Study on the Application of Comprehensive Gas Survey of Soil Hydrocarbons and Mercury in the Yinggedi Lead-Zinc Mine, Benxi

As an important metallogenic belt in China, the Liaodong Rift hosts numerous large to super-large mines, including the Qingchengzi Lead-Zinc Mine, Dadonggou Gold Mine, and Maoling Gold Mine, with extremely favorable metallogenic geological conditions. This study takes the Yinggedi Lead-Zinc Mine in Benxi within the Liaodong Rift as the research area. By experimentally conducting a comprehensive gas survey of soil hydrocarbons and adsorbed mercury, and comprehensively integrating the mining area′s geological background, geochemical characteristics, orebody distribution features, and metallogenic regularity, this paper summarizes the combined anomaly model of soil hydrocarbons and mercury, thereby establishing a soil geochemical exploration method module suitable for prospecting in this region and improving exploration efficiency and accuracy. The results of this experimental application research show that: In the Yinggedi mining area, the mineralized alteration zones of lead-zinc, copper-gold ores exhibit a significant positive correlation with the contents of hydrocarbon components (such as methane and ethane) and mercury in the soil. with a high overall coincidence rate. Therefore, it is concluded that the comprehensive gas survey of soil hydrocarbons and mercury can effectively indicate the extension direction of surface mineralized zones and identify the spatial location of deep concealed orebodies. Additionally, it possesses the advantages of high sensitivity and deep penetration, providing technical support and application demonstration for the prospecting of similar deposits in regional metallogenic belts.