Gold and PGE indicator mineral methods in mineral exploration

M.Beth McClenaghan Geological Survey of Canada

Workshop B: Indicator Mineral Methods in Mineral Exploration 24th International Applied Geochemistry Symposium May 31, 2009

Presentation Outline
Gold deposit indicator minerals - gold grain morphology - gold grain compositions and inclusions - examples Platinum Group element deposit indicator minerals - PGM grain compositions - PGM morphology - examples Processing methods for gold and PGE indicator minerals

Gold Indicator Minerals

Gold grains are the best indicator mineral for detecting the presence of gold deposits Sulphides (e.g., pyrite, pyrrhotite, arsenopyrite, chalcopyrite, sphalerite, galena) Platinum Group Minerals (PGM) Tellurides Scheelite, rutile Secondary minerals (e.g., jarosite, limonite, goethite, pyrolusite)

Gold Grain Characteristics

Gold grain abundance and grain characteristics been applied systematically in the past 35 years in the search for sources Most common characteristics used: size, shape and chemical composition Because gold is malleable (H=2.5-3), gold grain shape and surface features will change as they are transported; changes function of distance and mode of transport

(D. Kelley)

(P.Sarala)

Gold Grain Morphology

Grain shapes in streams are usually described in terms of their flatness, roundness, folding, and surface texture and these characteristics can be used to estimate the distance of transport Shape factor: Cailleux Flatness Index FI = a+b/2c (a=long axis, b= intermediate axis, c= short axis dimensions of a grain) Flatness Index gradually increases with increasing transport distance downstream, FI = 2 typical of bedrock deposits or gold grains close to source FI = 45 grains transported several 10s km Software available to carry out automated morphological analysis of gold grains Alcoholic beverages available to study gold flake morphology

gold flakes in schnapps

gold flakes in volka

gold flakes in champagne

gold flakes in sake

Gold Grain Morphology

Hammering and abrasion processes control grain shape and increase grain roundness Particle rounding results mainly from abrasion of particle edges and infolding of delicate protrusions Roundness can be a more sensitive estimator for distances <5 km and less reliable than flatness for distances >5 to 10 km Gold grains in bedrock lateritic terrain change shape due to progressive chemical weathering over time, from primary grains of irregular, dendritic and prismatic forms with sharp edges to grains with rounded edges and corrosion pits

(D. Kelley 2007)

Gold Grain Morphology

Placer gold grains, San Luis Range, Argentina Placer gold grains, East Sudetic Foreland, Poland Abrasion marks

Irregular Rounded folded leaf of gold Rounded Rod shaped

Gold plate distorted octahedra of gold gold crystal Rod shaped rounded folded

wire gold
(Marquez-Zavalia et al. 2004)

300 m (Wierchowiec, 2002)

Gold Grain Morphology

DiLabio (1990) classification scheme describes conditions and surface textures of gold grains related to glacial transport distance Pristine gold grains: - Primary shapes and surface textures - Appear not to have been damaged in transport - Angular wires, rods and delicate leaves that once filled in fractures, occurred as crystals with grain molds, and as inclusions in sulphides Modified gold grains: - Some primary surface textures - Edges and protrusions have been damaged during transport - Commonly striated. - Irregular edges and protrusions are crumpled, folded and curled - Grain molds and primary surface textures preserved on protected faces of grains Reshaped gold grains: - Primary surface textures destroyed - Original grain shape no longer discernible - Flattened to rounded resulting from folding of leaves, wires, rods - Surfaces may be pitted from impact marks from other grains - Surfaces are not leached of silver in most cases in glaciated terrain Pristine

10 m

Increasing transport distance

Modified

10 m

Reshaped
10 m

(McClenaghan 2001)

Gold Grain Composition

Compositional studies identify different populations within/between samples and potential bedrock sources Compositions most commonly characterized using EMP analysis for Au, Ag, Pt, Pd, Cu, Hg, Pb, Bi As, Fe, and Te. Gold content expressed at wt.% or fineness in parts per thousand (e.g. 985) Large numbers of grains should be analyzed to characterize compositional variation; different deposit types do not always have unique signatures Large volumes of gold grain compositional data have been published for various types of lode and placer deposits worldwide (see reference list) Trace element analysis by gold grains by LA ICP-MS for elements such as Mo, Bi, Te, Sb, and Sn allows for more specific fingerprinting of groups of gold grains or deposit types Placer gold grains exhibit Au-enriched, Ag-depleted rims typically 1 to 20 m thick that surround the grain core; may form by the leaching of Ag or by overgrowth of higher fineness gold subsequent to deposition

