Characteristics of Primary Halos and Deep Prospecting Prediction of the Nagengkangqieer Silver Deposit in Eastern of East Kunlun

Nagengkangqieer area is located in the Gouli Gold Orefield in the eastern segment of the East Kunlun orogenic belt. It is the first large independent silver deposit discovered in Qinghai province. As exploration for silver minerals delves deeper, analyzing drilling primary halos to predict deep-seated mineralization stands as a current direct and effective method. In this study, We systematically collected 919 samples from 7 drill holes within the Ⅺ mineralized belt of the Nagengkangqieer silver deposit, and analyzed 15 elements including Au, Ag, Cu, Pb, Zn, W, Sn, Mo, As, Sb, Hg, F, Mn, Bi, Co. Cluster analysis was utilized to examine element combination features while the Grigoriev method was employed to study primary halo zoning characteristics. The results revealed an axial zoning sequence of the primary halo from surface to a depth is: Au→Hg→Ag→Mo→Mn→Sn→Sb→As→Pb→Zn→W→Bi→Cu→F→Co. We summarized zoning patterns of abnormal elements within the deposit and identified Ag, Pb, Zn, Au, Sb, Sn, and Cu as near-mine halo elements; Hg, As, and (F) as frontier-halo elements; Mo, Co, Mn, (Bi), and (W) as tail-halo elements. There are characteristics of near-mine halo, frontier-halo and tail-halo elements overlapping, as well as no signs of extermination in the deep part of the anomaly, indicating that the mineral body has further extension along the axis in the deep part. Combined with geophysical and geochemical characteristics, and compared with regional mineral deposits, it is believed that the mineralized body in the northern extension of the Ⅺ mineral belt extends further into the depths, and there is great potential for deep-seated mineral exploration.