Several gold deposits discovered since 1990 in the central Pequop Mountains of Elko County, northeastern Nevada, make up the new Pequop mining district. The most advanced projects, including Long Canyon and West Pequop, have a combined resource exceeding 42.5 tonnes Au and growing. Favorable open-pit mining economics are generated by high-grade, oxidized gold deposits above the water table.

The deposits exhibit characteristics typical of Carlin-type gold deposits, including limestone and calcareous siliciclastic host rocks, collapse breccias, and <5 micron gold grains in rims of oxidized arsenian pyrite grains. Host rocks are decalcified, argillized, and locally silicified (jasperoid). Some gold mineralization, particularly at Long Canyon, occurs along the margins of competent blocks of Cambrian Notch Peak dolomite in contact with limestone.

This article and a future article in the SEG Newsletter will serve as previews to an SEG-sponsored forum to examine and discuss the origins of gold deposits in the Carlin and Witwatersrand camps. The forum will be held in Reno, Nevada, on May 14, 2005, in conjunction with Geological Society of Nevada’s Symposium 2005 – Window to the World. Both districts have been the focus of major controversies. In this article, three short papers discuss the origin of Carlin-type deposits in north-central Nevada. Over the last few decades, Carlin-type deposits have been seen as shallow hot spring deposits, distal products of porphyry copper deposits, and the uppermost parts of deep mesother-mal systems. The first paper, by Jean Cline, provides an introduction to the characteristics of Carlin-type deposits and a framework for discussions of their origin. The second paper, by Marcus Johnston and Michael Ressel, argues for a magmatic origin for the deposits, and specifically that plutons are the source of heat and probably fluids and metals. The third paper, by Eric Seedorff and Mark Barton, discusses amagmatic models for the origin of Carlin-type deposits, as well as pointing out shortcomings in magmatic models. These authors will give talks at the May 2005 forum, which will be followed by panel and open discussions with the aim of identifying what we need to know to better understand and explore for these deposits.

Carlin-type deposits in the Alligator Ridge mining district are present sporadically for 40 km along the north-striking Mooney Basin fault system but are restricted to a 250-m interval of Devonian to Mississippian strata. Their age is bracketed between silicified ca. 45 Ma sedimentary rocks and unaltered 36.5 to 34 Ma volcanic rocks. The silicification is linked to the deposits by its continuity with ore-grade silicification in Devonian-Mis-sissippian strata and by its similar δ18O values (~17‰) and trace element signature (As, Sb, Tl, Hg). Eocene reconstruction indicates that the deposits formed at depths of ≤300 to 800 m. In comparison to most Carlin-type gold deposits, they have lower Au/Ag, Au grades, and contained Au, more abundant jasperoid, and tex-tural evidence for deposition of an amorphous silica precursor in jasperoid. These differences most likely result from their shallow depth of formation.

Deep Star is a high-grade Carlin-type gold deposit located in the northern part of the Carlin trend. The deposit averages 34.0 g/t Au and by year end 2000 had produced 37.8 t (1,217,000 oz) gold with a remaining reserve of 16.0 t (513,698 oz) gold. The deposit is primarily hosted in brecciated calc-silicate rocks of the Devonian Popovich Formation, with a minor amount of gold in the Jurassic Goldstrike diorite. Intrusion of the syn- and postore Deep Star rhyolite constrains the age of the mineralization. The postore rhyolite is composi-tionally and mineralogically similar to the synore dike and yielded an average 40Ar/39Ar isochron age of 38.3 Ma. Eocene rhyolite dikes intruded active, dilatant north- to northeast-striking faults and/or fractures, providing an important age constraint on the local stress regime at Deep Star during mineralization. Essentially horizontal, west-northwest-directed Eocene extension (291°) is consistent with dextral-normal oblique slip observed on north-south-striking, east-dipping portions of the Gen-Post fault system and dilation and sinistral shear on dike-filled, northeast-striking structures. A right-stepping, releasing bend in the Deep Star fault at its intersection with northwest- and north-northwest-striking subsidiary structures created a deep-tapping dilatant conduit for gold-bearing hydrothermal fluids.

The Meikle mine exploits one of the world’s highest grade Carlin-type gold deposits with reserves of ca. 220 t gold at an average grade of 24.7 g/t. Locally, gold grades exceed 400 g/t. Several geologic events converged at Meikle to create these spectacular gold grades. Prior to mineralization, a Devonian hydrothermal system altered the Bootstrap limestone to Fe-rich dolomite. Subsequently the rocks were brecciated by faulting and Late Jurassic intrusive activity. The resulting permeability focused flow of late Eocene Carlin-type ore fluids and allowed them to react with the Fe-rich dolomite. Fluid inclusion data and mineral assemblages indicate that these fluids were hot (ca. 220°C),of moderate salinity (<6 wt % NaCl equiv), acidic, and H2S rich. Gold-rich pyrite formed by dissolution of dolomite and sulfidation of its contained Fe. Where dissolution and replacement were complete, ore-stage pyrite and other insoluble minerals were all that remained. Locally, these minerals accumulated as internal sediments in dissolution cavities to form ore with gold grades >400 g/t.

