THE KAYENMYVAAM AU-AG PROSPECTIVE DISTRICT, CHUKCHI PENINSULA, RUSSIA: CHARACTERISTICS OF MINERALIZATION

References: 15th International Multidisciplinary Scientific GeoConference SGEM 2015, www.sgem.org, SGEM2015 Conference Proceedings, ISBN 978-619-7105-33-9 / ISSN 1314-2704, June 18-24, 2015, Book1 Vol. 3, 699-706 pp

ABSTRACT
The Kayenmyvaam prospective district is situated in the Western Chukchi Peninsula, Russia. It includes 4 main prospects: Arykevaam, Televeem, Levy Kayen and Sredny Kayen hosted by the Upper Cretaceous volcanic rocks of the Okhotsk-Chukchi Volcanic Belt (OChVB). Ore bodies are associated with N, NW and NE trending faults.
LS epithermal mineralization is predominant in the area, but there are also evidences of porphyry-style one (IS epithermal mineralization). Ore bodies occur as quartz or quartzite veinlet systems. Major alteration types are propylitic, argillic and advanced argillic. High grades of main components were determined in ore samples: over 500 ppm Au, 0.4% Ag, 4.8% Cu, 0.2% Mo, 0.5% Zn, 1.9% Pb and >0.2% Te. Gold-silver ratio varies from 10:1 to 1:300. Geochemical anomalies are widespread and their composition corresponds to the one of hypogene mineralization (Au, Ag, Mo, Cu, Pb, Zn, and others).
Gangue minerals include quartz, adularia, chlorite, kaolinite, gypsum, hydromica and calcite. Ore minerals are pyrite, galena, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, bornite, gold, electrum, polybasite-pearceite, acanthite, molybdenite, proustite-pyrargyrite, hessite, petzite, altaite and tetrahedrite-tennantite. Fluid inclusions homogenization temperatures vary from 136 to 369ºC, salinity is within the range of 0.2-1.4 wt. % NaCl equiv. Pressures estimated for fluid boiling at the temperature of 240-327ºC are 3-12 MPa and correspond to the ore formation depth of 0.1-0.5 km.
The Arykevaam is the silver prospect with low resource potential, so is the gold-silver prospect Levy Kayen. Main gold prospects are Televeem and Sredny Kayen. Ore minerals in the Televeem prospect are similar to those of the Sentyabr’sky gold-silver prospect in the Dvoynoy District.

Keywords: Gold-silver ore prospect, Chukchi District, Russia, epithermal deposit