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The hydrothermal geochemistry of gold

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Book cover Gold metallogeny and exploration

Abstract

Hydrothermal ore-forming fluids are multicomponent aqueous electrolyte solutions which transport gold to an ore-depositing environment somewhere in the Earth’s crust. Deposition of elemental gold and gold–containing minerals occurs in response to changes in the chemical and physical environment through which the hydrothermal ore fluid is migrating. For example, a buoyantly ascending hydrothermal fluid may encounter a permeable zone which induces volatile phase separation and/or boiling, or a deep fluid may encounter and mix with a cooler, steam-heated water of lower pH. Whether or not gold precipitates in these situations has to do with the changing stability of the gold-containing complex ions in response to these new conditions. Hydrothermal gold deposition may, therefore, take place over a wide range of temperature, pressure and fluid composition comprising diverse environments extending from amphibolite facies metamorphism to lower temperature epithermal mineralization and sea floor massive sulphides. It is thus the purpose of this chapter to consider our current state of knowledge concerning the high-temperature, high-pressure aqueous chemistry of gold and its relevance to gold ore formation.

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Seward, T.M. (1991). The hydrothermal geochemistry of gold. In: Gold metallogeny and exploration. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-0497-5_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-0497-5_2

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