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Gold and aurostibite from the metaturbidite-hosted Au–Zn–Pb–Ag Hera deposit, southern Cobar Basin, central NSW, Australia: geochemical and textural evidence for gold remobilisation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 May 2022

Ian T Graham*
Affiliation:
Earth and Sustainability Sciences Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
Adam McKinnon
Affiliation:
Aurelia Metals Limited, Level 17, 144 Edward Street, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia
Angela Lay
Affiliation:
Earth and Sustainability Sciences Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia Autoridade Nacional de Petroleo e Minerals (ANPM) – Mineral Directorate, Municipio de Dili, Timor-Leste
Karen Privat
Affiliation:
Earth and Sustainability Sciences Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia Electron Microscope Unit, Mark Wainwright Analytical Centre, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
Khalid Schellen
Affiliation:
Earth and Sustainability Sciences Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia Alkane Resources Limited, Level 4, 66 Kings Park Road, West Perth, WA 6005, Australia
Lachlan Burrows
Affiliation:
Earth and Sustainability Sciences Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia Alkane Resources Limited, Level 4, 66 Kings Park Road, West Perth, WA 6005, Australia
Elizabeth Liepa
Affiliation:
Earth and Sustainability Sciences Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
Hongyan Quan
Affiliation:
Earth and Sustainability Sciences Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
*
*Author for correspondence: Ian T Graham, Email: i.graham@unsw.edu.au This paper is part of a thematic set that honours the contributions of Peter Williams.

Abstract

The Devonian Hera metaturbidite-hosted polymetallic Au–Zn–Pb–Ag deposit of central NSW, Australia, contained a total undepleted resource of 3.6 Mt @ 3.3 g/t Au, 25 g/t Ag, 2.6% Pb and 3.8% Zn. The deposit comprises a number of distinctive lodes with each containing a distinctive ore and alteration/gangue mineralogy, though generally the sulfide ore comprises various mixtures of sphalerite, galena, chalcopyrite, pyrrhotite and relatively common visible gold–electrum. The North Pod and Far West lodes are distinctly Sb rich and contain a more diverse ore mineralogy with arsenopyrite, native silver, native antimony, gudmundite, tetrahedrite-(Fe), argentotetrahedrite-(Fe), acanthite, dyscrasite, nisbite and breithauptite. From analysis of 52,760 assays from across the deposit it was found that there was a very poor correlation between gold and each of Fe, Zn, S, Pb, Cu, As and Ag, whereas Ag correlated reasonably well with both Pb and Zn. Results from EPMA shows that gold varies widely in composition from host-rock associated gold (96 wt.% Au) through more intermediate compositions (88–73 wt.% Au) to electrum (46–27 wt.% Au), commonly associated with Sb-phases and containing significant Sb within the gold itself (1.05–2.58 wt.% Sb). From the Far West lense, aurostibite occurs as distinctive rims around gold. Although aurostibite associated with gold contains no silver, the gold itself contains constant moderate amounts (10.87–12.27 wt.% Ag). We suggest that the aurostibite and other Sb phases formed from a late-stage Sb-rich hydrothermal during low-temperature retrograde skarn alteration. There is abundant evidence for both chemical and physical remobilisation at Hera and this remobilisation is largely responsible for the spectrum of gold compositions observed. The source for these fluids may be an underlying magmatic body, evidence for which occurs as granite pegmatite dykes in various locations throughout the deposit. Furthermore, gold with a moderate to high Sb content may be indicative of a low temperature of formation.

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Article
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Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland

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Footnotes

Associate Editor: Stuart Mills

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