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Episodes 2023; 46(3): 421-438

Published online September 1, 2023

https://doi.org/10.18814/epiiugs/2022/022042

Copyright © International Union of Geological Sciences.

Geology, mineralogy and geochemistry of Tavt gold deposit in Dzhida zone, northern Mongolia: implications for the evolution of intrusion and ore mineralization

Sodnom Oyungerel1, Yeongmin Kim2*, Insung Lee3, Luvsanchultem Jargal1, Batsuren Tegshbayar4, Sengedorj Khorolsuren5

1 School of Arts and Sciences, National University of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar 14021, Mongolia
2 Research Center for Geochronology and Isotope Analysis, Korea Basic Science Institute, Cheongju 28119, Republic of Korea
3 School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
4 Gurvantalst LLC, Ulaanbaatar 49-309, Mongolia
5 Sudaltmana LLC, Ulaanbaatar 37-275, Mongolia

Correspondence to:*E-mail: ykim86@kbsi.re.kr

Received: January 3, 2022; Revised: October 26, 2022; Accepted: October 26, 2022

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

The Tavt gold deposit located in the Dzhida zone of northern Mongolia is hosted within intrusive complexes: Dzhida, Selenge and Orkhon. The Dzhida intrusive complex, a main host rock, shows three phases including gabbrodiorite, diorite, monzodiorite and granodiorite whereas the Selenge and Orkhon intrusive complexes have more felsic and subalkaline composition. The auriferous quartz veins are widespread within the host rocks. Gold grain mostly occurs as an electrum and gold inclusion is present within Cu-bearing sulfide minerals such as chalcopyrite and tennantite. Potassic and propylitic alterations occur in pre-ore stage whereas phyllic alteration is related to mineralization processes. With the presence of tennantite related to magmatic fluid, the variation of composition of phyllic altered minerals from muscovite to illite is likely to indicate a magmatic-hydrothermal origin of ore-forming fluids. The K-Ar ages of muscovite and illite in the Tavt deposit are 270.3 ± 5.0 and 277.2 ± 5.2 Ma, which is corresponding to the intrusive age of the Selenge complex from previous studies. This correspondence of the alteration ages to the intrusive ages indicates a spatial and temporal relationship between magmatic intrusion and gold mineralization. The gold mineralization in the Tavt deposit, therefore, is related to intrusion and hydrothermal activities.