The invisible-gold deposits known as Carlin-type are becoming more important as easier to find deposits are progressively depleted. The combination of the invisible nature of the Au in these deposits, as well as the limited surface indicators of these deposits, makes exploration to find new Carlin-type deposits extremely difficult. Comprehensive mineralization models are essential to find new Carlin-type deposits in similar geologic settings. The Nadaleen Trend of Yukon, Canada, is one such district where an improved understanding of this deposit type has led to new discoveries. Previous studies compared and contrasted the tectonic setting, host rock depositional setting, structural preparation, and mineralization style of the Nadaleen Trend with those in Carlin-type localities, Nevada. However, the comparisons at an atomic scale, between Carlin-type Au deposits in the Nadaleen Trend and those in Nevada, has yet to be investigated. This study fills this knowledge gap by combining high resolution microanalytical techniques with atom probe tomography to examine the distribution of Au and other trace elements in the Nadaleen Trend, compare them to a representative Carlin-type deposit in Nevada (Turquoise Ridge), and determine how widespread the mineralization model is. Our findings show that in the Nadaleen Trend, as in Nevada, Au is generally directly linked with As at the macro to atomic scale, and is incorporated into As/Au rich overgrowths on sedimentary/diagenetic pyrite. Gold-rich pyrite rims in the Nadaleen Trend are generally smaller than those found in Nevada (0.5–2 µm vs > 10 µm), although the ore grades appear comparable. We find that the Au in the pyrite of the Nadaleen Trend is homogenously distributed (i.e. lattice bound) at the atomic scale, but that there is a notable enrichment of As surrounding individual Au atoms. These findings are in agreement with those from previous work on a representative deposit in Nevada, and support the assertation that As is the key ingredient in facilitating the incorporation of Au into the pyrite lattice. Arsenic as an essential component in the trapping mechanisms of Au in CTG deposits, is something that has been as to yet underappreciated in the current models of CTG deposit formation.

随着更容易找到的矿床逐渐枯竭，被称为 Carlin 型的无形金矿床变得越来越重要。这些矿床中金的不可见性质，以及这些矿床有限的表面指标，使得勘探寻找新的 Carlin 型矿床变得极其困难。全面的矿化模型对于在类似的地质环境中寻找新的 Carlin 型矿床至关重要。加拿大育空地区的 Nadaleen Trend 就是这样一个地区，对这种矿床类型的深入了解导致了新的发现。以前的研究比较和对比了 Nadaleen 趋势与内华达州 Carlin 型地区的构造环境、主岩沉积环境、构造准备和矿化类型。然而，Nadaleen 趋势中的 Carlin 型金矿床与内华达州的 Carlin 型金矿床在原子尺度上的比较尚未得到研究。本研究通过将高分辨率微量分析技术与原子探针断层扫描相结合来填补这一知识空白，以检查 Nadaleen 趋势中 Au 和其他微量元素的分布，将它们与内华达州具有代表性的 Carlin 型矿床（Turquoise Ridge）进行比较，并确定矿化模型的广泛程度。我们的研究结果表明，在 Nadaleen 趋势中，就像在内华达州一样，Au 通常在宏观到原子尺度上与 As 直接相关，并被纳入沉积/成岩黄铁矿上富含 As/Au 的过度生长中。Nadaleen Trend 中富含金的黄铁矿边缘通常比内华达州发现的黄铁矿边缘小（0.5-2 μm vs > 10 μm），尽管矿石品位似乎相当。我们发现 Nadaleen 趋势的黄铁矿中的 Au 是均匀分布的（即 晶格束缚），但在单个 Au 原子周围有显着的 As 富集。这些发现与之前在内华达州代表性矿床上的研究结果一致，并支持 As 是促进 Au 掺入黄铁矿晶格的关键成分的断言。砷作为 CTG 矿床中 Au 捕获机制的重要组成部分，在当前的 CTG 矿床形成模型中一直被低估。