Golds affinity for quartz: WHY

[johnnysau]

Any chemical gurus out there. Quartz ( SiO2 ). Was reading about it in wikipedia and found-all 4 of the vertices (or oxygen atoms) of the SiO4 tetrahedra are shared with others, yielding the net chemical formula: SiO2

I know Oxygen and ( Chlorine-Fluorine-Bromine ) are oxidizers and has something to do in REDOX which i dont quite get that process.

Anybody want to dive in here!

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[TerryC]

I don't know about an affinity for quartz... but what is unusual is that quartz is the most common mineral on earth and gold, one of the rarest, yet they are often found together. Actually, gold, although rare, is found in virtually EVERY living thing on earth, to some degree or other. Go figure! Take care. EDIT: went to www.ptable.com (very nice interactive table of elements!) to learn the human body is .000010% gold. TTC

[Terry Soloman]

Gold-sulfer chemical complexes are not stable so when the temps change or the hydrothermal pressure drops, various chemicals decompose and free the gold to form deposits. These same chemical complexes deposit quartz (it is the most common compound in these solutions) in gold veins.

[homefires]

I think the bottom line is that gold in solution likes to drop out forming crystals in the same situations that Silica does. No one mentions Iron on this that too shows up in the same locations.

Iron Stained Quartz in a Good indicator of Gold could be Present. Gold Rides a Iron Horse is the saying.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vein_(geology)

[TerryC]

I think the bottom line is that gold in solution likes to drop out forming crystals in the same situations that Silica does. No one mentions Iron on this that too shows up in the same locations.

Iron Stained Quartz in a Good indicator of Gold could be Present. Gold Rides a Iron Horse is the saying.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vein_(geology)

I agree with your statement, Homefires, but did not find the iron connection in your link. Tnx. TTC

[MontanaLon]

It isn't necessarily an affinity for gold it is just they are deposited by the same geologic process. Not all quartz has gold with it but when you find gold you will never have to look far for the quartz.

It is much the same situation with black sand. It really doesn't have any chemical connection to gold, it just arrives to be in the company of gold by geologic processes. Once again not all black sand has gold but when you find gold you never have to look far for the black sand.

"Gold rides an iron horse" makes sense as well. Black sand is magnetite and hematite which is one form or another of iron. That applies to placer deposits.

In lode deposits iron pyrite is often close by so it makes sense there as well.

So by inference I must be a really good gold finder because I can find the heck out of black sand and pyrite. Man, if only I was in an area with gold.....