The geology and exploration of the Rosia Montana gold deposit, Rosia Montana, Transylvania, Romania

The Rosia Montana gold deposit is located in the historical gold mining district known as the Golden Quadrilateral within the Apuseni Mountains of Transylvania in western Romania. The deposit is situated approximately 65 kilometers to the north west of the regional center of Alba-Iulia in the county of Alba. Historical gold mining has occurred at Rosia Montana since prior to the Roman occupation of the area during the Dacian period over 2000 years ago. Gold at Rosia Montana occurs within a low-sulphidation style epithermal mineralized system, hosted in Tertiary age dacitic intrusions and associated magmatic phreatic breccias. The quartz-adularia altered mineralized diatreme system is hosted within Cretaceous age shallow marine and deltaic sediments. Recent exploration of the deposit by Gabriel Resources has outlined a global resource of 344.07 million tonnes at an average grade of 1.3 grams per tonne gold and 6.0 grams per tonne silver for a total (measured, indicated and inferred) contained resource of 14.3 million ounces of gold and 67.0 million ounces of silver.