Chemical and physical characteristics of quartz from gold deposits in the North China platform: relationship to gold mineralization

This paper seeks to identify macroscopic metallogenic mechanisms of various mineral deposits by studying microscopic typomorphic characteristics of typical minerals associated with the deposits and to reveal the mechanism of lattice gold in detail by studying both physical and chemical characteristics of quartz from representative gold deposits in the North China Platform. As part of their extensive research, the authors examine the relationship between trace elements with wall rock, the ore-forming media, and gold immigration of various types of gold deposits, including their salinity, type, temperature.These are key factors to revealing the mineralization mechanism, and indicators for mineral prospecting,exploration, mining, and metallurgical technology. In order to address the questions posed, the following methods were used: field investigations of geology and sampling of the representative gold deposits, physical study and chemical analysis of quartz including, but not limited to, fluid inclusions as well as their compositions and trace elements in quartz, the unit cell parameters, electron paramagnetic resonance spectrum(EPR), and infrared spectroscopic analysis(ISA). As a result of this study, the authors observe the following key findings: unit cell parameters of quartz vary with their contents of foreign elements including gold,paragenetic stage, wall rock type, and other factors; the higher the forming temperature and the lower the gold content in quartz, the smaller the unit cell parameters, and vice versa. Additionally, the EPR absorption lines resulted from the O–Al defect center. The density of these types of hole centers increases and the EPR signal strengthens when the temperature decreases. Based on the findings, the authors conclude that lattice gold exists in quartz. Gold, in the form of Au~+ and/or Au3+, entering quartz and producing an electron–hole center, namely, the O-Au hole center, makes the center produce spin resonance absorption and results in the EPR absorption peak #I. Both unit cell parameters and EPR of quartz can potentially be used in mineral prospecting, relative ore-forming temperature determination, and grade control during mining.