Gold in Magmatic Hydrothermal Solutions and the Rapid Formation of a Giant Ore Deposit.

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  • Additional Information
    • Subject Terms:
      GOLD mining; HYDROTHERMAL deposits; MINES & mineral resources; ORE deposits; STRIP mining; GEOTHERMAL brines; GOLD
    • Subject Terms:
      LIHIR Islands (Papua New Guinea); PAPUA New Guinea
    • Abstract:
      The Ladolam hydrothermal system, on Lihir Island, Papua New Guinea, hosts one of the youngest and largest gold deposits in the world. Several deep (more than 1 kilometer) geothermal wells were drilled beneath the ore bodies to extract water at >275°C and to facilitate open-pit mining. Using a titanium down-hole sampler, we determined that the deep geothermal brine of magmatic origin contains ∼15 parts per billion gold. At the current gold flux of 24 kilograms per year, this deposit could have formed within ∼55,000 years. The combination of sustained metal flux and efficient metal precipitation led to the formation of a giant hydrothermal gold deposit in a short period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
    • Abstract:
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