ORE DEPOSİTS INTRODUCTORY COURSE

Prof. Lluís Fontboté and collaborators

Slides to Chapter A

Economic aspects

Open Pit Mining

Riotinto

Blasting at the Riotinto open pit, Southern Spain.

.Blasting at the Riotinto open pit, Southern Spain. View looking to the West.
Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1979.10.2/56-58
Sample splitter used in the field for chips obtained with Reverse Circulation (or RC) drilling.
Carolina de Michilla, Chile, 1992. © Photo Lluís Fontboté
Click on the picture for an enlarged version of this photograph
 Chip log. The chips have been obtained with Reverse Circulation (or RC) drilling.
Carolina de Michilla, Chile, 1992. © Photo Lluís Fontboté
Click on the picture for an enlarged version of this photograph

Other examples

Additional examples of open pit mining are in the Chapter on porphyry coppers and
under Timbopeba (Chapter on Banded Iron Formations).
Concentration methods of historical interest to obtain mercury in Almadén, Spain are shown in chapter I.

Ore dressing

You can view examples of aspects of a concentration plant under Timbopeba in the chapter on Banded Iron
Formations.
 Slides to Chapter D

Ore deposits in mafic and ultramafic intrusive rocks, without alkaline rocks

Example : Chromite deposit, Ni-PGE in layered mafic intrusions

Schatter cones in Huronian Quartzites at Sudbury, Canada

Shatter cones are conical fractures typical of rocks having been subjected to shock.
In the case of Sudbury, they have been attributed to a meteorite impact.
 Photo: Lluís Fontboté, 1999.09.09/03
Click on the picture for an enlarged version of this photograph

Chromite "Schlieren" in the ultramafic body of Ronda. Photo: Lluís Fontboté, 2000.0./321
Click on the picture for an enlarged version of this photograph
Massive Chromite (Ni-Cu) vein in the Baeza mine, Ojén Massif, Ronda. The Los Jarales polished section
pictured in this polished section comes from a nearby similar deposit. Photo Lluís Fontboté 2005.05/65
Click on the picture for an enlarged version of this photograph
 Chromite, Fe+2Cr2O4, a spinel
Sawn slab (10x9 cm) of orbicular chromite, typical for podiform chromite deposits.
Doğanbaba-Yeşilova, Burdur, Turkey
© Photo and coll. P. Perroud

Slides to Chapter F

Felsic intrusions. Part I: phanerocrystalline textures

Pegmatites, greisen and skarn
 Native gold (yellow) in a quartz vein (white and light grey) with hematite disseminations (brown),
garnet (dark green), and pyroxene (light green) in the Nambija skarn, Campanillas Mine, Ecuador.
Striking feature in this oxidized gold skarn are the high gold grades and the low metal and sulfur contents.
Width of photo: 3.2 cm. Photograph ©: L. Fontboté 2003
Click on the picture for an enlarged version of this photograph.

More on the Nambija skarn:

*Chiaradia, M.*, *Vallance, J.*, *Fontboté, L.*, Stein, H., *Schaltegger, U.*, Coder, J., Richards, J.,
Villeneuve, M., and Gendall, I. (2009) U-Pb, Re-Os, and 40Ar/39Ar geochronology of the Nambija Au skarn
and Pangui porphyry-Cu deposits, Ecuador: implications for the Jurassic metallogenic belt of the Northern
Andes. Mineralium Deposita 44: 371–387
http://www.springerlink.com/content/281g310101np6471/?p=8c26b5016b754052a2d455bef12aef56&pi=12

