The prospecting process and the second-round development of geological samples from the Xianren rock gold deposit, Hu'nan Province

This paper describes in brief more than 30 years’ prospecting process in the Xianren rock gold deposit of Changning, Hunan Province, since 1978. Especially, through re-sampling and analyzing of the past cores preserved from 1988 to 1990, the target gold-bearing area reaching gold industrial grade was found. During the process, second-round development of geological samples played a key role in finding the gold deposit. Thanks to the multi-times explorations since then, the metal resources of the deposit have arrived the middle to large scale at least and the economic benefit is remarkable. This paper analyzed the metallogenic geological characteristics and genesis of the gold deposit, and pointed out the direction of ore-prospecting. The case study demonstrates that the second-round scientific development of geological samples is an effective way to realize prospecting breakthrough, with the deepening of the prospecting theory and by studying the known ore deposit metallogenic model and ore-controlling conditions as well as using similar analogy methods.