Mneralogy of the Vorontsovskoe gold deposit (Northern Urals)

Abstract

The Vorontsovskoe gold deposit (Northern Urals) is unique in both Russia and the world because of the diverse and original Tl–Hg–Mn–As–Sb–S mineralization. Based on the available literature and our data, we present a list of 210 minerals found at this deposit. Eight of them are new minerals discovered by the authors: vorontsovite, ferrovorontsovite, tsygankoite, gladkovskyite, luboržákite, pokhodyashinite, gungerite, and auerbakhite. In addition, 41 minerals are found for the frst time in the Russian Federation and 89 minerals are new for the deposit. We defned nine major ore mineral assemblages, including seven ones related to carbonate breccias. They contain more than 70 rare sulfdes, tellurides and sulfosalts, including 31, 12, and 9 minerals with Tl, Hg and Mn, respectively, as species-defning elements. The paper also describes these mineral assemblages and minerals of the Vorontsovskoe deposit. Keywords: Vorontsovskoe deposit, Northern Urals, ore mineral assemblage, carbonate breccia, Tl-Hg-Mn sulfosalt, new mineral, frst fnd in Russia.

Argentopolybasite, Ag16Sb2S11, a new member of the polybasite group

“…% (Bindi et al, 2015a), from Vorontsovskoe deposit up to 0.68 wt. % (Kasatkin et al, 2022) with Cu<0.50 apfu. The third case is the first approved Agdominant member (Cu in module layer B fully substituted by Ag) of the polybasite group, the new mineral argentopearceite-T2ac (IMA 2020-049; Sejkora et al, 2020).…”

“…The first is for polybasite- M 2 a 2 b 2 c described by Bindi and Menchetti (2009) with only 0.43 apfu Cu (determined by electron probe microanalysis) and 0.50 apfu according to single-crystal data. The second is the case of benleonardite, for which on the basis of single-crystal data alone Bindi et al (2015a) defined the formula [Ag 6 (Sb,As) 2 S 6 Te] [Ag 9 Cu(S,Te) 2 Te 2 ] though multiple published chemical data show either the total absence [samples from Bambolla and Ivigtut – see Bindi et al , 2015a] or only minimal Cu contents [samples from Bambolla, Emperor, Um Samiuki occurrences – up to 0.31 wt.% (Bindi et al , 2015a) and from Vorontsovskoe deposit up to 0.68 wt.% (Kasatkin et al , 2022)] with Cu < 0.50 apfu. The third case is the first approved Ag-dominant member (Cu in module layer B fully substituted by Ag) of the polybasite group, the new mineral argentopearceite- T 2 ac (IMA2020-049; Sejkora et al , 2020).…”