*Vallance, J., Fontboté, F., Chiaradia, M., Markowski, A. Schmidt, S.* and Vennemann, T. (2009)
Magmatic-dominated fluid evolution in the Jurassic Nambija gold skarn deposits (southeastern Ecuador).
Mineralium Deposita 44: 389–413
http://www.springerlink.com/content/y10l7h20819x2036/?p=5a6f496b8b374c469b07066155960e97&pi=2
 Himalaya mine (Mesa Grande Dist., San Diego Co., California, USA)
Gem bearing pocket in pegmatite-aplite dike. This pocket was opened on 15.02.1989
Photo Pierre Perroud, 1989.02.15 - Copyright © 2001 - Pierre Perroud - All Rights Reserved
 Two minutes later! Gem quality Tourmaline var. Rubellite.
Photo Pierre Perroud, 1989.02.15 - Copyright © 2001 - Pierre Perroud - All Rights Reserved

Slides to Chapter G

Felsic intrusions II: porphyrocrystalline textures. The Porphyry System

Exemple : Gisements de type porphyre cuprifère

 Aspect of the mining operation at Chuquicamata, Chile.
Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1991.10-4/16a Copyright © 1999 - Lluís Fontboté - All Rights Reserved

Open pit at Chuquicamata, Chile. View looking to the North.

Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1991.10-4/23a Copyright © 1999 - Lluís Fontboté - All Rights Reserved.
Open pit at Chuquicamata, Chile. View looking to the East. Observe the scale! (each bank about 20 m!)
Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1991.10-4/31a Copyright © 1999 - Lluís Fontboté - All Rights Reserved.

Open Pit at El Salvador, Chile. View looking to the West.

Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1994.10-5/33 Copyright © 1999 - Lluís Fontboté - All Rights Reserved.
The world-class mining district of Morococha covers an area of about 70 km2 in the Western Cordillera of
central Peru and is part of the Miocene polymetallic belt. The central part of the district is dominated by the
giant Toromocho porphyry Cu-Mo deposit. Multiple late-Miocene porphyry stocks intruded Permian,
Triassic-Jurassic and Late-Cretaceous sedimentary carbonate and volcano-sedimentary formations, as well
as large mid-Miocene barren intrusions. Epithermal polymetallic replacement bodies and veins overprint
porphyry mineralization and skarns related to the subvolcanic Miocene intrusions. An ongoing Geneva
research project in cooperation with several mining companies aims to unravel the ore formation history of
the district. A key point of the project is to understand how in relatively short period of time (< 2 My) ore
formation changed from porphyry ( 500°C, several km depth) to epithermal conditions (<300 °C, near
surface environment).
Click on the picture for an enlarged version of this photograph (572 Kb)

More on Morococha district:

Catchpole H., Kouzmanov K., Fontboté L., Guillong M., Heinrich C. A. (2011) Fluid evolution in zoned
Cordilleran polymetallic veins - Insights from microthermometry and LA-ICP-MS of fluid inclusions,
Chemical Geology Volume 281, Issues 3–4, 24 February 2011, Pages 293–304

Catchpole, H., Kouzmanov, K., Fontboté, L. (2012) Copper-excess stannoidite and tennantite-tetrahedrite
as proxies for hydrothermal fluid evolution in a zoned Cordilleran base metal district, Morococha, central
Peru (archive-ouverte.unige.ch), Canadian Mineralogist, 2012, vol. 50, no. 3, p. 719-743

Slides to Chapter H

Extrusive rocks I: Submarine environment

Exemple : volcanic-hosted massive sulfide deposits (VHMS)

 Stockwork of the Volcanic Hosted Massive Sulfide (VHMS) San Miguel in the Riotinto Belt, Spain.
Photograph ©: Lluís Fontboté, May 1997.
Click on the picture for an enlarged version of this photograph

Slides to Chapter I

Extrusive rocks II: Continental and subaereal environment

Examples: Epithermal Au and Ag deposits

[Marte mine, Marcicunga Belt] [Lobo mine, Marcicunga Belt]

[argillic alteration] [Liesegang] [acid high sulfidation fluids]
[Coipa mine, Marcicunga Belt] [Colquijirca, Peru]
[Rodalquilar, Spain] [Almadén, Spain] [Sulphur, Nevada]

Epithermal High Sulfidation Systems High Sulfidation Systems at Maricunga Belt, northern Chile
(see Vila & Sillitoe, 1991, Economic Geology, 1991, v. 86, p. 1238-1260 and references therein).
 Salar of Maricunga, about 10 km north of the Marte Mine, northern Chile, view to the east.
Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1994.10-1/05 Copyright © 1999 - Lluís Fontboté - All Rights Reserved.

