Abstract:

Analysis on the mineral composition and chemical data of the topsoil in the northwest sector of the Luanjiahe fault shows that the topsoil in the study area have undergone low-temperature (<150 ℃), neutral to weak alkalic hydrothermal alteration and consist of potash feldspar, plagioclase, mica, quartz, kaolinite of weathered origin and montmorillonite of hydrothermal origin. Comparison of the altered characteristic of the topsoil in the studied area with those of the topsoil covering the known mineralized zones and the hydrothermal origin of the montmorillonite indicates the possible gold mineralization in the sector of the fault under study.

Key words: gold mineralization, montmorillonite, hydrothermal alteration, gold mines, Luanjia River fault