14 Romanian Journal o{Mineral Deposits. 79. Suppl. J.
2000
COLD ORES AND COLD RECOVERIES
I. BERBELEAC
Institutul de Geodinamica. Str. Lous Calderon, 19-21 , Sector 1. Bucuresti , Romania
From ancient times up to the present gold losses to tai lings from world mines, exclusive
of placer mining, probably represent more than hundreds of tones. For thi s reason mining
companies make nowa greater effort to improve gold recoveries through detailed mineralogical
studies and metallurgical test work.
The traditional method for the extraction of the gold includes the following stages:
crashing and grinding, concentration, dissolution , prec ipitation and smelting. For most gold ores,
recoveries in the ninety per cent range can be solved by one OI' more of the conventional
techniques, such as gravity, flotation and cyanidation. [t is known that the refractory- type ores are
not amenable to direct cyanidation; additional treatment, such as fi otation wi th smelting or
oxidation of the concentrate and cyanidation. is required.
The extraction of metal from its ore and the processing of the metal are known as
" primary and secondary metallurgy".
The aim of this paper is to review the nature of the gold in deposits, to choose the most
suitable extraction methods, and to di scuss some minera[ogical facto rs that can result in poorer
recoveries. These factors are six (Harris, 1990): 1. gold minerals ; 2 . grain size of the gold
minerals; 3. nature ofthe gangue minerals; 4. associated sulfide mineral s; 5. coati ngs on go ld and
6. chemical bound OI' " invisibl e" gold .
Cold minerals
In 1990 twenty-six accepted gold-containing minerals (10 native metal s, alloys,
intermetallic compounds, 9 tellurides and tellurites, 7 sul fi des and selenides), three unpubli shed
new mineral species, one doubtful species and thirteen unnamed species have been inventoried
(Harri s, 1990).
The native gold and its varieties as a result of metals substitution are the most important
gold mineral s. Pure gold is very rare in nature. The most common metal substituti.on is si lver.
These two metals form a continuous solid-so lution series with electrum as minimal component
(20 wt. % Ag). The compositional range for electrum is 20- 40 wt. % Ag. Beyond 40 wt. % the
mineral should be named to as aurian silver (Harris, 1990). Electrum is the variety of gold found
in epithermal OI' mesothermal genetic-type deposits. [n these deposits the gold alloy shows a wide
range of silver contents. The variation of Ag in native go ld is defined by the term fineness. Some
workers used the relation between fineness of go ld and the genesis of gold deposits. Thus, Ross
(1988, in Harri s, 1990) concludes: 1. Archean greenstone hosted deposits are characteri zed by
restricted range of high fi neness values (890-960); 2. epithermal deposits show a w ide range of
fineness values (450-900); 3. intermediate val ues between these two extremes are granite related
gold deposits, porphyries, porphyry related breccias and porphyry related skarns. Other less
common varieties of gold are : cuprian gold (Au, Cu), palladian gold (Au, Pd), mercurian gold
(Au, Hg), goldamalgam (AU2 Hg3) and a new mineral (Au 0.75 Hg 025). Gold takes mercury up to
[6.5 wt. % at 90 De. Other important gold mineral s are aurostibite (AuSb2) and the most common
gold bearing tellurides as calaverite (AuTe2), krennerite (Au, Ag) Te2 and petzite (Ag3AuTe2).
Aurostibite is virtually unattacked by cyanidation thus the ore is refractory. Gold tellurides are
Romanian Journal o[Mineral Deposits. 79. Suppl. j. 2000 15
dissolved slowly in cyanide solutions and require very fine grinding, intense aeration and long
agitat ion.