Composition of Au from different deposit types

(Townley et al. 2003)

Gold Grain Composition

Stream placers, Ivory Coast Owl Creek Au Mine, Timmins, Canada

Grain core Grain rim

Gold grain core and rim compositions in bedrock and local placers (Grant et al. 1991)

Gold grain core compositions in bedrock and till down-ice

Gold Grain Inclusions

Micro-inclusions in gold grains can provide information on ore and gangue minerals present in the bedrock source and thus provide a signature of the deposit type or even a specific gold deposit For example, enargite inclusions may indicate a high sulphidation epithermal source; argentite inclusions may indicate mesothermal gold Inclusion abundance may decrease due to post depositional alteration/ weathering in the surficial environment and/or due to physical grain degradation with increasing transport Inclusion mineralogy (stable versus unstable in surface weathering environment) may indicate distance of transport

chalcopyrite

Placer deposit, French Guiana: Presence of unstable primary inclusions and gangue minerals in gold grains indicates grains actively being shed from local bedrock source
100 m 10 m
(D. Kelley, 2007)

sericite

ankerite

Gold Grain Characteristics

Gold grains in stream sediments, Antena District, Chile
Increasing distance from source

(Townley et al. 2003)

Glaciated terrain: Waddy Lake, Central Canada

Native Copper Pyromorphite (Pb oxide)

Gold

EP Gold Zone, Waddy Lake, Saskatchewan Lode gold hosted in quartz veins, in places supergene cover Exploration challenge: thick (up to 15 m) glacial sediment cover Discovered using gold grains in till; initially panned grains from till, follow up with overburden drilling & systematic till sampling >400 m ribbon-shaped train defined by indicator minerals ribbon-shaped and till geochemistry Indicator minerals: gold, native copper, galena, chalcocite- galena, Indicator pyromorphite, bornite, molybdenite pyromorphite, bornite,

Glaciated terrain: Timmins, central Canada

Pamour Au Mine, Timmins, Canada
clay

till 0.083 oz/ton

Lode gold in quartz veins, associated with shear zone Exploration challenge: thick (10-30 m) glacial sediment cover, till overlain by thick glaciolacustrine clay Gold grain abundance, shape and size range in till proximal to bedrock source documented Maximum 880 gold grains/10 kg + pyrite Most gold grains pristine shape Most gold grains <50 m Strong till geochemical signature

(McClenaghan, 1999)

Glaciated terrain: Contact Lake, Canada

Bakos Au deposit, La Ronge Belt,Saskatchewan Lode gold in quartz veins, associated with shear zone Exploration challenge: thick glacial sediment cover; 2 phases of ice flow and 2 till units Regional till survey to follow-up gold lake sediment anomalies Gold grain abundance in till defined glacial dispersal train down-ice Highest concentration near bedrock source up to 2751 gold grains/6 kg pristine to reshaped grains grains 20 to 400 m in size, most < 100 m 2.5 km transport distance Lake sediment and till sampling results led to discovery of deposit 3 years later
(Chapman et al., 1990)

Tropical Terrain: French Guiana

Cokioco and Wayamaga gold placers, NW French Guiana
Atlantic Ocean

Venezuela Guyana

Wayamaga and Cokioco

Suriname

French Guiana

Exploration Challenges: Location of lode sources unknown Extensive vertical weathering and erosion Geomorphology of region is dynamic Lode source may not be in current placer drainage Detailed gold grain study- shape, size, fineness, inclusions Actively shedding lode source likely proximal to Wayamaga Cokioco source likely very far or eroded away Cokioco
Grain Morphology Fully reshaped 125-300 um Complete (1000) Stable or entrained grains

Brazil (R. Brommecker, 2003; D. Kelley, 2007)

Wayamaga
Modified/reshaped 50-150 um Thin rim/absent (988) Unstable primary minerals

