• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.45 no.4
• /
• pp.351-363
• /
• 2012

In order to develop the evaluation techniques for the potential sulfide ore reserves, the relationships between the modal vol.%, grain sizes and textural characteristics of the constituent minerals (e.g., sulfides, oxides and skarn minerals) and the Spectral Induced Polarization (SIP) phase differences are examined for the nine rock cores collected from the Gagok Pb-Zn skarn deposit. The Gagok Pb-Zn skarn deposit occurs mainly along the intrusive contact between the Cretaceous granitic rocks and Cambrian Myobong slate and Pungchon limestone. The nine rock cores have been grouped into three showing distinctive SIP phase differences: the highest (Group I), intermediate (Group II) and lowest (Group III). In relation with the modal vol.% of minerals, Group I is characterized by higher pyrrhotite (25-38 vol.%) and amphibole (40-55 vol.%); Group II by intermediate pyrrhotite (7-13 vol.%) and higher garnet (44-68 vol.%); and lower pyrrhotite (1-7 vol.%) and higher pyroxene (24-66 vol.%) stand for Group III. Furthermore, the grains of all the major constituent minerals become smaller from Group I (<5 mm) through Group II (<2.5 mm) to Group III (<1.6 mm). In particular, the pyrrhotite contents and their grain sizes show logarithmic correlation with the SIP phase differences, Although we present here the results solely from nine samples, the systematic interrelations especially for pyrrhotite indicate the potential ability of SIP measurements as a new mine-evaluation technique for the sulfide ore reservoir.