Lithogeochemistry/Alteration Characterization of the Pine Cove Gold Deposit and Related Occurrences, Baie Verte, NL

Orogenic gold deposits form along faults in the Earth's crust where gold-bearing fluids interact with rocks and deposit gold in economic concentrations. The interaction of these fluids with rocks leaves a diagnostic chemical footprint and distinctive mineral groups. The Pine Cove gold deposit, and others in the Baie Verte Peninsula, are type examples of these "orogenic" gold deposits and a natural laboratory for understanding how these deposits form and how to explore for them. The research involves a combination of field observations from drill core and rocks on surface, rock chemistry, and the nature of minerals and their compositions to understand the processes whereby these fault-related gold deposits occur. By understanding both the processes and their physical and chemical make up in the field we can provide predictive models for how these deposits form but also where to find further resources. The latter provide critical information for potentially finding new gold resources in the Baie Verte Peninsula and elsewhere in Newfoundland and globally.