Cathodoluminescence and Trace Elements in Quartz: Clues to Metal Precipitation Mechanisms at the Asachinskoe Gold Deposit in Kamchatka

• Main Authors: Ryohei Takahashi, Axel Müller, Hiroharu Matsueda, Victor M. Okrugin, Shuji Ono, Alfons Van Den Kerkhof, Andreas Kronz, Elena D. Andreeva
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: Cathodoluminescence; Trace Element; Quartz; Epithermal Gold deposit; Asachinskoe; Bonanza; Kamchatka
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.564.6781; http://eprints.lib.hokudai.ac.jp/dspace/bitstream/2115/38463/1/p175-184-origin08.pdf

The Asachinskoe epithermal gold deposit in South Kamchatka, Russia, is a low-sulfidation type deposit which consists of Au-Ag bearing quartz-adularia-illite veins. Cathodoluminescence (CL) analysis using optical microscope and scanning electron microscope and trace element analysis of quartz using electron probe micro-analyzer (EPMA) were performed to elucidate the relationships between CL structures, trace element concentrations of different quartz generations, and metal pre-cipitation mechanism of the Asachinskoe deposit. Five sequences of quartz crystallization can be distinguished within the mineralized vein of the bonanza zone. Most distinctive trace elements in quartz are Al (av. 1463 ppm) and K (av. 350 ppm). Colloform and microcrystalline quartz with moderate to dull red-brown CL coexists with electrum (Au-Ag alloy), naumannite-aguilarite (ss) and polybasite-pearceite (ss). The Au-Ag-Se precipitation is related to fluid boiling, and the Se en-richment is attributed to relative oxidizing mineralization conditions. Almost non-luminescent, dark brown luminescent quartz forming the matrix of the hydrothermal breccia coexists with elec-trum, tetrahedrite-tennantite (ss) and covellite. The Au-Ag-Cu precipitation is associated with rap-idly precipitated quartz and adularia, and is due to sudden decompression and fluid boiling related to the hydrothermal brecciation.