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Science 13 October 2006:
Vol. 314. no. 5797, pp. 288 - 291
DOI: 10.1126/science.1132866
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Reports

Gold in Magmatic Hydrothermal Solutions and the Rapid Formation of a Giant Ore Deposit

Stuart F. Simmons1* and Kevin L. Brown2

The Ladolam hydrothermal system, on Lihir Island, Papua New Guinea, hosts one of the youngest and largest gold deposits in the world. Several deep (more than 1 kilometer) geothermal wells were drilled beneath the ore bodies to extract water at >275°C and to facilitate open-pit mining. Using a titanium down-hole sampler, we determined that the deep geothermal brine of magmatic origin contains ~15 parts per billion gold. At the current gold flux of 24 kilograms per year, this deposit could have formed within ~55,000 years. The combination of sustained metal flux and efficient metal precipitation led to the formation of a giant hydrothermal gold deposit in a short period.

1 Geology Dept., Univ. of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland Mail Centre, Auckland 1142, New Zealand.
2 GEOKEM, P. O. Box 95-210, Swanson, Waitakere 0653, New Zealand.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: sf.simmons{at}auckland.ac.nz

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