Rice Lake Gold District

Mineralization

Gold is typically associated with pyrite, which is the most common sulphide mineral in the mineralized gold veins. Other accessory minerals comprise chalcopyrite, pyrrhotite, sphalerite, arsenopyrite, and galena. Gold mineralization is contemporaneous with pyrite and has also been observed to post-date the sulphide mineralization. Gange minerals include quartz, ankerite, chlorite, sericite, tourmaline, albite, K-feldspar, calcite, fuchsite, and epidote. It is believed the gold precipitated with early quartz, albite, and tourmaline.

All quartz veins are associated with CO2 related alteration. The degree of alteration is dependent on the rock composition, mafic rocks being more susceptible. Alteration in immediate rocks is characterized by intense sericitization, chloritization, pyritization, carbonatization, and silicification.