Grain size
Grain sizes for gold-bearing minerals range (Haycock, 1937, in Harris, 1990) from
macroscopic (1 0.000-1OO~m), microscopic (1 00-0.1 ~m) and sub-microscopic (0.1-0.000 1~m)
ranges and the size ranges for effective amalgamation (1 000-1 O~m) , effective cyanidation (60-
1~m) and ineffective cyanidation (refractory gold, 0.1 -0.001 ~m). Haycock (1937, in Harris,
1990) has examined gold grains in fifty Canadian ores. His data have shown: 1. relative
proportions of gold in common milling ores with respect to grain size, coli oi dai gold and gold in
solid solution; 2. grain size of native gold varies with the mode of origin of the mineral. Thus
most of the gold deposited contemporaneously with gangue and ore minerals is generally very
finely divided, while the gold deposited later than the associated minerals has a tendency to
occupy small fissures and to have a coarser grain size. Unfortunately, at present the gold ores
from the majority of deposits tend to be lower-grade, which makes them difficult to treal. This
lower-grade ore normally contains micrometre sizes to the invisible category of gold. In this case
the result of effective cyanidation means fine grinding, higher treatment costs and lower
recoveries.
Gangue minerals
The gangue minerals have effect on the grinding characteristics and in defining the
effectiveness of cyanidation. Thus, the talcose mineraJs give grinding and filtering problems,
certain carbonates cause high alkali consumption and foul the cyanide solutions, the silicates,
carbonates and oxides of the base metals in cyanide solutions have a significant solubility,
whereas ali the normal gangue minerals are generally unreactive. More troubles render graphite
and carbonaceous matter occurred in the form of "active" carbon which reprecipitates dissolved
gold in cyanide solutions. The highly siliceous (Suior, Romania) or cherty-type gold ores are
characterized as poor recoveries. These ores consist of very fine gold or auriferous pyrite within
microcrystalline quartz or chert. For some of these ores, even a fine grinding has little effect on
gold recoveries.
Associated sulfide minerals
The sulfide minerals are important for gold recovery because: 1. they are frequently the
host minerals for gold; 2. pyrrothite and marcasite are attacked by and have the effect of fouling
'the cyanide solutions; 3. chalcopyrite and other copper sulfide require abnormally high cyanide
consumption; 4. pyrite and arsenopyrite are the most common host minerals, in order following
galena, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, pyrrhotite and tetrahedrite-tennantite; 5.with sulfides native gold
occurs either as totally enclose microscopic inclusions, to inclusion fractions , to grains in contact
with sulfides. For gold-bearing sulfides, metallurgical treatment yields good recoveries with
proper grinding and direct cyanidation or by selective flotation and treatment of the concentrates.
If in some gold ores the gold inclusions are either submicroscopic or chemically bound gold in
sulfides, the ore is considered refractory.
16 Romanian Journal o{Mineral Deposits. 79. Supp/. j. 2000
Coatings of gold
Coatings on gold are the result of supergene alteration of the deposit or the processing of
the ores. The coatings can be iron oxides, silver chlorides and antimony, manganese and lead
compounds. Silver bearing gold from the ores is easily attached by suiti de ions, whereas pure
gold is inert.
lnvisible gold
According with Harris (1990) "invisible gold is that which occurs either as
submicroscopic inclusions within host mineral or as a solid solution or chemically bound gold
thus rendering the gold refractory to conventional cyanidation". Multidisciplinary studies with
new analytical techniques (electron microprobe, scanning electron microscope, TEM, PIXE,
SIMS, laser microprobe) are required to solve the problem of " invisible" gold. SIMS is the most
promising in situ method for quantitication of "invisible" gold concentration in common suiti des
and metallurgical products. The results of these studies demonstrated that gold may coprecipitate
together with Fe, As and S during the pyrite and arsenopyrite crystallization. The high activity of
As and Au complexes control coprecipitation.
The gold-rich pyrite and or arsenopyrite ores are refractories. The extraction of the gold
includes crashing and grinding, dissolution with bacterial or aqueous and heaps leaching by
cyanidation.
