Remote sensing, SWIR, Raman and XRD applications in Pesovets epithermal system mapping, Panagyurishte ore district, Bulgaria

Remote sensing UAV based study combined with field mapping, SWIR, XRD Raman and XRF tests for mineral detection outlined advanced argillic alteration domains in the Pesovets silica cap to demonstrate quick approach for epithermal gold exploration targeting and evaluation. As and Ti increasing trend toward epithermal high-sulphidation Cu-Au mineralization could be employed as a proximal path finder.

Study of Hydrothermal Alteration and Mineralization in the Lahbako Field, Jember Regency, East Java Province

Administratively, the research location is in Lahbako Field, Jember Regency, East Java Province. This study discusses the geological characteristics, hydrothermal alteration, and mineralization in the study area. The method used is field data collection by mapping and laboratory analysis in the form of petrographic analysis and mineragraphic analysis. The research area is divided into three geomorphology units, namely a unit with steep hills, a unit with undulating hills, and a unit with sloping plains. The stratigraphy of the study area is divided into five-rock units, while the order of rock units from oldest to youngest is the volcanic Breccia unit, the intercalated Sandstone, and Claystone unit with Tuff insertion, the Diorite Intrusion Unit, the Granodiorite Intrusion Unit, and the youngest unit, namely Alluvium Unit. The research area has a high straightness density value and a straight lineage pattern that tends to be dense. The area with high lineament density is assumed to be the area with the best prospect of alteration and mineralization because the lineament reflects the geological structure which is the path of hydrothermal fluid passage that causes alteration and mineralization. Based on petrographic analysis, the research area has undergone alteration with the type of Philic alteration (Chlorite-Quartz-Feldspar), Prophiliic Alteration (Chlorite-Quartz-Feldspar) Feldspar-Quartz-Epidote) and Argillic Alteration (Alunite-Quartz-Biotite). The study area is indicated as an area with high sulfide epithermal mineral deposits where the indication is based on the discovery of vein textures in the form of Vuggy Quartz and ore minerals in the form of Silver, Copper, and Iron in mineragraphic analysis.

Study of Alteration Geochemistry and Mineralization in the Jawara Field, Jember Regency, East Java Province

The Jawara Field in Jember Regency is a location where it is indicated that there are precious metal deposits in the form of porphyry type Gold and Copper. In this study, the focus is more on the search for metal mineral deposits related to the elements of Gold (Au) and Copper (Cu), namely the metal mineral chalcopyrite (CuFeS2) as the main carrier minerals for Au, Cu, Ag, as impurities. The results of alteration products in the form of weathered minerals are also the focus of research. The analysis used to detect metallic element content and the presence of metallic and non-metallic minerals is by petrographic analysis, mineragraphy analysis, sediment grain analysis and geochemical analysis. Based on the results of the mineragraphy analysis, it was proven that the metal mineral chalcopyrite was found in the JAFA 6 BPS sample which is a carrier mineral for the metallic copper element and silver was also found in JAFA 2 ALT. In addition, the results of the sediment grain analysis also found metal mineral grains and metal elements, namely copper and iron elements in all JAFA samples. The results of petrographic analysis show that the weathered minerals in the form of kaolinite, alunite, and smectite are products of hydrothermal alteration activities. Based on these results, the research area is divided into 3 alteration zones, namely potassic, propylitic, and argillic alteration zones. The results of the geochemical analysis showed that the highest levels of copper were found in JAFA 5 as much as 13.9 ppm and the highest levels of iron in JAFA 6 were 390.8 ppm. From the results of the analysis, it can be concluded that it is true that there are metal mineral deposits and metal elements in the form of sediment grains and porphyry-type Au and Cu elements.

