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Refractory gold ores in Archaean greenstones, Western Australia: mineralogy, gold paragenesis, metallurgical characterization and classification

Western Australian School of Mines, Curtin University of Technology, Bentley Campus, P.O.Box U1987, Bentley, 6845, Western Australia

View larger version (69K): [in a new window]   FIG. 1. Simplified geological map of Western Australia showing greenstone belts and gold deposits

View larger version (11K): [in a new window]   FIG. 2. Processing subdivision of Archaean gold ores

View larger version (25K): [in a new window]   FIG. 3. As content of gold ores plotted against gold recovery.

View larger version (99K): [in a new window]   FIG. 4. Bands of fine-grained rhomb-shaped arsenopyrite (asp) cutting coarser-grained pyrite (py), Lancefield ore. Reflected light (x100).

View larger version (94K): [in a new window]   FIG. 5. Native gold in arsenopyrite microfracture, Paddington ore. Width of gold is ~1 µm. Reflected light (x500).

View larger version (88K): [in a new window]   FIG. 6. Co-existing pyrite (py), arsenopyrite (asp) and pyrrhotite (po), Coolgardie ore. Reflected light (x100).

View larger version (94K): [in a new window]   FIG. 7. Native gold in arsenopyrite (asp) microfractures, Coolgardie ore. Adjacent pyrrhotite (po) microfractures contain no gold. Reflected light (x200).

View larger version (115K): [in a new window]   FIG. 8. Large arsenopyrite crystal containing rounded inclusions of pyrrhotite (po) and pyrite plus marcasite aggregates (py + mc). Exhibition deposit. Reflected light (x50).

View larger version (104K): [in a new window]   FIG. 9. Arsenopyrite crystal with deformed, poikiloblastic core zone and clear rim overgrowth. Exhibition deposit. Reflected light (x50).

View larger version (105K): [in a new window]   FIG. 10. Detail of arsenopyrite crystal in Fig. 9, showing inclusions of idioblastic metamorphic silicates and chalcopyrite (cp), and rounded gold grains (Au). Exhibition deposit. Reflected light (x200).

View larger version (109K): [in a new window]   FIG. 11. SIMS images of pyrite crystal, Wiluna gold deposit, Western Australia. (a) As distribution, concentrated in rim zone. (b) Submicroscopic Au distribution, concentrated in similar, but not exactly the same, rim zone as arsenic.

View larger version (119K): [in a new window]   FIG. 12. SIMS image of submicroscopic Au distribution, arsenopyrite crystal, Wiluna deposit, Western Australia. Gold is concentrated in rim zone.

View larger version (22K): [in a new window]   FIG. 13. Arsenopyrite compositions.

View larger version (22K): [in a new window]   FIG. 14. Relationship between As and submicroscopic Au content of pyrite.

View larger version (4K): [in a new window]   FIG. 15. Schematic for evolution of gold mineralogy.