Field trip group at the Marte Mine, Maricunga Belt, northern Chile.
Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1994.10-1/17 Copyright © 1999 - Lluís Fontboté - All Rights Reserved.
General view of the Marte Au-deposit, Maricunga Belt, northern Chile, view to the northeast.
Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1994.10-1/36 Copyright © 1999 - Lluís Fontboté - All Rights Reserved.

Au-rich porpyry at Marte Mine, northern Chile.

Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1994.10-3/1 Copyright © 1999 - Lluís Fontboté - All Rights Reserved.
Typical hard relief formed by vein with core of residual or vuggy silica (advanced argillic alteration)
Marte Mine, Maricunga Belt, northern Chile.
Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1994.10-1/20 Copyright © 1999 - Lluís Fontboté - All Rights Reserved.

Residual silica ("vuggy silica") with late native sulfur. Marte Mine, Maricunga Belt, northern Chile.
Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1994.10-1/24 Copyright © 1999 - Lluís Fontboté - All Rights Reserved.
 Residual silica ("vuggy silica") with late native sulfur. Marte Mine, Maricunga Belt, northern Chile.
From left to right: Jorge Spangenberg, Robert Moritz, Jeff Hedenquist. (Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1994.10-
1/32).

General view of the Lobo Mine Mine, Maricunga Belt, northern Chile.
View to the southwest. (Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1994.10-3/19).
 General view of the Lobo area, Maricunga Belt, northern Chile. View to the west.
Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1994.10-3/23 Copyright © 1999 - Lluís Fontboté - All Rights Reserved.

Hard relief formed by vein with core of residual silica at the Lobo Au-deposit, Maricunga Belt, northern
Chile.
View to the south. (Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1994.10-3/14)
 Detail of the residual silica of the same vein. Same silicification is also visible.
(Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1994.10-3/11)

Typical sample of the residual silica flanked by kaolinite-alunite samples representing a typical advanced
argillic alteration.
(Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1994.10-3/13) Copyright © 1999 - Lluís Fontboté - All Rights Reserved.
Liesegang rings following fractures on an altered volcanic rock at the Lobo Au-deposit, Maricunga Belt,
northern Chile.
Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1994.10-3/06 Copyright © 1999 - Lluís Fontboté - All Rights Reserved.

Typical zonation formed by very acid high sulfidation fluids.

From center to flanks: Residual silica (dark brown), kaolinite-alunite (white), kaolinite-sericite light brown.
Refugio Mine, Maricunga Belt, northern Chile. (Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1994.10-4/06).
 General view of the Coipa Au Mine, Maricunga Belt, Northern Chile.
Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1994.10-4/37 Copyright © 1999 - Lluís Fontboté - All Rights Reserved.

View of the Coipa Au Mine, Maricunga Belt, Northern Chile.

Yelow-whitish rocks denote advanced argillic alteration with abundant alunite.
Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1994.10-5/06 Copyright © 1999 - Lluís Fontboté - All Rights Reserved.
 View of the Coipa Au Mine, Maricunga Belt, Northern Chile.
Yellow-whitish rocks denote advanced argillic alteration with abundant alunite.
(Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1994.10-5/11).

High sulfidation system Marcapunta-Smelter-San Gregorio-Colqujirca, Colquijirca District, Central

Peru
(see Fontboté and Bendezú, 1999, 5th Biennial SGA Meeting, London, and references therein)

Typical vuggy (or residual) silica in the central part of the Marcapunta Au-Ag prospect, Colquijirca District,
Central Peru.
Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1998.3/11 Copyright © 1999 - Lluís Fontboté - All Rights Reserved.
Alunite-filled former K-Fd phenocryst in vuggy silica, Marcapunta Au-Ag prospect, Colquijirca District,
Central Peru.
(Photo Lluís Fontboté, 11998.3/06) Copyright © 1999 - Lluís Fontboté - All Rights Reserved.