References
Harris, C. D. (1990) The mineralogy of gold and its relevance to gold recoveries. Min. Depasita, 25, S3-S?,
Springer International, Berlin.
ELECTRON MICRO PROBE ANAL YSES ON SOME GOLD GRAINS FROM
DEVA AND BOL CANA NEOGENE PORPHVRY COPPER-GOLD DEPOSITS,
POIANA RUSCA AND METALIFERI MOUNTAINS, ROMANIA
1. BERBELEAC', G. CIOFLICA', MEERKER3 , R. JUDE', R. V. PERRY'
1. Institutul de Geodinamica, Louis Calderon 19-21 , Bucharest, Romania;
2. Geological and Geophysical Faculty, Edgar Quinet, Universitatea Bucuresti, Romania;
3. USGS, Denver, Co, USA;
4. Go1d Discovery Company, Golden, 1019 8'h CO, USA.
Introduction
The Deva (DO) and Bolcana (BO) Neogene porphyry copper-gold deposits are situated in
the north-eastern part of the Poiana Rusca Mts. (PRM), South Carpathians, and in southern part
of the Metaliferi Mts (MM), respectively. The tirst deposit is now almost exhausted. The second
one is already explored. The study focuses especially on the electron microscope (EMA) and
quantitative electron microprobe (QEMA) analyses of the free gold grains, less other metal
minerals from ore of these two deposits. These investigations were performed on two
representative polished sections of ores, one from DO (no.1) and another one from BO (no. 1).
The results come to complete the mineralogical studies achieved by many workers (Superceanu,
1958; Bostinescu, 1984; Maties, Match, 1997).
Romanian Journal o(Mineral Deposits. 79. SUPDI. J. 2000 17
Geological setting
The DD and BD porphyry copper-gold deposits are located at the joilll points of regional
and local NE-SW, E-W and NW-SE faults. The basement consists of Paleozoic crystalline
schists (DD) OI' Jurassic ophiolites (BD). It is covered by Cretaceous sediments (DD) and
Miocene volcanics and detrital rocks (BD). Both porphyry copper-gold deposits, like others from
MM , are spatially and genetically related to Sarmatian-Pannonian calk-alkalineandesite-
microdiorite subvolcanic bodies. Highly mineralized rocks occur in the potassic and propylitic
zone (inner zone) consisting especially of quartz chlorite, biotite, sulfide magnetite veinlets
and less abundant disseminated sulfides and magnetite.
Analytical techniques
High accuracy mineral analyses were carried out with electron microscope and electron
microprobe (wavelength dispersive mode) at USOS Laboratory, Denver, ca, USA. Operating
conditions were IS kV , IS nA and beam diameter < Imm. Synthetic ZnSe was used as standard.
Corrections were applied using a computer program. QEMA were carried out on grains >S J.lm in
diameter. Each mineral was tested for Fe, Te, As, S, Hg, Cu, Sb, Se, Bi, Pb, Ag, Zn, Au and Cd.
The QEMA were carried out on 4 grains of free gold (20 points (pts), Table 1), 3 grains of
chalcopyrite (cp, 3pts) and 2 grains of bornite (bo, 2 pts) from sample 1 and 1 grain of bo (lpt .),
4 grains ofcp (4pts. ), 1 grain ofcovellite (cv, Ipl.), 1 grain ofgalena (gn, Ipt.), 1 grain sphalerite
(sph, Ipt.), 3 grains of pyrite (py, 3pts.), 2 grains of molybdenite (mo, 2pts.) and 4 grains of
magnetite (mt, 4pts.) from sample 2.
Results
The ore consists of two main types of metal mineral assemblages : chalcopyrite (cp)-
bornite (bo)-magnetite (mt) in DD and cp-pyrite (py)-mt in BD. As accessory metal minerals
have been identified native gold (au) and copper and gn in DD (sample no.l) and, bo, cv, sph, gn,
mo, native gold, unidentified Au and Ag tellurides and a Sn mineral in BD (sample no.2).
