The Discovery and Prospecting Significance of the Qianhongquan Gold Deposit in the South Beishan Orogenic Belt, Gansu Province, China

The southern belt of Beishan orogenic in Gansu is an important metallogenic concentration area in the northwest region of China, where numerous gold deposits of ductile shear zone−type or associated with such zones have been discovered. Nevertheless, research and prospecting activities focusing on ductile shear zone-type gold deposits in this region have undergone a period of relative dormancy in recent years. The Qianhongquan Gold Deposit is a medium−sized gold deposit that has been gradually discovered through large−scale exploration based on basic geological survey work. Through field exploration and indoor comprehensive research, it was found that the gold deposit is located in the mylonite, gneiss and phyllonite of the Gudongjing group, strictly controlled by the NWW ductile shear zone. Silicification, arsenopyritization, sericite alteration, and pyrite mineralization are closely related to mineralization alteration. The areas with abnormal high values of gold geochemical anomalies, and related mineralization alterations can serve as the main prospecting indicators for this deposit. The discovery of The Qianhongquan Gold Deposit has important guiding significance for searching for gold deposits associated with the ductile shear zone in the southern belt of Beishan orogenic, especially in terms of the selection of exploration methods, prospecting ideas and direction. The article proposes that the peripheral and deep parts of the existing deposits and important geochemical anomaly areas are the key areas for the next prospecting breakthrough.