scholarly journals Detailed geology, hydrothermal alteration and gold mineralization of the Cochenour stripped outcrop, Red Lake gold district, Ontario

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
P K Williamson ◽  
B Dubé

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seyed Mohammad Bolouki ◽  
Hamid Reza Ramazi ◽  
Abbas Maghsoudi ◽  
Amin Beiranvand Pour ◽  
Ghahraman Sohrabi

Mapping hydrothermal alteration minerals using multispectral remote sensing satellite imagery provides vital information for the exploration of porphyry and epithermal ore mineralizations. The Ahar-Arasbaran region, NW Iran, contains a variety of porphyry, skarn and epithermal ore deposits. Gold mineralization occurs in the form of epithermal veins and veinlets, which is associated with hydrothermal alteration zones. Thus, the identification of hydrothermal alteration zones is one of the key indicators for targeting new prospective zones of epithermal gold mineralization in the Ahar-Arasbaran region. In this study, Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper+ (Landsat-7 ETM+), Landsat-8 and Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) multispectral remote sensing datasets were processed to detect hydrothermal alteration zones associated with epithermal gold mineralization in the Ahar-Arasbaran region. Band ratio techniques and principal component analysis (PCA) were applied on Landsat-7 ETM+ and Landsat-8 data to map hydrothermal alteration zones. Advanced argillic, argillic-phyllic, propylitic and hydrous silica alteration zones were detected and discriminated by implementing band ratio, relative absorption band depth (RBD) and selective PCA to ASTER data. Subsequently, the Bayesian network classifier was used to synthesize the thematic layers of hydrothermal alteration zones. A mineral potential map was generated by the Bayesian network classifier, which shows several new prospective zones of epithermal gold mineralization in the Ahar-Arasbaran region. Besides, comprehensive field surveying and laboratory analysis were conducted to verify the remote sensing results and mineral potential map produced by the Bayesian network classifier. A good rate of agreement with field and laboratory data is achieved for remote sensing results and consequential mineral potential map. It is recommended that the Bayesian network classifier can be broadly used as a valuable model for fusing multi-sensor remote sensing results to generate mineral potential map for reconnaissance stages of epithermal gold exploration in the Ahar-Arasbaran region and other analogous metallogenic provinces around the world.



1987 ◽  
Vol 24 (7) ◽  
pp. 1302-1320 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Corfu ◽  
A. J. Andrews

The paper presents U–Pb ages on zircon, baddeleyite, titanite, rutile, and monazite from volcanic and plutonic rocks of the Red Lake greenstone belt in the northern Superior Province. The purpose of the study was to refine a previously outlined time frame for the volcanic evolution of the belt, define the time of major plutonism and deformation, and constrain the age of formation of gold deposits.Volcanism spanned at least 270 Ma between 3000 and 2730 Ma. New ages of 2989 ± 3 and 2894 ± 2 Ma for units of a lower volcanic sequence and [Formula: see text] and 2744 ± 1 Ma for units of an upper volcanic sequence corroborate and refine the previously established relationships. Local gabbroic and felsic intrusions cutting through the lower sequence yield ages of 2870 ± 15 and [Formula: see text], respectively.Volcanism was succeeded by major plutonism, deformation, alteration, and metamorphism between about 2730 and 2700 Ma. These processes were interrelated and progressed as a relatively continuous sequence of events accentuated by major activity during two phases at about 2720–2715 and 2705–2700 Ma. Early plutonism recorded at 2731 ± 3 Ma in the northern batholith complex was succeeded in the eastern part of the belt by a major tectonic – plutonic phase that includes intrusion of the McKenzie Stock at 2720 ± 2 Ma, the Dome Stock at 2718 ± 1 Ma, alteration and deformation of the Abino dyke at [Formula: see text], and emplacement of a late tectonic dyke at 2714 ± 4 Ma. A subsequent phase is recorded at 2701 ± 1.5 Ma in the Wilmar dyke. Major deformation and metamorphism in the western part of the belt is constrained by an age of 2729 ± 1.5 Ma for the deformed Red Crest Stock and a titanite age of 2705 ± 8 Ma for an undeformed crosscutting mafic dyke at Rowan Lake. Peak activity was probably coeval with emplacement of the adjacent batholithic phases at 2717 Ma. In the central part of the belt the deformation is constrained by ages of 2718 ± 1 Ma for the Dome Stock and 2699 ± 4 Ma for titanite of a crosscutting, undeformed diorite dyke and probably peaked during intrusion of the main phase of the Killala–Baird batholith at 2704 ± 1.5 Ma.Gold mineralization, which is spatially related to zones of intense shear deformation and alteration, is constrained within the time interval of 2720–2700 Ma by U–Pb ages on several felsic to mafic intrusive rocks that both pre- and post-date deformation and mineralization in different sections of the belt. These data indicate that mineralization occurred significantly later than the termination of volcanism.



