{"title":"Geology, mineralization and short wave infrared alteration mapping of the Khan Altai Au deposit, Mongolia","authors":"Khaliunaa Iderbat, Mandalbayar Ganbat, Nyamdorj Densmaa, Bat-Erdene Khashgerel, Davaa-ochir Dashbaatar, I. Kavalieris","doi":"10.1111/rge.12260","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Khan Altai Au deposit is located near the N margin of the Neoproterozoic‐Cambrian Lake terrain in SW Mongolia, about 5 km from its contact with the Proterozoic‐Archean Baydrag craton, and 18 km SE of the Khantaishir ophiolite, which was emplaced in the Late Cambrian. The host rocks are strongly deformed and metamorphosed to lower greenschist facies, and of uncertain age. They comprise a sequence of rhyolitic volcaniclastics and porphyritic flows interbedded with laminated siltstone, basaltic andesite and faulted against dolomite. Low‐grade gold mineralization (up to 2 ppm Au) is hosted mainly in rhyolitic volcanics and extends over an area of about 1,100 × 160 m with a vertical extent of about 200 m. It is associated with disseminated pyrite (2–10% by vol) but includes high‐grade zones (up to 183 ppm Au over 1 m) related to cm‐wide quartz‐native Au‐pyrite veins. The Au mineralized zone also encompasses VMS mineralization (currently of minor extent), characterized by massive pyrite‐sphalerite lenses and quartz‐chalcopyrite stringer zones. A larger VMS deposit (Ereen Budagt, about 10 Mt sulfide ore) is found 6 km to the SSE in a similar geological setting. The main alteration assemblage is quartz‐white mica‐albite, but with minor carbonate, chlorite, epidote‐actinolite and pyrophyllite‐diaspore‐dickite alteration. Gold mineralization is related to zones of strong tectonic foliation and formation of phengitic white mica, with an outward zonation to high Al white mica. Pyrite is typically euhedral, and exhibits concentric growth zones, as well as quartz pressure shadows to enclosing foliation, consistent with syngenetic growth during metamorphism and deformation. Other sulfides include arsenopyrite, sphalerite and possible marcasite. Preliminary LA‐ICPMS mapping shows pyrite rims are enriched in Au, As, Co, Cu, Ni, Pb, Ag, Mo and Se, the pyrite core is enriched in Co, Bi, Te, and rhyolitic host rock is enriched in K, Ba, V and Tl. Whole rock geochemistry of basaltic andesite to rhyolite, shows N‐MORB characteristics for basaltic andesite, as well as a subduction signature for all rocks, and high MgO (~8%), TiO2 (~1%) and low Ni, Cr content in basalt, compatible with a back arc tectonic setting.","PeriodicalId":21089,"journal":{"name":"Resource Geology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.1000,"publicationDate":"2021-04-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Resource Geology","FirstCategoryId":"89","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1111/rge.12260","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"GEOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Khan Altai Au deposit is located near the N margin of the Neoproterozoic‐Cambrian Lake terrain in SW Mongolia, about 5 km from its contact with the Proterozoic‐Archean Baydrag craton, and 18 km SE of the Khantaishir ophiolite, which was emplaced in the Late Cambrian. The host rocks are strongly deformed and metamorphosed to lower greenschist facies, and of uncertain age. They comprise a sequence of rhyolitic volcaniclastics and porphyritic flows interbedded with laminated siltstone, basaltic andesite and faulted against dolomite. Low‐grade gold mineralization (up to 2 ppm Au) is hosted mainly in rhyolitic volcanics and extends over an area of about 1,100 × 160 m with a vertical extent of about 200 m. It is associated with disseminated pyrite (2–10% by vol) but includes high‐grade zones (up to 183 ppm Au over 1 m) related to cm‐wide quartz‐native Au‐pyrite veins. The Au mineralized zone also encompasses VMS mineralization (currently of minor extent), characterized by massive pyrite‐sphalerite lenses and quartz‐chalcopyrite stringer zones. A larger VMS deposit (Ereen Budagt, about 10 Mt sulfide ore) is found 6 km to the SSE in a similar geological setting. The main alteration assemblage is quartz‐white mica‐albite, but with minor carbonate, chlorite, epidote‐actinolite and pyrophyllite‐diaspore‐dickite alteration. Gold mineralization is related to zones of strong tectonic foliation and formation of phengitic white mica, with an outward zonation to high Al white mica. Pyrite is typically euhedral, and exhibits concentric growth zones, as well as quartz pressure shadows to enclosing foliation, consistent with syngenetic growth during metamorphism and deformation. Other sulfides include arsenopyrite, sphalerite and possible marcasite. Preliminary LA‐ICPMS mapping shows pyrite rims are enriched in Au, As, Co, Cu, Ni, Pb, Ag, Mo and Se, the pyrite core is enriched in Co, Bi, Te, and rhyolitic host rock is enriched in K, Ba, V and Tl. Whole rock geochemistry of basaltic andesite to rhyolite, shows N‐MORB characteristics for basaltic andesite, as well as a subduction signature for all rocks, and high MgO (~8%), TiO2 (~1%) and low Ni, Cr content in basalt, compatible with a back arc tectonic setting.
期刊介绍:
Resource Geology is an international journal focusing on economic geology, geochemistry and environmental geology. Its purpose is to contribute to the promotion of earth sciences related to metallic and non-metallic mineral deposits mainly in Asia, Oceania and the Circum-Pacific region, although other parts of the world are also considered.
Launched in 1998 by the Society for Resource Geology, the journal is published quarterly in English, making it more accessible to the international geological community. The journal publishes high quality papers of interest to those engaged in research and exploration of mineral deposits.