Many workers accept a metamorphic model for orogenic gold ore formation, where a gold-bearing aqueous-carbonic fluid is an inherent product of devolatilization across the greenschist-amphibolite boundary with the majority of deposits formed within the seismogenic zone at depths of 6–12 km. Fertile oceanic rocks that source fluid and metal may be heated through varied tectonic scenarios affecting the deforming upper crust (≤ 20–25 km depth). Less commonly, oceanic cover and crust on a downgoing slab may release an aqueous-carbonic metamorphic fluid at depths of 25–50 km that travels up-dip along a sealed plate boundary until intersecting near-vertical structures that facilitate fluid migration and gold deposition in an upper crustal environment. Nevertheless, numerous world-class orogenic gold deposits are alternatively argued to be products of magmatic-hydrothermal processes based upon equivocal geochemical and mineralogical data or simply a spatial association with an exposed or hypothesized intrusion. Oxidized intrusions may form gold-bearing porphyry and epithermal ores in the upper 3–4 km of the crust, but their ability to form economic gold resources at mesozonal (≈ 6–12 km) and hypozonal (≈ > 12 km) depths is limited. Although volatile saturation may be reached in magmatic systems at depths as deep as 10–15 km, such saturation doesn’t indicate magmatic-hydrothermal fluid release. Volatiles typically will be channeled upward in magma and mush to brittle apical roof zones at epizonal levels (≈ < 6 km) before large pressure gradients are reached to rapidly release a focused fluid. Furthermore, gold and sulfur solubility relationships favor relatively shallow formation of magmatic-hydrothermal gold systems; although aqueous-carbonic fluid release from a magmatic system below 6 km would generally be diffuse, even if in cases where it was somehow better focused, it is unlikely to contain substantial gold. Where reduced intrusions form through assimilation of carbonaceous crustal material, subsequent high fluid pressures and hydrofracturing have been shown to lead to development of sheeted veins and greisens at depths of 3–6 km. These products of reduced magmatic-hydrothermal systems, however, typically form Sn and or W ores, with economic low grade gold occurrences (< 1 g/t Au) being formed in rare cases. Thus, whereas most moderate- to high-T orogens host orogenic gold and intrusions, there is no genetic association.

许多工人接受造山金矿形成的变质模型，其中含金的含水碳酸盐流体是穿过绿片岩-角闪岩边界的脱挥发分的固有产物，大部分沉积物形成于地震带内，深度为 6-12 公里. 产生流体和金属的肥沃海洋岩石可能会通过影响变形上地壳（≤ 20-25 公里深度）的各种构造情景被加热。不太常见的是，下行板片上的海洋覆盖层和地壳可能会在 25-50 公里的深度释放出一种含水碳质变质流体，该流体沿着封闭的板块边界向上倾斜，直到与促进流体迁移和金沉积的近垂直结构相交。上地壳环境。尽管如此，基于模棱两可的地球化学和矿物学数据，或者仅仅是与暴露的或假设的侵入体的空间关联，许多世界级的造山金矿床也被认为是岩浆热液过程的产物。氧化侵入体可在地壳上部 3-4 km 形成含金斑岩和浅成热液矿，但它们在中带（≈ 6-12 km）和次带（≈ > 12 km）深度形成经济金资源的能力有限. 尽管在深达 10-15 km 的岩浆系统中可能会达到挥发性饱和，但这种饱和并不表明岩浆-热液流体的释放。挥发物通常会在岩浆中向上引导，并在达到大压力梯度以快速释放聚焦流体之前，在表带水平（≈ < 6 km）形成脆性顶部顶盖区。此外，金和硫的溶解度关系有利于岩浆-热液金系统的相对浅层形成；尽管从 6 公里以下的岩浆系统中释放的含水碳流体通常是扩散的，即使在某些情况下它以某种方式更好地集中，它也不太可能含有大量的金。在通过碳质地壳物质同化形成减少侵入体的情况下，随后的高流体压力和水力压裂已显示导致在 3-6 公里深度处发育片状脉和灰岩。然而，这些还原岩浆-热液系统的产物通常形成锡和/或钨矿石，在极少数情况下会形成经济的低品位金矿（< 1 g/t Au）。因此，尽管大多数中到高温度造山带都有造山带金和侵入物，但没有遗传关联。金和硫的溶解度关系有利于岩浆-热液金系统的相对浅层形成；尽管从 6 公里以下的岩浆系统中释放的含水碳流体通常是扩散的，即使在某些情况下它以某种方式更好地集中，它也不太可能含有大量的金。在通过碳质地壳物质同化形成减少侵入体的情况下，随后的高流体压力和水力压裂已显示导致在 3-6 公里深度处发育片状脉和灰岩。然而，这些还原岩浆-热液系统的产物通常形成锡和/或钨矿石，在极少数情况下会形成经济的低品位金矿（< 1 g/t Au）。因此，尽管大多数中到高温度造山带都有造山带金和侵入物，但没有遗传关联。金和硫的溶解度关系有利于岩浆-热液金系统的相对浅层形成；尽管从 6 公里以下的岩浆系统中释放的含水碳流体通常是扩散的，即使在某些情况下它以某种方式更好地集中，它也不太可能含有大量的金。在通过碳质地壳物质同化形成减少侵入体的情况下，随后的高流体压力和水力压裂已显示导致在 3-6 公里深度处发育片状脉和灰岩。然而，这些还原岩浆-热液系统的产物通常形成锡和/或钨矿石，在极少数情况下会形成经济的低品位金矿（< 1 g/t Au）。因此，尽管大多数中到高温度造山带都有造山带金和侵入物，但没有遗传关联。