Geochemical characteristics and types of gold occurrences in Finland and Karelia

Abstract

The geochemical characteristics of numerous gold occurrences identified in the Baltic Shield are reviewed in order to typify them by geochemical data and to identify a group of elements whose anomalies can serve as indicators in the search for gold deposits, The data on the content of a wide range of chemical elements in ores and primary halos of 43 gold ore objects in Finland, as well as, for comparison, in some gold deposits of greenstone belts of Canada and Austria were used as baseline We also characterized two objects in Karelia: Mayskoe deposit and Alattu ore occurrence. The analysis of geochemical spectra has established the main indicator elements of Precambrian gold mineralization (An, As, Te, S, Bi, Ag, W, Cu, Sb, Se, Hg, U, CI, B, Sn, Mo, Pb, Zn). Five geochemical types of gold mineralization in the Baltic Shield have been identified according to the ratio of concentrations of the main gold satellites. The obtained results can be used in geochemical prospecting for gold in Karelia and the Kola Peninsula.