The Bi'r Tawilah deposit, central western Saudi Arabia: Supergene enrichment of a Pan-African epithermal gold mineralization

The elevated silver content of electrum (∼13-22 wt%) at Bi'r Tawilah is typical of gold deposits and low-sulphidation epithermal deposits. The early mineralization stage took place in proximity to hydrothermally altered intermediate to felsic intrusions. The aerially restricted hydrothermal alteration by carbon-aqueous fluids led to ore remobilization in which gold amounts up to 4.3 g/t. Finally, gold enrichment (up to 5.4 g/t) resulted from supergene alteration that took place during weathering above the water table at a depth of ∼20-25 m.