Gold of mesothermal Fe-Ni-Co-Bi-As type in alluvial deposits of the Wierzbiak River (Fore-Sudetic Block, SW Poland)

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DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7306/gq.1817

Keywords:

gold, placer deposits, Fore-Sudetic Block, Wądroże Wielkie Massif, inclusions

Abstract

Study of detrital gold grains from modern sediments in the bed of the Wierzbiak River in Lower Silesia (SW Poland) provided insights into their morphological and chemical characteristics. The gold grains exhibit low shape diversity and a high degree of edge rounding. Chemically, the gold grains are homogeneous, consisting of native gold with a maximum silver content of up to 20 wt.%. The grains analysed also contain micro-inclusions, mainly composed of Ni-Co-Fe sulpharsenides and sulphides, such as pyrite, chalcopyrite, galena and native bismuth, pointing to an association of mesothermal Fe-Ni-Co-Bi-As mineralization type. The mineral inclusions observed are not typical for the quartz veins of the Wądroże Wielkie Massif but resemble the mineralization present in the polymetallic veins of the Kaczawa Metamorphic Complex. The results of this study support a thesis of a complex genesis of the local Lower Silesian gold-bearing Cenozoic placers, involving both the weathering of local quartz veins of the Wądroże Wielkie Massif and potential contributions from other ore sources in the region. Further geophysical and borehole studies are needed to more accurately assess the gold resources in the Fore-Sudetic Block, especially in the watersheds of the Wierzbiak and Nysa Szalona rivers.

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Published

2025-11-28

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