Gold in magmatic hydrothermal solutions and the rapid formation of a giant ore deposit

Science

Volumn 314, Issue 5797, 2006, Pages 288-291

  Simmons, Stuart F ^a   Brown, Kevin L ^b  

^a UNIVERSITY OF AUCKLAND   (New Zealand)

^b GEOKEM ^*  (New Zealand)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

DEEP GEOTHERMAL BRINE; MAGMATIC HYDROTHERMAL SOLUTIONS; METAL FLUX;

GEOTHERMAL WELLS; OPEN PIT MINING; ORE DEPOSIT GEOLOGY; TITANIUM; WELL DRILLING;

GOLD DEPOSITS;

GOLD; TITANIUM; WELL WATER;

GEOTHERMAL SYSTEM; GOLD; HYDROTHERMAL SYSTEM; MAGMATIC DIFFERENTIATION; OPEN PIT MINE; ORE DEPOSIT; TITANIUM;

ARTICLE; CONCENTRATION (PARAMETERS); GEOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS; HYDROTHERMAL VENT; IONIC STRENGTH; MINERALIZATION; PAPUA NEW GUINEA; PH; PRECIPITATION; PRIORITY JOURNAL; ROCK; SOLUBILITY; TEMPERATURE; VOLCANO; WATER SAMPLING;

BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO; LIHIR ISLAND; MELANESIA; PACIFIC ISLANDS; PACIFIC OCEAN; PAPUA NEW GUINEA;

EID: 33750011136     PISSN: 00368075     EISSN: 10959203     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1126/science.1132866     Document Type: Article

References (25)

1. R. H. Sillitoe, Geology and Ore Deposits 2000: The Great Basin and Beyond (Geological Society of Nevada, Reno, Nevada, 2000), pp. 1-18.
2. K. L. Brown, Econ. Geol. 81, 979 (1986).
3. K. L. Brown, S. F. Simmons, Geothermics 32, 619 (2003).
4. G. D. Carman, Soc. Econ. Geol. Spec. Pub. 10, 247 (2003).
5. J. W. Hedenquist, J. B. Lowenstern, Nature 370, 519 (1994).
6. C. A. Heinrich, Min. Dep. 39, 864 (2005).
7. A. J. Moyle, B. J. Doyle, H. Hoogvliet, A. R. Ware, in Geology of the Mineral Deposits of Australia and Papua New Guinea 2, F. E. Hughes, Ed. (Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, Melbourne, 1990), pp. 1793-1805.
8. R. H. Sillitoe, Geology 22, 945 (1994).
9. D. Müller, L. Franz, P. M. Herzig, S. Hunt, Lithos 57, 163 (2001).
10. E. P. Jensen, M. D. Barton, Rev. Econ. Geol. 13, 279 (2000).
11. R. H. Sillitoe, Min. Dep. 37, 4 (2002).
12. S. F. Simmons, N. C. White, D. John, in Economic Geology One Hundredth Anniversary Volume 1905-2005, J. W. Hedenquist, J. F. H. Thompson, R. J. Goldfarb, J. P. Richards, Eds. (Society of Economic Geologists, Littleton, CO, 2005), pp. 485-522.
13. R. G. Allis, R. W. Henley, Unpub. Contract Rept. 67 (Geophysics Division, Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Zealand, 1988).
14. T. Pichler, W. F. Giggenbach, B. I. A. McInnes, D. Buhl, B. Duck, Econ. Geol. 94, 281 (1999).
15. 18 ohms). After sampling, the water sample plus 80 ml of aqua regia and 80 ml of deionized water, which were used to rinse the sampler of any precipitates, were combined into a high-density polyethylene plastic bottle before analysis by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Energy Technology Centre for Advanced Analytical Chemistry in Lucas Heights, Australia. Sample PW24 was collected primarily to determine the major aqueous species, and only a 50-ml aliquot, with 1 ml of aqua regia added, was analyzed for trace metals. The restricted access to wells limited the number of down-hole samples obtained for trace-metal analyses and prevented replicate sampling or field blanks. GW06 was sampled on two consecutive days, first for major aqueous species and then for trace metals, followed by trace-metal sampling of PW24 and then GW14. Between 680 and 780 ml of clear liquid with trace sediment or precipitate was obtained in the sampling runs. The results and the order in which the wells were sampled indicate no cross-contamination and yield reproducible analyses of two distinct deepwater samples. A field blank from a New Zealand geothermal well, obtained with the same sampler under similar down-hole conditions, shows that background levels are well below the concentrations measured in the Ladolam geothermal brine (Table 2).
16. M. D. Hannington, C. E. J. de Ronde, S. Petersen, in Economic Geology One Hundredth Anniversary Volume 1905-2005, J. W. Hedenquist, J. F. H. Thompson, R. J. Goldfarb, J. P. Richards, Eds. (Society of Economic Geologists, Littleton, CO, 2005), pp. 111-141.
17. L. G. Benning, T. M. Seward, Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 60, 1849 (1996).
18. A. Stefánnson, T. M. Seward, Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 68, 4121 (2004).
19. H. M. Bibby, T. G. Caldwell, F. J. Davey, T. H. Webb, J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res. 68; 29 (1995).
20. J. W. Hedenquist, S. F. Simmons, W. F. Giggenbach, C. S. Eldridge, Geology 21, 731 (1993).
21. R. J. Andres, P. R. Kyle, R. L. Chuan, Geol. Rundsch. 82, 687 (1993).
22. A. A. Longo, thesis, Oregon State University (2005).
23. B. I. A. McInnes, M. Gregoire, R. A. Binns, P. M. Herzig, M. D. Hannington, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett 188, 169 (2001).
24. D. Müller et al., Min. Dep. 37, 61 (2002).
25. We thank Lihir Gold Ltd. for field support, gold assays of deep drill cuttings, geothermal brine data, and permission to publish this manuscript. Research funding was provided by the Foundation for Research Science and Technology. Comments from P. R. L. Browne, J. W. Hedenquist, W. E. Seyfried, and N. C. White improved this manuscript.