Wall Rock Mineralogy and Geochemistry of Dexter Pit, ELko County, Nevada

摘要

The Dexter pit lake, within the Tuscarora volanic field in Elko County, Nevada, formed after closure of the Dexter mine. Mineralogy at the Dexter mine is related to widespread fieldspar, silica, and chlorite alteration. Major mineraloghy includes quartz, alkali feldspar, albite, phlogopite-biotite, hornblende, iron-titanium oxide, chlorite, kaolinite, smectite, lillite, and sericite, with lesser amounts of calcite, zircon, apatite, and rutile, Trace element geochemistry is characterized by high levels of As, Ba, Cr, Cu, V, Zn, B, Zr, Li, and U. Detailed mineralogy and geomemistry are required for geochemical models to accurately predict trace element concentrations in pit lake waters.