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Tellurides in Au deposits: Implications for modelling

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DOI: 10.1007/3-540-27946-6_353

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Ch apte r 1 3 -3
T e llu rid e s in Au d e po sits: Im plicatio n s fo r m o d e llin g
N ig e l J. Co o k
Geolog y S ec tion , Na tu ra l H istory M u seu m , U n iv ersity of O slo, Bok s 1 1 7 2 Blin d ern , 0 3 1 8 O slo, Norw a y
Cristian a L . Cio ban u
D ep a rtm en t of Ea rth a n d En v iron m en ta l S c ien c es, U n iv ersity of A d ela id e, S .A ., 5 0 0 5 , A u stra lia
Abstract. We use the distribution of tellurides in the main ty pes of A u-
deposit (spanning the mag matic-hy drothermal and metamorphic
spectrum) to comment upon A u-telluride and A u-B i-telluride ty pes
of deposit.B y emphasiz ing this distinction,the g enetic link s betw een
B i-tellurides and A u are recog nised to be as important as those be-
tw een A u-tellurides and g old in deposit formation.A g eneral scheme
for telluride deposition v ia g as condensation is attractiv e to ex plain
features of mineralising sy stems that ex perienced sustained boiling ,
but tectonically -driv en hy drothermal sy stems could be as efficient
in mak ing a A u-telluride deposit. Depending on temperatures, scav -
eng ing of A u by B i(T e) melts, or partial melting of a pre-ex isting ore,
may offer alternativ es to g enerate telluride-rich g old ores.
K e y w o rd s. G old-telluride deposits, distribution, g enetic models, de-
posit ty pes
1 In tro d u ctio n
IGCP project 486 addresses both the fu ndamental charac-
ter of A u -(A g )-T e deposits from a g eolog ical, mineralog ical
and g eochemical perspectiv e, and also the petrog enetic v alu e
of tellu rides. O ne g oal of IGCP-486 is realising a database
in which tellu ride occu rrences are su mmarised.
In this contribu tion, we mak e a first attempt at an in-
v entory of A u deposits in which tellu rides are present. T hese
inclu de A u -tellu ride deposits sensu strictu, in which a sig -
nificant part of the g old is present as A u (A g )-tellu rides, as
well as deposits, districts and belts in which A u (A g )-tellu -
rides are present as accessories and may contribu te to the
ov erall balance of g old in the ore. In addition, we address
A u -deposits with sparse or absent A u (A g )-tellu rides, bu t
with v ariable amou nts of other tellu rides (of Bi, Pb, H g etc.),
associated with the g old. T he nu mber of A u -tellu ride de-
posits sensu strictu is relativ ely small within the whole popu -
lation, and appear larg ely restricted to the epithermal ty pe.
W e point to the implication that the strong g enetic link be-
tween A u and other tellu rides, especially of Bi, has for de-
fining a A u -tellu ride deposit. Cook e and McPhail (20 0 1 )
proposed a formational model in which T e v apou r conden-
sation follows su stained boiling . W e discu ss sev eral other
deposits, with the pu rpose of identify ing alternativ e mecha-
nisms for g enerating A u -tellu ride deposits.
2 T e llu rid e d istribu tio n in g o ld d e po sits
Jensen and Barton ( 20 0 0 ) rev iewed a nu mber of
epithermal Au-Te systems associated with alk aline
mag matism, some of which g rade downwards into por-
1 3 -3
phy ry -ty pe Cu (A u ) deposits. T hese inclu de classic A u -T e
districts su ch as Cripple Creek , E mperor, Porg era, L adolam
and the Montana A u -A g tellu ride belt (T able 1 ). Comment-
ing on the association of tellu rides with alk aline
mag matism, they emphasiz e that melting of T e-rich sedi-
ments may be k ey sou rces for the mantle-sou rced alk a-
line mag mas in su bdu ction setting s.
A n association between alk aline mag matism and tel-
lu ride-bearing epithermal mineraliz ation has often been
assu med (e.g . R ichards 1 9 9 5 ; see also discu ssion of ‘aber-
rant deposits’ by S illitoe 20 0 2), bu t may hav e been ov er-
stated. W ell- stu died ex amples of tellu ride- enriched
epithermal mineraliz ation in calc-alk aline v olcanic rock s
inclu de the Bag u io D istrict, Phillipines ( Cook e and
McPhail 20 0 1 ) and Cretaceou s-Q u aternary deposits of
Japan (S hik az ono et al. 1 9 9 0 ). T ellu ride enrichment has
been noted in a nu mber of hig h-su lphidation deposits,
also in calc-alk aline v olcanics, e.g . Pu eblo V iejo, L epanto
or F u rtei (S ardinia; F adda et al. this v olu me). N ev erthe-
less, A u -tellu rides are rarely of major economic impor-
tance in su ch deposits.
