Bitumen and Dispersed Organic Matter Related to Mineralization in Stratabound Deposits, South China

Abstract

Abundant disseminated org. matter and bitumen have been found in some Hg, Sb, Au, Pb, and Zn stratabound ore deposits in Cambrian, Devonian, and Permian formations in South China. According to their genesis, and time of formation, the bitumen can be divided into the following types: org. matter in source beds and org. matter in reservoir beds (pre-, coeval and post mineralization). The textural-structural characteristics of org. matter and bitumen in stratabound ore deposits help in understanding their genesis and are useful in ore exploration.