Analyses and descriptions of geochemical samples, southwestern part of the Dahlonega gold belt and vicinity, Georgia, and seven samples from Clay, Cleburne, and Tallapoosa counties, Alabama

Abstract

Semiquantitative spectrographic analyses for 30 elements, atomic absorption analyses for gold, copper, lead, and zinc, colorimetric analyses for arsenic and molybdenum, and instrumental analyses for mercury on all or part of a sample suite of 788 rock and saprolite samples are reported here in detail. Complete chemical analyses are reported on 27 fresh to partly weathered rock samples. Most of the samples are saprolite derived from mica schist and gneiss, amphibolite, and quartzite, or vein quartz in saprolite. Samples of vein quartz generally contain some enclosing country rock. Samples are from roadcuts, surface and underground mine workings, and mine dumps. Locations are given by quadrangle and by latitude and longitude. Seventy-six percent of the samples from old mine areas and 13 percent from roadcuts contain gold at a limit of determination of 0.02 parts per million (ppm). Thirty-five percent of the mine samples and ninety percent of the roadcut samples that contain detectable gold have less than 0.2 ppm.

Geochemical reconnaissance of the Carroll County Gold Belt and southwestern part of the Dahlonega Gold Belt, western Georgia

“…The distribution of the higher negative correlation coefficients also appears to be random. Similar results were found for samples from the northeastern half of the Dahlonega gold belt (Lesure, 1992).…”

“…In general, however, 13 percent of any rock type collected in outcrop and 78 percent of any rock type collected from a mine area contain detectable gold at a limit of detection of 0.02 ppm. Similar calculations for the northeastern half of the Dahlonega belt show that 24 percent of outcrop samples and 67 percent of mine samples are gold-bearing (Lesure, 1992).…”

“…Some preliminary results were reported earlier (Lesure, 1969a, b). A separate report described the results of similar sampling in the northeastern part of the Dahlonega gold belt (Lesure, 1992).…”

“…1). More than two-thirds of Manuscript approved for publication December 16, 1992. these mines and prospects are concentrated in the northeastern part of the belt, roughly centered around Dahlonega in Lumpkin County and Helen in White County (Lesure, 1992); the southwestern part of the belt from Cherokee County to Haralson County contains about 90 mines and prospects, mostly in Cherokee County. The Dahlonega gold belt splits in southwestern Cherokee County; the north fork continues southwestward with only a short break for 45 mi into Haralson County, and the south fork trends south and then southwest 17 mi across Cobb County and into the east half of Paulding County (fig.…”