The goal of this study is to determine the source of gold and the role played by organic carbon and arsenic in the formation of sediment-hosted gold deposits. The effect of and link between these two ubiquitous ingredients yet remains unresolved, even though most mineable gold in the Earth’s crust is hosted by this type of deposits. In this work, we tackled these fundamental questions in a case study of the Shahuindo and Algamarca deposits in the Marañon Fold and Thrust Belt of the Peruvian Andes. These deposits are representative of sediment-hosted deposits in which gold mineralization is closely associated with both carbonaceous material and arsenian pyrite. We combined a range of complementary approaches including regional-scale basin analysis, mineralogical, geochemical, and fluid-inclusion studies, coupled with modeling of fluidrock interactions. Our results show that both Shahui...

The goal of this study is to determine the source of gold and the role played by organic carbon and arsenic in the formation of sediment-hosted gold deposits. The effect of and link between these two ubiquitous ingredients yet remains unresolved, even though most mineable gold in the Earth’s crust is hosted by this type of deposits. In this work, we tackled these fundamental questions in a case study of the Shahuindo and Algamarca deposits in the Marañon Fold and Thrust Belt of the Peruvian Andes. These deposits are representative of sediment-hosted deposits in which gold mineralization is closely associated with both carbonaceous material and arsenian pyrite. We combined a range of complementary approaches including regional-scale basin analysis, mineralogical, geochemical, and fluid-inclusion studies, coupled with modeling of fluidrock interactions. Our results show that both Shahui...