• Korean Journal of Mineralogy and Petrology
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.273-288
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• 2023

The Gubong Au-Ag deposit, which has been one of the largest deposits (Unsan, Daeyudong, Kwangyang) in Korea, consists of eight lens-shaped quartz veins (a mix of orogenic-type and intrusion-related types) that filled fractures along fault zones within Precambrian metasedimentary rock. Korea Mining Promotion Corporation found a quartz vein (referred to as the No. 6 vein with a grade of 27.9 g/t Au and a width of 0.9 m) at a depth of -728 ML by drilling (No. 90-12) conducted in 1989. Korea Mining Promotion Corporation conducted drilling (No. 04-1) in 2004 to investigate the redevelopment's possibility of the No. 6 vein. The author studied the occurrence and chemical composition of chlorite and white mica using wallrock, wallrock alteration and quartz vein samples collected from the No. 04-1 drilling core in 2004. The alteration of studied samples occurs chloritization, sericitization, silicification and pyritization. Chlorite and white mica from mineralized zone at a depth of -275 ML occur with quartz, K-feldspar, calcite, rutile and pyrite in wallrock alteration zone and quartz vein. Chlorite and white mica from ore vein (No. 6 vein) at a depth of -779 ML occur with quartz, calcite, apatite, zircon, rutile, ilmenite, pyrrhotite and pyrite in wallrock alteration zone and quartz vein. Chlorite from a depth of -779 ML has a higher content of Al and Mg elements and a lower content of Si and Fe elements than chlorite from a depth of -275 ML. Also, Chlorites from a depth of -275 ML and -779 ML have higher content of Si element than theoretical chlorite. Compositional variation in chlorite from a depth of -275 ML was mainly caused by phengitic or Tschermark substitution [Al^{3+,VI + Al3+,IV} <-> (Fe²⁺ or Mg²⁺)^VI + (Si⁴⁺)^IV], but compositional variation from a depth of -779 ML was mainly caused by octahedral Fe²⁺ <-> Mg²⁺ (Mn²⁺) substitution. The interlayer cation site occupancy (K+Na+Ca+Ba+Sr = 0.76~0.82 apfu, 0.72~0.91 apfu) of white mica from a depth of -275 ML and -779 ML have lower contents than theoretical dioctahedral micas, but octahedral site occupancy (Fe+Mg+Mn+Ti+Cr+V+Ni = 2.09~2.13 apfu, 2.06~2.14 apfu) have higher contents than theoretical dioctahedral micas. Compositional variation in white mica from a depth of -275 ML was caused by phengitic or Tschermark substitution [(Al³⁺)^VI + (Al³⁺)^IV <-> (Fe²⁺ or Mg²⁺)^VI + (Si⁴⁺)^IV], illitic substitution and direct (Fe³⁺)^VI <-> (Al³⁺)^VI substitution. But, compositional variation in white mica from a depth of -779 ML was caused by phengitic or Tschermark substitution [(Al³⁺)^VI + (Al³⁺)^IV <-> (Fe²⁺ or Mg²⁺)^VI + (Si⁴⁺)^IV] and direct (Fe³⁺)^VI <-> (Al³⁺)^VI substitution.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.467-475
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• 2010

The Landsat and ASTER data have been used in mineralogical and lithological studies, and they have also proved to be useful tool in the initial steps for mineral exploration throughout Nevada mining district, US. Huge pyrophyllite quarry mines, including Jungang, Samsung, Kyeongju, and Naenam located in the southeastern part of Gyeongsang Basin. The geology of study area consists mainly of Cretaceous volcanic rocks, which belong into Cretaceous Hayang and Jindong Group. They were intruded by Bulgugsa granites, so called Sannae-Eonyang granites. To extraction of Ratio model for pyrophyllite deposits, tuffaceous rock and pyrophyllite ores from the Jungang mine used in reflectance spectral analysis and these results were re-sampled to Landsat and ASTER bandpass. As a result of these processes, the pyrophyllite ores spectral features show strong reflectance at band 5, whereas strong absorption at band 7 in Landsat data. In the ASTER data, the pyrophyllite ores spectral features show strong absorption at band 5 and 8, whereas strong reflectance at band 4 and 7. Based on these spectral features, as a result of application of $Py_{Landsat}$ model to hydrothermal alteration zone and other exposed sites, the DN values of two different areas are 1.94 and 1.19 to 1.49, respectively. The differences values between pyrophyllite deposits and concrete-barren area are 0.472 and 0.399 for $Py_{ASTER}$ model, 0.452 and 0.371 for OHIb model, 0.365 and 0.311 for PAK model, respectively. Thus, $Py_{ASTER}$ and $Py_{Landsat}$ model proposed from this study proved to be more useful tool for the extraction of pyrophyllite deposits relative to previous models.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.199-218
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• 1986

