Salsigne mine, Salsigne, Mas-Cabardès, Carcassonne, Aude, Languedoc-Roussillon, France

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Mine de Salsigne, Salsigne, Mas-Cabardès, Carcassonne, Aude, Languedoc-Roussillon, France

Open cast gold mine, closed in 2004.
Located near Salsigne at the southern rim of the 'Montagne Noire' (meaning 'Black Mountains'), around 13 km N of Carcassonne.

Antehercynian stratabound and tardihercynian NS vein mineralization in sandstones/carbonate rocks alternance (Lower Cambrian).
The stratiform deposit shows a zonality:
- Upper level: pyrite + pyrrhotite
- Massive arsenopyrite + pyrite + (chalcopyrite, galena, sphalerite)
- Basal sandstones (quartz + sericite) with arsenopyrite alternance

Presence of hydrothermalized metabasite sills (up to 10 meter thick). Two hydrothermal events have affected the metabasite:
1) Greizenization
Magmatic Cr/Mg spinels --> Cr/Zn spinels
2) Later alteration event, with Fe/Ti-enrichment and pH diminution
Cr/Zn spinels --> Cr/Zn ferritchromites + quartz + phengite

References

- Rocks & Min.: 60:242;
- TOLLON F. (1970): Le district aurifère de Salsigne - Aude. Edition de la Société des Mines et Produits chimiques de Salsigne. 175 pp.
- Forner H. et al. (1997): La mine d'or de Salsigne (Aude), Le Règne Minéral, n° spécial, 36-60
- Descouens, D. (1986): "Les minéraux de Salsigne (Aude)." Monde et Minéraux, (72), 20-22.
- Vincienne, H. and Mozaffari, C. (1966): "Etude micrographique des minéralisations de Salsigne - Aude." Bulletin de la Société Française de Minéralogie et de Cristallographie, 89, 100-106.
- Descouens, D. and Baffaly, C. (1985): "Les phosphates de la mine de Salsigne (Aude)." Monde et Minéraux, 67, 4-5.
- Marcoux, E. and Lescuyer, J.L. (1994): "Les minerais sulfo-arséniés aurifères de Salsigne - Aude - France." Canadian Mineralogist, 32(1), 159-178.
- DEMANGE M., PASCAL M.-L., RAIMBAULT L. (2006): The Salsigne Au-As-Bi-Ag-Cu Deposit, France. Economic Geology, 101, 199-234.

Mineral List

Albite 'Allanite' Anatase Anglesite Ankerite Aragonite Arseniosiderite Arsenolite Arsenopyrite Aurichalcite Azurite Baryte Beudantite Biotite Bismuth Bismuthinite Bismutite Boulangerite Bournonite Brandtite Brassite Brochantite

Calcite Carbonatecyanotrichite Cerussite Chalcanthite Chalcocite Chalcophyllite Chalcopyrite Childrenite Chromite var: Ferrian Chromite Claraite Clinochlore Clinoclase Copper Cornubite Cosalite Cronstedtite Cuprite Cyanotrichite Delafossite Devilline Ferberite

Fluorapatite 'Gahnite-Hercynite Series' Galena Geminite Gold Gormanite Guanajuatite Guérinite Ilmenite 'K Feldspar var: Adularia' Langite ? Lindackerite Ludlamite Magnetite Malachite Maldonite Marcasite Messelite Olivenite Parasymplesite Parnauite Phengite

Picropharmacolite Polybasite Posnjakite Pushcharovskite Pyrite Pyrrhotite Quartz Rauenthalite Richelsdorfite Rutile Scorodite Siderite Siderophyllite Silver Sphalerite Stannite Titanite Tyrolite Vivianite Wolframite Yvonite (TL)

87 entries listed. 80 valid minerals. 1 type locality (valid mineral).