite paragenesis) determined that ore veins were formed at P~0.5 kbar from CO₂-water Na-K-chloride fluid (4.9–9.6 wt % NaCl eqv) and temperatures from 300 to 200 °C (early gold-sulfide-quartz veins at 300–230 °C, and late gold-polysulfide-carbonate-quartz veins at 290–200 °C) and variations in fO₂, fS₂, fSe₂ and fTe₂. The S isotopic composition in sulfides and δ³⁴SH₂S values of the fluid are +1.3‰ and +4.7‰, respectively, (T = 300–275 °C) indicating magmatic S in ore formation. The oxygen isotope data indicate that during the formation of veins, the magmatic fluid mixed with meteoric water (δ¹⁸O_fluid is from +3.4 to +6.4‰). The isotopic data that were obtained combined with mineralogical and geochemical features and conditions of ore formation indicate the similarity of Biche-Kadyr-Oos ore occurrence with epithermal Au-Ag deposits of intermediate sulfidation (IS) type. The presence of epithermal Au-Ag mineralization of the Biche-Kadyr-Oos IS type in ore cluster of the Ak-Sug Cu-Au-Mo porphyry deposit indicates the existence of a single porphyry-epithermal ore-magmatic system. Full article

The study of noble metal minerals of the Ural–Alaskan-type (UA-type) complexes has been traditionally focused on their platinum-bearing dunites and chromitites, while clinopyroxenites have been poorly considered. In this study, we report the first detailed data on the noble metal mineral assemblage in clinopyroxenites of the Kachkanar intrusion, which is a part of a UA-type complex and is renowned for its huge Ti-magnetite deposits. High concentrations of Pd, Au and Ag are closely linked to Cu-sulfide mineralization in amphibole clinopyroxenites, in which they form Pd-Ag-Au minerals: keithconnite Pd_3−xTe, sopcheite Ag₄Pd₃Te₄, stutzite Ag_5−xTe₃, hessite Ag₂Te, merenskyite PdTe, kotulskite Pd(Te,Bi), temagamite Pd₃HgTe, atheneite (Pd,Hg)₃As, potarite PdHg, electrum AuAg and Hg-bearing native silver. Among those, six mineral phases are first reported for clinopyroxenites of the Ural platinum belt. Our evidence supports a petrological model, suggesting that during fractionation of high-Ca primitive magmas at high oxygen fugacity, Pt, Os, Ir, Ru and Rh accumulate in early olivine–chromite cumulates, while Pd, Au and Ag reside in the melt until sulfide saturation occurs and then concentrate in sulfide mineralization. Subsequently, this sulfide mineralization is likely affected by cumulate degassing, which results in a partial resorption of the sulfides and Pd, Au and Ag remobilization by fluid. Second-stage concentration of the sulfides and the chalcophile noble metals in the amphibole-rich rocks may occur when H₂O from the fluid reacts with pyroxenes to form amphiboles, and the fluid becomes oversaturated with sulfides and chalcophile elements. Full article

Supply risk and economic importance are the key aspects controlling the metals classified as critical. Several of the critical metals are also classified as rare based on their restricted geological availability. In Europe, numerous mineralizations have been reported as being enriched in critical, strategic, and rare metals, and could potentially facilitate the production of these metals as by-products. Within this context, this paper reviews the critical and rare metals incorporated in the vein-type mineralization hosted in the Vertiskos unit in Greece. Several Cenozoic polymetallic mineralizations hosted in quartz veins and metamorphic rocks, which are enriched in Cu–As–Pb–Bi–Ag–Au–Te or in Sb-W are being reported in the region. The polymetallic mineral assemblages are characterized by base metal sulfides—Bi-sulfosalts, Bi-sulfotellurides, and tellurides—associated with Au and Ag. On the contrary, Bi-Te mineral phases are lacking or are completely absent from the Sb-W mineralization. The highest critical metals enrichments are reported from Kolchiko and include Bi (995 ppm), Co (320 ppm) and W (844 ppm). Gold is up to 28.3 ppm in Koronouda, while Ag reaches up to 2433 ppm in Laodikino. Full article

