Characterization of Gold Mineralization in the Northern Cariboo Gold District, British Columbia, Canada, Through Integration of Compositional Studies of Lode and Detrital Gold with Historical Placer Production: A Template for Evaluation of Orogenic Gold Districts

Abstract

This is a repository copy of Characterization of gold mineralization in the northern Cariboo Gold District, British Columbia, Canada, through integration of compositional studies of lode and detrital gold with historical placer production: a template for evaluation of orogenic gold districts.

A new indicator mineral methodology based on a generic Bi-Pb-Te-S mineral inclusion signature in detrital gold from porphyry and low/intermediate sulfidation epithermal environments in Yukon Territory, Canada

“…Secondly, sample populations of detrital grains may contain particles derived from different sources. Chapman and Mortensen (2016) noted that gold grains collected from allochthonous placer deposits may be derived from multiple sources, whereas autochthonous placers are typically associated with smaller catchments and are more likely to contain gold from a single source (e.g., Chapman et al 2010a). Location maps indicating the sampling sites at Casino, Klaza and Nucleus-Revenue are provided in the Online Resources 1-4.…”

Quantification and Prediction of Bulk Gold Fineness at Placer Gold Mines: A New Zealand Example

“…Minerals 2017, 7, 226 2 of 12 placer particle Au fineness, and the nature and proportions of amalgamated minor metals, have been used extensively for relating detrital gold to sources(s) for exploration purposes [9,11,[13][14][15]17,18]. However, there has been little previous work on geometallurgical aspects of placer gold compositions, especially with respect to relationships between gold particle Au fineness variations and the Au fineness of bulk mine production.…”

“…Gold particles in placer deposits can display very wide ranges in Au fineness for a range of reasons, principally related to the following factors: (a) inherent variability of a particular basement source; (b) erosional derivation of gold particles from multiple sources with differing Au fineness ranges; and/or (c) variations in fineness as a result of transport-related processes [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16]. Variations in placer particle Au fineness, and the nature and proportions of amalgamated minor metals, have been used extensively for relating detrital gold to sources(s) for exploration purposes [9,11,[13][14][15]17,18].…”

Integration of Detrital Gold Microchemistry, Heavy Mineral Distribution, and Sediment Geochemistry to Clarify Regional Metallogeny in Glaciated Terrains: Application in the Caledonides of Southeast Ireland

“…Leake et al (1997) suggested that a sample population of 30 particles would provide a satisfactory inclusion signature, based on their experience of observing inclusions in around 20% of the gold grains. This study has adopted a methodology in which far more gold grains have been collected, firstly, because the inclusion abundance in some samples was far lower, which necessitated resampling, and secondly because studies such as Moles and Chapman (2013) and Chapman et al (2016) illustrate the benefit of larger data sets when characterizing populations of placer gold grains derived from multiple sources. Even so, in some cases only small numbers of inclusions were observed (e.g.…”

“…Chapman et al, 2017). This approach has been used to illuminate local variation in orogenic gold signatures (Chapman et al, 2010a,b;Chapman and Mortensen, 2016) and to infer spatial variation in mineralization within intensely glaciated areas of the British Caledonides where bedrock exposure is scarce (Leake et al, 1998, Chapman et al 2000a. This methodology appears ideally suited to generating new insights into the metallogeny of the study area.…”