Exploration Implications of Multiple Formation Environments of Advanced Argillic Minerals

Advanced argillic minerals, as defined, include alunite and anhydrite, aluminosilicates (kaolinite, halloysite, dickite, pyrophyllite, andalusite, zunyite, and topaz), and diaspore. One or more of these minerals form in five distinctly different geologic environments of hydrolytic alteration, with pH 4–5 to <1, most at depths <500 m. (1) Where an intrusion-related hydrothermal system, typical of that associated with porphyry Cu ± Au deposits, evolves to white-mica stability, continued ascent and cooling of the white-mica–stable liquid results in pyrophyllite (± diaspore) becoming stable near the base of the lithocap. (2) A well-understood hypogene environment of formation is vapor condensation near volcanic vents, where magmatic SO2 and HCl condense into local groundwater to produce H2SO4 and HCl-rich solutions with a pH of 1–1.5. Close to isochemical dissolution of the host rock occurs because of the high solubility of Al and Fe hydroxides at pH <2, except for the SiO2 component, which remains as a siliceous residue because of the relatively low solubility of SiO2. This residual quartz, commonly with a vuggy texture, is largely barren of metals because of the low metal content in high-temperature but low-pressure volcanic vapor. Rock dissolution causes the pH of the acidic solution to increase, such that alunite and kaolinite (or dickite or pyrophyllite at higher temperatures) become stable, forming a halo to the residual quartz. This initially barren residual quartz, which forms a lithocap horizon where permeable lithologic units are intersected by the feeder structure, may become mineralized if a subsequent white-mica–stable liquid ascends to this level and precipitates copper and gold. (3) Boiling of a hydrothermal liquid generates vapor with CO2 and H2S. Where the vapor condenses above the water table, atmospheric O2 in the vadose (unsaturated) zone causes oxidation of H2S to sulfuric acid, forming a steam-heated acid-sulfate solution with pH of 2–3. In this environment, kaolinite and alunite form in horizons above the water table at <100°C. Silica derived within the vadose zone will precipitate as amorphous silica at the water table, as the condensate follows the hydraulic gradient, causing opal replacement above and at the aquifer. (4) By contrast, where condensation of this vapor occurs below the water table, the CO2 in solution forms carbonic acid (H2CO3), leading to a pH of 4–5. This marginal carapace of condensate, with temperatures up to 150°–170°C, commonly acts as a diluent of the ascending parental NaCl liquid. This steam-heated liquid forms intermediate argillic alteration of clays, kaolinite, and Fe-Mn carbonates; this kaolinite, which can be present at depths of several hundreds of meters, can potentially be mistaken as having been caused by a steam-heated acid-sulfate or supergene overprint. (5) The final setting is supergene, caused by posthydrothermal weathering and oxidation of mainly pyrite, locally creating pH <1 liquid because of high concentrations of H2SO4 within the vadose zone and forming kaolinite, alunite, and Fe oxyhydroxides. This genetic framework of formation environments of advanced (and intermediate) argillic alteration provides the basis to interpret alteration mineralogy, in combination with alteration textures and morphology plus zonation, including the overprint of one alteration style on another. This framework can be used to help focus exploration for and assessment of hydrothermal ore deposits, including epithermal, porphyry, and volcanic-hosted massive sulfide.

Interpretation of the Reflectance Spectra of Lithium (Li) Minerals and Pegmatites: A Case Study for Mineralogical and Lithological Identification in the Fregeneda-Almendra Area

Reflectance spectroscopy has been used to identify several deposit types. However, applications concerning lithium (Li)-pegmatites are still scarce. Reflectance spectroscopic studies complemented by microscopic and geochemical studies were employed in the Fregeneda–Almendra (Spain–Portugal) pegmatite field to analyze the spectral behavior of Li-minerals and field lithologies. The spectral similarity of the target class (Li-pegmatites) with other elements was also evaluated. Lepidolite was discriminated from other white micas and the remaining Li-minerals. No diagnostic feature of petalite and spodumene was identified, since their spectral curves are dominated by clays. Their presence was corroborated (by complementary techniques) in petalite relics and completely replaced crystals, although the clay-related absorption depths decrease with Li content. This implies that clays can be used as pathfinders only in areas where argillic alteration is not prevalent. All sampled lithologies present similar water and/or hydroxide features. The overall mineral assemblage is very distinct, with lepidolite, cookeite, and orthoclase exclusively identified in Li-pegmatite (being these minerals crucial targets for Li-pegmatite discrimination in real-life applications), while chlorite and biotite can occur in the remaining lithologies. Satellite data can be used to discriminate Li-pegmatites due to distinct reflectance magnitude and mineral assemblages, higher absorptions depths, and distinct Al–OH wavelength position. The potential use of multi- and hyperspectral data was evaluated; the main limitations and advantages were discussed. These new insights on the spectral behavior of Li-minerals and pegmatites may aid in new Li-pegmatite discoveries around the world.

