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Native Gold as a Specific Indicator Mineral for Gold Deposits,...
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Native Gold as a Specific Indicator Mineral for Gold Deposits, 2nd Edition

A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X). This special issue belongs to the section "Mineral Deposits".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 June 2025 | Viewed by 5815

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Galina Palyanova

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Sobolev Institute of Geology and Mineralogy, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia
2. Department of Geology and Geophysics, Novosibirsk State University, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia
Interests: ore-forming processes; experiment; thermodynamic modeling; minerals-indicators; fluid−mineral−rock interactions; gold mineralization; gold deposits; mechanisms of ore formation; reconstruction of T,P,X-conditions
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We would like to invite you to contribute papers to our Special Issue entitled “Native Gold as a Specific Indicator Mineral for Gold Deposits, 2nd Edition”.

Native gold is the most common and significant industrial gold mineral. The widespread isomorphic impurity elements in gold are Ag, Cu, Hg, and Pd. Findings of native gold with Pt and Ni impurities and other elements have been reported. Native gold often contains microinclusions of ore minerals, silicates, oxides, carbonates, etc. Over the last few years, special attention has been paid to the study of the impurities and minerals in association with native gold since these characteristics are important informative signs of deposits with different types of mineralization. The chemical compositions of native gold and its associated minerals are the most important typomorphic features, as they allow for the prediction of the possible sources of metal for placers. The set and quantity of impurities in native gold vary greatly between different types of deposits and largely depend on the physicochemical conditions of their formation and the metallogenic features of gold-bearing provinces. It is also important to analyze changes in the compositions of native gold and its associated minerals in hypergene conditions during the formation of weathering crusts and placers. The concentration levels and ratios of various elements in gold grains can provide a geochemical history of ore-forming events. Papers reporting analytical results pertaining to native gold obtained via electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) are welcome. Experimental and theoretical studies of binary, ternary, and more complex phase systems with gold, revealing the existence of solid solutions and intermetallic compounds, would also be significant and valuable contributions to this Special Issue.

The aim of this Special Issue is to explore the reasons behind the variation in the chemical and mineralogical characteristics of native gold and to develop an effective criteria for forecasting and searching for gold deposits.

Dr. Galina Palyanova
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Minerals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • isomorphic impurities in native gold
  • fineness
  • heterogeneity
  • proto-, syn- and epigenetic minerals of native gold
  • LA-ICP-MS
  • EPMA
  • phase diagrams Au-element(s)
  • gold deposit types
  • criteria for forecasting and searching for gold deposits

