Abstract
A broad west-to-east increase of many metal
concentrations has been found in stream sediments
during a reconnaissance investigation conducted in
conjunction with geologic studies in the Santa Renia
Fields and Beaver Peak 7–1/2 minute quadrangles
near the northern end of the Carlin trend of gold
deposits in the Tuscarora Mountains. This regional
increase in metal concentrations coincides with a
dramatic change in landform wherein high
concentrations of metals in stream sediments appear
to correlate directly with areas of high elevations
and steep slopes in the Beaver Peak quadrangle.
Robust erosion combined with high flow rates in
streams from these higher elevations are envisaged
to have contributed significantly to increased metal
concentrations in the stream sediments by an
enhanced presence of minerals with high specific
gravities and a correspondingly diminished presence
of minerals with low specific gravities. Minerals
with low specific gravities probably have been
preferentially flushed down stream because of high
transporting capacities for sediment by streams in
the Beaver Peak quadrangle. In addition, the Carlin
trend, a generally northwest-alignment of gold
deposits in the Santa Renia Fields quadrangle, is
well outlined by arsenic concentrations that include
a maximum of approximately 54 parts per million.
Further, a weakly developed distal-to-proximal
metal zonation towards these gold deposits appears
to be defined respectively in plots showing distributions of thallium, arsenic, antimony, and
zinc. A broad area of high metal
concentrations—including sharply elevated
abundances of Ag, As, Au, Cd, Co, Cu, Mn, Ni, P,
Sb, Sc, Te, V, and especially Zn—near the southeast
corner of the Beaver Peak quadrangle primarily
could be the result of stratiform mineralized rocks in
the Ordovician Vinini Formation or Devonian
Slaven Chert, or the result of a subsequent Mesozoic
or Tertiary epigenetic overprint.
|
First posted November 2, 1999
Part or all of this report is presented in Portable Document Format (PDF). For best results viewing and printing PDF documents, it is recommended that you download the documents to your computer and open them with Adobe Reader. PDF documents opened from your browser may not display or print as intended. Download the latest version of Adobe Reader, free of charge.
|