Gold contents were determined in 13 samples representing the interval from 2000 to 2111 mbsf in Hole 504B drilled during ODP Leg 148. The values range from 1.6 to 4.4 ppb, with a mean of 3.0 ppb that is similar to that for the basalts and diabases from the upper parts of the hole. A moderate level of correlation between Zn and Au concentrations observed from the upper parts of subsediment rocks is also valid for the samples from Leg 148. However, the lack of notable correlation between the intensity of alteration and Au contents observed in samples from Legs 69 and 140 is not as obvious for the deepest 300 m of the hole where the inverse correlation between Zn contents and percent alteration is strong. The problem is complicated by the discordance between the samples studied for gold concentration and materials used for shipboard geochemical investigations and determinations of intensity of alteration.

Date of initial receipt: 9 August 1994
Date of acceptance: 20 January 1995

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