Identification of gold mineralization in the Qara Cher area using multi-element singularity mapping method

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

Dept. of Mining Engineering, Technical College, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Singularity is the characteristic of various non-linear phenomena, such as hydrothermal processes in the Earth's crust, which produce deposits with high metal concentrations. The final result of these processes is the appearance of fractal or multi-fractal features, and several methods exist to identify these features. The singularity distribution mapping method is one of the multi-fractal analyses developed based on the singularity index and as a tool for separating anomalies from the background or for separating local anomalies in a region. In this study, the multi-variable singularity mapping method was used to determine geochemical anomalies to establish the relationship between various elements in the Qara Cher exploration area, located 42 km southwest of the city of Saqez in Kurdistan province. The database contains 1104 litho-geochemical samples with 10 analyzed elements, including Au, As, Ag, Cu, Sb, Sn, Bi, Mo, Zn, and Pb. Due to the compositional nature of the variables and subsequent false correlations in the closed system, principal components analysis (PCA) was applied to the data under isometric log ratio (ilr) transformation. The relationship between As and Cu on the first and second principal components shows the independent function of gold in the study area. The application of the singularity mapping method has highlighted some promising and potential areas for future explorations. These areas could be important for mineralization due to the presence of phyllic alteration, iron oxides, sulfide minerals, and high-grade gold cells. Based on the singularity mapping results, two different hydrothermal mineralization systems of intermediate (mesothermal) to high thermal and epithermal to mesothermal are proposed, respectively; for the southern and northern parts of the Ghare Char area. Nevertheless, due to the mesothermal (orogenic) gold mineralization systems in the known Kervian and Ghlgholeh gold deposits, located in the vicinity of the Qareh Char area, and also the high concentration of As and Sb in these deposits, the possible presence of orogenic gold mineralization is more compared to the other types. Therefore, it is recommended to use the exploration criteria of the orogenic gold deposits for further exploration in the Qareh Char area...

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References

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History

  • Receive Date: 05 December 2023
  • Revise Date: 08 January 2024
  • Accept Date: 02 March 2024

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