Soil geochemical characteristics and mineralization potential of silver-polymetallic deposits in Yamenzi area, Hebei Province

The Yamenzi area is located within the Yanshan-Liaoning metallogenic belt in the middle segment along the northern margin of the North China plate. This metallogenic belt serves as an important one for nonferrous and precious metals in China, characterized by favorable geological conditions for volcanic to subvolcanic silver-polymetallic ores. To further optimize targets and evaluate their potential for ore prospecting, this study conducted a 1∶10,000 soil geochemical survey in the Yamenzi area. By analyzing mathematical statistics and delineating anomaly contrasts of the 12 testing elements, silver (Ag), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), and gold (Au) were identified as the primary metallogenic elements of the area. Based on the metallogenic geological setting and the coincidence of element anomalies, five prospecting targets were identified. Subsequently, these targets were verified by trenching and drilling engineering, revealing multiple Ag-Pb-Zn orebodies. A comprehensive comparison revealed similar patterns of Ag-Pb-Zn metallogenic belts between the Yamenzi in Hebei and Zhijiadi in Shanxi. Therefore, further investigating metallogenic regularity within the Yamenzi area could potentially guide the discovery of larger-scale orebodies.