Geochemical associations of gold mineralization at Okzhetpes ore field

The rank correlation coefficient was meticulously calculated, revealing significant correlations between elements in geochemical sections and levels of ore occurrences in different areas. These calculations were based on the comprehensive results of assay and spectral analyses for 12 chemical elements of 291 samples from ore zone No. 2 and 500 samples from ore zones No. 3 and No. 5. The gold-bearing rocks of ore zones 3 and 5 are intricately associated with the distribution of sedimentary-diagenetic pyrite layers, which, along with the host rocks, played a crucial role in the dissolution and cataclasis in the formation of veins and veins of quartz. The sedimentary origin of pyrite in the Okzhetpes ore field is strongly supported by its geochemical features. It is established that at an average gold content in pyrite at the level of 5–7 g/tons, only this mineral provides up to 10 clark concentrations for the whole rock: Au, Ag, Se, Cu, As. Notably, some differences in the correlation of noble metal contents in samples from ore zone 2, localized predominantly in carbonate rocks, and ore zones 3 and 5 in tuffogenic sandy shale, where a closer relationship between arsenic and tungsten and molybdenum is clearly indicated.