Fig. 1. Newmont Mining’s Carlin open pit gold mine in Nevada.

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Abstract

The major structural and stratigraphic geological features controlling the presence of gold deposits in Nevada’s North Carlin trend were identified from literature. Relevant georeferenced geological data for the area was downloaded from the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology website, and uploaded into ArcGIS. Separate layers were created for stratigraphic and structural controls (only faults were used as structural controls) and each feature given a weighted “score” based on their relative influence on the presence of known deposits (derived from literature). The layers (scores) were then combined via raster calculation to create a deposit probability map. Higher scores indicate a greater likelihood of a mineral deposit presence. The resulting map was compared to the known gold mineralization distribution to see whether the conceptual model was accurate. A detailed discussion of errors and accuracy is included. The final map would be useful as a general predictor of deposit location on the regional scale, but is based on a simplified conceptual model, and needs further refining in order to increase accuracy and detail and be truly useful to companies in the mining industry. Use of a multivariate data-driven model using mathematical modeling and fuzzy logic is one recommended way of achieving this.