Nanoparticles in groundwater of the Qujia deposit, eastern China: Prospecting significance for deep-seated ore resources

摘要

The characterization of nanoparticles in groundwater is recognized as an important tool that can be applied to mineral exploration. In this paper, we investigate the concealed orebodies of the Qujia gold deposit in the Jiaojia orefield of eastern China by analyzing ore-related nanoparticles in groundwater using transmission electron microscopy. The nanoparticles contain variable amounts of ore-related elements (e.g., Ag, Cu, Zn, La, Ce, Pb, Pt, and S). Some of these elements are rarely found in natural settings unrelated to orebodies or mineral extraction, but are strongly linked to concealed orebodies in the study area. These nanoparticles, which are diverse in their shapes, aggregated features, and degrees of crystallinity, can be grouped in terms of composition as: (i) native metal nanoparticles, (ii) metal-based nanoparticles, and (iii) carrier nanoparticles associated with trace elements. We propose that these three main types of nanoparticles enable the efficient transport of ore-forming elements in groundwater. The results of this study provide insights into the migratory behaviour of ore-related nanoparticles in groundwater, and our methods could be applied for detecting deep-seated mineral deposits.