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The Age of Gold Mineralization of the Elga Deposit, Mongol–Okhotsk Fold Belt: 40Ar/39Ar Geochronological Constraints

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Abstract

As a result 40Ar/39Ar geochronological studies, the age of gold mineralization has been determined for the Elga deposit that is located in the eastern part of the Mongol–Okhotsk fold belt. The age of ore metasomatites and ore-hosting hydrothermally altered carbonaceous sericite–feldspar–quartz schists is estimated at 139–137 Ma. The formation of ore mineralization of the Elga deposit is not likely related to magmatic processes, because the age of igneous complexes within the studied region is either younger or significantly older than the mineralization. An almost identical age of 139 Ma is identified for sericite from schists of the Talyma Formation beyond the ore zone. This indicates that the final stage of metamorphism and regional deformations, on one hand, and the formation of ore metasomatites, on the other hand, has similar age. In our opinion, the key role in mobilization and redistribution of ore matter and the formation of the Elga deposit belongs to postcollisional dislocation processes, which were accompanied by hydrothermal alteration.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We are grateful to the directorate and staff of ZAO GK Petropavlovsk and OOO NPGF Regis for help in organization of field works and collection of materials, as well as colleagues from the IGNM FEB RAS (O.N. Belozerova, V.V. Glushenkova, N.A. Borodina, E.E. Zaitseva, N.N. Kozlova, and O.V. Moroko) for preparation of samples for geochronological studies. We also acknowledge the Corresponding Member of the RAS V.V. Akinin, as well as an anonymous reviewer, for criticism and constructive suggestions.

Funding

This work was supported by the Russian Science Foundation, project no. 18-17-00002.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Geology and Natural Management, Far Eastern Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, 675000, Blagoveshchensk, Russia

    A. Yu. Kadashnikova & A. A. Sorokin

  2. Institute of Geology and Mineralogy, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, 630090, Novosibirsk, Russia

    A. V. Ponomarchuk, A. V. Travin & V. A. Ponomarchuk

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  1. A. Yu. Kadashnikova
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  2. A. A. Sorokin
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Correspondence to A. Yu. Kadashnikova.

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Recommended for publishing by V.V. Akinin

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Kadashnikova, A.Y., Sorokin, A.A., Ponomarchuk, A.V. et al. The Age of Gold Mineralization of the Elga Deposit, Mongol–Okhotsk Fold Belt: 40Ar/39Ar Geochronological Constraints. Russ. J. of Pac. Geol. 16, 143–152 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1819714022020051

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