Erguveem Ore Region in the eastern Chukotka Peninsula: An effect of the tectonics of the ore-bearing volcano-structures on composition of the gold-silver mineralization

The geological and structural position of the Pepenveem and Korrida Au-Ag ore occurrences situated in the East-Chukotka segment of the Okhotsk-Chukotka Volcanogenic Belt (OCVB) was studied. The Pepenveem ore occurrence was characterized by one (volcanogenic) mineralization stage. It is localized within a graben-like monocline composed of Late Cretaceous volcanics. A relatively stable tectonic regime caused rather low temperature and pressure gradients during the ore formation and, consequently, simple mineral composition of the ores and absence of advanced argillic alteration. In contrast, the Korrida ore occurrence was characterized by two (volcanogenic and plutonogenic) mineralization stages. It is localized within a plutonogenic uplift complicated by a regional fault zone. Here, the basement of the volcano-structure, composed of island-arc volcano-sedimentary rocks, was uplifted to the surface by numerous high-angle faults. The here observed extensive development of zoned metasomatic haloes (including advanced argillic alterations), abundance of mineral species, and sharp temperature and pressure gradients could resulted from tectonic activity in a zone of interaction between the plutonic dome and deep-seated regional fault.

Fluid-Rock Interactions in a Paleo-Geothermal Reservoir (Noble Hills Granite, California, USA). Part 1: Granite Pervasive Alteration Processes away from Fracture Zones

Only few data from geothermal exploited reservoirs are available due to the restricted accessibility by drilling, which limits the understanding of the entire reservoir. Thus, analogue investigations are needed and were performed in the framework of the H2020 MEET project. The Noble Hills range, located along the southern branch of the Death Valley pull-apart (CA, USA), has been selected as a possible granitic paleo-reservoir. The aim is to characterize the pervasive alteration processes affecting this granite, away from the influence of the faults, in terms of mineralogical, petrophysical and chemical changes. Various methods were used as petrographic, geochemical and petrophysical analyses. Mineral changes, clay mineralogy, bulk rock chemical composition, calcite content and porosity were determined on different granite samples, collected in the Noble Hills granite, far from the faults and in the Owlshead Mountains, north of the Noble Hills, considered as its protolith. In order to complete the granite characterization, the metamorphic grade has been studied through the Noble Hills granite body. This complete characterization has allowed distinguishing the occurrence of three stages of alteration: (1) a pervasive propylitic alteration characterized by calcite-corrensite-epidote-K-white mica assemblage, (2) a more local one, only present in the Noble Hills granite, producing illite, kaolinite, illite/smectite, calcite and oxides, characteristic of the argillic alteration, which overprints the propylitic alteration and (3) weathering evidenced by the presence of montmorillonite in the Owlshead Mountains, which is considered as negligible in both granites. Alteration was also outlined by the correlation of the loss on ignition, representing the hydration rate, to porosity, calcite content and chemical composition. Moreover, the Kübler Index calculated from illite crystals allowed to identify a NW-SE temperature gradient in the Noble Hills.

Clay Mineralogy: A Signature of Granitic Geothermal Reservoirs of the Central Upper Rhine Graben