In the Carajás Mineral Province, gossan formation and lateritization have produced numerous supergene orebodies at the expense of IOCG deposits and host rocks. The Alvo 118 deposit comprises massive and disseminated hypogene copper sulfides associated with gossan and mineralized saprolites. The hypogene reserves are 170 Mt, with 1% Cu and 0.3 ppm Au, while the supergenes are 55 Mt, comprised of 30% gossan and 70% saprolite, with 0.92% Cu and 0.03 ppm Au. The gossan includes goethite, malachite, cuprite, and libethenite zones. The saprolite comprises kaolinite, vermiculite, smectite, and relics of chlorite. In the hypogene mineralization, Ag, Te, Pb, Se, Bi, Au, In, Y, Sn, and U are mainly hosted by chalcopyrite and petzite, altaite, galena, uraninite, stannite, and cassiterite. In the gossan, Ag, Te, Pb, Se, and Bi are hosted by Cu minerals, while Au, In, Y, Sn, and U are associated with iron oxyhydroxides, in addition to Zn, As, Be, Ga, Ga, Mo, Ni, and Sc. As supporting information, δ⁶⁵Cu values indicate that the gossan is immature and, at least partly, not affected by leaching. In the saprolite, Ga, Sc, Sn, V, Mn, Co, and Cr are associated with the iron oxyhydroxides, partially derived from the host rock weathering. The δ⁵⁶Fe values indicate that hypogene low contribution of the hypogene mineralization to the saprolite iron content. The association of Al₂O₃, Hf, Zr, Th, TiO₂, Ce, La, Ba, and Sr represents the geochemical signature of the host rocks, with dominant contributions from chlorites, while In, Y, Te, Pb, Bi, and Se are the main pathfinders of Cu mineralization. Full article

A rare gold–telluride montbrayite from the large Svetlinsk gold–telluride deposit (South Urals, Russia) was comprehensively studied using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, electron microprobe analysis, reflectance measurements, electron backscatter diffraction, and Raman spectroscopy. Significant variations in the composition of the mineral were revealed (in wt%): Au 36.98–48.66, Te 43.35–56.53, Sb 2.49–8.10, Ag up to 4.56, Pb up to 2.04, Bi up to 0.33, Cu up to 1.42. There are two distinct groups with much more-limited variation within the observed compositional interval (in wt%): (1) Au 36.98–41.22, Te 49.35–56.53, Sb 2.49–5.57; (2) Au 47.86–48.66, Te 43.35–44.92, Sb 7.15–8.10. The empirical formula calculated on the basis of 61 apfu is Au_{16.43–23.28}Sb_1.79–6.09Te_{32.01–38.89}Ag_0–3.69Bi_0–0.14Pb_0–0.90Cu_0–1.96. Two substitution mechanisms for antimony are proposed in the studied montbrayite grains: Sb→Au (2.5–5.6 wt% Sb) and Sb→Te (7–8 wt% Sb). The dependence of the reflection spectra and Raman spectra on the antimony content and its substitution mechanism, respectively, was found in the mineral. The slope of the reflectance spectra decreases and the curve in the blue–green region of the spectrum disappears with increasing Sb content in montbrayite. Raman spectra are reported for the first time for this mineral. The average positions of the peak with high-intensity are ~64 cm⁻¹ and ~90 cm⁻¹ for montbrayite with Sb→Te and Sb→Au, respectively. Two grains of montbrayite demonstrate decomposition according to two schemes: (1) montbrayite (7 wt% Sb) → native gold + calaverite ± altaite, and (2) montbrayite (5 wt% Sb) → native gold + tellurantimony ± altaite. A combination of melting and dissolution–precipitation processes may be responsible for the formation of these decomposition textures. Full article