Geological studies of the Umm UD gold prospect, Eastern Desert, Egypt /
الدراسات الجيولوجية لمنطقة تواجد ذهب أم عود الصحراء الشرقية : مصر
Youssry Mohamed Mohamed Esmail ; Supervised Mohamed A. Elsharkawi
- Cairo : Youssry Mohamed Mohamed Esmail , 2020
- 104 P. : ill. ; 25cm
Thesis (M.Sc.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Science - Department of Geology
The present study considers the basement rock units and the mineralized zones incorporated in one o f the old gold mine (Umm Ud) in the Eastern Desert o f Egypt. The study area lies between latitudes 2448'00" and 2450'00" N and longitudes 3440'30" and 3444'30". This study aims at investigating the rock units and mineralized veins in the study area in terms o f petrography, opaque mineralogy, geochemistry, gold content as well as discussing the possible origin o f the mineralization. The study revealed that the main rock units encountered are the ophiolitic serpentinites and related rocks, the island arc metavolcanics and metavolcaniclastic rocks and the subduction-related (G1) granitoid rocks (diorite/ quartz diorite). Geochemical investigation indicated that the studied serpentinites are mainly o f parent lherzolite composition and similar in many aspects to the ophiolitic serpentinites found in many areas in the Eastern Desert o f Egypt. The studied metabasalts and metatuffs are calc-alkaline to tholeiitic. They belong to the island arc assemblage as indicated by the tectonic setting diagrams used in the study. The intrusive dioritic rocks show a calc-alkaline affinity and plot in the volcanic arc-syn-collision granite field. The mineralized quartz veins show relatively high content o f Cr and Ni (up to 186 ppm and 115 ppm respectively) and contain gold (up to 11.65 ppm). which is either found as inclusions in sulfides (mainly pyrite) or as a very minute free native crystals as indicated by the SEM and EDX analyses. The possible genesis o f gold in the study area can be explained by the effect o f the dioritic intrusion as a heat engine that led to the mobilization and leaching o f gold (and other elements) from the surrounding ophiolitic and island arc rocks and their deposition in the hydrothermal quartz veins and alteration zones connected with the dioritic intrusion
Eastern Desert, Egypt Geological studies Umm UD gold prospect