Unidentified Ag Te and Au Te tellurides (BT) appear as very fine idiomorphic grains (2-10 "m)
in bo-cp-gn assemblage, usually associated with gn inclusions from bo. In some grains the Ag Te
telluride is commonly intergrown with Au Te telluride. The bo, cp, mt and less py are prevailing
in both deposits. They appear as finely disseminated J.lm to mm-sized aggregates . The py and mt
aggregates are generally idiomorphic, but occasionally deformed or even crushed down to
microclastic grains. In contrast, the cp and bo aggregates are usually xenomorphic . They filled
the microfissures and veinlets (widths of "m to mm). Bornite replaces and includes cp grains but
in some cases it is replaced and included by cp. The both minerals seem to be contemporaneous.
The observed textures can be interpreted as the result of a multi-stage repetitive cataclasis with
associated hydrothermal influx.
Native gold is present in both polished sections, more frequently in nO.1 (four
grains) . Its grain size varies from<IJ.lm to 2SJ.lm. It occurs in cp-bo (DD), less cp-py (BT)
assemblages, but differs in Fe (0.1-1.04 wt. %), S (O. I-I .S wt. %), Hg (0.0-0.2 wt. %). Cu (I.S-6
w. %), Bi (0 .0-0.67wt. %), Ag (1.3-6.8 wt %) and Zn (0.0-0.1 wt. %) contents (Table 1). In
sample nO.1 the native gold tends to be associated with massive cp and bo from bo-cp-mt
assemblage, where it appears especially as minute inclnsion blebs, usual of 1 to S f.lm . The
QEMA and element mapping of gold revealed the distribution patterns of major and trace
elements within individual grains. The spot analyses across some gold grains show that the
18 Romanian Journal o(Mineral Deposits. 79. Suppl. 1. 2000
contents of these elements varied from below detection limits to 6.8 wt % in different grains
(Table. 1). Silver, Cu and Fe seem to be a constant presence in gold grains, in order following S,
Zn, Hg and Bi (TableI). However marginal rims with Ag and partial Cu have been observed
(Sample 1, grains 1 pt. 10, sample 1, grains 2, pts.3 , 4, sample 1, grains 3, pts. 2-4, Table 1). The
average Au : Ag ratio (out of total of 14 analyses) is 3 1.44. The average of Cu and Ag contents
for both silver-poor (grain 1, 2) and si lver-rich gold (grains 3, 4) grains are 2.23 wt. % and 2.04
wt. %, 3.04 wt . % and 4.66 wt. %, respectively. The gold as minor constituent of Au-bearing
metal minerals has been detected by spot analyses using Au La line. Its content ranges as
follows: 0-0.1 wt. % in cp, bo and py, 0.14 wt % in cv , 0-0.06 wt % in mt, 0.389 wt % in sph
and 0.479 wt % in mo.
