GRADE AND TONNAGE MODEL OF LATERITE-SAPROLITE Au
By James D. Bliss
COMMENTS
Deposits with data are few and likely subject to revision. Most of the
data for laterite-saprolite Au deposits are from one area, and this may
bias the model. Deposits are under active investigation and have the following
qualifications: (1) data on deposit sizes and grades are for unworked
deposits, (2) deposits may be underlain by unrecognized mineral deposits
in the bedrocks, and (3) deposits may be placer deposits, not laterite-saprolite
Au. One such deposit (Omai, Guyana) has residual mineralization at the
surface and mineralization in the bedrock and is excluded in conformance
with the descriptive model. The general pattern in the mining of mineral
deposits is that the total tonnage (production plus reserves) continues
to increase over a portion of the mine life. Therefore, deposit tonnages
used in the model are very likely minimum values when compared with tonnages
at deposit exhaustion. See appendix
B for locality abbreviations. See introduction
for explanation of the grade and tonnage model as shown in figures 33
and 34.
Figure 33. Tonnages of laterite-saprolite
Au deposits.
Figure 34. Gold grades of laterite-saprolite
Au deposits.
DEPOSITS
DEPOSITS
Name Country
Name
Country
Akaiwang
GUYN
Millionaire
GUYN
Arakaka
GUYN
Mt.
Gibson AUWA
Baramita
GUYN
Royal
Hill Gold SRNM
Boddington
AUWA
Tassawine
GUYN
Bullabuling
AUWA