В рекомендациях изложены материалы, отражающие современный подход к прогнозированию, поискам и оценке месторождений урана в палеоруслах применительно к территории России. Методические рекомендации базируются на геологогенетической модели месторождений данной группы, которые рассматриваются как разновидность инфильтрационных месторождений, пригнодных для отработки способом подземного выщелачивания. Учтен болшьой опыт изучения нацчными и производственными органзациями различных объектов как в определившихся, так и потенциально ураноносных районах.

The Goldstrike property, located in the Carlin Trend in Nevada, contains a diverse group of Carlin deposits, including some of the largest and highest grade examples known. The largest deposit, Betze-Post, has a gold endowment of approximately 1,250 metric tons (t) Au, and the Meikle deposit, which contains 220 t Au, has a grade of 24.7 g/t Au. Goldstrike is part of the larger Blue Star-Goldstrike subdistrict, which has an areal extent of 58.5 by 2 km and a total gold endowment of 1,970 t. The first discovery of gold at Goldstrike was in 1962. Subsequent exploration culminated in the discovery in 1986 of large high-grade orebodies beneath smaller, lower grade orebodies. Exploration over a 40-yr period has relied on the evolution in understanding of geology and ore controls, supported by the application of geochemical and geophysical exploration techniques.

Pregold mineralization at the Getchell Carlin-type gold deposit includes quartz and base metal vein mineralization associated with intrusion of a Cretaceous granodiorite stock. The veins contain minor pyrite and trace chalcopyrite, arsenopyrite, galena, and sphalerite. The pyrite is moderately coarse and, in thin section, has high relief, is well polished, and is fractured and locally cemented by the gold ore assemblage. White micas are associated with veins near the granodiorite intrusion. Gold was not observed or detected by fire assay analyses of samples or electron microprobe analyses of pyrites. Microprobe analyses show that pregold pyrites have near-stoichiometric compositions. Variable, low arsenic is present in pyrite in samples overprinted by gold mineralization. Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) analyses detected trace gold in the coarse, near-stoichiomet-ric pyrite in overprinted samples. The pregold vein assemblage was fractured and cemented by gold ore-stage mineralization

The Rain mine includes two mined-out open pits that contained 36.4 t (1.17 Moz) gold, averaging 1.8 g/t gold, and underground reserves, including underground production, estimated at 4.9 t (157,000 oz) gold averaging 7.7 g/t. Rain orebodies are localized in a breccia complex within the hanging wall of the Rain fault and hosted within the Mississippian Webb Formation immediately overlying the contact with the Devonian Devils Gate Limestone.

The ore host includes four texturally and genetically distinct breccia types: (1) crackle breccia; (2) hy-drothermal breccia; (3) tuffisite with accretionary lapilli; and (4) collapse breccia. Crackle breccia forms a capping over multistage hydrothermal breccias that are cut by tabular- to pipe-shaped tuffisite dikes, with some containing accretionary lapilli. Pre- and synore hydrothermal breccias formed during at least three episodes of convective fluidization, followed by quartz-sulfide-barite cementation. High-grade gold was deposited as a late phase along the upper portion of the hydrothermal breccia mass and extended into the crackle breccia zone. Collapse breccias occur along the floor of the composite breccia mass and have irregular upper and lower contacts. The lower contact occurs on a dissolution boundary with the Devils Gate Limestone.

Newly recognized gold-rich sedimentary-exhalative (sedex) mineralization in Nevada, with an average gold grade of 14 g/tonne (t), and the occurrence of significant amounts of gold in classic sedex deposits like Rammelsberg, Germany (30 Mt at 1 g/t), Anvil, Canada (120 Mt at 0.7 g/t), and Triumph, Idaho (? at 2.2 g/t) demonstrate that basin brines can form gold ore. The sedex Au mineralization in Nevada represents a previously unrecognized end member in a spectrum of sedex deposits that also includes large Zn-Pb, intermediate Zn-Pb-Ba ± Au, and barite deposits. Study of ore deposits, modern brines, and chemical modeling indicates that variation in metal ratios and their abundance in sedex deposits are dominantly controlled by the concentration and redox state of sulfur in brines. For example, Au and Ba solubilities are highest in H2S-rich, SO4-poor fluids, whereas base metal solubilities are highest when H2S is not present. Chemical modeling indicates a typical reduced brine (15 wt % NaCl equiv, pH = 5.5, H2S = 0.01 m) at 200°C is capable of transporting as much as 1 ppm Au in solution.

The H2S content in brines is controlled by the rate of its production through thermochemical reduction of sulfate by organic matter and the rate of its removal from the fluid through the sulfidation of reactive Fe in the sediments. Thus, sedimentary basins with high organic carbon and sulfate in rocks low in reactive Fe, such as carbonates and shales, are most likely to produce H2S-rich brines that may form gold-rich sedex deposits. Because of the tremendous scale of sedex hydrothermal systems, evidence that basin fluids can transport gold identifies a new mechanism for concentrating gold in sedimentary basins and opens extensive areas to further gold exploration.