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Stratigraphy and mineralogy of a carbonate-hosted gold deposit: Kings Mountain gold mine, NC

Conference · · Geol. Soc. Am., Abstr. Programs; (United States)
OSTI ID:6169747
The Kings Mountain Gold Mine, Cleveland Company, North Carolina, is unique in the Appalachians in that it is carbonate-hosted, with a distinctive ore mineralogy. The mine stratigraphy is upright, younging east to west. The basal unit is a volcanic to subvolcanic chlorite, feldspar, quartz-eye porphyry, cut by a silicic porphyry, interpreted as a shallow level intrusion. Above and gradational to the chloritic porphyry, unless separated by the intrusive silicic porphyry, is a sericitic, quartz-eye porphyry, probably a metatuff. A north-thinning, graphite schists is above the sericitic porphyry. Carbonates overlie the graphite schist except to the north where they are above the sericitic porphyry. The carbonates consist of basal and upper sequences separated by a sericite, quartz-eye schists (metatuff) which is capped by a chlorite-sericite-graphite schist. Mineralization occurs within each carbonate sequence. This is overlain by interbedded chlorite and graphite schists with two horizons of exhalative iron formation (I.F.). Above the I.F. is a thick sequence of sericitic chlorite schists (turbidites). The mineralized carbonates are pervasively silicified with a disseminated assemblage of pyrite, pyrrhotite, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, galena, gold, altaite (PbTe), tetrahedrite, and pyrargyrite in quartz and dolomite +/- fluorite gangue. We suggest that the mineralization is associated with hydrothermal activity during emplacement of the silicic porphyry and following carbonate diagenesis. Mineralization was syn- or post-depositional with respect to the I.F.
Research Organization:
Univ. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (USA)
OSTI ID:
6169747
Report Number(s):
CONF-8510489-
Conference Information:
Journal Name: Geol. Soc. Am., Abstr. Programs; (United States) Journal Volume: 17
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English