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Ore minerals and geochemical characterization of the Dungash gold deposit, South Eastern Desert, Egypt

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Abstract

The Dungash historic gold mine is located in the South Eastern Desert of Egypt. The gold-bearing quartz veins are hosted by the metavolcanic and metavolcaniclastic rocks along an ENE–WSW trending shear zone. Alteration types recorded in the wall rocks are sericitization, silicification, carbonatization, chloritization, sulfidization, ferruginization, and listwanitization. The ore mineral assemblage comprises arsenopyrite, pyrite, native gold, pyrrhotite, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, and galena. The primary sulfide mineral assemblage formed during a hypogene hydrothermal stage whereas anglesite and goethite occur as secondary supergene phases. Microthermometric fluid inclusion analysis revealed that the auriferous quartz precipitated from a moderately saline (5 to 11.22 wt% NaClequiv) solution at temperatures above the recorded homogenization temperatures (T h), which range from 380 to 177 °C. The minimum pressures of trapping are between 350 and 400 bars. The fluid evolution during mineralization is explained by mixing of a magmatic fluid with meteoric waters. Initially, the high temperature and moderately saline magmatic fluid dominated and progressively became diluted with meteoric waters. Highest gold content is recorded in the carbonatized zone and the quartz veins. However, gold content in the carbonatized zone of the footwall exceeds several times its content in the quartz veins and the carbonatized zone of the hanging wall.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Prof. U. Schüßler for his help with electron microprobe analyses. Parts of this study were conducted at the University of Würzburg during a visit by Islam, A. D. Thanks also for the financial support from the DAAD.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Geology Department, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Nasr City, Cairo, Egypt

    Islam A. Dourgham

  2. Geology Department, Faculty of Science, Aswan University, Aswan, Egypt

    Khairiya M. Fawzy

  3. Geodynamics and Geomaterials Research Division, Institute of Geography and Geology, University of Wuerzburg, Am Hubland, 97074, Würzburg, Germany

    Hartwig E. Frimmel

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  1. Islam A. Dourgham
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  2. Khairiya M. Fawzy
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  3. Hartwig E. Frimmel
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Correspondence to Khairiya M. Fawzy.

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Dourgham, I.A., Fawzy, K.M. & Frimmel, H.E. Ore minerals and geochemical characterization of the Dungash gold deposit, South Eastern Desert, Egypt. Arab J Geosci 10, 145 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-017-2891-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-017-2891-6

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