Simulation test on migration of geogas-carrying gold nanoparticles in slope sediments

Simulation of adsorption of gold nanoparticles carried by gas ascending from the Earth’s interior in alluvial cover of the middle–lower reaches of the Yangtze River

“…The technique uses the principle that metallic nanoparticles associated with orebodies can be transported to the Earth's surface by ascending gas flows. By using solid or liquid collectors to adsorb matter transported by gas from depth into surficial sediments, or into the atmosphere, and then analyzing the adsorbed material with highly sensitive and accurate methods (e.g., neutron activation analysis, atomic adsorption spectrometry, particle-induced X-ray emission, and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry), extremely low but anomalous element concentrations can be used to predict the occurrence of concealed orebodies (Wang et al 1997(Wang et al , 2008Tong et al 1998;Malmqvist et al 1999;Tong & Li 1999;Xie et al 1999;Cao et al 2005Cao et al , 2009). An advantage of this technique over geophysical and other geochemical exploration methods is that it can be applied to exploration at considerably greater depths.…”

TEM observations of particles based on sampling in gas and soil at the Dongshengmiao polymetallic pyrite deposit, Inner Mongolia, Northern China

“…The basic principles of geogas prospecting are that geogas is widely present as an ascending gas flow in the earth (Gold and Soter, 1980;Chiodini et al, 1995;Xie, 1995;Wang et al, 1997;Tong and Li, 1999;Wang et al, 1999;Morner and Etiope, 2002;Etiope and Martinelli, 2002;Annunziatellis et al, 2003;Wang, 2003;Cameron et al, 2004;Wang et al, 2007) and when the ascending gas flows through the ore body, it can carry solid substances from the concealed ore bodies or other geological bodies and transport them to the earth's surface; these solid substances primarily take the form of nano-scale particles (Cao, 2011;Cao et al, 2010a;Etiope, 1998;Etiope and Lombardi, 1996;Tong and Li, 1999;Tong et al, 1998;Wang et al, 2007). These ascending gas flow-carried substances can be captured by a collector, and a wealth of mineralization information about the concealed ore bodies can be obtained by using modern testing technologies (Cao et al, 2005(Cao et al, , 2010bMa et al, 1998;Malmqvist et al, 1999;Tong and Li, 1999;Tong et al, 1998;Wang et al, 1997Wang et al, , 1999Wang et al, , 2007Xie et al, 1999).…”