Arsenopyrite in arsenic and polymetallic ores from calcic Fe-W skarn deposit of the Ulsan mine, Republic of Korea, has been investigated by means of electron microprobe analysis and X-ray diffractometry. As a result, it is revealed that the Ulsan arsenopyrite may be classified into the following three species with different generation on the basis of its mode of occurrence, chronological order during polymetallic mineralization and chemical composition; arsenopyrites I, II and III. 1) Arsenopyrite I-(Ni, Co)-bearing species belonging to the oldest generation, which has crystallized together with (Ni, Co)-arsenides and -sulpharsenides in the early stage of polymetallic mineralization. In rare cases, it contains a negligible amount of antimony. It occurs usually as discrete grains with irregular outline, showing rarely subhedral form, and is diffused in skarn zone. The maximum contents of nickel and cobalt are 10.04 Ni and 2.45 Co (in weight percent). Occasionally, it shows compositional zoning with narrow rim of lower (Ni+Co) content. 2) Arsenopyrite II-arsenian species, in which (Ni+Co) content is almost negligible, may occur widely in arsenic ores, and its crystallization has followed that of arsenopyrite I. It usually shows subhedral to euhedral form and is closely associated with $l{\ddot{o}}llingite$, bismuth, bismuthinite, chalcopyrite, sphalerite, bismuthian tennantite, etc. It is worthy of note that arsenopyrite II occasionally contains particles consisting of both bismuth and bismuthinite. 3) Arsenopyrite III-(Ni, Co)-free, S-excess and As-deficient species is close to the stoichiometric composition, FeAsS. It occurs in late hydrothermal veins, which cut clearly the Fe-W ore pipe and the surrounding skarn zone. It shows euhedral to subhedral form, being extremely coarse-grained, and is closely associated with pyrite, "primary" monoclinic pyrrhotite, galena, sphalerite, etc. Among three species of the Ulsan arsenopyrite, arsenopyrite I does not serve as a geothermometer, because (Ni+Co) content always exceeds 1 weight percent. In spite of the absence of Fe-S minerals as sulphur-buffer assemblage, the presence of $Bi(l)-Bi_2S_3$ sulphur-buffer enables arsenopyrite II to apply successfully to the estimation of either temperature and sulphur fugacity, the results are, $T=460{\sim}470^{\circ}C$, and log $f(S_2)=-7.4{\sim}7.0$. With reference to arsenopyrite III, only arsenopyrite coexisting with pyrite and "primary" monoclinic pyrrhotite may serve to restrict the range of both temperature and sulphur fugacity, $T=320{\sim}440^{\circ}C$, log $f(S_2)=-9.0{\sim}7.0$. These temperature data are consistent with those obtained by fluid inclusion geothermometry on late grandite garnet somewhat earlier than arsenopyrite II. At the beginning of this paper, the geological environments of the ore formation at Ulsan are considered from regional and local geologic settings, and physicochemical conditions are suspected, in particular the formation pressure (lithostatic pressure) is assumed to be 0.5kb (50MPa). The present study on arsenopyrite geothermometry, however, does not bring about any contradictions against the above premises. Thus, the following genetical view on the Ulsan ore deposit previously advocated by two of the present authors (Choi and Imai) becomes more evident; the ore deposit was formed at shallow depth and relatively high-temperature with steep geothermal gradient-xenothermal conditions.

• Korean Journal of Mineralogy and Petrology
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.185-197
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• 2023

The Gubong Au-Ag deposit consists of eight lens-shaped quartz veins. These veins have filled fractures along fault zones within Precambrian metasedimentary rock. This has been one of the largest deposits in Korea, and is geologically a mix of orogenic-type and intrusion-related types. Korea Mining Promotion Corporation drilled into a quartz vein (referred to as the No. 6 vein) with a width of 0.9 m and a grade of 27.9 g/t Au at a depth of -728 ML by drilling (No. 90-12) in the southern site of the deposit, To further investigate the potential redevelopment of the No. 6 vein, another drilling (No. 04-1) was carried out in 2004. In 2004, samples (wallrock, wallrock alteration and quartz vein) were collected from the No. 04-1 drilling core site to study the occurrence and chemical composition of Ti-bearing minerals (ilmenite, rutile). Rutile from mineralized zone at a depth of -275 ML occur minerals including K-feldspar, biotite, quartz, calcite, chlorite, pyrite in wallrock alteration zone. Ilmenite and rutile from ore vein (No. 6 vein) at a depth of -779 ML occur minerals including white mica, chlorite, apatite, zircon, quartz, calcite, pyrrhotite, pyrite in wallrock alteration zone and quartz vein. Based on mineral assemblage, rutile was formed by hydrothermal alteration (chloritization) of Ti-rich biotite in the wallrock. Chemical composition of ilmenite has maximum values of 0.09 wt.% (HfO₂), 0.39 wt.% (V₂O₃) and 0.54 wt.% (BaO). Comparing the chemical composition of rutile at a depth -275 ML and -779 ML, Rutile at a depth of -779 ML is higher contents (WO₃, FeO and BaO) than rutile at a depth of -275 ML. The substitutions of rutile at a depth of -275 ML and -779 ML are as followed : rutile at a depth of -275 ML Ba²⁺ + Al³⁺ + Hf⁴⁺ + (Nb⁵⁺, Ta⁵⁺) ↔ 3Ti⁴⁺ + Fe²⁺, 2V⁴⁺ + (W⁵⁺, Ta⁵⁺, Nb⁵⁺) ↔ 2Ti⁴⁺ + Al³⁺ + (Fe²⁺, Ba²⁺), Al³⁺ + V⁴⁺+ (Nb⁵⁺, Ta⁵⁺) ↔ 2Ti⁴⁺ + 2Fe²⁺, rutile at a depth of -779 ML 2 (Fe²⁺, Ba²⁺) + Al³⁺ + (W⁵⁺, Nb⁵⁺, Ta⁵⁺) ↔ 2Ti⁴⁺ + (V⁴⁺, Hf⁴⁺), Fe²⁺ + Al³⁺ + Hf ⁴⁺ + (W⁵⁺, Nb⁵⁺, Ta⁵⁺) ↔ 2Ti⁴⁺ + V⁴⁺ + Ba²⁺, respectively. Based on these data and chemical composition of rutiles from orogenic-type deposits, rutiles from Gubong deposit was formed in a relatively oxidizing environment than the rutile from orogenictype deposits (Unsan deposit, Kori Kollo deposit, Big Bell deposit, Meguma gold-bearing quartz vein).