In the last 15 years the concept of mineral systems approach to understanding orogenic gold systems has been developed. The orogenic gold model, as defined by Groves et al. (1998) argues for gold to be deposited during compressional deformation in accretionary orogens, from hydrothermal fluids derived from the metamorphism of greenstones. These deposits are typically found in late Archaean or in Palaeoproterozoic greenstone belts (Groves et al., 2007) and include the world class gold provinces of Yilgarn Craton, Superior Province, the Birimian of West Africa and the Tanzania Craton.

Orogenic gold deposits have formed over more than 3 billion years of Earth’s history, episodically during the Middle Archean to younger Precambrian, and continuously throughout the Phanerozoic. This class of gold deposit is characteristically associated with deformed and metamorphosed mid-crustal blocks, particularly in spatial association with major rustal structures. A consistent spatial and temporal association with granitoids of a variety of compositions indicates that melts and fluids were both inherent products of thermal events during orogenesis.

A new promising ore province, the Gold Line, southwest of the well-known Skellefte District, northern Sweden, is currently under exploration. This province hosts, so far, one operating mine, the Svartliden Au mine, and the recently closed Blaiken Zn-Pb-Au-Ag mine. The largest known gold deposit, the hypozonal Fäboliden orogenic gold deposit, in the area was recently granted mining permits. The deposit holds c. 54 Mt at 1.2 g/t Au, with a planned production of 4.6 Mt of ore/year.

Reduced intrusion-related gold deposits have become a new, low-grade, large-tonnage exploration target during the last decade. The best recognized examples of such deposits are recognized throughout the Tintina Gold Province of the northern North American Cordillera. Because such examples may have many features in common with orogenic gold deposits, such as anomalous Bi, W, and Te,

Внимание, которое в современной геологии уделяется изучению широкого класса мезотермальных месторождений золота связано, с одной стороны, с высокой экономической значимостью этих месторождений, как источника коренного золота, а с другой, – с недостаточной ясностью их происхождения (Буряк, 1982; Kerrich, Cassidy, 1994; Kempe et al., 2001; Hu et al., 2002; Graupner et al., 2006; Morelli et al., 2007; Бортников и др., 1994, 1998; Бортников, 2006; Hart, 2007; Sillitoe, 2010, 2020; Su et al., 2018; Vikentyev et al., 2019; Wilson et al., 2020a,b и цитируемые в них работы). В рамках этой проблемы наиболее острую дискуссию среди исследователей вызывает происхождение месторождений (по терминологии (Groves et al., 1998)) орогенноного типа (Groves et al., 1998; 2020a,b; Goldfarb et al., 2001, 2014; de Boorder, 2012; Hronsky et al., 2012; Groves, Santosh, 2016; Gaboury, 2019; Meyer, 2023 и цитируемые в них работы).

In a recent review article, Groves et al. (1998) suggested that lode-gold deposits worldwide, which have been variously termed mesothermal, turbidite-hosted, slate-belt hosted, greenstone-hosted, Mother lode-type or gold-only deposits, are a coherent group of gold deposits with a common origin.

An orogenic gold deposit is a structurally controlled gold occurrence formed during one of the major stages of an orogeny by orogenic fluids. Any rock type within a greenstone or schist belt, a metamorphosed supracrustal rock, dyke, or intrusion within or intrusion bounding such belt may host an orogenic gold deposit.