Enargite star in the Smelter mine, Colquijirca District, Central Peru.

Photo Lluís Fontboté, 11998.3/20 Copyright © 1999 - Lluís Fontboté - All Rights Reserved.

High sulfidation system at the Rodalquilar Au-Mine, southeast Spain

 Typical vein with vuggy silica flanked by kaolinite-alunite altered rocks
Open pit 2, bottom level, view towards the NE, Rodalquilar Au-Mine, southeast Spain.
Photo François Martin, 20 07.05/54.
Click on the picture for an enlarged version of this photograph.
 Typical vein with vuggy silica flanked by kaolinite-alunite altered rocks
Open pit 2, bottom level, view towards the NE, Rodalquilar Au-Mine, southeast Spain.
Photo Lluís Fontboté, 2004.06/1924
Click on the picture for an enlarged version of this photograph.

Typical vein with vuggy silica flanked by kaolinite-alunite altered rocks

Open pit 2, bottom level, view towards the NE, Rodalquilar Au-Mine, southeast Spain.
Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1998.5/04 Copyright © 1999 - Lluís Fontboté - All Rights Reserved.
 Typical vein with vuggy silica flanked by kaolinite-alunite altered rocks
Open pit 2, bottom level, view towards the NE, Rodalquilar Au-Mine, southeast Spain.
Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1998.5/05 Copyright © 1999 - Lluís Fontboté - All Rights Reserved.

Almadén Hg District, Spain

Cinnabar rich ore with native mercury, Entredicho mine, Almadén district, Spain.
Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1998.5/26 Copyright © 1999 - Lluís Fontboté - All Rights Reserved.
 Native mercury in the Las Cuevas Mine, Almadén district, Spain.
Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1998.5/20 Copyright © 1999 - Lluís Fontboté - All Rights Reserved.

Photographs of a painting (Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1998.5/30) ...

... and of the old installation to obtain mercury from cinnabar mine, Spain. (Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1998.5/28)
Detail of the cooling system of the old installation to obtain mercury from cinnabar ore, Almadén Spain.
(Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1998.5/29) Copyright © 1999 - Lluís Fontboté - All Rights Reserved.

Low sulfidation epithermal deposit

The Hycroft Sulphur Gold mine, Sulphur, Humboldt County, Nevada, USA.
Photo Pierre Perroud, 2 Aug. 1993 Copyright © 2000 - Pierre Perroud- All Rights Reserved.
 Slides to Chapter J

Sediment-hosted ore deposits. Part I: Fe and Mn deposits

Exemple : Banded Iron Formation (BIF)

Itabirites: Banded Iron Formations at the Quadrilatero Ferrifero, Minas Gerais, Brazil

[Pico de Itabirito] [Mariana] [Timbopeba]

Pico de Itabirito

Banded Iron Formation (= itabirite) at Pico de Itabirito, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

View looking to the south. See also photos 33 and 34.
Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1989.6.14/31 Copyright © 1999 - Lluís Fontboté - All Rights Reserved.
 Detail view of folded Banded Iron Formation ore at Pico de Itabirito, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
In this mine only the parts rich in "hard hematite" (red) are exploited (with grades in the mine reaching up to
67-68% Fe!).
The Fe grade of the black parts is lower because of higher silica content.
Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1989.6.14/33 Copyright © 1999 - Lluís Fontboté - All Rights Reserved.

Detail view of folded Banded Iron Formation ore (= itabirite) at Pico de Itabirito, Minas Gerais, Brazil. View
looking to the south.
In this mine only the parts rich in "hard hematite" (red) are exploited (with grades in the mine reaching up to
67-68% Fe!).
 The Fe grade of the black parts is lower because of higher silica content.
Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1989.6.14/34) Copyright © 1999 - Lluís Fontboté - All Rights Reserved.

