Gold exploration is generally based on methods such as soil, stream and drill core geochemistry and geophysical techniques, but X-ray diffraction (XRD) and the Rietveld method-based mineral quantification are seldomly used. Here, a multi-methodological approach coupling traditional drill core macroscopic description and multi-element analysis, scanning electron microscopy/energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (SEM/EDS), and electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) with XRD/Rietveld method and statistical techniques is presented as a useful tool for deposit characterization, mineral exploration and predictive metallurgy purposes. The Pilar gold deposit, situated in the Quadrilátero Ferrífero province, Brazil, was used as a case study for the proposed multi-methodological approach. Carbonate-facies banded iron formations (BIFs) and schist sequences showing an intense quartz and sulfide hydrothermal alteration represent the host rocks of Pilar mineralized intervals, which may be identified by three signatures: Au-As-W-S-quartz-chlorite-pyrrhotite-arsenopyrite-calcite for schists, and Au-As-quartz-chlorite-arsenopyrite-pyrrhotite and Au-Ag-S-Te-quartz-chlorite-pyrrhotite for BIFs. Within the mineralized BIFs, the expected average Au grades and gold textures vary according to the signature. In As-poor BIFs, gold is only observed within the structure of sulfide and telluride phases. On the other hand, native gold is present in As-rich BIF samples, which usually contain relatively higher Au grades, compared to the As-poor BIFs. Native gold is also identified in mineralized schists, whose average Au grades are similar to those of As-poor BIFs. Therefore, the proposed multi-methodological approach is useful in providing the following information: geochemical-mineralogical signatures and the expected average Au grades and mode of occurrence of gold for each one of these signatures. At Pilar, the geochemical-mineralogical behavior of mineralized zones is directly linked to Au grades and textures. In terms of a practical workflow, this study illustrates that, after the multi-methodological approach is applied and the representativeness of the ore-petrography is tested, the general described behavior of gold within each group of ores can be used for mineral exploration and metallurgical purposes without the need of repeated SEM/EDS and EPMA analyses. Instead, the average Au grades and the gold textures may be predicted solely by the signature definition based on the drill core geochemical-mineralogical analyses.

金矿勘探通常基于土壤、溪流和钻芯地球化学和地球物理技术等方法，但很少使用 X 射线衍射 (XRD) 和基于 Rietveld 方法的矿物量化。在这里，将传统钻芯宏观描述和多元素分析、扫描电子显微镜/能量色散 X 射线荧光光谱 (SEM/EDS) 和电子探针显微分析 (EPMA) 与 XRD/Rietveld 方法相结合的多方法方法和统计技术被认为是矿床表征、矿产勘探和预测冶金目的的有用工具。位于巴西 Quadrilátero Ferrífero 省的 Pilar 金矿被用作所提议的多方法方法的案例研究。显示出强烈石英和硫化物热液蚀变的碳酸盐相带状铁地层 (BIF) 和片岩序列代表了 Pilar 矿化层段的主岩，可通过三个特征识别：Au-As-WS-石英-绿泥石-磁黄铁矿-毒砂-方解石用于片岩，Au-As-石英-绿泥石-毒砂-磁黄铁矿和 Au-Ag-S-Te-石英-绿泥石-磁黄铁矿用于 BIF。在矿化 BIF 中，预期的平均金品位和金质地因特征而异。在 As-poor BIF 中，仅在硫化物和碲化物相的结构中观察到金。另一方面，天然金存在于富含 As 的 BIF 样品中，与贫 As 的 BIF 相比，这些样品通常含有相对较高的金品位。在矿化片岩中也发现了原生金，其平均 Au 等级与 As-poor BIF 相似。因此，所提出的多方法学方法可用于提供以下信息：地球化学-矿物学特征以及这些特征中每一个特征的预期平均金品位和金的出现模式。在皮拉尔，矿化带的地球化学-矿物学行为与金的品位和质地直接相关。在实际工作流程方面，本研究表明，在应用多方法方法并检验矿石岩相学的代表性后，可将金在每组矿石中的一般描述行为用于矿产勘探和冶金。无需重复的 SEM/EDS 和 EPMA 分析。反而，