Gold Sulfides 101 (Module 4) Oxidized Sulfides and Supergene Gold #oxidizedgold #supergenegold

Подробнее о видео

Discover the hidden secrets of gold in our latest YouTube Shorts, "Unlocking Gold: The Secret of Oxidized Sulfides!" 🌟 Dive into the fascinating world of oxidized sulfides and learn how they reveal a treasure map to buried gold. As sulfides like pyrite and arsenopyrite weather into iron oxides, they set the stage for gold to settle just beneath the surface. Watch as we explore supergene enrichment layers, where gold concentration leads prospectors to rich deposits. Don’t just scratch the surface—uncover the deeper riches waiting for you! 🌄💰

Oxidized Sulfides and Supergene Gold – Surface Clues to Deeper Riches

In this advanced prospecting module, we take a close look at how sulfides weather—and why that matters for finding gold. Sulfides like pyrite, chalcopyrite, and arsenopyrite don’t last forever at the surface. When they oxidize, they leave behind iron-rich caps—called gossans—and often concentrate gold just beneath.

This process creates what’s known as a supergene enrichment zone, and understanding how to identify it is one of the best-kept secrets in modern gold prospecting.

⸻

🔄 From Sulfides to Oxides

Sulfide minerals are chemically unstable at or near the surface. When exposed to oxygen, water, and bacterial activity, they break down—releasing metals and sulfur into the surrounding environment. The result?
• Pyrite becomes limonite, goethite, or hematite
• Chalcopyrite oxidizes into jarosite, malachite, or azurite
• Arsenopyrite becomes scorodite, often with strong iron oxides

This leaves behind a stained, rust-red to yellow-brown cap known as a gossan.

⸻

🧭 What Happens to the Gold?

As sulfides oxidize, gold is released. It doesn’t float off—it either:
• Remains in place as liberated particles
• Drops into porous layers below
• Binds with secondary minerals
• Migrates and reconcentrates due to acid leaching and groundwater movement

This creates a vertical enrichment profile:
1. Leached Cap – Often barren, oxidized rock
2. Supergene Zone – Gold re-precipitated or trapped beneath the cap
3. Primary Sulfide Zone – Original gold-bearing system

That second layer—the supergene zone—can carry very high grades of gold, especially in regions where erosion is shallow.

⸻

🔍 How to Spot It in the Field

Gossan Ridges: Look for rusty red, brown, or yellow surface zones. These often sit atop former sulfide deposits.
Boxwork Texture: Hollow spaces in ironstone where sulfides used to be—strong indicator of oxidation.
Soil Anomalies: Arsenic, antimony, or mercury spikes below the gossan can reveal the enrichment layer.
Bleached Zones: Oxidation often results in silica-rich, bleached host rock near surface.
Downslope Float: Samples of quartz or iron-rich rock found just below oxidized ridges.

Always sample beneath the surface cap if you can. The leached zone might appear barren, but gold can be enriched just below.

⸻

🛠 Tools That Help
• Handheld XRF: Detects iron, arsenic, copper, and pathfinders
• Acid Bottles: Help detect reactive carbonate zones
• Soil Pans: Dry pan fine soil below oxidation cap to recover micron gold
• AI Gold Maps: Highlight gossan zones using multispectral imaging and topographic overlays
• Rock Saw or Chisel: Cut below the surface to reveal transition zones

⸻

🧠 Real-Life Application

Many western U.S. gold deposits were originally discovered by tracing iron-stained hills. In places like Arizona’s Harquahala Mountains, California’s Mother Lode, and Nevada’s Carlin Trend, supergene zones beneath oxidized caps have delivered bonanza-grade ore—missed by earlier miners who never sampled below the surface.

Modern prospectors have the tools to do better.

⸻

📌 Final Tip

Don’t walk away from a gossan. Use it as a starting point. Sample beneath it, follow the runoff, and test for enrichment zones. The cap is the clue—but the gold lies just below.

Like and share this video to spread the knowledge!

#GoldMining #Sulfides #Geology #Prospecting #TreasureHunting #Shorts #aigoldmap