Types of Tellurium Mineralization of Gold Deposits of the Aldan Shield (Southern Yakutia, Russia)
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minerals Article Types of Tellurium Mineralization of Gold Deposits of the Aldan Shield (Southern Yakutia, Russia) Larisa A. Kondratieva *, Galina S. Anisimova and Veronika N. Kardashevskaia Diamond and Precious Metal Geology Institute, SB RAS, 677000 Yakutsk, Russia; [email protected] (G.S.A.); [email protected] (V.N.K.) * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +7-4112-33-58-72 Abstract: The published and original data on the tellurium mineralization of gold ore deposits of the Aldan Shield are systematized and generalized. The gold content is related to hydrothermal- metasomatic processes caused by Mesozoic igneous activity of the region. The formation of tellurides occurred at the very late stages of the generation of gold mineralization of all existing types of meta- somatic formations. 29 tellurium minerals, including 16 tellurides, 5 sulfotellurides and 8 tellurates have been identified. Tellurium minerals of two systems predominate: Au-Bi-Te and Au-Ag-Te. Gold is not only in an invisible state in sulfides and in the form of native gold of different fineness, but also is part of a variety of compounds: montbrayite, calaverite, sylvanite, krennerite and petzite. In the gold deposits of the Aldan Shield, three mineral types are distinguished: Au-Ag-Te, Au-Bi-Te, and also a mixed one, which combines the mineralization of both systems. The decrease in the fineness of native gold is consistent with the sequence and temperatures of the formation of Te minerals and associated mineral paragenesis from the epithermal–mesothermal Au-Bi-Te to epithermal Au-Ag-Te. The conducted studies allowed us to determine a wide variety of mineral species and significantly ex- Citation: Kondratieva, L.A.; pand the area of distribution of Au-Te mineralization that indicates its large-scale regional occurrence Anisimova, G.S.; Kardashevskaia, in the Aldan Shield. V.N. Types of Tellurium Mineralization of Gold Deposits of the Aldan Shield Keywords: tellurides; gold; Au-Bi-Te; Au-Ag-Te and mixed Au-Ag-Bi-Te mineral types; igneous (Southern Yakutia, Russia). Minerals activity; alkaline magmatism; metasomatites; Aldan Shield 2021, 11, 698. https://doi.org/ 10.3390/min11070698 Academic Editors: Galina Palyanova 1. Introduction and Liqiang Yang One of the main sources of gold in Russia for many decades has been gold miner- alization of the Aldan-Stanovoy Shield—the largest outcrop of the Early Precambrian Received: 30 April 2021 basement of the Siberian platform. The geological structure of the area includes two struc- Accepted: 25 June 2021 Published: 29 June 2021 tural stages: the lower, crystalline basement, composed of metamorphosed Early Archean gneisses, schists, and granites, and the upper, platform cover formed by the Vendian-Lower Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral Cambrian carbonate and Jurassic terrigenous rocks. Two large gold-bearing provinces, with regard to jurisdictional claims in Aldan and Stanovaya, are identified on the territory of the Aldan-Stanovoy Shield, located published maps and institutional affil- respectively in the geoblocks (shields) of the same name. iations. The main gold reserves of the Aldan Shield (AS) are concentrated on the territory of the Central Aldan ore District (CAD). The gold content is associated with hydrothermal- metasomatic processes caused by large-scale Mesozoic igneous activity of the region, involving the intrusion of massifs of subalkaline and alkaline high-potassium igneous rocks of the Jurassic-Cretaceous age [1–12]. Ore-bearing hydrothermal-metasomatic formations Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. are represented by sericite-microcline metasomatites, beresites, gumbaites, jasperoids, This article is an open access article and argillizites. distributed under the terms and Tellurium mineralization in the area of the Aldan Shield was first recorded in the 1970s conditions of the Creative Commons to 1980s. Epithermal gold-telluride mineralization was described by S. V. Yablokova (1975) Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// and A. A. Kim (1982, 1988, 1990, 2000) in the Kuranakhsky ore cluster of the CAD (Bokovoye creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ and Delbe deposits). In addition to the well-known tellurium and selenium minerals, new 4.0/). mineral types of tellurates have been established: kuranakhite [13], yafsoanite, kuksite, Minerals 2021, 11, 698. https://doi.org/10.3390/min11070698 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/minerals Minerals 2021, 11, x FOR PEER REVIEW 2 of 20 Minerals 2021, 11, 698 2 of 21 (Bokovoye and Delbe deposits). In addition to the well-known tellurium and selenium minerals, new mineral types of tellurates have been