Clay minerals are the signature of hydrothermal alterations related to fluid circulation in volcanic and crystalline rocks. In the French part of the Upper Rhine Graben, in the deep-seated granites, illitic minerals (illite and I/S mixed layers (ml)) are typical products of the structurally-controlled argillic alteration in the Paleozoic granitic basement. In the new Illkirch geothermal well, GIL-1, drill-cuttings were studied with various petrographic methods to determine the characteristics of illite in paleo- and present-permeable zones, and to compare the alteration mineralogy with that of geothermal Soultz-sous-Forêts and Rittershoffen sites. Alteration petrography, crystal structure as well as the chemical composition of the illitic minerals and the altered bulk rocks were performed all along the well. This complete characterization, combined with geophysical logs and structural results, highlighted that the illitic minerals at Illkirch, Soultz-sous-Forêts, and Rittershoffen are composed of illite and illite-rich illite-smectite mixed layers (I/S ml) (<10% smectite). Two mineralogical assemblages were distinguished: chlorite + illite resulting from the propylitic alteration after the emplacement of the granitic basement under temperatures higher than 350 °C, and illite + I/S ml + carbonates + quartz resulting from the argillic alteration due to fluid circulation in the fractures at temperatures between 130 and 160 °C. Fracture zones are characterized by the occurrence of illitic minerals (illite and I/S ml), and specifically, by higher quantities of I/S ml in present-day permeable zones than in paleo-permeable zones. A conceptual model of the fracture zones at the interface between the overlying sedimentary rocks and the granitic basement is proposed. The present-day permeability distribution is controlled by the fault and fracture network, which consists of sealed zones and unsealed zones. Fluid convection in the URG implies paleo and present fluids circulating in both fractured sedimentary and crystalline reservoirs. Such circulations develop illitic minerals that could be considered as exploration guides for future geothermal sites in the URG. At Illkirch, the repartition of the present-permeable fracture zones (KFZs) in the GIL-1 well indicates that the moderately argillically altered granite distally situated from the Eschau fault is more permeable than the intensely argillically altered granite close to the Eschau fault.

Rapid alteration of fractured volcanic conduits beneath Mt Unzen

The nature of sub-volcanic alteration is usually only observable after erosion and exhumation at old inactive volcanoes, via geochemical changes in hydrothermal fluids sampled at the surface, via relatively low-resolution geophysical methods or can be inferred from erupted products. These methods are spatially or temporally removed from the real subsurface and thus provide only indirect information. In contrast, the ICDP deep drilling of the Mt Unzen volcano subsurface affords a snapshot into the in situ interaction between the dacitic dykes that fed dome-forming eruptions and the sub-volcanic hydrothermal system, where the most recent lava dome eruption occurred between 1990 and 1995. Here, we analyse drill core samples from hole USDP-4, constraining their degree and type of alteration. We identify and characterize two clay alteration stages: (1) an unusual argillic alteration infill of fractured or partially dissolved plagioclase and hornblende phenocryst domains with kaolinite and Reichweite 1 illite (70)-smectite and (2) propylitic alteration of amphibole and biotite phenocrysts with the fracture-hosted precipitation of chlorite, sulfide and carbonate minerals. These observations imply that the early clay-forming fluid was acidic and probably had a magmatic component, which is indicated for the fluids related to the second chlorite-carbonate stage by our stable carbon and oxygen isotope data. The porosity in the dyke samples is dominantly fracture-hosted, and fracture-filling mineralization is common, suggesting that the dykes were fractured during magma transport, emplacement and cooling, and that subsequent permeable circulation of hydrothermal fluids led to pore clogging and potential partial sealing of the pore network on a timescale of ~ 9 years from cessation of the last eruption. These observations, in concert with evidence that intermediate, crystal-bearing magmas are susceptible to fracturing during ascent and emplacement, lead us to suggest that arc volcanoes enclosed in highly fractured country rock are susceptible to rapid hydrothermal circulation and alteration, with implications for the development of fluid flow, mineralization, stress regime and volcanic edifice structural stability. We explore these possibilities in the context of alteration at other similar volcanoes.

Duration of Hydrothermal Alteration and Mineralization of the Don Manuel Porphyry Copper System, Central Chile

The Don Manuel porphyry copper system, located in the Miocene–Pliocene metallogenic belt of central Chile, contains spatially zoned alteration styles common to other porphyry copper deposits including extensive potassic alteration, propylitic alteration, localized sericite-chlorite alteration and argillic alteration but lacks pervasive hydrolytic alteration typical of some deposits. It is one of the youngest porphyry copper deposits in the Andes. Timing of mineralization and the hydrothermal system at Don Manuel are consistent with emplacement of the associated intrusions (ca. 4 and 3.6 Ma). Two molybdenite samples yielded consistent ages of 3.412 ± 0.037 and 3.425 ± 0.037 Ma. 40Ar/39Ar ages on hydrothermal biotites (3.57 ± 0.02, 3.51 ± 0.02, 3.41 ± 0.01, and 3.37 ± 0.01 Ma) are associated with potassic alteration. These ages are younger than the youngest intrusion by ~300 k.y. recording the cooling of the system below 350 °C. Such a time gap can be explained by fluxing of hot magmatic fluids from deeper magmatic sources.