Mariana

Gold Mining in the Cuadrilatero Ferrifero region resulted into considerable wealth during colonial times
as illustrated by the "competing" San Francisco (Franciscan order) and Carmen (Jesuits) baroque churches
in Mariana, close to Ouro Preto.
Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1989.6.13/14 Copyright © 1999 - Lluís Fontboté - All Rights Reserved

Timbopeba

General view of the Timbopeba mine, Minais Gerais, Brazil.

Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1989.6.13/02) Copyright © 1999 - Lluís Fontboté - All Rights Reserved.
Aspect of mine operation at Timbopeba with 120 t truck. (Banded Iron Formation = itabirite) Minas Gerais,
Brazil.
Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1989.6.13/03) Copyright © 1999 - Lluís Fontboté - All Rights Reserved.

Open pit at the Timbopeba mine, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1989.6.13/10 Copyright © 1999 - Lluís Fontboté - All Rights Reserved.
 General view of the Timbopeba mine, Minais Gerais, Brazil.
Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1989.6.13/11 Copyright © 1999 - Lluís Fontboté - All Rights Reserved.

General view of the Timbopeba mine, Minais Gerais, Brazil.

Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1989.6.13/16) Copyright © 1999 - Lluís Fontboté - All Rights Reserved.
 Aspect of concentration plant at the Timbopeba mine, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1989.6.13/17 Copyright © 1999 - Lluís Fontboté - All Rights Reserved.

Aspect of concentration plant at the Timbopeba mine, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1989.6.13/19 Copyright © 1999 - Lluís Fontboté - All Rights Reserved.
 Aspect of concentration plant at the Timbopeba mine, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
(Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1989.6.13/20)

Slides to Chapter L

Sediment-hosted ore deposits. Part III: Ore deposits formed by basinal brines in clastic and
carbonate rocks

Exemple : Mississippi Valley-ore deposits (MVT)

Crustiform ore from the Mississippi Valley-type deposit of Olkusz, Upper Silesia, Poland.
Sphalerite (dark brown and yellow) is the dominant constituent and largely under the colloform variety
called Schalenblende.
The sample also contains wurtzite, marcasite, pyrite and galena.
Photo and coll. Pierre Perroud. Copyright © 1999 - Pierre Perroud.

Sandstone-hosted Pb-Zn MVT deposit

Cap Garonne Copper mine (Var, France)
 Cap Garonne mine (Var, France).
North entrance with wiew of the main host rock Triassic fine grained sandstone and pelite.
Photo Pierre Perroud, Oct. 1992, n1. Copyright © 2000 - Pierre Perroud

Cap Garonne mine (Var, France).

Pillar with alternation of fine grained sandstone and conglomeratic sandstone bearing ore.
Grey: sulfides (tennantite, chalcocite, covellite; galena). Green: Cu sulfates (brochantite, etc.).
Photo Pierre Perroud, Oct. 1992, n3. Copyright © 2000 - Pierre Perroud
 Cap Garonne mine (Var, France). Typical host rock: Sandstone beds.
Photo Pierre Perroud, Oct. 1992, n2. Copyright © 2000 - Pierre Perroud

Cap Garonne mine (Var, France). Old tip truck covered with calcium carbide from acetylene lamps.
Photo Pierre Perroud, Oct. 1992, n4. Copyright © 2000 - Pierre Perroud
 Evaporite pseudomorph. Navan, Ireland, 1984.
© Photo Lluís Fontboté
Click on the picture for an enlarged version of this photograph

Slides to Chapter M

Ore deposits in sedimentary rocks. Part IV: Chemical sediments (without Fe and Mn)

