First finding of native gold from the chromitites of the Mesoarchaean Tagadur mines, Nuggihalli Schist Belt, Dharwar Craton, south India

Occurrence of native gold in ultramafic rocks is rather rare. Such occurrences serve as snapshots of the underlying processes leading to their formation and modifications thereafter. Presence of native gold as flakes were earlier reported from the chromites of rock massifs of Kraka, southern Urals, Russia (Kovalev et al. 2007). Gold spherules also occur as tiny inclusions (5-30 mu m) in olivine, pyrrohotite and magnetite grains from the ultrabasic rocks of Loveld deposit, South Africa (Rozhkov, 1967). Here we report, probably for the first time, occurrence of native gold from the chromitites of the Mesoarchaean Tagadur Mines of the Nuggihalli Schist Belt (NSB), Dharwar Craton, south India. Geological Survey of India (2006) has already reported significant gold content from the bulk ultramafic rocks of Kempinakote area far south of the current study area. A short discussion on the preliminary petrographic features of the gold grains and its significance is presented.