This study investigates the mineralogy and mineral-chemistry of a newly discovered Au-Ag-Bi-Te mineralization at the Aydindere Fe-Cu skarn deposit,within the Pontides Tectonic Unit,northeastern Turkey.The mineralizati...This study investigates the mineralogy and mineral-chemistry of a newly discovered Au-Ag-Bi-Te mineralization at the Aydindere Fe-Cu skarn deposit,within the Pontides Tectonic Unit,northeastern Turkey.The mineralization is developed in the skarn zone at the contact between Upper Cretaceous andesite-pyroclastic rocks and a Paleocene–Eocene I-type granitoid.The principal ore minerals of the Aydindere Fe-Cu deposit are oxides(magnetite),sulfides(pyrite-chalcopyritegalena-sphalerite),tellurides/sulfotellurides(tetradymite,hessite),sulfosalts(wittichenite,emplectite,aikinite) and native gold-electrum.Skarn minerals include anhydrous phases(garnet) formed in a prograde stage and hydrous phases(amphibole,epidote,chlorite),which were formed in a retrograde stage in association with quartz,adularia,apatite and late calcite.Sulfides,tellurides and sulfosalts are introduced during the retrograde stage.The Au-Ag-Bi-Te mineralization was detected for the first time within the western ore body of the Aydindere deposit,and occurs in calcite-bearing sulfide bodies that cut magnetite-garnet-amphibole-epidote skarns with magnetite ores of different grade,including massive magnetite.Chlorite geothermometry indicates formation of the Au-Ag-BiTe mineralization at temperatures between 300 and 250 ℃,during the retrograde skarn evolution.Assuming the temperature is ~275 ℃,logfS_(2) =-10.5 to-13,logfO_(2) =-37 to-33,and logf Te2 values range from approximately-12 to-8.5 were estimated.The available mineralogical and geological data(presences of magnetite,oxidized-type tellurides/sulfotellurides,and andraditic garnets,and absence of pyrrhotite and arsenopyrite) suggest that Aydindere is an oxidized Au-bearing skarn deposit.The discovery of Au-Ag-Bi-Te mineralization at Aydindere increases its productivity and requires more detailed exploration in the deposit for precious(Au,Ag) and critical(Bi,Te) metals.展开更多
文摘This study investigates the mineralogy and mineral-chemistry of a newly discovered Au-Ag-Bi-Te mineralization at the Aydindere Fe-Cu skarn deposit,within the Pontides Tectonic Unit,northeastern Turkey.The mineralization is developed in the skarn zone at the contact between Upper Cretaceous andesite-pyroclastic rocks and a Paleocene–Eocene I-type granitoid.The principal ore minerals of the Aydindere Fe-Cu deposit are oxides(magnetite),sulfides(pyrite-chalcopyritegalena-sphalerite),tellurides/sulfotellurides(tetradymite,hessite),sulfosalts(wittichenite,emplectite,aikinite) and native gold-electrum.Skarn minerals include anhydrous phases(garnet) formed in a prograde stage and hydrous phases(amphibole,epidote,chlorite),which were formed in a retrograde stage in association with quartz,adularia,apatite and late calcite.Sulfides,tellurides and sulfosalts are introduced during the retrograde stage.The Au-Ag-Bi-Te mineralization was detected for the first time within the western ore body of the Aydindere deposit,and occurs in calcite-bearing sulfide bodies that cut magnetite-garnet-amphibole-epidote skarns with magnetite ores of different grade,including massive magnetite.Chlorite geothermometry indicates formation of the Au-Ag-BiTe mineralization at temperatures between 300 and 250 ℃,during the retrograde skarn evolution.Assuming the temperature is ~275 ℃,logfS_(2) =-10.5 to-13,logfO_(2) =-37 to-33,and logf Te2 values range from approximately-12 to-8.5 were estimated.The available mineralogical and geological data(presences of magnetite,oxidized-type tellurides/sulfotellurides,and andraditic garnets,and absence of pyrrhotite and arsenopyrite) suggest that Aydindere is an oxidized Au-bearing skarn deposit.The discovery of Au-Ag-Bi-Te mineralization at Aydindere increases its productivity and requires more detailed exploration in the deposit for precious(Au,Ag) and critical(Bi,Te) metals.
