Soil geochemical study of the altered zones associated with the Gooseberry Mine area, Storey County, Nevada
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Authors
Royse, Susan E
Issue Date
1986
Type
Thesis
Language
en_US
Keywords
soil geochemical study , Gooseberry Mine , ore deposits , Kate Peak andesite , limonitic alteration zones , Au-Ag precious metal deposits , Red Top claims , Au , Ag , Cu , Pb , Zn , Hg , K , As|Sb , K-Pb association , Hg-As association , geochemical signature , Mackay Science Project
Alternative Title
Abstract
A soil geochemical study was conducted in the Gooseberry Mine area. The primary rock in the area which contains the ore deposit is the Kate Peak andesite. Sampling was confined to the limonitic alteration zone which hosts the Gooseberry Au-Ag precious metal deposit, and the Red Top claims which contains a similar limonitic alteration zone and geology. Soil samples were taken on a 100-foot grid and analyzed for Au, Ag, Cu, Pb, Zn, Mn, Ilg, K, As, and Sb. The statistical and geochemical examination of the data exhibited a K-Pb and to a lesser extent Hg-As association in the Gooseberry alteration zone. An evident Hg-As, Cu and smaller Mn-Zn association was prominent in the Red Top alteration zone. Au and Ag anomalies were found in the Gooseberry zone but are believed to be due to contamination. The statistical analysis showed the means and variances of the Red Top area to be different from the Gooseberry, but both areas have similar elemental composition and associations. A possible explanation for these elemental differences may be due to a deeper precious metal deposit in the Red Top area than in the Gooseberry area, forming a different secondary dispersion halo. A geochemical signature of the alteration zones was established and in doing so a possible extension of the Gooseberry ore body was found and a possible new area was found in the Red Top zone.
Description
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Citation
Publisher
University of Nevada, Reno
License
In Copyright(All Rights Reserved)