Boron deposits related to volcanic exhalations

 Boron open pit, Kern Co, California, USA

0 ft
- Alluvium
180 ft
- Arkosic Sandstones
980 ft
- Claystone with Colemanite Ca2B6O11.5H2O
- Tuff with Ulexite NaCaB5O6(OH)6.5H2O
- Claystone with Ulexite NaCaB5O6(OH)6.5H2O
- Borax ore Na2B4O5(OH)4.8H2O (upper ore)
- Borax ore with Kernite Na2B4O6(OH)2.3H2O (middle and lower ore)
- Shale with Ulexite NaCaB5O6(OH)6.5H2O and probertite NaCaB5O7(OH)4.3H2O
- Shale
1380 ft
- Basalt

Cf. J. W. Siefke, 1991, The Diversity of Mineral and Energy Resources of Southern California (SEG)
Photo Pierre Perroud, 28 Feb. 1992. Copyright © 2000 - Pierre Perroud - All Rights Reserved.

Slides to Chapter N

Ore deposits in maetamorphic rocks and orogenic gold deposits

 Nevado Huaguruncho (5723 m) in the Cordillera Oriental of Peru.
Photo taken from the gold district of Huachón during the 2005 field trip
of the SEG student chapters of the University of Geneva and the ETH Zürich
http://www.unige.ch/sciences/terre/mineral/studchap/Activities/fieldtrips/peru2005.html
Photograph ©: R. Moritz (1.10.2005)
Click on the picture for an enlarged version of this photograph

Photomicrographs of gold and base metal sulfide textural relationships in the Pataz orogenic ores, Peru.
Abbreviations: as = arsenopyrite, Au = native gold, el = electrum, gn = galena, py = pyrite, qz = quartz, sl =
sphalerite. A. Sphalerite veinlet with chalcopyrite, galena, and electrum crosscutting arsenopyrite and pyrite
of stage I (Mercedes vein). B. Galena and gold filling cracks in strongly fractured pyrite I (La Lima 2 vein).
C. Galena crystal with coeval inclusions of gold grains and small crystals of second-stage arsenopyrite
(Mercedes vein). D. Gold in the cracks of an isolated idiomorphic arsenopyrite I in a sulfide-poor lode
(Pencas piso vein). -- Click on the picture for an enlarged version of this photograph.

More on the Pataz orogenic gold belt:

Haeberlin, Y., Moritz, R., Fontboté, L. & Cosca, M. Carboniferous orogenic gold deposits at Pataz, eastern
Andean Cordillera, Peru: Geological and structural framework, paragenesis, alteration, and 40 Ar/ 39 Ar
geochronology. Economic Geology. In press. v. 99, p. 73-112 (pdf abstract)

More on gold in the Cordillera Oriental, Peru:

Yves Haeberlin, Robert Moritz, Lluı́s Fontboté, "Paleozoic orogenic gold deposits in the eastern Central
Andes and its foreland, South America" , Ore Geology Reviews Volume 22, Issues 1–2, January 2003,
Pages 41–59

More on the geology and geochronology of the Cordillera Oriental, Peru:

Miskovic A., Schaltegger U., Spikings R., Kosler J. & Chew D.M. (2009) Tectono-magmatic evolution of
Western Amazonia: geochemical characterization and zircon U-Pb geochronologic constraints from the
Peruvian Eastern Cordillera granitoids. Geol. Soc. Am. Bull. 121, 1298-1324.

Slides to Chapter P

Placers

[Gold, Mariana] [Gold, Rhône] [Garnet, Hoyazo de Níjar]

Gold panning at Mariana (close to Ouro Preto, Cuadrilatero Ferrifero).

Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1989.6.13/36 Copyright © 2001 - Lluís Fontboté - All Rights Reserved
Gold-panning exercise of the Geneva students at the Rhône River about 1 km downstream of Chancy,
at the border Switzerland/France.
Photo Lluís Fontboté, 2001.11.24/27 Copyright © 2001 - Lluís Fontboté - All Rights Reserved
Click on the picture for an enlarged version of this photograph

Gold-panning exercise of the Geneva students at the Rhône River.