Table 1. Q EMA an 20ld grains (wl. % )
Sample Fe S Hg Cu Bi Ag Zn Au Total
1, lpt.8 0.9 0.09 2.84 8 0.67 1.654 94.686 100.848
1,1pt.J 1.04 0.22 2.458 0.56 4. 244 93.774 102.296
1, lpt.2 0.7 0.1 2.5 0.6 1.6 96 101.5
I ,2pt. 1
1,2pt. 1
0.9
0.2
0.1
2.5
1.9
0.6
1.9
1.4
0.1
95 .3
96.1
101 .4
99.7
1,2pt.2 0.2 0.1 1. 8 1.7 0. 1 95.1 99
1,2pt.3 0.8 2.1 2.4 0. 1 97 102.4
1,2pt.4 0.6
0. 1
2.4 2.2 0.1 96.8 102.2
1,2pt.5 0.3 0. 1 0.2 1.6 1. 3 0.1 93.8 97.4
1,3 pt. 1
1,3 pt.2
0.1
0.5
0. 1
0.3
0.1
1.5
1.5 3.8
4
0.1
0.1
95
87
100.7
93 .5
1,3 pt.3 0.8 0.5 0.2 4 4 .9 0.1 90.4 100.9
1,3pt.4 1.2 1,5 0.1 6 6.8 0.1 84.3 100
1,4pt.J 0.5 0.2 2.2 3.8 0.1 96 102.8
GAS-CHROMATOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGICAL LABORATORY
CORRELATED WITH PETROPHYSICAL ANAL YSrS
A. BIVOLAN, G. VLADUTIU
S.C. ATLAS G.I.P. S.A. 2A Clopotei SI., 2000 - Ploiesti, Romania, E-mail : atlas.g ip@ mmc.ro
Summary of features
1. Gas - Chromatograph:
Continue qualitative hydrocarbon analyses from C, to nC. and also parasite gases as H 2, C02
using mud trap;
Quantitative and qualitative contents ofhydrocarbons (C, to nC.) in mud samples using
vacuum method (V.M.S.);
Theoretical estimation of potential and gas saturation of the formation ;
Lag - time method for accurate interpretation;
Connection I Trip gas.
Romanian Journal o(Mineral Deposits, 79, Supp/. 1, 2000 19
2. Geological Laboratory:
Sample collection and processing at prescribed intervals;
Zoom microscope;
Sample description / chemicals and geological analysis;
Shale density determination;
Quantity fluorescence technique,
WELLSITE SERVICES
Interpretation reponing to Client's wellsite geologist;
Interpretation of all gas information;
Sample handling, packing, recording and descripti on as required;
Daily repons to Client's specification ,
POST WELLSITE SERVICES
Final interpretation made by ATLAS G,l ,P. provides End OfWell Repon together with the final
Geological Evaluation Log and especially with aII interpretation results obtained by Petrophysical
Analysis Depanment using logging data acquisition.
GEOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
INTERVAL: 2550.0 m - 2630.0 m
SAMPLE DESCRIPTION:
2560m -100% green-gray shale;
2570m -80% fine grained sandstone, dark gray;
20% green gray shale;
2576m - 40% green-gray shale;
60% fine grained sandstone, traces of mica, gray, yellow in color, with benzene reagent ;
2580m - 80% green-gray shale;
10% sandstone with calcite cement, gray, traces mica, paie yellow-colored, with benzene
reagent,
10% gray micaceous sandstone,
2590m - 40% micaceous sandstone, gray, paie ye ll ow in color, with benzene reagent
60% green gray shale;
2600m - 60% brown-gray shale;
10% sandstone with calci te cement, gray, mica traces;
30% fine-grained micaceous sandstone;
2610m -70% gray shale, mica traces, fossil fragments ;
30% fine-grained sandstone, micaceous, paie yellow in color, with benzene reagent;
2620m - 80% gray shale, mica traces, fossil fragm ents;
20% sandstone, gray, fine-grained, paie yellow in color, with benzene reagent
2630m - 80% gray shale, fragments fossi l;
20% sandstone, poor micaceous, gray, fine-grained, no show
20 Romanian Journal o{Mineral Deposits, 79, Suppl. 1, 2000
GAS - CHROMATOGRAPHY AND
GEOLOGICAL ANAL YSIS
VASC(sec..
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Romanian Journal o(Mineral Deposits, 79, Suppl. 1, 2000 21
Complex Reservoir Analysis ( eRA )
2
! f',.~----"~,-------'=I"C ~ II.J.>~ r.r "' p
.. ,,-" ' - - ---- --lJ:~"f.2---~--.2p__-----=~--'221
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-- ,----- -, --I-~ - - - - - ---- ~'f'--------...:.:::,
22 Romanian Journal o{Mineral Deposits, 79, Suppl. 1, 2000
INTERPRETATlON REPORT of
GAS-CHROMATOGRAPHY
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