Characterization of high-grade gold deposits of the northeast of Antioquia-Colombia

Abstract

Mineralogical characterization is a fundamental stage when designing and implementing metallurgical extraction processes; in the case of gold mining, knowing the way the metal occurs and its mineralogical associations is a fundamental tool when minimizing losses or designing processes. The northeast of the department of Antioquia has distinguished itself as one of the main areas of Colombia in terms of gold production. In the present work, a characterization of different samples from this Colombian region was made using XRD, XRF, QUEMSCAN, SEM-EDX, fire assay, conventional cyanidation and froth flotation tests. The analyses performed classify these deposits as high grade, with values up to 81 g/t of gold. Quartz is the most common mineral followed by the presence of muscovite, pyrite and potassium feldspar. Regarding gold, it was found in the form of electrum associated with sulphide minerals, a conventional flotation process is proposed, with an average recovery of 90%.

Keywords

• mineral characterization
• mercury pollution
• artisanal mining
• Colombia
• Antioquia
• gold