Skarn type deposits are important potential resources for Cu, Au, and Ag as well as other strategic metals, which require accurate characterization of the mineralogy, texture and grade for successful processing and environmental management. The mineralogy of these deposits and of the resulting tailings has traditionally been examined using transmitted light microscopy, cathodoluminescence, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and electron probe microanalysis. In the present study, the Quantitative Evaluation of Minerals by Scanning Electron Microscopy (QEMSCAN®) technology was applied to rapidly acquire spatially resolved mineralogical data from tailings associated with a Cu(Au,Ag) skarn type deposit. The resulting modal and textural data provided relevant additional information on the distribution of the ore minerals, including detail on the trace minerals, grain size distributions, and mineral associations. The following benefits of detailed mineralogical knowledge from this study can be pointed out: it improves the lithotyping of these complex deposit types and will benefit their ore processing strategies; it allows inferences to be made about the environmental behavior of the tailings, namely the acid mine drainage potential; it provides data about deportment of penalty and toxic elements, which are specifically As, Te, and Sb. Thus, particular applications of QEMSCAN include assessments of the acid consumption of the mineral assemblages (mainly assured due to calcite and dolomite) and of the abundance, distribution and mobility of potentially toxic elements, such as As.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.