Gold metallogeny and exploration / Металлогения золота и разведка месторождений золота

The distribution of gold in the lithosphere bears critically on models for gold ore deposits. One group of workers advocates derivation of gold from large masses of rock through fluid-rock reactions in the deep crust (Kerrich, 1983; Groves and Phillips, 1987; Colvine et at., 1988) while others stress the importance of relatively restricted petrogenetic groups of rocks termed source rocks that concentrate gold above the norm (Viljoen et al., 1970; Keays, 1984). It is therefore important to know the average gold contents for rock types of the lithosphere, and what concentrations are potentially indicative of mineralization. Tilling et at. (1973) noted that unaltered igneous rocks generally have less than 5 parts per billion (ppb) gold and that 10 ppb is exceeded only rarely. A survey of more recent data presented here confirms that statement. As ore deposits may concentrate gold 104 times the rock background, gold contents of only a few tens of ppb may indicate ore-forming processes.

Distribution of gold in the Earth's crust

The hydrothermal geochemistry of gold

Archaean lode gold deposits

Phanerozoic gold deposits in tectonically active continental margins

Epithermal gold deposits in volcanic terranes

Intrusion-related gold deposits

The geology and origin of Carlin-type gold deposits

Auriferous hydrothermal precipitates on the modern seafloor

Ancient placer gold deposits

Geochemical exploration for gold in temperate, arid, semi-arid, and rain forest terrains

Geochemical exploration for gold in glaciated terrain

Geophysical exploration for gold

Economics of gold deposits