Gold occurs in many settings, but the dynamic nature of Earth’s crust means overlapping and overprinting deposit styles are common. Characterization of mineralization from an early stage becomes important, particularly where the mineralization is complex, in order to maximize exploration and project development success and mining productivity. Various techniques are used at different stages of a project to characterize gold deposits. This Special Publication offers a cross-section of some specific techniques used to investigate a variety of gold deposit types. The papers highlight both the breadth of the available techniques and their utility in deposit characterization, but also the many significant remaining questions and problems related to the exploration and research of gold deposits. Several papers include suggestions of avenues for fruitful further research, including a paper discussing a new approach to classifying orogenic gold deposits, and a paper describing archaeological applications of natural gold analyses.

Potassic igneous rocks have gained much attention among petrologists worldwide, mainly due to their distinct geochemistry, and many geoscientists still consider them as petrological curiosities with an obscure petrogenesis. In the past, a plethora of genetic hypotheses and of local names for potassic igneous rocks from different localities have been created. This has produced some confusion in the literature. This book reviews the geochemical and petrological characteristics of the potassic igneous rock complexes and investigates the different tectonic settings in which these rocks occur. The authors provide an overview and a classification of these rocks and attempt to elucidate the geochemical differences between barren and mineralized potassic igneous complexes. Many epithermal gold and porphyry copper-gold deposits are hosted by high-K rocks. Therefore, this book is not only relevant to academic petrologists working on alkaline rocks, but also to exploration geologists prospecting for epithermal gold and/or porphyry copper-gold deposits in modern and ancient terranes. This third, updated and enlarged edition contains several new sections, new geochemical data and additional references.

Exploration of natural resources is becoming more and more expensive. This means that more scientific approaches are needed using the best techniques available. However, no single technique can cover any of the objectives. Regional approaches, necessary to outline a prospective area, lack the detail required for exploration; detailed methods and techniques lack proper overview. A combination of both types of approaches and several techniques within are required to do optimal exploration. This book provides a number of examples (models) of different approaches and styles from different parts of the world, giving the reader not only new information but also a view of how different countries emphasize their exploration.

The Metallogeny of Lode Gold Deposits: A Syngenetic Perspective is a synthesis of lode gold vein forming processes, addressing the commonality in similar worldwide deposits. The book's empirical model incorporates widely known and accepted principles of ore deposition and shows how it applies in the volcanic-sedimentary greenstone belt environment. Several chapters detail outcrop maps and photos of field occurrences and textures. The interpretations flow directly from the authors' field work, and are coupled with analyses of underlying physical processes. Utilizing detailed geological mapping, field work, and chemical analyses as the basis of a syngenetic formation mode, the text arms readers with the tools necessary to accurately analyze and interpret new data on the subject. This includes information on decoding the significance of asymmetry in vein formation, as well as the role of lamprophyres in gold camps, how Archean geology requires integration into a lode vein formation model, and how to develop an understanding of the worldwide applicability of gold cycles to lode vein formation and exploration and how it can be applied to deposits of all ages. - Presents the first book to galvanize lode gold research into a single authoritative reference - Simplifies the complexity of lode gold's underlying processes and presents valid concepts surrounding the lode gold forming environment - Features color figures, illustrations, and photos that enrich the content's focus and aid in the retention of key concepts

Within the last decade, the high and continuing demand for gold has prompted a global gold rush on a scale never before seen, not even in the heady days of Ballarat, California and the Yukon. Gold is being sought on every continent and, with very few exceptions, in every country around the world. Such interest and fierce competition has demanded considerable innovation and improvement in exploration techniques paralleled by a rapid expansion of the geological database and consequent genetic modelling for the many different types of gold deposits now recognized. This proliferation of data has swamped the literature and left explorationist and academic alike unable to sift more than a small proportion of the accumulating information. This new book represents an attempt to address this major problem by providing succinct syntheses ofall major aspects ofgold metallogeny and exploration, ranging from the chemical distribution of gold in the Earth's crust, and the hydrothermal chemistry of gold, to Archaean and Phanerozoic lode deposits, epithermal environments, chemical sediments, and placer deposits, and culminates in chapters devoted to geochemical and geophysical exploration, and the economics of gold deposits. Each chapter is written by geoscientists who are acknowledged internationally in their respective fields, thus guaranteeing a broad yet up-to-date coverage. In addition, each chapter is accompanied by reference lists which provide readers with access to the most pertinent and useful publications.

Applied Geochemistry: Advances in Mineral Exploration Techniques is a book targeting all levels of exploration geologists, geology students and geoscientists working in the mining industry. This reference book covers mineral exploration techniques from multiple dimensions, including the application of statistics – both principal component analysis and factor analysis - to multifractal modeling. The book explains these approaches step-by-step and gives their limitations. In addition to techniques and applications in mineral exploration, Applied Geochemistry describes mineral deposits and the theories underpinning their formation through worldwide case studies. - Includes both conventional and nonconventional techniques for mineral exploration, including lithogeochemical methods - Highlights the importance and applications of multifractal models, 3D - mineral prospectivity modeling - Features case studies from mines and mineral exploration ventures around the world