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The distribution of noble metals has been studied in ores and sulfide concentrates from the Gai, Uchaly, Uzel'ga, Aleksandrinsky, Degtyarsk, and Saf'yanovka deposits. The ores, technological products, and hand-picked monofractions were analyzed with INAA; PGE were determined with kinetic and chromatographic methods after their preliminary chemical separation. The ultraheavy fractions from Au-rich samples were used for examining minerals of noble metals. Phase relations and compositions of ore minerals were studied with an X-ray microprobe and electron microscope equipped with an energy dispersive X-ray analyzer. Gold is associated largely with Fe and Cu minerals (pyrite, chalcopyrite, fahlore) and has been detected as an admixture in Pb, Bi, and Ag tellurides. Pyrite-the major mineral of massive sulfide ores-is the main gold concentrator (up to 20 ppm, ~1 ppm on average). As follows from the results of rational analysis, the concentration of finely dispersed gold in sulfide ores from the studied deposits ranges from 0.8 to 5.0 ppm, i.e., is less than the bulk Au content in the respective samples (0.93-21.2 ppm). Formation conditions of Au-enriched massive sulfide ores were estimated from the homogenization temperature of fluid inclusions in minerals and on the basis of the electrum-argentite-pyrite-sphalerite and electrum-hessite geothermometers, taking into account the sulfur and tellurium fugacities. The appearance of visible gold and tellurides in ores is caused by recrystallization of their fine-grained intergrowths with ore-forming minerals and, likely, by release of isomorphic admixtures contained in sulfides during epigenetic hydrothermal alteration.

New data on the low-temperature hydrothermal deposits of the Snake Pit, TAG, Broken Spur, and Lucky Strike fields in the rift valley of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) obtained during the 47th cruise of the R/V Akademik Mstislav Keldysh are reported. These deposits are related to focused and diffuse flows of hydrothermal solutions and the material precipitated from hydrothermal plumes. Electron microscopy study allowed us to identify protoferrihydrite, ferrihydrite, goethite, hematite, Mn-feroxyhyte, and Fe-vernadite. Fe-free vernadite, akaganeite, opal, nontronite, lepidocrocite, and jarosite occur in subordinate amounts. Bacteria-like forms made up of protoferrihydrite particles replaced with ferrihydrite, nontronite, and goethite along with particles of Fe-free vernadite and opal were found. The contents of major, minor, and noble metals were determined in samples with AAS, INAA, and the direct chromatographic method. Elevated PGE contents were established in the low-temperature hydrothermal deposits of the MAR for the first time. The highest PGE contents were detected in the inner zone of Fe-Mn crusts on the surface of a hydrothermal chimney in the Snake Pit field ((ppm) 0.13 Pd, 0.12 Rh, and 0.03 Pt, along with 16.5 Au, 642 Ag, and 355 Se) and in the Au-depleted crust on the surface of a sulfide ore fragment in the Lucky Strike field (0.12 ppm Pd and 0.04 ppm Rh along with 0.03 ppm Au, 683 ppm Se, and 1.5 wt % Ba).

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