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Mineralogy and geochemistry of gold-bearing arsenian pyrite from the Shuiyindong Carlin-type gold deposit, Guizhou, China: implications for gold depositional processes

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Abstract

Arsenian pyrite in the Shuiyindong Carlin-type gold deposit in Guizhou, China, is the major host for gold with 300 to 4,000 ppm Au and 0.65 to 14.1 wt.% As. Electron miroprobe data show a negative correlation of As and S in arsenian pyrite, which is consistent with the substitution of As for S in the pyrite structure. The relatively homogeneous distribution of gold in arsenian pyrite and a positive correlation of As and Au, with Au/As ratios below the solubility limit of gold in arsenian pyrite, suggest that invisible gold is likely present as Au1+ in a structurally bound Au complex in arsenian pyrite. Geochemical modeling using the laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) analysis of fluid inclusions for the major ore forming stage shows that the dominant Au species were Au(HS) −2 (77%) and AuHS 0(aq) (23%). Gold-hydroxyl and Gold-chloride complexes were negligible. The ore fluid was undersaturated with respect to native Au, with a saturation index of −3.8. The predominant As species was H3AsO 03 (aq). Pyrite in the Shuiyindong deposit shows chemical zonation with rims richer in As and Au than cores, reflecting the chemical evolution of the ore-bearing fluids. The early ore fluids had relatively high activities of As and Au, to deposit unzoned and zoned arsenian pyrite that host most gold in the deposit. The ore fluids then became depleted in Au and As and formed As-poor pyrite overgrowth rims on gold-bearing arsenian pyrite. Arsenopyrite overgrowth aggregates on arsenian pyrite indicate a late fluid with relatively high activity of As. The lack of evidence of boiling and the low iron content of fluid inclusions in quartz, suggest that iron in arsenian pyrite was most likely derived from dissolution of ferroan minerals in the host rocks, with sulfidation of the dissolved iron by H2S-rich ore fluids being the most important mechanism of gold deposition in the Shuiyindong Carlin-type deposit.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to the Guizhou Zijin Gold mine for access to the mine and to Jianzhong Liu and Chuanqin Liu for geological guidance and discussion during fieldwork. Dr. Guofu Zhou is appreciated for his assistance with the electron microprobe analysis. Review comments by Professor Meifu Zhou improved presentation and scientific arguments. Editor Bernd Lehmann, Martin Reich, and an anonymous referee are thanked for their thoughtful and thorough reviews. The project was financially supported by the National Science Foundation of China (grant nos. 40672067 and 40972072), State Key Basic Research Program of China (grant no. 2007CB411402), and the Foundation of State Key Laboratory of Ore Deposit Geochemistry (grant no. KCZX2009).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Ore Deposit Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang, 550002, China

    Wenchao Su, Ruizhong Hu & Xi Ge

  2. Key laboratory of Virtual Geographic Environment, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210046, China

    Hongtao Zhang

  3. School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China

    Bin Xia

  4. Department of Geological Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA

    Yanyan Chen & Chen Zhu

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  1. Wenchao Su
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Correspondence to Wenchao Su.

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Editorial handling: B. Lehmann

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Table 1

EMPA results of Fe, S, Au, As, and other trace elements (wt.%) in arsenian pyrite and arsenopyrite from Shuiyindong deposit. Detection limits are presented below each element label. b.d. below detection, n.d. not detected (PDF 18 kb)

Table 2

Equilibrium constants for Au and As aqueous species at 220°C and 750 bars, calculated with the SUPCRT92 software (PDF 24 kb)

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Su, W., Zhang, H., Hu, R. et al. Mineralogy and geochemistry of gold-bearing arsenian pyrite from the Shuiyindong Carlin-type gold deposit, Guizhou, China: implications for gold depositional processes. Miner Deposita 47, 653–662 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00126-011-0328-9

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