Orogenic Gold Deposits -

From Epizonal to Hypozonal Systems

Gold Production by Deposit Types

Witwatersrand Gold Fields

Orogenic Gold Production by Countries

Muruntau
 Orogenic Gold Deposits

Also known as:

▪ Greenstone-hosted Quartz-Carbonate Vein Deposits
▪ Shear Zone-related Quartz-Carbonate Vein Deposits
▪ Mesothermal Gold Deposits
▪ Archaen Lode Gold Deposits
▪ Gold-only Deposits
▪ Orogenic Gold Deposits
 Seven Blind Men on a Quest to
Discover the Truth of the Elephant
Common Definition of Orogenic Gold Deposits

▪ They form in metamorphic terranes

resulting from orogenic processes.
▪ The associated geologic structures
indicate compressional to
transpressional tectonic settings.
▪ The host geological environments
include metamorphosed volcano-
plutonic as well as sedimentary
terranes.
▪ They occur in the vicinity of regional,
crustal-scale brittle to ductile
deformation zones.
 Orogenic Gold Deposits

What are the definite characteristics?

 Structural Control

 Vein Geometry and Inventory

 Host Rocks and Wall Rock Alteration

 Source of Fluids and Metals

 Fluid Plumbing System and Fluid Composition

Gold Deposits investigated by IML Staff & Students
 Ages of Gold Deposits Investigated
Age of Mineralization (Ma)
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500

New Consort 3027

Cuiaba 2672

Ajjanahalli 2608

Renco 2553

Hutti/Hirabudini 2560

Pilgrim's Rest 2064

Lega Dembi 545

Boring Billion
Navachab 525 No Preservation
Mindyak 300 of Gold Mineralization
Kochkar 270

Awak Mas 8
 Definitive Characteristics: Structural Setting
▪ Distributed along major compressional to trans-tensional
crustal-scale fault zones in deformed terranes.

Barberton Greenstone Belt, South Africa

 Definitive Characteristics: Reef Geometry
Laminated
Qtz Vein

Po Asp
Au

Py
Barberton Greenstone Belt, RSA
 Hutti - Maski Greenstone Belt, India

Reef Arrangement: 9 Gold Lodes

Village
Mid
dle

Reef
Ree
f

Str
ike
Re
MALLAPPA

ef
MAIN SHAFT

(F
.W
SHAFT

.)
Ma
CENTRAL

in R
SHAFT

New E
eef

Strik
PROSPECT

ast Re
e Re
SHAFT

ef (H

ef
LEGEND

.W.)
H utti-M aski
Goa15°16° Pillowed Metabasalt

Pr

O
50'
20' Acid Volcanic Rock

os

akle

Zone
pe
Gold Lodes

y's
ct
Kolar Granites / Gneisses

I. Re
Re
Re
Bangalore

ef
ef
Dolerite Dyke

ef
0 300 m
 Hutti Reef
Textures

➢ Shear bands
➢Lithons

➢ Mylonitic textures

➢Laminated veins
1st stage of mineralization

20cm
Hutti Reef Anatomy

Alteration Zones
HT- Gold Deposit Renco, Zimbabwe

Renco Enderbite
 HT- Gold Deposit Renco, Zimbabwe

Shallow reef

Reef
´Qtz.-Mylonite Pegmatite
Reef Architecture

Reef Textures
Sabie - Pilgrim’s Rest Gold Field, South Africa
Sabie - Pilgrim’s Rest Gold Field, South Africa

Hydraulic breccia

Flat Reef Anatomy

Sabie - Pilgrim’s Rest Gold Field, South Africa
Wall Rock Alteration
Sericite,
Quartz,
Dolomite

Carbonate
Veinlets

Hydrothermal
alteration

Dolerite Sill Chlorite, Quartz,

Amphibole

Hydrothermal Alteration
 Definitive Characteristics:
Source of Fluids and Metals
Magmatic or Metamorphic?