T he 9 0 0 k m2 Golden Q u adrilateral (GQ ), R omania, has
historically produ ced as mu ch as 20 0 0 t A u . T he 64 (domi-
nantly epithermal v ein) deposits are associated with N eo-
g ene calc-alk aline v olcanics. Mineable amou nts of A u -tel-
lu rides were restricted to the S acarîmb deposit and small,
dominantly u pper parts of some others (F ata Baii, Baia
de A ries, S tanija, Botes), bu t the presence of tellu rides in
at least 20 deposits (Cook and Ciobanu 20 0 4b; u npu bl.
data) emphasiz es the consistent tellu ride sig natu re of the
prov ince. Moreov er, tellu rides are recog nised in different
deposit ty pes, inclu ding those spanning the porphy ry -
epithermal transition, as well as late v eins in breccia de-
posits (R osia Montana). T ellu rides composed > 5 0 % of the
3 2 t A u ex ploited from S acarîmb, and occu rred throu g h-
ou t the 60 0 m v ertical ex tent of the deposit (Cook and
Ciobanu 20 0 4b and references therein).
T he T ien S han represents a similar case, with tellu -
ride-bearing deposits hosted by calc-alk aline v olcanics
of Paleoz oic ag e. D eposits of the K u rama Belt, U z bek istan
(K ochbu lak , K airag ach etc.) are ex amples. A s well as
contradicting the alk aline-tellu ride association, K och-
bu lak , lik e S acarîmb, is anomalou s in other way s, as shown
below.
T he 1 ,40 0 k m long calc-alk aline L ate Cretaceou s
Banatitic Belt, S E E u rope, contains 60 Cu -dominant de-
1388 Nigel J. Cook · Cristia n a L . Ciob a n u
posits, including epithermal ores alongside porphyry and
skarn deposits. The belt has a consistent telluride-signa-
ture, with tellurides closely associated with Au in all de-
posit types. Here, however, it is Bi-tellurides that accom-
pany the gold; Au(Ag)-tellurides are rare (Ciobanu et al.
2003). A telluride mineral signature is also reported from
Cu-Au deposits in the adjacent Tertiary calc-alkaline-
shoshonitic Rhodope Province. Here too, tellurides oc-
cur throughout deposits of the porphyry-epithermal con-
tinuum (Voudouris and Alfieris 2004).
Although they acknowledge alternative opinions about
the genesis of several deposits/districts covered in their
study, Thompson and Newberry (2000) discuss intru-
sio n-related Au d epo sits, stressing that ‘many intrusion-
hosted and intrusion-proximal gold deposits display a
consistent and striking Au-Bi-Te-As… association’. Cit-
ing examples ranging from the Bohemian Massif (Eu-
rope) to the Tintina Belt (Alaska) and the Altai and Tien
Shan (Central Asia), these authors claim Te is always
anomalous, but generally lower than either Au or Bi. Ju-
rassic-Cretaceous low-sulphidation epithermal deposits
of East China around the margins of the North China
and Y angtze cratons (Dongping; >100t @ 5-9 g/t Au;
Guilaizhuang 45t @ 2-6 g/t Au; Mao et al. 2003) are tellu-
ride-bearing. Epithermal models have also been proposed
for these deposits, emphasizing the often controversial
classification of intrusion-related Au deposits.
G o ld sk arns have the same Au-Bi-Te signature. (Meinert
2000) describes maldonite and native bismuth and a pre-
dominance of S-poor or S-absent tellurides of bismuth
(hedleyite, josé ite-B) as part of Au ores; Au-tellurides
(calaverite) are rare to absent.
Enrichment in tellurides is noted among other types
of deposit, at least locally. Among VMS deposits, for ex-
ample, both the Iberian Pyrite Belt and the Urals prov-
ince display telluride enrichment. In the IPB, Bi-tellurides
are considered pathfinders for Au-Cu-rich stringer zones
beneath massive ores (Marcoux et al. 1996).
Au(Ag) tellurides are known in Arc haean o ro g enic g o ld
d epo sits (Hagemann and Cassidy 2000). Exceptional en-
richment in Au- and Au-Ag tellurides is seen in some de-
posits, including the giant Golden Mile deposit, western
Australia (Shackleton et al. 2003), the largest single lode
gold system in the world, in which 20-25% of the gold is
accounted for by tellurides. Other deposits in the Y ilgarn
Craton (e.g. Marymia; Vielreicher et al. 2002) contain Bi-
rather than Au-Ag-tellurides. Gold and Au-Ag tellurides
are generally less abundant in Proterozoic and Phanero-
zoic orogenic Au deposits, but may be of local importance
in parts of individual deposits (e.g. Ashanti; Bowell et al.
1990; Omai; Voicu et al. 1999; Tauern Window; Paar et al.
2004). Hemlo, Ont. is a special case, as it contains rare
Au(Ag) tellurides, but Bi is absent (Tomkins et al. 2004).
