Application of the Geoelecto-chemical Method to Prospecting Hidden Copper-polymetallic Ore in Cold Plateau Areas:A Case Study of the Gardaban Mine in Qinghai Province

In order to solve difficulties in searching hidden deposits in cold plateau regions,the Gardaban mine of Qinghai Province was chosen for the site to conduct geoelectro-chemical surveys and deposit prediction.The result shows that clear anomalies of elements Cu,Pb,and Zn and soil ionic conductivity were found directly above the known orebodies.Based on this result,a deposit prospect study was conducted in the southeast of the mine area,and 4 favorable targets were determined.In addition,this study indicates two distinguishing characteristics of geoelectro-chemistry in cold plateau regions:(1) oxidizing solution of the hidden ore is limited,and geochemical solution dominates;(2) transport ability of active ions in vertical direction is stronger than that in horizontal direction.Both of the characteristics are the principal reasons for the marked success of the geoelectro-chemical method in ore search in this region.