The Ag-Hg Zgounder ore deposit (Jebel Siroua, Anti-Atlas, Morocco):: a neoproterozoic epithermal mineralization of the Imiter type.

The Ag-Hg Zgounder ore deposit (Jebel Siroua, Anti-Atlas, Morocco): a Neoproterozoic epithermal mineralization of the Imiter type. The Zgounder ore deposit (Anti-Atlas, Morocco), is hosted in a PII-PIll Proterozoic volcanosedimentary series. Disseminated mineralization is dominated by inercuriferous native silver (2 to 30 wt.% Hg), with few silver sulfosalts (acanthite, pearceite), arsenopyrite and base-metal sulfides. Arsenic grade of arsenopyrite and homogenisation temperatures of fluid inclusions indicate initial conditions of high temperature (above 400 degrees C. Lead isotope compositions comfort a Late-Proterozoic age and a crustal origin for metals. Similarities are obvious with the neighbouring silver ore deposit of Imiter and lead to consider Zgounder as another example of Neoproterozoic epithermal deposit in the Anti-Atlas of Morocco, a region that appears more and more as a silver metallogenic province.