A Bi-Te enriched signature is common to many oro-
genic gold systems. Bi-tellurides may be prominent and
commonly paragenetically associated with gold. Recent
surveys of orogenic gold deposits in the Fennoscandian
and Ukrainian Shields (Ciobanu et al. 2004b; Mudrovska
et al. 2004), for example, indicate that varying amounts of
tellurides have been reported from nearly half, and the
majority of deposits, respectively, irrespective of age or
setting. Moreover, other types of shield-hosted deposits
(e.g. metamorphosed epithermal gold or VMS) may share
the Au-Bi-Te signature evident in the orogenic deposits.

2.1 Gold-bismuth-telluride deposits
As indicated above, a close association of gold with Bi-
tellurides is seen throughout many Au-deposits, other than
epithermal. The implied genetic link between Bi-tellu-
rides and Au means that such deposits should be consid-
ered alongside Au-telluride deposits sensu stricto as a dis-
tinct type. However, the role that Bi-tellurides play in gold
extraction has only begun to be evaluated. In terms of
elemental abundance, however, many deposits show Au-
Bi, Au-Te or Bi-Te associations, i.e. with one of the three
elements absent or low. The tetradymite-dominant
Dashuigou Bi-Te deposit (Mao et al. 1995), in which Au is
a by-product, can be considered as a close-to-end-mem-
ber example of the Bi-Te association. Deposits such as
Tennant Creek, (Skirrow and Walshe 2002) and Challenger
(Tomkins and Mavrogenes 2002) - in loose terms, Te free
end-members of a Au-Bi-Te deposit spectrum, are repre-
sentative of the Au-Bi association.
3 Gold-telluride deposit models
Cooke and McPhail (2001) modelled epithermal Au-Ag-
Te mineralization at Acupan, Philippines. From their nu-
merical simulation of mineral deposition, they concluded
that multistage boiling would account for bulk gold ore
deposition, although other mechanisms have contributed
in some ways. Of interest to us is that simulation sug-
gested that tellurium precipitated by vapour condensa-
tion into lower temperature precious metal bearing wa-
ters. Such a mechanism efficiently explains zoning of the
Acupan system, with Au-telluride ore at the upper part
and rich gold ore, without tellurides, underneath. The key
to this zonation model is Te separation into the vapour
phase during the boiling that caused deposition of the
gold-only mineralization. The model is reinforced by ther-
modynamic data suggesting Te should be in the vapour
rather than as complexes. Cooke and McPhail (2001) go
on to argue that such a zonation model applies to
epithermal systems that underwent multistage boiling.
The F ata B aii– L arga porphyry-epithermal system, GQ,
Romania, however, features gold and tellurides distrib-
uted across the 1 km vertical extent of the system, al-
though Au-/Au-Ag tellurides dominate at upper levels, and
Bi-tellurides at depth, with free gold in both associations
(Cook and Ciobanu 2004a). A marked sulphidation event,
in which Po+ Lö is converted to Py+ Asp in the presence
of Au and Bi-tellurides, is recorded in the deeper part of
the veins above an (immature) porphyry root. Sulphida-
tion, induced by rapid opening of kin veins prior to ma-
turity of the porphyry system, may have been an impor-
tant factor in destabilising metal complexes in the fluid.
Au scavenging by Bi-Te melt precipitates (Ciobanu et al.
2005) would be activated given the temperatures >400ºC
(Cook and Ciobanu 2004a).
Chapter 13-3 · Tellurides in Au deposits: Im plications for m odelling 1389
The S acarîmb deposit, in the same province, however,
has no evidence of T>300ºC and also no substantial evi-
dence for boiling. The veins, with characteristic pinch-and-
swell features, represent strike-slip meshes. Observations
of textures among telluride assemblages (Ciobanu et al.
2004a) indicate that micro-shearing was coincident with
telluride deposition. The deposit also stands out from other
epithermal Au-telluride deposits, in that nagyá gite, a S-bear-
ing Au-telluride, [Pb(Pb,Sb)S2] (Au,Te), is the dominant Au
phase in the system, commonly associated with Pb-As or
Pb-Sb sulphosalts. A shift from Sb- to As-rich fluids is indi-
cated by changes in mineral assemblages and Sb/As parti-
tioning within nagyagite-bournonite pairs. The position of
the deposit, at the intersection of different fault systems,
was optimal for development of sustained fluid throttling,
probably the main mechanism of Au deposition at Sacarîmb.
Tectonically-driven gold-telluride deposition has
strong analogies in orogenic gold deposits. Periodic re-
lease of gas due to throttling has been put forward as
instrumental in formation of the Golden M ile deposit
(Shackleton et al. 2003).
Textures among Au- and Bi-tellurides in high-grade
ore pipes (200 g/t) at fault intersections in the K ochb ulak
deposit also indicate the role of active tectonics. Here,
however, they also support a model of enrichment in gold
and tellurides by partial melting of a pre-existing ore
(Ciobanu et al. 2005), even if other workers (e.g. Kovalenker
et al. 1997 ) favour an explosive hydrothermal breccia
model to explain the same features.
Acknowledgement
Discussion with participants in IGCP project 486 is grate-
fully appreciated.
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