Zastosowanie metody analizy par rtęci w geologii poszukiwawczej

Abstract

THE USE OF MERCURY VAPOUR TECHNIQUE IN GEOLOGICAL PROSPECTING Summary The paper deals with applicability of a modern geochemical technique known as mercurometry for geological studies and especially for prospecting for various kinds of ore deposits. This technique involves measurements of trace amounts of mercury vapour present in rocks and soils and it is based on A. A. Saukov (7) statement of anomalous content of mercury in hydrothermal sulphide ores yielding zinc, lead, gold, silver, tin and copper. Mercury is characterized by high tension of vapour and thus it easily penetrates in gaseous form at large distance along fractures. This results in enrichment of rocks surrounding a deposit an mercury and in formation of primary aureoles of mercury dispersion. The use of mercury as an index element in geological studies became possible after constructing atomic absorption spectrometers enabling estimations of mercury content with accuracy up to 10 -12 g Hg. So high accuracy of measurements is obtained by so called “double wave length” method and the use of the Zeeman effect to modulate ultraviolet radiation (= 2537 Å) emited by mercury lamp. An apparatus working on that principle, mercurometer Scintrex HGG-3 made in Canada, was bought by the Warsaw Enterprise of Geophysical Prospecting in 1975. This apparatus is at present used in methodological and experimental studies on known instances of sulphide minerallization in the Sudety Mts. The preliminary results of the studies have shown applicability of that method for solving the following geological-prospecting problems in the case of the areas of the Sudety, Holy Cross Mts and Carpathians: (a) searching for sulphide deposits and especially far zinc, lead, copper and mercury as well as barite and fluorite deposits; (b) searching for thermal waters and (c) location of mineralized dislocations difficult to trace with the use of classic methods.