Abstract

Element concentration analysis used in vegetation geochemical prospecting has acquired many achievements. Nevertheless, its limitations cannot be denied, which lead to the research subject of this paper. Plant samples were collected from Fankou lead-zinc deposit. Through high-resolution analysis of transmission electron microscopy, here we show detailed information regarding nanoparticles and nearly nanoscale particles within natural plant tissues, whose compositions are mainly metallic elements (metal-bearing particles). The particles exhibit a wide size range (from 30 nm to 1.5 µm in one dimension), diverse shapes and smooth edges. Natural Au particles could be observed. Pb-, Zn-, Ag-, Cr-bearing particles could be detected frequently as well, along with elemental S. Combined with the results of the background sample, a relationship between the particles contained in mine plant bodies and the known orebody buried underground was demonstrated. A continuous process whereby metallic elements are transferred from concealed orebody to the ground surface and then preserved within plant bodies has been taken into consideration. We verify the feasibility in theory and practice, and propose a model that particles contained in plant tissues can be applied to the exploration of deep concealed metal deposits, which may improve the accuracy and sensitivity of blind ore prospecting.