Gold-telluride-sulfide association in the Sandaowanzi epithermal Au-Ag-Te deposit, NE China: implications for phase equilibrium and physicochemical conditions

Geochronological and He–Ar–S isotopic constraints on the origin of the Sandaowanzi gold-telluride deposit, northeastern China

“…They generally replace stage II sulfides (i.e., chalcopyrite, sphalerite) ( Fig. 5d) and sulfosalts (i.e., tennantite, tetrahedrite and betekhtinite reported by Zhai and Liu, 2014) and are closely associated with native gold (Fig. 5e).…”

“…Amongst them, stage III is dominated by abundant tellurides (≥ 95 vol. %), which are principally composed of petzite, sylvanite and to a less extent, hessite, calaverite, altaite, an unnamed telluride (Au 1.8 Ag 0.2 Te), krennerite, empressite, stützite and coloradoite (Zhai and Liu, 2014). They generally replace stage II sulfides (i.e., chalcopyrite, sphalerite) ( Fig.…”

“…Additionally, there are also minor native gold and tellurides coexisting with stage II sulfides. The common alteration minerals in host volcanic rocks are composed of quartz, albite, sanidine, adularia, sericite, epidote, chlorite, kaolinite and minor illite and montmorillonite; whereas in mineralized quartz veins the alteration minerals are dominated by adularia, sericite, epidote, chlorite and calcite (Zhai and Liu, 2014). The Sandaowanzi deposit is characterized by a distinct alteration zonation, which consists of four successive zones: an inner zone of silicification, two intermediate zones, including phyllic and argillic, and an outer propylitic zone.…”

“…For the Sandaowanzi gold-telluride deposit, mineralogical investigations have demonstrated that gold is closely associated with quartz and tellurides (e.g., petzite, sylvanite, hessite, etc., Fig. 5e) (Zhai and Liu, 2014), where quartz could be dated using the Rb-Sr isotope system. Collected samples showed that trachyandesites could be portions of breccias in gold-bearing quartz veins (Fig.…”

Mineral Paragenesis and Ore‐Forming Processes of the Dongping Gold Deposit, Hebei Province, China

“…Tellurides of Au, Ag, Pb, and other metals are common trace minerals in gold deposits. The mineralogy, paragenesis, and physicochemical conditions of ore‐forming fluids in telluride‐bearing deposits have been studied intensively (Spry & Thieben, ; Pals & Spry, ; Sung et al, ; Jian et al, ; Xu et al, ; Zhai & Liu, ; Liu et al, ). Telluride melts can scavenge gold from Au‐bearing minerals through coupled dissolution–reprecipitation reactions in hydrothermal fluids even under low temperature conditions (Frost et al, ; Ciobanu et al, ; Cook et al, , b), and these reactions can result in overprinting characters in many gold telluride deposits (Ciobanu et al, ; Cook et al, ; Bi et al, ).…”