This student has obtained more than 50 visible gold particles and a good "black sand" (mainly magnetite
and garnet).
Not a bad result after only 2 hours practicing!
Note the excellent separation between gold and other heavy minerals due to gravity differences.
Photo Lluís Fontboté, 2001.11.24/20 Copyright © 2001 - Lluís Fontboté - All Rights Reserved.
Click on the picture for an enlarged version of this photograph
 Gold-panning exercise of the Geneva students at the Rhône River.
In order to pick the tiny gold particles from the pan a good system is to use a fine pencil
and to drop each particle into a small recipient filled with water. Once the particle enters the water it sinks.
Photo Lluís Fontboté, 2001.11.24/34,36 Copyright © 2001 - Lluís Fontboté - All Rights Reserved
Click on the picture for an enlarged version of this photograph

Gold-panning exercise of the Geneva students at the Rhône River.

In order to pick the tiny gold particles from the pan a good system is to use a fine pencil
and to drop each particle into a small recipient filled with water. Once the particle enters the water it sinks.
Photo Lluís Fontboté, 2001.11.24/34,36 Copyright © 2001 - Lluís Fontboté - All Rights Reserved
Click on the picture for an enlarged version of this photograph
Garnet as placer deposit in a creek within the Hoyazo de Níjar, Almería, Spain.
Photo: Lluís Fontboté 200504/51
Click on the picture for an enlarged version of this photograph
Garnet as placer deposit in a creek within the Hoyazo de Níjar, Almería, Spain.
Photo: Lluís Fontboté 200504/47
Click on the picture for an enlarged version of this photograph
 Garnet as placer deposit in a creek within the Hoyazo de Níjar, Almería, Spain.
Photo: Lluís Fontboté 200504/50
Click on the picture for an enlarged version of this photograph

A gold platinum placer deposit: dredge on the River Iss, Sverdlovsk oblast, Urals.
This place was explored by Louis Duparc at the beginning of the XXth Century.
Photo: Pierre Perroud, 2015.
Click on the picture for an enlarged version of this photograph
 The Marion dredge, beginning of the XXth Century.
The continuous chains of steel buckets is scraping the river's bottom and sends gravels
and gold and platinum nuggets in sluices where they are shaken and separated.
L. Duparc et M. Tikhonowitch "Le platine et les gîtes platinifères de l'Oural", Sonor, Genève, 1920:
"Planche H. Elévation de la drague Marion de 7 ½ pieds cubes"
Click on the picture for an enlarged version of this photograph

Slides to Chapter Q

Supergene alteration and enrichment processes

Goethite crusts in fracture joints in the open pit 2 of the old Transaction Mine, Rodalquilar, Almería, Spain.
François Martin, 2007.05/63
Click on the picture for an enlarged version of this photograph

Colorful iridescences of Fe-hydroxides (possibly goethite or lepidocrocite) formed on a rock surface.

Note that the colors are caused by interference of the very thin layers of the Fe-hydroxides with light
 and not by trace element contents. Open pit 2, Transaction mine, Rodalquilar District, Spain.
Copyright © 2000 - Laurie Cortesi - All Rights Reserved.

Colorful iridescences of Fe-hydroxides (possibly goethite or lepidocrocite) formed on a rock surface.

Note that the colors are caused by interference of the very thin layers of the Fe-hydroxides with light
and not by trace element contents. Open pit 2, Transaction mine, Rodalquilar District, Spain.
Copyright © 2000 - Laurie Cortesi - All Rights Reserved.
 Colorful iridescences of Fe-hydroxides (possibly goethite or lepidocrocite) formed on a rock surface.
Note that the colors are caused by interference of the very thin layers of the Fe-hydroxides with light
and not by trace element contents. Open pit 2, Transaction mine, Rodalquilar District, Spain.
Copyright © François Martin, 2007.05/63 - All Rights Reserved.
Click for a large image

Liesegang rings following fractures on an altered volcanic rock at the Lobo Au-deposit, Maricunga Belt,
northern Chile.
Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1994.10-3/06 Copyright © 1999 - Lluís Fontboté - All Rights Reserved.