Description of the geology of the Sangdong tungsten deposit with suggestions for further exploration using geochemical techniques

The Sangdong tungsten (mostly scheelite) mine is located on the southern limb of a major syncline, the Hambaeg syncline, in a thick sequence of lower Paleozoic sedimentary rockhs in the mideastern part of south Korea. Productive scheelite mineralization in Sangdong area is confined to one single formation, the Myobong Slate. Four major ore beds, which have an lateral extension over than 1 km and were not heavily subjected to spatial disturbance, are developed in the Myobong Formation. The original materials of the ore-comprising horizones were probably of either calcareous or silceous sediments. The four ore beds, especially in the case of Main ore bed, display both lateral and vertical zoning. Association quartz-mica-scheelite is predominant in the central, while association hornblende-quartz-diopside-scheelite, diopside-garnet and wollastonite-garnet are developed in this order towards the periphery of the ore beds. Petrologically, two phases of thermometamorphism are recognized. The first phase is represented by the association wollastonite-garnet and diopside-garnet, while the second phase by the association hornblende-quartz-diopside-scheelite and quartz-mica-scheelite. The associations of the second phase do constitute prodctive ore. The high background value of tungsten in the area surrounding the Sangdong mine reveals that the area can be considered a geochemical zone enriched in tungsten. Studies on the trace element patterns were carried out to draw useful criteria for the purpose of future geochemical exploration in the area. The increasing trend of the ratio Rb (x1000) /K₂O of the Myobong Slate towards the known mineralization area proved to be indicative for the presence of tungsten mineralization.