H.V.

Warren School of Prospecting

by CHRISTINE NORCROSS, NORTHERN MINER

An epithermal gold deposit is one in which the gold mineralization occurs within
1 to 2 km of surface and is deposited from hot fluids. The fluids are estimated to range in
temperature from less than 100°C to about 300°C and, during the formation of a deposit,
can appear at the surface as hot springs, similar to those found in Yellowstone National
Park (in northwestern Wyoming, southern Montana and eastern Idaho). The deposits are
most often formed in areas of active volcanism around the margins of continents.
Epithermal gold mineralization can be formed from two types of chemically
distinct fluids Ä "low sulphidation" (LS) fluids, which are reduced and have a near-
neutral pH (the measure of the concentration of hydrogen ions) and "high sulphidation"
(HS) fluids, which are more oxidized and acidic.
LS fluids are a mixture of rainwater that has percolated into the subsurface and
magmatic water (derived from a molten rock source deeper in the earth) that has risen
toward the surface. Gold is carried in solution and, for LS waters, is deposited when the
water approaches the surface and boils.
HS fluids are mainly derived from a magmatic source and deposit gold near the
surface when the solution cools or is diluted by mixing with rainwater.The gold in
solution may come either directly from the magma source or it may be leached out of the
host volcanic rocks as the fluids travel through them.
In both LS and HS models, fluids travel toward the surface via fractures in the
rock, and mineralization often occurs within these conduits. LS fluids usually forth large
cavity filling veins, or a series of finer veins, called stockworks, that host the gold. The
hotter. more acidic HS fluids penetrate farther into the host rock, creating mineralization
that may include veins but which is mostly scattered throughout the rock. LS deposits can
also contain economic quantities of silver, and minor amounts of lead, zinc and copper,
whereas HS systems often produce ccvnomic quantities of copper and some silver. Other
minerals associated with LS systems are quartz (including chalcedony), carbonate, pyrite,
sphalerite and galena, whereas an HS system contains quartz, alunite, pyrite and copper
sulphides such as enargite.
Geochemical exploration for these deposits can result in different chemical
anomalies, depending on the type of mineralization involved. LS systems tend to be
higher in zinc and lead, and lower in copper, with a high silver-to-gold ratio. HS systems
can be higher in arsenic and copper with a lower silver-to-gold ratio.
Many countries have epithermal gold deposits, including Japan, Indonesia, Chile
and the western U.S., each of which occupies a portion of the "Rim of tare," the area of
volcanism that rings the Pacific Ocean from Southeast Asia to western South America.
Epithermal gold is also found in British Columbia at the Baker mine, in the Toodoggone
district, and near the Taseko River.
Epithermal gold deposits, which contribute significantly to the world's gold
supply, are an important exploration target which must be evaluated carefully based on
the amount of metal they might provide, and at what cost.
 The amount of gold in any type of deposit is calculated based on the ore's grade
(the amount of gold per tonne of rock) and tonnage (total number of tonnes) available at
that grade. The higher the grade of the material, the lower the tonnage required to make
recovery economical. A high-grade deposit could have gold values ranging from 10 to
more than 150 grams per tonne, whereas a low-grade deposit grades in the range of 1 to 5
grams. Low-grade deposits may have up to, and possibly more than, 200 million tonnes
of rock, whereas a high-grade deposit is frequently smaller.
Assay results acquired through drilling are important indicators of a deposit's
grade and tonnage. High grades over short distances can be as significant as low grades
over longer distances, and both types of deposit can be mined profitably. Drill results,
however, offer only a limited view of a deposit and may be difficult to reproduce. For
instance, a single drill hole may intersect a high-grade zone in an otherwise low-grade
(high sulphidation type epithermal) deposit, giving the appearance of a higher grade than
actually exists.
Factors other than tonnage and grade come into play in calculating the economic
significance of an epithermal deposit. For instance, the presence of other metals in the ore
can increase the value of a deposit, and many epithermal deposits contain a significant
silver and/or copper content.
The price of gold (and other metals) is also an important condition in economic
evaluation, as low prices may render small or low grade deposits uneconomic.
Many epithermal deposits occur in remote regions of under-developed countries,
and the construction of infrastructure, such as roads and mills, may be necessary before
deposits can be mined. These expenses increase the cost of a mining operation and must
be taken into consideration when calculating the economics of a deposit.
Mining and processing methods are also important in determining economics.
Since epithermal deposits are often formed at depths of less than 2 km (closer if erosion
of overlying material has resulted), many are amenable to relatively less expensive open-
pit mining methods. Deeper deposits that can be exploited only through underground
methods are more expensive.
Finally, recovery methods for epithermal gold deposits can entail either
conventional milling or cyanide leaching.The cost of both procedures can increase if gold
is contained in minerals that are difficult to process, such as arsenopyrite.