Brazil

Grain Size Leaching of Ag Inclusions

Gold Deposit Indicator Mineral Summary

Gold is best indicator of its own deposits Recovered from broad range of sediment types: eolian, stream, lateritic soil, glacial Size range: 10 m to 2.0 mm routinely recovered Recovery methods: panning, table, jig, spiral, Knelson concentrator Composition: varies with deposit type, mainly Au and Ag - trace element concentrations used to fingerprint source - characterized by EMP and LA ICP-MS - inclusion mineralogy provides clues to source and distance of transport Surface features and shape: provide information on transport distance Reference list

(D. Kelley, 2007)

PGE Deposit Indicator Minerals

Common heavy indicator minerals for Ni-Cu-PGE mineralization:
Indicator Mineral Chemical Composition Indicator Elements

* occur in other unmineralized ultramafic rocks

Stu Averills talk

This talk

hercynite olivine * orthopyroxene * low Cr-diopside chromite * uvarovite Cr-rutile chalcopyrite loellingite rammelsbergite sperrylite PGE alloys

FeAl2O4 (Mg,Fe)SiO4 (Mg,Fe)2Si2O6 Ca(Mg,Cr)Si2O6 (Fe,Mg)(Cr, Al)2O4 Ca3Cr2Si3O12 (Ti, Cr)O2 CuFeS2 FeAs2 NiAs2 PtAs2 PGE

Al Mg Mg Mg, Cr Cr, Mg, Al (-/+Zn) Cr Cr Cu, S As Ni, As Pt, As PGE

(Averill, 2001)

PGE Deposit Indicator Minerals

Platinum Group Minerals (PGM) and gold are important indicators of PGE deposits List of the more common PGM documented in lode deposits and placers (Cabri et al. 1996)

PGM Composition
last years 40 years, PGM grain compositions have been characterized and documented
Os-Ir-Ru-Pt Os-Ir-Rh-Pt

Quaternary diagrams for Pt-Ir-Os + Rhodium or Ruthenium (Cabri et al. 1996) PGM mineral chemistry provides a fingerprint to identify and compare grain populations and can be used to characterize bedrock source PGM minerals, especially Pt-Fe alloys, usually contain inclusions of other PGM Chromite most common non-PGM inclusion; others include magnetite, olivine, pyroxenes, micas, sulphides Mineral chemistry of inclusions and intergrowths provides information on bedrock

(Cabri et al. 1996)

PGM Inclusions
Tulameen Pt Placer District, Canada
chromite Pt-Pd alloy

olivine

chlorite Magnetite intergrowths 100 m

(Cabri et al. 1996)

Chemistry of spinel and olivine intergrowths and inclusions used to determine bedrock source of placer PGM grains in streams Source determined to be chromitites in dunitic core of Tulameen Complex
(Nixon et al. 1990)

PGM Grain Morphology

Crystal faces on Pt-FE alloy placer grains, Kondyor, Russia
1 mm

Rounded PGM placer grains, Tulameen, Canada Fresh crystal faces (a) and angular broken sperrylite grains (b) in till, Sudbury, Canada

a)
Scale bar = 1 mm

pyritohedron

(Shcheka et al. 2004)

(B. McClenaghan)

Morphology and size in surficial sediments depends on distance traveled from source No systematic classification scheme for morphology PGM hardness range 1.5 to >7, more common minerals >5 Largest grains and best preserved crystal faces usually found closer to source rocks Variety of grain morphologies reported: preserved crystal faces in stream placers preserved crystal faces and angular broken grains in till - rounded PGM from placers

10 m

b)

10 m
(McClenaghan et al. 2007)

PGM Grain Morphology

Rounded PGM grains, Simonovsky Brook gold placer, Salair Range, Russia Rounded Pt-Fe alloy grains Choco region, NW Columbia Ferroan-platinum grains from the Darya river, Russia

Scale bar = 1 mm

b)

(Shcheka et al. 2004)

(Podlipsky et al. 2007)

(Cabri et al. 1996)

