Journal of the Korean Society of Mineral and Energy Resources Engineers ISSN:2288-0291(Print) 2288-2790(Online) 한국자원공학회지

The data on chemical composition of sphalerites from ore deposits in South Korea have been collected, analyzed and reviewed in mine and local scale, or regional viewpoint for the last two decades. Generally, sphalerite contain such elements as iron, cadmium, and manganese as principal substituent for zinc in the sphalerite structure and is the important indicator mineral giving information on the change of physicochemical environment of ore genesis. Recently, it is known that the compositional variation of sphalerites from the gold-silver mine reflect the characteristics and type of gold-silver mineralization. Utilizing the fluid inclusion and stable isotope methods, it is already suggested that the Seolhwa gold mine belongs to a mesothermal-type, gold-only deposit. To cross-check the characteristics and type of gold mineralization in a regional viewpoint, the classification scheme of gold mineralization based on the compositional variation of sphalerites from gold deposit is applied with caution. As a result, the compositional relation between iron and cadmium in sphalerites from Seolhwa mine show the same pattern of distribution as shown in the category of gold-dominant deposit by the above-mentioned scheme. MnS contents of sphalerites are slightly proportional to the FeS contents. The sphalerites have the relatively high CdS contents and low MnS contents in comparison with those from the gold deposits associated the Daebo igneous activity. Conclusively, the compositional variation of sphalerites from the Seolhwa gold mine suggests strongly that the characteristics and type of gold mineralization at Seolhwa mine belong to a \"gold-dominant(so-called mesothermal-type)\"deposit.