Application of La-Icp-Ms Sulfide Analysis and Methodology For Deciphering Elemental Paragenesis and Associations In Addition To Multi-Stage Processes In Metamorphic Gold Settings

Abstract

Quantitative laser ablation inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA ICP-MS) element distribution analysis represents a relatively new and powerful approach to assess gold mineralizing processes. Although there is a trend towards imaging in LA ICP-MS, this article demonstrates that the compilation of the individual time-slice datasets (TSD) from LA analyses provides greater potential to explore and better understand ore systems. Based on several analyses of gold-bearing sulphides from a variety of lode gold mineralized settings, this study introduces new diagrams and geostatistical techniques as recommended procedures to be applied to any gold deposit environment to better understand its genesis with possible exploration implications. The nature of the mineralizing fluid is investigated by studying Ni and Co variations in the sulphide grains in environments ranging from ultramafic to felsic, whereas upgrading of gold tenor within an ore deposit is identified using Au versus Ag plots grouped by element association and elemental geochemical affinity. Furthermore, the textural transformation and coupled dissolution/precipitation (CDP) in pyrite is documented using Ag versus Ni plots with associated defined fields (i.e., diagenetic versus metamorphic). Lastly, standard Manuscript Click here to download Manuscript Manuscript_without.docx geostatistical tests are used to assess element associations through agglomerative hierarchical clustering and exploratory statistical methods. Meanwhile, a multidimensional scaling approach can evaluate the geochemical affinity of the mineralizing fluids.

Petrogenetic Study of the Multiphase Chibougamau Pluton: Archaean Magmas Associated with Cu–Au Magmato-Hydrothermal Systems

“…Additional integrations were performed to compile "time-slice data sets" (TSD), following the recommendations of Gourcerol and collaborators [78]. In this contribution, the spot and line analyses were reduced using 2 s integrations.…”

“…Pyrite has been abundantly used to document mineralizing processes and fluid chemistry [78,82,83]. The pyrites considered in this section come from two distinct areas with alteration styles typical of the Central Camp (Kokko sample) and pluton-hosted (Queylus sample) hydrothermal systems ( Figure 2).…”

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

“…The best examples are the Wasamac, Beattie, and Boyvinet mineralizations (Table 1), where pyrite has been studied in detail. These deposits are well documented because pyrite is an important marker of magmatic fluid input, e.g., Chibougamau area [63], and a tracer of metallogenic processes [64]. Additional deposits with more controversial metallogenic models are also presented in this section.…”

Structural and geochemical ore-forming processes in deformed gold deposits: towards a multiscale and multimethod approach

“…In a given deposit, sulphide mineral texture and geochemical signature may thus indicate gold input and crystallisation-remobilisation stages (e.g. Velasquez et al, 2014;Fougerouse et al, 2017;Pearce et al, 2018;Gourcerol et al, 2018aGourcerol et al, , 2018bGourcerol et al, , 2020Kontak et al, 2018;Large and Maslennikov, 2020;Combes et al, 2021) and could be used as pathfinders for high-grade gold ore (e.g. Kadel-Harder et al, 2020).…”

“…This approach has been widely used to study sulphide trace element geochemistry within individual deposits (e.g. Large et al, 2007Large et al, , 2009Cook et al, 2013;Hazarika et al, 2013;Velasquez et al, 2014;Gourcerol et al, 2018aGourcerol et al, , 2018bGourcerol et al, , 2020Augustin and Gaboury, 2019;Li et al, 2019;Wu et al, 2019a;Kadel-Harder et al, 2020;Combes et al, 2021). When coupled to the microstructural and -textural characterisation of ore-bearing mineral assemblages, such geochemical datasets allow to reassess ore genetic models (e.g.…”