On the digitalization of the parameters of native gold particles in the study of placers and concentrate and mineralogical studies

Relevance of the work is due to the need to increase the efficiency of studying the particles of native gold in placers using morphometric (morphogranulometric) parameters in their documentation. Graphic materials (maps, plans, sections) based on digitalization of the collected data help to increase the reliability of the forecast, make it possible to use the selected areolas in combination with other methods when assessing ore-bearing zones and areas. Purpose of the work: development of a systematics of native gold identification on a morphometric basis. Substantiation on the basis of digital data of placer samples indicators – form of gold grains, average grain size, hydraulic particle size; study of the spatial variability of the revealed parameters of the metal within the rebuilt placers. Research methodology: diagnostics (description) of the morphology of gold grains and other typomorphic features based on the quantitative parameters of particles with the subsequent calculation of the shape coefficients (flatness, elongation); generalization and interpretation of the results of the description of native gold previously obtained during the exploration of the Ural placers. Results. The proposed systematics of native gold outwards on a morphometric basis allows a more rigorous approach to the identification of metal particles (excluding the subjectivity of describing the outward look of ore). When substantiating the average size of gold grains, significant discrepancies were noted in the results obtained by two independent methods: when measuring the parameters of gold grains on a morphogranulometric basis and using traditional sieve grain size analysis. The geological factors that determine the level of discrepancy between the compared methods are considered. It is about how the revealed discrepancies should be taken into account in the practice of forecasting and prospecting works. It is argued that the most important indicator characterizing the migratory mobility of gold particles in an aquatic environment is their hydraulic size (HS, cm/s). An approach to substantiating HS based on measurements of morphogranulometric parameters of particles (axes A, B, C) is proposed. Examples are considered based on the interpretation of the accumulated digital data in the mineralogical mapping of a number of ore-bearing areas and sites. Conclusions. Long years of studying native gold from placers using the developed systematics of particles on a digital (morphogranulometric) basis have been tested by the practice of forecasting and prospecting and research works. The described approach, based on digitalization of the accumulated information, is recommended for implementation and further improvement