The Epithermal Ag‒Au Mineralization of the Televeem Volcanic Dome Uplift, Central Chukotka

Abstract

This paper considers geological, mineralogical, and geochemical features of the epithermal Au‒Ag mineralization at the Televeem volcanic dome uplift (VDU) which complicates the Verkhne-Pykarvaam volcano-tectonic depression (VTD) in the Central Chukchi sector of the Okhotsk–Chukchi volcanogenic belt (OCVB). The structure of this ore occurrence is due to its localization within the eponymous VDU. The main vein zone (MVZ) of the Televeem ore occurrence, as wide as 500 m, extends for 2.5 km in the north–south direction. Along the MVZ direction, en-echelon proximal quartz–adularia veins are successively replaced with zones of thin streaks and brecciation in secondary quartzites and argillisites. The gold concentrations in these rocks vary between 1.4 and 17.3 g/t, that of gold is between 7.6 and 144.6 g/t. The ores contain abundant brecciated, framboidal lamellar, geode, and fine streaky structures. The more frequent ore minerals are pyrite, arsenopyrite, acanthite, grey ores of the freibergite–tetrahedrite series, stephanite, polybasite, low-fineness native gold (fineness varies in the range 249–532‰), and titanite. The amount of ore minerals in veins does not commonly exceed 0.5%, reaching 3% in some rare cases. Based on mineralogical evidence, this ore occurrence can be classified as belonging to low- or medium-eroded ones. The low erosion suggests a high probability of detecting buried ore bodies.