established: kuranakhite [13], yafsoanite, kuksite, cheremnykhite and V, Si-dugganite [14–17]. Recently, new infor- mationcheremnykhite has appeared and V, on Si-dugganite tellurium mineralization [14–17]. Recently, in the new deposits information and ore has occurrences appeared onof thetellurium CAD in mineralization the ores of Lebedinsky in the deposits [18,19], and Elkonsky ore occurrences [20–22], Dzhekondinsky of the CAD in [23,24], the ores Yu- of khtinskyLebedinsky [25,26], [18,19 and], Elkonsky the Nimgerkansky [20–22], Dzhekondinsky [27] ore fields, [23 as, 24well], Yukhtinsky as a number [25 of,26 other], and gold the oreNimgerkansky objects outside [27 ]the ore CAD-Verkhne-Tokkinsky fields, as well as a number [28,29], of other Verkhneamginsky gold ore objects [30–34], outside Tyr- the kandinsky,CAD-Verkhne-Tokkinsky Guvilgrinsky, [Altan-Chaidakhsk28,29], Verkhneamginskyy, and Verkhnealgomins [30–34], Tyrkandinsky,ky [35–38] Guvilgrinsky, (Figure 1).Altan-Chaidakhsky, and Verkhnealgominsky [35–38] (Figure1). Figure 1. TheThe position position of of deposits deposits and and ore ore occurrences occurrences with telluride mineralization in the structures of the Aldan geoblock of the Aldan-Stanovoy shield. Based on [39]: 1–4—terrains: granite-greenstone (WA––West-Aldan, EBT—Batomgsky, 2— of the Aldan-Stanovoy shield. Based on [39]: 1–4—terrains: granite-greenstone (WA—West-Aldan, EBT—Batomgsky, tonalite-trondhjemite gneissic (TN—Tyndinsky), 3—granulite-gneissic (ANM—Nimnyrsky, CG—Chogarsky), 4—granu- 2—tonalite-trondhjemite gneissic (TN—Tyndinsky), 3—granulite-gneissic (ANM—Nimnyrsky, CG—Chogarsky), lite-paragneissic (AST—Sutamsky, EUC—Uchursky); 5—zones of tectonic melange (am—Amginskaya, kl—Kalarskaya, 4—granulitetr—Tyrkandinskaya);-paragneissic 6–8—ore (AST—Sutamsky, districts with Te EUC—Uchursky); mineralization: 6—Au-Ag-Te, 5—zones of7—Au-Bi-Te, tectonic melange 8—mixed. (am—Amginskaya , kl—Kalarskaya, tr—Tyrkandinskaya); 6–8—ore districts with Te mineralization: 6—Au-Ag-Te, 7—Au-Bi-Te, 8—mixed. The significance of the research of tellurides is proved by their important role as in- The significance of the research of tellurides is proved by their important role as indica- dicator minerals of the physical and chemical conditions of the formation of gold miner- tor minerals of the physical and chemical conditions of the formation of gold mineralization, alization, as well as accessory minerals, containing a significant proportion of the gold as well as accessory minerals, containing a significant proportion of the gold reserves. reserves. The purpose of the research: to systematize and summarize the scattered information The purpose of the research: to systematize and summarize the scattered information on Te mineralization of the region, to clarify their typomorphic properties and conditions of on Te mineralization of the region, to clarify their typomorphic properties and conditions ore formation, to typify and determine the patterns of their spatial position in the structures of ore the formation, Aldan Shield. to typify and determine the patterns of their spatial position in the struc- tures of the Aldan Shield. 2. Materials and Methods 2. Materials and Methods Typification of tellurium mineralization of gold deposits of the Aldan shield is carried out onTypification the basis ofof systematizationtellurium mineralization and generalization of gold deposits of scattered of the knownAldan shield and original is car- rieddata. out About on the three basis hundred of systematization and fifty samples and generalization were collected of scattered from mine known working and oforigi- the nalVerkhneamginsky, data. About three Nimgerkansky, hundred and fifty Tyrkandinsky, samples were Guvilgrinsky, collected from Altan-Chaidakhsky, mine working of and the Verkhneamginsky,Verkhnealgominsky oreNimgerkansky, fields. The polished Tyrkandinsky, sections madeGuvilgrinsky, from the samples Altan-Chaidakhsky, were optically andexamined Verkhnealgominsky using a Jenavert ore ore fields. microscope The polishe in reflectedd sections light, made with from special the attention samples beingwere opticallydirected towardexamined identifying using a Jenavert sulfides, ore sulfosalts, microscope tellurides in reflected and light, native with elements. special Theseatten- tionminerals being were directed analyzed toward on identifying a Camebax-micro sulfides,X-ray sulfosalts, spectral tellurides microanalyzer and native and elements. a JEOL TheseJSM-6480LV minerals scanning were analyzed electron microscopeon a Camebax-micro with an OXFORD X-ray spectral energy microanalyzer spectrometer, whereand a JEOLthe Back JSM-6480LV Scattered Electronscanning images electron were microscope taken at the with Diamond an OXFORD and Precious energy Metalspectrometer, Geology whereInstitute, the SiberianBack Scattered Branch, Electron Russian images