Characterization of Gold Pathfinder Minerals

Abstract: In this Thesis, I investigate the properties of artisanal small-scale gold mining concentrate samples from the Kubi Gold Project of the Asante Gold Corporation near Dunkwa-on-Offin in the Central Region of Ghana with a material science perspective.X-ray diffraction (XRD) is used to identify SiO2 (quartz), Fe3O4 (magnetite), and Fe2O3 (hematite) as the main indicator minerals in the mining site while contributions from pyrite, arsenopyrites, iridosmine, scheelite, tetradymite, garnet, gypsum, and other sulfate minerals were insignificant.Furthermore, the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) results indicate elements like Fe, Ag, Al, N, O, Si, Hg, and Ti as the important host elements that either form alloy with Au or inherent elements in the soil at the site. The result also indicate that Si and Ag are in strong co-occurrence with Au due to their eutectic qualities, while N, C, and O follow alongside because of their attraction to Si. These findings indicate that primary geochemical dispersion evolving from crystallization of magma and hydrothermal liquids are the main attributes and this constitute a confirmative identification of Au indicator and pathfinding minerals in this mineralogical area. Furthermore, the findings suggest that XRD, XPS, and EDX could also be applied in other mineralogical laboratories to aid in identifying indicator minerals of Au and location of ore bodies at reduced environmental and exploration costs.