Gold and pathfinder elements in ferricrete gold deposits of the Yilgarn Craton of Western Australia: A review with new concepts

Abstract Secondary mineral deposits have played an important role in the global mineral resource economy for over 50 years, with lateritic Au, Al, Fe and Ni deposits having a significant input to global metal production and reserves. In the Yilgarn Craton of Western Australia, a deeply weathered mantle is commonly capped with 2–10 m of lateritic residuum (residual lateritic gravels and duricrust) and/or ferricrete (Fe oxide-cemented sediment), which formed under seasonally humid tropical and sub-tropical climates during the Cenozoic. The principal constituents of these units are goethite, hematite, maghemite, kaolinite and quartz. They are commonly overlain by younger, 2–10 m thick transported cover, deposited under later semi-arid conditions. Both ferricrete and lateritic residuum may host exploitable secondary gold deposits, typically small (