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

25 pages, 50215 KiB  
Article
Source of Ore-Forming Fluids and Ore Genesis of the Batailing Au Deposit, Central Jilin Province, Northeast China: Constraints from Fluid Inclusions and H-O-C-S-Pb Isotopes
by Haoming Li, Keyong Wang, Xiangjin Yan, Qingying Zhao and Lixue Sun
Minerals 2024, 14(10), 1028; https://doi.org/10.3390/min14101028 - 14 Oct 2024
Viewed by 593
Abstract
The Batailing Au deposit is a vein-type deposit in central Jilin Province, situated in the southern sector of the Lesser Xing’an–Zhangguangcai Range within the eastern Central Asian Orogenic Belt. NE-trending fault-controlled orebodies occur in the Upper Permian Yangjiagou Formation and quartz diorite–porphyrite. The [...] Read more.
The Batailing Au deposit is a vein-type deposit in central Jilin Province, situated in the southern sector of the Lesser Xing’an–Zhangguangcai Range within the eastern Central Asian Orogenic Belt. NE-trending fault-controlled orebodies occur in the Upper Permian Yangjiagou Formation and quartz diorite–porphyrite. The mineralisation process was delineated into three stages: (I) quartz–arsenopyrite–pyrite, (II) quartz–polymetallic sulphides (main Au mineralisation stage), and (III) quartz–pyrite–carbonate. Fluid inclusions (FIs) in quartz were identified as four types: PC-type (pure CO2), C1-type (CO2-bearing), C2-type (CO2-rich), and W-type (aqueous two-phase). Raman spectroscopy analysis revealed that the vapor components of the FIs predominantly comprised CO2 with minor quantities of CH4 in stages I–II. Stages I and II encompassed four types of FIs with homogenisation temperature ranging from 264 to 332 °C and 213 to 292 °C and salinity spanning from 4.7 to 11.2 wt% and 1.8 to 11.6 wt%, respectively. Stage III exclusively contained W-type FIs with homogenisation temperature ranging from 152 to 215 °C and salinity spanning from 1.4 to 6.4 wt%. H-O isotopic values (δD = −84 to −79.6‰, δ18OH2O = 6.2 to 6.4‰ in stage I and δD = −96.4 to −90.4‰, δ18OH2O = 2.8 to 4.4‰ in stage II) and microthermometric data indicated that the ore-forming fluids are initially from a magmatic source, with later meteoric water input. Low C isotopic data from CO2 in FIs in quartz (−24.4 to −24.3‰ in stage I and −23.7 to −22.6‰ in stage II) indicated an organic carbon source. Ore precipitation is mainly attributable to fluid immiscibility. S-Pb isotopic data (δ34S = −3.5 to −1.6‰; 206Pb/204Pb = 18.325–18.362, 207Pb/204Pb = 15.523–5.562, 208Pb/204Pb = 38.064–38.221) revealed that ore metals primarily originated from magma. Based on this research, the origin of the Batailing Au deposit is of the mesothermal magmatic–hydrothermal lode type. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Native Gold as a Specific Indicator Mineral for Gold Deposits, 2nd Edition)
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21 pages, 4180 KiB  
Article
Mineralogical Method as an Effective Way to Predict Gold Ore Types of Deposits in Platform Areas (East of the Siberian Platform)
by Zinaida Nikiforova
Minerals 2024, 14(6), 631; https://doi.org/10.3390/min14060631 - 20 Jun 2024
Viewed by 906
Abstract
The study of the mineralogical and geochemical features of placer gold and the mechanisms of its distribution in the territory east of the Siberian platform, overlain by a thick cover of Mesozoic–Cenozoic deposits, where traditional methods of searching for gold fields are not [...] Read more.
The study of the mineralogical and geochemical features of placer gold and the mechanisms of its distribution in the territory east of the Siberian platform, overlain by a thick cover of Mesozoic–Cenozoic deposits, where traditional methods of searching for gold fields are not effective, allowed researchers, for the first time, to establish the stages of ore formation and to predict the types of gold deposits and their location. The identified indicators of placer gold (morphology, granulometry, chemical composition, micro-inclusions, and internal structures) indicate that ore occurrences in both the Precambrian and Mesozoic stages of ore formation were primary sources of placer gold. The identification of characteristic indicators in placer gold for certain types of gold deposits allowed researchers to prove the formation of gold ore sources east of the Siberian platform for the first time: low-sulfide quartz gold, gold–ferruginous quartzite, gold–copper–porphyry, and gold–platinoid formations are found in the Precambrian stage of ore formation and gold–silver, gold–sulfide–quartz, and gold–rare metal formations are found in the Mesozoic stages of ore formation. Thus, for the first time, based on a huge amount of factual material, it is proved that the mineralogical and geochemical features of placer gold carry enormous information about both the endogenous origin of gold (stages of ore formation—Precambrian and Mesozoic) and the expected type of formation of the predicted deposits. It is established that the predicted type of ore sources corresponds to a certain geological and structural position; this contributes to a more correct selection of methods for searching for ore and placer gold deposits in closed territories and assessing their prospects. In general, the application of the mineralogical method for the first time makes it possible to develop criteria for predicting resources and types of gold deposits, and to assess the prospects of gold mining potential in platform areas at a new level of knowledge. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Native Gold as a Specific Indicator Mineral for Gold Deposits, 2nd Edition)
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24 pages, 66960 KiB  
Article
Morphostructural, Chemical and Genetic Features of Native Gold in Brown Coals from the Yerkovetsky Deposit, Far East Russia
by Veronika I. Rozhdestvina and Galina A. Palyanova
Minerals 2024, 14(5), 503; https://doi.org/10.3390/min14050503 - 10 May 2024
Viewed by 1086
Abstract
We studied the morphostructural features and chemical composition of micron and submicron particles of native gold from brown coals and overcoal sediments of the Yerkovetsky deposit (Zeya-Bureya sedimentary basin, Far East Russia). The samples of coal and host rocks in the form of [...] Read more.
We studied the morphostructural features and chemical composition of micron and submicron particles of native gold from brown coals and overcoal sediments of the Yerkovetsky deposit (Zeya-Bureya sedimentary basin, Far East Russia). The samples of coal and host rocks in the form of thin sections, as well as coal particles and grains of native gold obtained during the process of dispersion and the fractionation of loose and crushed samples divided according to size and density, were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy in combination with X-ray microanalysis, involving various visualization modes. It was revealed that native gold is syngenetic with the mineralization of brown coals, and microphases dispersed in the minerals of overcoal loose and sandy-clay sediments were the source of native gold. In coal, gold is accumulated at the stages of formation (alluvial and eolian, including terrigenous and ionogenic subtypes) and the diagenesis of coal deposits (ground-infiltration subtype). A significant part of the mineralization process of coals and the formation of microparticles of native gold was contributed to by the descending water infiltration of polycomponent colloid solutions. During the dehydration of hydroxysiliconized iron-based hydrogels, mineral phases have an unstable composition and floccular structure and contain submicron gold particles. The coatings of all gold microparticles have identical origin and composition. Coal beds that border host rocks are an open system with a constant inflow of the substance, which leads to the gradual formation of polycomponent aggregated particles in micro cavities. Part of the gold in coals occurs as sulfur-bearing complexes dissolved in pore water. The key factor in the migration and deposition of gold in coals is the inorganic substances involved in the processes of coal mineralization. Organic substances play a more passive role and have medium-forming, fractionating (colloid, molecular, and ionic sieves), and accumulation functions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Native Gold as a Specific Indicator Mineral for Gold Deposits, 2nd Edition)
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29 pages, 26294 KiB  
Article
Minerals of the Au-Cu-Ag System in Grains from the Placers of the Olkhovaya-1 River (Eastern Kamchatka, Russia)
by Galina A. Palyanova, Tatiana V. Beliaeva, Dmitry P. Savelyev and Yurii V. Seryotkin
Minerals 2024, 14(5), 448; https://doi.org/10.3390/min14050448 - 24 Apr 2024
Viewed by 991
Abstract
Heterogeneous grains in the heavy fractions of the placers of the Olkhovaya-1 river (Kamchatka Cape Peninsula, Eastern Kamchatka, Russia) containing Au-Ag, Au-Cu, and Au-Ag-Cu particles were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy, electron-probe microanalysis, and X-ray powder diffractometry. The analyses showed that auricupride dominates [...] Read more.
