Surficial placer gold deposits
- Authors: Mann, P L
- Date: 1994
- Subjects: Gold mines and mining , Gold ores -- Geology , Placer deposits
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:5088 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1018245
- Description: This review summarises the factors which control the formation and distribution of surficial gold placer deposits. Regional tectonic and climatic conditions as well as gold source are considered. The characteristics of eluvial, alluvial, marine, glacial and fluvioglacial gold placer deposits are described. Particular attention is paid to the gold grains within these placers. These gold grains have a distinctive morphology and chemical composition which reflect the manner in which they were transported, deposited and concentrated within the placers. The knowledge of the processes which lead to the formation and location of surficial gold placers is then used to guide exploration and target potential deposits, which can then be evaluated.
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- Date Issued: 1994
The significance of unconformities in the development of Witwatersrand gold and uranium placers
- Authors: Beater, Christian Douglas
- Date: 1983 , 2013-04-03
- Subjects: Placer deposits , Gold ores -- Geology -- South Africa -- Witwatersrand , Uranium ores -- Geology -- South Africa -- Witwatersrand
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:4925 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004535 , Placer deposits , Gold ores -- Geology -- South Africa -- Witwatersrand , Uranium ores -- Geology -- South Africa -- Witwatersrand
- Description: Most of the economic gold and uranium placers are developed on low angle disconformities in the Central Rand Group and concentrations of gold and uranium are usually at their optimum on unconformity surfaces. Examples include the Kimberley Reef and South Reef of the East Rand, the Main Reef Leader of the Central Rand, the Carbon Leader of the Carletonville goldfield, the Vaal Reef of the Klerksdorp goldfield and the Basal/Steyn placers of the Welkom goldfield. The individual goldfields represent fluvial fans which are composed of a large number of tectonogenetic sedimentary packages separated by unconformities. The tectonic responses between cycles of sedimentation produced unconformities and tectonically controlled cyclic sedimentation is one of the key factors culminating in the preparation and deposition of auriferous placers within the Witwatersrand succession. Unconformities, which represent breaks in sedimentation, result in the preconditioning of palaeosurfaces and redistribution of sediments and heavy minerals on them. Winnowing of sands produced heavy mineral residual accumulations on erosion surfaces which were generally preserved by small-pebble lags or algal mats. Reworking of units truncated by the unconformities provided additional gold, uranium and heavy minerals to unconformity surfaces.
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- Date Issued: 1983