PGM Grains in Glacial Sediments

Historically, report of PGM in glacial sediments (till) rare Where found, usually included only a few grains from samples collected <500 m from source Presence of as few as two PGM grains in a till sample is significant; likely indicates nearby (<500 m) PGE mineralization Recent years, much improved recovery and recognition of PGM grains in till Geochemical assay of till matrix (fire assay/ICP-MS) useful check on PGM content of sample Some Recent Examples: b) Sudbury Ni-Cu-PGE deposits (Bajc & Hall 2000) Broken Hammer Cu-(Ni)-PGE deposit, Sudbury (McClenaghan et al. 2007) Magmatic Ni-Cu deposits, Thompson Nickel Belt (TNB) (talk, June 1 Plenary Session) Peregrine Diamonds 2007 discovery of sperrylite grains in till, Baffin Island, Canadian Arctic

Glaciated terrain: Thompson Ni Belt, central Canada

Thompson and Pipe magmatic Ni-Cu deposits
Ice flow

Exploration challenge: thick glacial sediments, till overlain by glaciolacustrine clay >300 km plume defined by indicator minerals in till Indicator minerals: Cr-diopside, chromite, Cr-diopside, chromite, forsterite, enstatite, sulphides, sperrylite forsterite, enstatite, sulphides,
Pentlandite Chalcopyrite

Talk: Monday, June 1 Plenary session

Pyrite

Cr-diopside

Forsterite
(Matile & Thorliefson, 1997; Thorliefson & Garrett, 1993)

Chromite

(McClenaghan et al., 2007; 2009)

Glaciated terrain: Sudbury, Canada

Gold Chalcopyrite

Sudbury breccia

Highest value: 714 grains/10 kg

Mineralized vein
Quartz monzonite

Ice flow

Pyrite

gabbro

Sperrylite

Silt-sized
(McClenaghan et al., 2007)

Sand-sized

Broken Hammer footwall Cu-PGE deposit Exploration challenge: thin till covered terrain >150 m dispersal, defined by indicator minerals and till geochemistry >150 Indicator minerals: sperrylite (PtAs2), gold, chalcopyrite, pyrite, others to be determined determined

Glaciated terrain: Lac des Isles, Canada

Chromite in 0.25-0.5 mm fraction till
Cr-andradite (Cr-garnet)
Ice flow

Chromite

(Averill, 2007)

Lac des Iles PGE Deposits Exploration challenge: till covered region >5 km ribbon-shaped dispersal train defined by ribbon-shaped indicator minerals and till geochemistry Background = zero chromite grains Maximum 235 chromite grains Indicator minerals: Cr-andradite, chromite, chromite, sperrylite (PtAs2), stillwaterite (Pd8As3), native Pt ,

Barnet & Averill, in press Searcy, 2001

PGE Deposit Indicator Mineral Summary

PGM and gold are important indicators of PGE deposits In addition, suite of oxides, silicate and metallic minerals (Averill and others) Recovered from broad range of sediment types: eolian, stream, lateritic soil, glacial Size range: 10 m to 2.0 mm routinely recovered Recovery methods: panning, table, jig, spiral, Knelson concentrator Composition: - broad range of minerals in PGM suite - characterized by EMP and LA ICP-MS - inclusion mineralogy provides clues to source and distance of transport Surface features and morphology: may provide information on relative transport distance, no systematic classification scheme Reference list

Recommendations for Exploration

PGE indicator mineral suite identified Indicator minerals for a broad spectrum of commodities Recovered from same heavy mineral concentrate Use in combination with till geochemistry Common indicator minerals: Magmatic Ni-Cu-PGE minerals Platinum Group minerals Gold grains Kimberlite indicator minerals Sulphide minerals Metamorphosed massive sulphide minerals- e.g. gahnite Native copper Scheelite Cassiterite Cinnabar Fluorite, topaz Uraninite, thorianite

Gahnite Gold, native copper, pyromorphite

Chlalcopyrite

Kimberlite indicator minerals

Processing Methods
Two-phased, to allow for the recovery of indicator minerals from two size fractions. 1) Silt-sized gold, PGM, and associated sulphide minerals recovered by panning 2) Coarser sand-sized gold, PGM, silicate and oxide indicator minerals recovered using table, jig, spiral, or Knelson concentrator Minerals examined and analyzed using scanning electron microscope (SEM), electron microprobe (EMP) and Laser ablation ICP-MS

Acknowledgements
Dave Kelley, Oz Minerals Stu Averill, Overburden Drilling Management Ltd. Pertti Sarala, Geological Survey of Finland