Prediction of hidden Au and Cu–Ni ores from depleted mines in Northwestern China: four case studies of integrated geological and geophysical investigations

摘要

Integrated geological and geophysical investigations were carried out in 26 active mines in Northwestern China during the period 2001–2006 to explore for hidden extensions of known ore bodies and to search for new mineralization. This paper presents four case studies from northwest China: the Kuoerzhenkuoa volcanogenic hydrothermal gold deposit, the Nanjinshan breccia-associated gold deposit, the Duolanasayi deposit, associated with a ductile–shear zone, and the Hulu magmatic Cu–Ni sulfide deposit. In these studies, detailed mine-scale geological studies were carried out to determine the location and controls on ore formation. Based on these investigations and a review of previous exploration data, genetic models for the deposits were evaluated, and specific new targets were generated. These target areas were tested with surface geophysical surveys using the Stratagem EH4 system, a hybrid-source magnetotellurics (MT) method. Analysis of the data obtained in the surveys identified geophysical target anomalies that were subsequently drilled. Many of these test holes demonstrate the presence of Au and Cu–Ni mineralization. Evaluation of the geological models was crucial in developing conceptual targets as a basis for surface geophysical surveys. These models established the most likely target areas where Au and Cu–Ni mineralization could occur, but they did not define the limits or the geometries of the mineralized zones. Hybrid MT surveys played an important role in defining the location of buried mineralized systems and in testing the validity of the conceptual targets. The resistivity cross-sections obtained by imaging the MT data established the boundaries and geometries of the host rocks, including the distribution of lithology, structures, alteration, and mineralization. The four case studies in this paper show how this integrated geological and geophysical approach was used successfully to discover hidden mineral deposits.