The discovery and mining of the Beal deposit suggests that hornfels mineralization may become increasingly important as a source of gold and as an exploration target. However, gold-bearing hornfels are largely unknown to the scientific community. The research will first establish the descriptive base of alteration mineralogy and host rock stratigraphy. Then, by comparing the Beal silicate and calc- silicate mineralogy to non-mineralized hornfels aureoles, an occurrence model for gold hornfels mineralization will be developed. Fluid inclusion and stable isotope analyses will constrain the fluid source, composition, and temperature of the mineralizing solutions and allow formulation of an overall genetic model with predictive power for other hornfels systems.
