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Mineralogy of Precious Metals in Ores of the Biksizak Base–Metal Deposit, South Urals, Russia

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Abstract

Gold and silver mineralogy is studied in ores of the Biksizak base-metal deposit (South Urals, Russia). This is a skarn-related carbonate replacement mineralization typical for marginal zones of porphyry-epithermal systems. The variability of precious metals minerals is established. Native gold (fineness 853 to 939) in assemblage with chalcopyrite and sphalerite is the most abundant. A telluride assemblage (tetradymite, hessite, stützite, petzite, galena, tellurobismuthite, rucklidgeite, altaite and native gold with a fineness of 830–900) and a silver–pearceite–acanthite assemblage (acanthite/argentite, pearceite–polybasite and gold–silver alloy from native gold with fineness of 747 to native silver) are identified. It is shown the exhibited variability is controlled by decreasing the temperature and variations in the tellurium and sulfur fugacities.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We thank V.A. Kotlyarov (Institute of Mineralogy, South Ural Federal Research Center of Mineralogy and Geoecology, Ural Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences), as well as N.V. Trubkin and I.G. Griboedova (Institute of Geology of Ore Deposits, Petrography, Mineralogy and Geochemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences), for their assistance in the analysis for this study. We thank V.A. Kovalenker and N.S. Bortnikov (Institute of Geology of Ore Deposits, Petrography, Mineralogy and Geochemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences) for their comments, which improved the manuscript.

Funding

This study was supported by a the basic project of Institute of Geology of Ore Deposits, Petrography, Mineralogy and Geochemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Geology of Ore Deposits, Petrography, Mineralogy and Geochemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 109017, Moscow, Russia

    O. Yu. Plotinskaya

  2. South Ural Federal Research Center of Mineralogy and Geoecology, Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Mineralogy, 456317, Miass, Russia

    K. A. Novoselov

  3. Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, Center for Russian and Central EurAsian Mineral Studies, Cromwell Road, SW7 5BD, London, UK

    R. Seltmann

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  1. O. Yu. Plotinskaya
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Correspondence to O. Yu. Plotinskaya.

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Plotinskaya, O.Y., Novoselov, K.A. & Seltmann, R. Mineralogy of Precious Metals in Ores of the Biksizak Base–Metal Deposit, South Urals, Russia. Geol. Ore Deposits 62, 439–456 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1075701520060045

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