Melt scavenging–dislocation enrichment coupling: microscopic mechanisms of gold migration and enrichment in the Te-rich Jinqingding gold deposit, Jiaodong Peninsula, China

Low‑melting chalcophile elements represented by tellurium (Te) can form melt phases in hydrothermal fluids and efficiently scavenge gold, playing a vital role in gold mineralization. However, the microscopic occurrence, element migration pathways, and specific enrichment mechanisms of Te remain poorly constrained. The large Jinqingding gold deposit in the Jiaodong Peninsula, rich in various tellurides, is well-suited to resolve these key issues. This study adopts multiple high‑precision analytical techniques, including EBSD, EPMA, TEM, and APT to characterize gold‑bearing pyrite and tellurides, clarify elemental occurrence, and reveal the microstructural control on mineralization, aiming to elucidate Te-related gold metallogenic mechanisms. The results verify that Te and tellurides act as critical gold carriers in this deposit, which form stable melts in medium-low temperature hydrothermal fluids to efficiently extract gold. Newly identified rickardite hosts native silver and exhibits significant gold enrichment, with coupled Ag-Te enrichment confirmed by their positive elemental correlation. Syngenetic dislocations developed within tellurides serve not only as pathways for element migration but also as microscale “traps” for the precipitation of Te, Cu, and Ag, representing a previously underestimated micro-control mechanism. Gold enrichment in the deposit is a multi‑mechanism process involving “Te‑melt scavenging” and “dislocation‑assisted enrichment”. By comparing with global Te-rich gold deposits, this study proposes an integrated model that effectively explains the coupled enrichment of tellurides and gold. The model clarifies the interrelationships between mineral microstructures and element behavior, advancing beyond the limitations of traditional macro‑scale fluid‑controlled metallogenic theories. These findings improve the metallogenic model for Jiaodong Te-rich gold deposits and advance microscale research on gold mineralization mechanisms.