42 Cordilleran Mineral Systems: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Critical Metal Ore Deposits

Explore the processes responsible for selective transport and accumulation of critical metals in the Earth’s crust: mineral systems science, economic geology, mineral exploration, geochemistry and isotopes, fluid inclusions, and mineral chemistry (bilingual session (English/Spanish)).

Friday, 24 April 2026
1:30 PM - 5:30 PM
LMH, Meeting Room

Metallogenic Study of the East Camp Douglas Gold Prospect, Great Basin, Nevada, USA

Paper number: 42-6
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 2:50 PM – 3:05 PM

Authors

Abstract

East Camp Douglas is a gold prospect owned by Fortitude Gold Corp., located in the central portion of the Walker Lane belt along the western margin of the Great Basin, Nevada. The property is currently at an exploration stage due to the presence of Au anomalies associated with a silicified lithocap covering more than 1 km². The prospect has been intermittently explored by multiple companies over several decades, driven by localized values exceeding 20 g/t Au. However, the stratigraphy of the lithocap, the distribution of mineralization, and the nature of the hydrothermal system responsible for its formation remain poorly constrained.

This study characterizes the lithocap through detailed fieldwork, petrography, whole-rock geochemistry, and geochronology. Preliminary results reveal at least two distinct stages of silicification, both of early Miocene age. The first stage produced intense, pervasive alteration of the protolith, whereas the second stage resulted in hydrothermal brecciation and cementation of previously silicified rocks. Mineralization consists exclusively of free gold, spatially and temporally associated with the second stage of brecciation and silicification. Locally, zones of phyllic alteration were identified beneath the lithocap, suggesting the presence of a paleo–heat source at greater depth. Collectively, these preliminary results indicate that the hydrothermal activity recorded in the lithocap may represent the shallow expression of a deeper mineralizing system.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 58, No. 3

doi: 10.1130/abs/2026CD-410890

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