No unequivocal answer from stable isotopes

P-T Conditions of Mineralization
 Renco Fluid Production
Devolatilization due to thrusting of „hot“ granulite terrane onto
“cool” granite-greenstone terrane.

devolatilization
 Timing of Mineralization
relative to Peak Metamorphism

Kochkar P-T Path Renco P-T Path

Definitive Characteristics: Timing of Mineralization
relative to Peak Metamorphism

Elmer et at. 2016

Au deposition during uplift and exhumation on retrograde path.

Granitoids are not the source of fluids and/or gold?
 Timing of Mineralization
relative to Peak Metamorphism

(EZ, CZ, WZ =
Eastern Zone,
Central Zone,
Western Zone
Ore Bodies

New Consort P-T Path:

Two mineralization episodes at ca. 3080 and 3040 Ma.
 Timing of Mineralization
relative to Peak Metamorphism

2547±10 Ma

2532±3 Ma

Hutti P-T Path: Two stages of Mineralization!

Two Stages of Mineralization at Hutti Goldmine, India

Hypozonal metamorphic Fluid

2547±10 Ma Magmatic Fluid
2532±3 Ma
The 2nd stage of Au mineralization occurred c. 10 Ma after
1st stage, but made the economic grade!
Timing of Gold Mineralization during Urals Orogeny

Kochkar trails Au formation at Mindyak by 30 Ma

Summary: Fluid and Metal Source

Elmer et al. 2016

Fluid production mainly during prograde

metamorphism.
Generally, little evidence for magmatic
fluids.
 Summary: Orogenic Gold Plumbing System

hydrothermal
alteration

Au-Quartz-
Lode

Fluid flux from a deep seated source (metamorphic devolatilization)

into shallow crustal levels along high permeability faults and fractures
and precipitation of gold as a result of fluid-rock reaction.
 Summary: Host Rock Association
Orogenic Gold Deposits occur in a wide variety of host rocks and may be
hosted by all lithologies present in the local environment:
• Mafic and ultramafic volcanic rocks
• Fe-rich tholeiitic gabbroic sills
• Felsic volcaniclastics and sediments
• Banded Iron Formation

Gold is in quartz sulfide veins

and sulfide lenses that cross-cut
all lithological units.

Example: Navachab Gold Deposit, Namibia No preferred host-rock control!

 Summary: Structural Control
Structural control is more important than lithological control!

Example: Kochkar Gold Deposit, Urals

Indentor-Tectonics
 Schematic Sketch of Endmembers of Tectonic Settings
of Orogenic Gold Mineralization

Typical mesozonal orogenic gold deposits formed in accretionary orogens

mainly between accretionary wedge and arc or in steep shear zones in the
foreland. The latter is the situation where many hypozonal deposits formed

Kolb et al. 2015

 Schematic Sketch of Endmembers of Tectonic Settings
of Orogenic Gold Mineralization

Collisional orogens host very few orogenic gold deposits but the possible
setting for the hypozonal Navachab and Renco are shown here. Brusson in
the southern Alps represents a mesozonal deposit that formed during
uplift and late-orogenic extension
Kolb et al. 2015
Have we discovered the Truth of the Elephant?

Addo Elephant Park, South Africa

Orogenic Au Deposits:
What makes this Type of Gold mineralization attractive?
▪ They are reasonably well understood geologically
▪ They are an important source of global gold production
▪ They can be large and of good grade
▪ They tend to occur in clusters at various scales
▪ They can have significant vertical and horizontal dimensions
▪ They tend to increase reserves with time as mine exploration and
development advances
▪ They can be developed with relatively low upfront capital investment and
short construction lead times.
 Model Distribution of Orogenic Gold Deposits

▪ The areal concentration of Orogenic Gold Deposits along Phanerozoic

metamorphic belts is about 10 times that in Proterozoic terranes and
about 3 times higher than in Archean belts.
▪ This suggests that exploration for the next generation of Orogenic Gold
Deposits should be focused on Phanerozoic terranes.
Wilkinson, B.H. & Kesler, S.K. (2010). Tectonic-diffusion estimate of Orogenic Gold Resources. Economic Geology,
v. 105, pp. 1321–1334
… there may be a Pot of (Orogenic) Gold at the end of the Rainbow

Guelb Moghrein Gold Deposit, Mauritania