Abstract:
The Laowan gold belt is located in the eastern part of the Qinling orogenic belt, between the Nanyang and Wucheng basins. It boasts super-large gold resources hosted by moderate- to low-temperature magmatic-hydrothermal gold deposits formed during the Late Yanshanian. To explore the second exploration space and achieve new prospecting breakthroughs, this study investigated the primary halo of the No.59 ore body in the Laowan gold belt. Multiple statistical methods were employed to analyze the correlations among ore-forming elements. Accordingly, reliable geochemical indicators were identified to predict deep prospecting orientations. The results show that the primary halo of the No. 59 ore body exhibits an axial zoning sequence of Sn, Ba, As, Au, Pb, Cu, Sb, Ag, Mo, Bi, W, Hg, and Zn. The front-halo element Hg appears late in sequence, positioned after ore-forming elements Au, Ag, Pb, and Cu, suggesting the presence of blind ore bodies at depth or significant extension of the known ones to a burial depth of 650 m and above. In contrast, the rear-halo element Sn appears early in the sequence, indicating that the ore body was somewhat denuded. Correlation, cluster, and factor analyses were used to investigate the affinities between ore-forming elements and other metallic elements. Strong correlations were observed among Cu, Ag, and Au, establishing them as effective prospecting indicators within the deposit area. The cumulative index ratio of front- to rear-halo elements showed an increasing trend at a burial depth of 650 m, where a well-developed and non-closed anomaly was revealed by the F2 factor score contour. This suggests promising prospecting potential at this depth and deeper parts. Based on the comprehensive analysis, this study posits that the area at and below the burial depth of 650 m in borehole ZK3041 along the exploration line 304 is an exploration target. A prediction borehole drilled north of borehole ZK3041 saw the extension of No.59 ore body at a burial depth of about 720 m. Moreover, the assessment indicators show that the ore body still holds significant prospecting potential in the deeper part.