Mineralogy, Geochemistry and Fluid Inclusion Study of Gold Deposits Endowed in Critical Metals

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2024 | Viewed by 1681

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Geology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Interests: ore deposit modelling, orogenic gold, structural geology, metamorphic petrology, Archean
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Guest Editor
Department of Mineralogy, Petrology and Economic Geology, Faculty of Geology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Interests: ore deposits; porphyry-epithermal mineralization; mineralogy; geochemistry; fluid inclusions
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Faculty of Geology & Geoenvironment, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, University Campus, GR-15784 Athens, Greece
Interests: ore minerals; critical metals; magmatic-hydrothermal ore deposits; mineralogy of hydrothermal alterations in porphyry-epithermal systems; mineralogy and genesis of gemstones
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Guest Editor
Department of Mineralogy, Institute of Geography and Earth Sciences, ELTE, Eötvös Loránd University, 1053 Budapest, Hungary
Interests: isotope geochemistry; minerals; geochemistry exploration; geology; petrography; geological processes; petrology exploration

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleague,

Gold deposits have been found in a variety of geological settings throughout the earth’s geological history, since the early Archean. Processes leading to primary concentrations of gold can still be detected in active geothermal areas at present. Gold is typically found in a variety of forms and in association with other metals and metalloids like silver, tellurium, copper and lead, as well as in sulfides, sulfosalts and gangue minerals such as quartz and calcite. Some of these metals and metalloids are considered critical metals since they are vital to important modern technologies and, in many cases, can be extracted as co- or by-products.

The mineralogical composition of gold deposits and their degree of endowement in critical elements significantly varies depending on the geological processes, the environment and the physicochemical conditions of their formation. Geochemical processes play a crucial role in their concentration and dispersion in the Earth's crust. Studies on the geochemistry of gold mineral systems can be used to trace the origin of the ore-forming fluids, the source of gold, the transporting form of Au and conditions of concentration in the form of native metals, alloys and substitutions in the structures of ore minerals.

Furthermore, fluid inclusion studies help to determine the composition and physical state characteristics of the fluids, the temperature and pressure during ore deposition, and the evolution of the metallogenic system.

Understanding the mineralogy, geochemistry, and structural geology of gold deposits is crucial for mineral exploration, as it provides valuable information for targeting areas with the potential for economic gold and critical metal concentrations. It is also a prerequisite when deciding the feasibility of extracting these from specific deposits, as well as determining the most effective extraction and processing methods.

This Special Issue invites contributions that apply mineralogy, geochemistry (major and trace elements, stable and radiogenic isotopes), fluid inclusions and fluid–rock interaction studies in gold deposits endowed in critical metals that have been formed in various geological systems. We encourage original and review papers covering novel techniques, developments and applications in applied mineralogy, geochemistry, and fluid inclusions.

Dr. Grigorios Aarne Sakellaris
Prof. Dr. Vasilios Melfos
Prof. Dr. Panagiotis Voudouris
Dr. Ferenc Molnár
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • gold
  • critical metals
  • ore mineralogy
  • ore geochemistry
  • fluid inclusions
  • mineral system
  • deposit modeling
  • mineral exploration

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

20 pages, 20809 KiB  
Review
Gold Deposits Related to the Island Arc Formations and Ophiolitic Complexes of Eastern Cuba: A Review
by Jorge L. Costafreda, Domingo A. Martín, Jorge L. Costafreda-Velázquez and José Luis Parra
Minerals 2024, 14(5), 463; https://doi.org/10.3390/min14050463 - 28 Apr 2024
Viewed by 1194
Abstract
Several gold deposits in the eastern region of Cuba are genetically related to the island arc- and the ophiolitic complex formation. These have been studied and exploited since the time of the Spanish colonization in the mid-sixteenth century. These deposits belong to the [...] Read more.
Several gold deposits in the eastern region of Cuba are genetically related to the island arc- and the ophiolitic complex formation. These have been studied and exploited since the time of the Spanish colonization in the mid-sixteenth century. These deposits belong to the Aguas Claras-Guajabales mineral field in the Holguín Province (Cuba) and lie in an elongated zone approximately 15 km in length. The object of this work is to make a methodical, detailed, and chronological review of the geological and mining work carried out in this region, as well as highlight the degree of the previously achieved studies. To realize this, an extensive bibliographic review of all available data, including published reports and articles, as well as unpublished material, was carried out. Moreover, ore mineralogy and petrography were reviewed by thin section analyses from samples from these deposits by petrographic and scanning electron microscopy. The results obtained from this study highlight that the gold mineralization in that area is closely linked to metasomatic processes produced by the circulation of hydrothermal fluids that affected the different volcanic and ultramafic rocks. This study shows that the highest gold contents observed are controlled by the contacts between the different host lithologies with high rheological contrasts. The presence of different alteration styles such as serpentinization, listvenitization, rodingitization, and propylitization have played a primary role in the deposition of gold during mineralization processes. This work could be a very useful exploration guide for future research in this region, as it provides a useful and practical compilation of the characteristics of the mineralization and alteration styles, as well as a precise indication of the spatial position, thicknesses, and contents of the gold-rich horizons. Full article
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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.

Title: Metal budget of Eocene rhyolite magmas coincident with Carlin-type Au deposition: A multivariate compositional data approach
Authors: Celestine N Mercer, et.al.
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