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Gold Deposits in the Earth’s History

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Abstract—

The distribution of major gold deposits in the Earth’s history is discussed. The primary heterogeneity of the Archean crust in terms of gold mineralization is demonstrated. Characteristics of the main auriferous metallogenic epochs are given. The predominant associations of the orogenic gold deposits with volcanogenic massive sulfide and copper–nickel deposits during the early periods of the Earth (Archean–Proterozoic) and those with tungsten, molybdenum, copper, antimony, mercury, and tin during the Phanerozoic are demonstrated. The analysis of the distribution of the mineralogical and geochemical types of gold mineralization proper also demonstrates their substantial diversity in the Phanerozoic compared to the Precambrian. These data reflect the mantle–crustal origin of gold mineralization in general and attest to an increase in the contribution of the crustal material into gold mineralization with the age of the Earth. The known gap in lode gold formation (1.7–0.8 Ga), which was caused by the stable cratonic regime of the long-lived Columbia (Nuna)–Rodinia supercontinent is discussed.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I am grateful to Academician M.I. Kuz’min for calling attention to the problems discussed in the paper and for useful disputes; to Academician V.V. Yarmolyuk for critical remarks and comments, which helped to improve this article; and to F. Pirajno, R. Newberry, G.N. Phillips, M. Hughes, T. Theodore, and B.B. Kotlyar for useful discussions and assistance in getting acquainted with gold deposits in Australia, Canada, and the United States.

Funding

This work was undertaken with the financial support of State Assignment project no. AAAA-A17-117022850032-9, partially by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (project no. 16-05-283), the Far East Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (project nos. 15-I-2-073 and 18-2-001), and the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (interdisciplinary project no. МП64).

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  1. Shilo North-East Interdisciplinary Scientific Research Institute, Far East Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, 685000, Magadan, Russia

    N. A. Goryachev

  2. Vinogradov Institute of Geochemistry, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, 664033, Irkutsk, Russia

    N. A. Goryachev

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Translated by E. Murashova

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Goryachev, N.A. Gold Deposits in the Earth’s History. Geol. Ore Deposits 61, 495–511 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1075701519060023

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