Geochemical Atlas – Erzgebirge and Vogtland

The maximum gold (Au) concentration is about 1 mg/kg. Minima are below the detection limit of 0.0005 mg/kg. The ratio between arithmetic average (0,004 mg/kg) and median (0,001 mg/kg) is high. The histogram shows a right-skewed log distribution. Besides the large number of very low values, a group of slightly higher values near 0.003 mg/kg is evident, whereas less than 1% of the values exceed 0.006 mg/kg. In the Vogtland region west of the Eibenstock and Kirchberg granites, the last mentioned concentration occurs along a N-S trending, east-concave arc in Cambrian to Silurian metasediments, coinciding with the U deposits of Neumark, Bergen and Schneckenstein. Areas with Au > 0.004 mg/kg occur in the Freiberg district related to polymetallic vein mineralisation together with Ag. To the NW, this zone extends beyond the Freiberg district and beyond its Ag anomaly, up to the boundary of the study area. To the SW, the Augustusburg and Grünberg fluorite-baryte deposits coincide with an auriferous area and so do the BiCoNi districts of Johanngeorgenstadt and Schneeberg. Isolated spots in the eastern Erzgebirge correspond to an Au-bearing quartzite NW of the Frauenstein Ag deposit, to an area SW of the Berggießhübel Fe skarns, to the districts of Sadisdorf and Seiffen, and to an area SW of Sayda. In the Western Erzgebirge, Cambroordovician metasediments SW of Adorf show elevated Au. Low grade areas (Au > 0.002 mg/kg) reveal structures such as an E-W striking belt between the Zschopau deposit and the Schellerhau granite. Further, Au appears in numerous small spots relating to individual samples.