Gold mineralization at the Ashanti Mine occurs in shear zones which are second-order components of a major transcrustal shear zone. However, gold-rich telluride mineralization in veins in the hangingwall of the Obuasi ore zone at Ashanti appears to have post-dated development of the major gold-bearing shear zone. Complex assemblages of goethite, chalcocite, coloradoite, calaverite, sylvanite, kostovite, petzite, stutzite, hessite, altaite, rickardite, weissite and henryite were succeeded by a relatively simple assemblage of altaite-petzite-hessite ± sylvanite ± coloradoite. Precipitation occurred over a temperature range of approximately 220°C to 165°C from a CO2-bearing, low salinity (<5 wt. % NaCl equiv.) fluid under conditions of high ƒo2 and high ƒTe2/ƒS2. Replacement of earlier gold-sulphide mineralization is indicated.

The fluids were introduced during late activation of the Obuasi shear zone, which evolved during the c.2000 Ma Eburnean tectonothermal event that marked the onset of cratonization of the West African shield. The localized and time-specific distribution of the telluride mineralization may be indicative of a late influx of tellurium-rich fluid linked to emplacement of a synorogenic, Cape Coast-type granitoid intrusion.

At the Ashanti concession, Ghana, gold-bearing quartz veins and disseminated sulphide lodes occur in narrow (1-3 m) shear zones with altered argillites and metatholeiite host rocks. The mineralisation is concealed by up to 10 m of kaolinite-mica forest ochrosol soils, beneath which is a saprolitic zone of leached rock extending down 60-70 m to the hypogene ore zone. In the unweathered hypogene orebody, gold occurs as free grains in quartz, as sub-microscopic inclusions in the disseminated arsenopyrite, as gold tellurides and as aurostibite. The gold is released from the hypogene orebody by physical dissaggregation and chemical dissolution, the latter involving hydroxyl, thiosulphate, cyanide, and fulvate complexing. Dissolution and reprecipitation of the gold appears to have taken place largely in situ with little evidence of supergene enrichment. Consequently, the gold mineralogy of the soils is complex with residual and secondary gold grains exhibiting widely different textural and compositional characteristics. Residually enriched grains display pitted, rounded surfaces and have silver-depleted rims, while supergene gold grains are compositionally homogenous and have unpitted surfaces. The supergene grains display platelet, dendritic, irregular and octahedral habit. A fine grained spongy form of gold has also been observed from weathered telluride-bearing quartz veins. Much of the secondary gold is intergrown with iron oxides and hydroxides. The gold mineralogy of the Ashanti soils appears to be controlled by physico-chemical processes active during the lateritic pedogenesis producing residual and supergene enrichment of gold.