Heterogeneous grains in the heavy fractions of the placers of the Olkhovaya-1 river (Kamchatka Cape Peninsula, Eastern Kamchatka, Russia) containing Au-Ag, Au-Cu, and Au-Ag-Cu particles were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy, electron-probe microanalysis, and X-ray powder diffractometry. The analyses showed that auricupride dominates in some grains, whereas in others, the main phases are tetra-auricupride or Ag-rich and (or) Au-rich alloys. It was revealed that in the central parts of some grains of exsolution structures, auricupride Cu3.04–2.74Au0.96–1.26 (Ag < 1 wt.%) occurs in intergrowths with low-fineness Ag0.86–0.67Au0.09–0.33Cu<0.05 solid solutions (160‰–480‰), and tetra-auricupride Cu1.12–0.87Au0.88–1.11Ag<0.02 (Ag < 2 wt.%) occurs with higher-fineness Au0.73–0.62Ag0.2–0.38Cu<0.07 solid solutions (520‰–850‰). We also observed, mainly in the peripheral parts of the grains, insignificant amounts of secondary phases that were compositionally similar to Cu2Au, Cu3Au2, Au3Cu2, Au2Cu, Au3Cu, high-fineness gold with impurities of Cu and occasionally Ag (>850‰), and pure gold. In intergrowths with auricupride and tetra-auricupride, we also observed earlier-formed silicates (garnet, pyroxene, chlorite, epidote, titanite), syngenetic sulfides (pyrrhotite, bornite, galena), and later minerals (chalcocite, covellite, anilite, cuprite, goethite, etc.). The XRD analysis of the peripheral parts of some grains showed the presence of auricupride (Cu3Au), tetra-auricupride CuAu (I) and Cu(Au0.92Ag0.08) (II), and gold. The profiles show the absence of peaks of the Au3Cu phase and other Au-Ag-Cu phases identified by the EMPA, which is likely due to their low concentrations in the samples or their structural similarity to gold. It is assumed that the probable source of Au-Ag-Cu mineralization in the Olkhovaya-1 river placers is located in the upper reaches of watercourses that erode the ultrabasic massif of Mounts Soldatskaya and Golaya (Kamchatka Cape Peninsula). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Native Gold as a Specific Indicator Mineral for Gold Deposits, 2nd Edition)
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17 pages, 12062 KiB  
Article
Montbrayite from the Svetlinsk Gold–Telluride Deposit (South Urals, Russia): Composition Variability and Decomposition
by Olga V. Vikent’eva, Vladimir V. Shilovskikh, Vasily D. Shcherbakov, Tatyana N. Moroz, Ilya V. Vikentyev and Nikolay S. Bortnikov
Minerals 2023, 13(9), 1225; https://doi.org/10.3390/min13091225 - 18 Sep 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1366
Abstract
A rare gold–telluride montbrayite from the large Svetlinsk gold–telluride deposit (South Urals, Russia) was comprehensively studied using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, electron microprobe analysis, reflectance measurements, electron backscatter diffraction, and Raman spectroscopy. Significant variations in the composition of the mineral were revealed [...] Read more.
A rare gold–telluride montbrayite from the large Svetlinsk gold–telluride deposit (South Urals, Russia) was comprehensively studied using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, electron microprobe analysis, reflectance measurements, electron backscatter diffraction, and Raman spectroscopy. Significant variations in the composition of the mineral were revealed (in wt%): Au 36.98–48.66, Te 43.35–56.53, Sb 2.49–8.10, Ag up to 4.56, Pb up to 2.04, Bi up to 0.33, Cu up to 1.42. There are two distinct groups with much more-limited variation within the observed compositional interval (in wt%): (1) Au 36.98–41.22, Te 49.35–56.53, Sb 2.49–5.57; (2) Au 47.86–48.66, Te 43.35–44.92, Sb 7.15–8.10. The empirical formula calculated on the basis of 61 apfu is Au16.43–23.28Sb1.79–6.09Te32.01–38.89Ag0–3.69Bi0–0.14Pb0–0.90Cu0–1.96. Two substitution mechanisms for antimony are proposed in the studied montbrayite grains: Sb→Au (2.5–5.6 wt% Sb) and Sb→Te (7–8 wt% Sb). The dependence of the reflection spectra and Raman spectra on the antimony content and its substitution mechanism, respectively, was found in the mineral. The slope of the reflectance spectra decreases and the curve in the blue–green region of the spectrum disappears with increasing Sb content in montbrayite. Raman spectra are reported for the first time for this mineral. The average positions of the peak with high-intensity are ~64 cm−1 and ~90 cm−1 for montbrayite with Sb→Te and Sb→Au, respectively. Two grains of montbrayite demonstrate decomposition according to two schemes: (1) montbrayite (7 wt% Sb) → native gold + calaverite ± altaite, and (2) montbrayite (5 wt% Sb) → native gold + tellurantimony ± altaite. A combination of melting and dissolution–precipitation processes may be responsible for the formation of these decomposition textures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Native Gold as a Specific Indicator Mineral for Gold Deposits, 2nd Edition)
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Planned Papers

The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.

1. Title: Targeting high-grade mineralisation via a synthesis of compositional profiles of alluvial gold with structural and paragenetic models 
Authors: R.J. Chapman, T.M Torvela, C.P Spence-Jones, G.W. McLeod, R.D Walshaw
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