Tracking gold deposits in permafrost terrains

在加拿大北部永久冻土地带勘探黄金具有挑战性，这不仅是因为距离交通基础设施很远，还因为基岩大部分被上一次冰川期间沉积的常年冻结的冰川沉积物覆盖(S)。这些冰川沉积物掩盖了地下的矿藏。冰川沉积物是由基岩的冰下侵蚀和搬运形成的，包括露头金矿或其蚀变晕。因此，冰川沉积物中的扩散模式为部分侵蚀的金矿提供了一个载体。通过对冰川沉积物的地球化学和矿物学成分的分析，可以发现金矿的踪迹。然而，目前的方法通常涉及将大样本(+10公斤重量)运送到通常位于加拿大南部的实验室。运输、样品制备和分析可能需要几个月的时间才能获得分析结果，以评估矿产勘探计划的结果。

Exploration for gold in permafrost terrains of Northern Canada is challenging not only because of the distance from transportation infrastructures, but also because the bedrock is largely covered by perennially-frozen glacial sediments deposited during the last glaciation(s). These glacial sediments mask mineral deposits lying beneath. The glacial sediments were formed by subglacial erosion and transport of the bedrock, which included outcropping gold deposits or their alteration aureoles. The dispersal patterns in the glacial sediments therefore provide a vector towards the partly eroded gold deposits. The trace of a gold deposit can be found by analysis of the geochemical and mineralogical composition of the glacial sediments. However, current methods commonly involve shipping large samples (+10 kg in weight) to laboratories typically located in southern Canada. Shipping, sample preparation and analysis can take several months before the analytical results are available to assess the results of the mineral exploration program.