TITLE:
Geochemical Exploration for Gold and the Association of As-Cu-Pb-Sn-Zn-Li in the Upper Proterozoic Granitoids of the Wadi Rumman Area, Southwest Jordan
AUTHORS:
I.A.A. Bany Yaseen
KEYWORDS:
Geochemical Exploration, Granitoids, Rock and Heavy Mineral Samples, Wadi Rumman, Jordan
JOURNAL NAME:
International Journal of Geosciences,
Vol.6 No.10,
October
29,
2015
ABSTRACT: The geochemical studies
were conducted in an area covering about 15 km2of the south side of the Wadi Rumman
area, SW Jordan. The study area included a part of a basement of complex exposed
rocks in southwestern Jordan. The complexes comprised igneous and metamorphic
suites, mostly from the late Proterozoic age. A systematic geochemical sampling
was conducted using rock and heavy mineral-panned concentrate of geochemical
samples. Fifty rock samples were collected from the granitic rocks, simple
pegmatite dyke, quartz veins and alteration zone, which covered the area. Next,
45 heavy mineral-panned concentrate samples were collected from the alluvium in
the stream sediment within the catchment area, and the dray was sieved to less
than 1 mm grain size. The geochemical samples were analyzed for their trace
elements and gold by using Ione Conductive Coupled Plasma Emission Spectroscopy
(ICP-AES) and the Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (AAS) at Natural Resources
Authority (NRA) Labs. The results of the geochemical analysis indicated the
presence of gold and heavy minerals in the study area, a result considered
abnormal in the rock samples. A strong positive correlation was recorded of Au
with As, Cu and W (r =0.82, 0.7
and 1.0), as with Mo (r = 0.83), Cu with Pb (r = 0.83), Sn with Mo (r = 0.73),
Mo with W (r = 0.97), Zn with W (r = 0.71), and Li with Bi (r = 0.7). These
correlations revealed gold associated within the hydrothermal alteration, quartz
veins and pegmatite dyke. Abnormal metals such as As and Bi were good
path-finders to find Au. The HM samples showed low positive linear correlations
among the concentrations of Au with As, Zn and Li, and negative linear
correlations of Au with Pb, Sn, Bi and W. The combination of both rock and
heavy mineral concentrate samples shows four geochemical anomalous areas of
gold and heavy minerals. The geochemical signatures of Au and As in the Wadi
Rumman appear to be in the hydrothermal alteration, quartz veins and pegmatite
dyke, respectively. Heavy mineral concentration sampling delineated the Au
geochemical anomaly in area 1 specificities with the rock geochemical anomaly
of area 1.