2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dwi Winarti ◽  
Dwikorita Karnawati ◽  
Hary Christady Hardiyatmo ◽  
Srijono Srijono

Debris slides were recently found in the Pelangan area at Southern Mountain of Lombok Island, Indonesia. Pelangan is well known as the gold mineralization and hydrothermal alteration area. This study is aimed to identify the mineralogy and geochemistry of altered andesitic tuff that controlled slope instability and induced debris slides. For this purpose, it is necessary to prepare the field observation and laboratory analyses. Landslide inventory reveals that the Pelangan debris slides mostly occur in altered andesitic tuff. Based on the outcrop observations in the field, andesitic tuff found around the Pelangan debris slides have been altered in general. The strong intensity of alteration developed by hydrothermal alteration in this study area produces large amount of clay minerals especially montmorillonite, kaolinite, and illite. The abundance of those clay minerals reflect the intermediate argillic alteration. Montmorillonite is a type of clay mineral that easily swells at wet condition and easily shrinkages at dry condition. Swelling of clay mineral destroys intersheet and interlayer bonds, and reduces shear strength. The presence of clay minerals in the altered andesitic tuff of intermediate argillic zone can be considered as one of the factors that induced to the Pelangan debris slides. Further studies on geotechnical and slope stability analysis of the landslide area are crucial to be done for better understanding of the characteristics of the altered rocks inducing hazardous landslides.



2019 ◽  
Vol 114 (6) ◽  
pp. 1057-1094 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stéphane De Souza ◽  
Benoît Dubé ◽  
Patrick Mercier-Langevin ◽  
Vicki McNicoll ◽  
Céline Dupuis ◽  
...  

Abstract The Canadian Malartic stockwork-disseminated gold deposit is an Archean world-class deposit located in the southern Abitibi greenstone belt. It contains over 332.8 tonnes (t; 10.7 Moz) of Au at a grade of 0.97 ppm, in addition to 160 t (5.14 Moz) of past production (1935–1981). Although the deposit is partly situated within the Larder Lake-Cadillac fault zone, most of the ore occurs up to ~1.5 km to the south of the fault zone. The main hosts of the mineralized zones are greenschist facies turbiditic graywacke and mudstone of the Pontiac Group (~2685–2682 Ma) and predominantly subalkaline ~2678 Ma porphyritic quartz monzodiorite and granodiorite. These intrusions were emplaced during an episode of clastic sedimentation and alkaline to subalkaline magmatism known as the Timiskaming assemblage (<2680–2670 Ma in the southern Abitibi). The orebodies define two main mineralized trends, which are oriented subparallel to the NW-striking S2 cleavage and the E-striking, S-dipping Sladen fault zone. This syn- to post-D2 ductile-brittle to brittle Sladen fault zone is mineralized for more than 3 km along strike. The ore mainly consists of disseminated pyrite in stockworks and replacement zones, with subordinate auriferous quartz veins and breccia. Gold is associated with pyrite and traces of tellurides defining an Au-Te-W ± Ag-Bi-Mo-Pb signature. The orebodies are zoned outward, and most of the higher-grade (>1 ppm Au) ore was deposited as a result of iron sulfidation from silicates and oxides and Na-K metasomatism in carbonatized rocks. The alteration footprint comprises a proximal alteration envelope (K- or Na-feldspar-dolomite-calcite-pyrite ± phlogopite). This proximal alteration zone transitions to an outer shell of altered rocks (biotite-calcite-phengitic white mica), which hosts sub-ppm gold grades and reflects decreasing carbonatization, sulfidation, and aNa+/aH+ or aK+/aH+ of the ore fluid. Gold mineralization, with an inferred age of ~2664 Ma (Re-Os molybdenite), was contemporaneous with syn- to late-D2 peak metamorphism in the Pontiac Group; it postdates sedimentation of the Timiskaming assemblage along the Larder Lake-Cadillac fault zone (~2680–2669 Ma) and crystallization of the quartz monzodiorite. These chronological relationships agree with a model of CO2-rich auriferous fluid generation in amphibolite facies rocks of the Pontiac Group and gold deposition in syn- to late-D2 structures in the upper greenschist to amphibolite facies. The variable geometry, rheology, and composition of the various intrusive and sedimentary rocks have provided strain heterogeneities and chemical gradients for the formation of structural and chemical traps that host the gold. The Canadian Malartic deposit corresponds to a mesozonal stockwork-disseminated replacement-type deposit formed within an orogenic setting. The predominance of disseminated replacement ore over fault-fill and extensional quartz-carbonate vein systems suggests that the mineralized fracture networks remained relatively permeable and that fluids circulated at a near-constant hydraulic gradient during the main phase of auriferous hydrothermal alteration.



2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (20) ◽  
pp. 2430 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pour ◽  
Park ◽  
Park ◽  
Hong ◽  
Muslim ◽  
...  

Several regions in the High Arctic still lingered poorly explored for a variety of mineralization types because of harsh climate environments and remoteness. Inglefield Land is an ice-free region in northwest Greenland that contains copper-gold mineralization associated with hydrothermal alteration mineral assemblages. In this study, Landsat-8, Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER), and WorldView-3 multispectral remote sensing data were used for hydrothermal alteration mapping and mineral prospecting in the Inglefield Land at regional, local, and district scales. Directed principal components analysis (DPCA) technique was applied to map iron oxide/hydroxide, Al/Fe-OH, Mg-Fe-OH minerals, silicification (Si-OH), and SiO2 mineral groups using specialized band ratios of the multispectral datasets. For extracting reference spectra directly from the Landsat-8, ASTER, and WorldView-3 (WV-3) images to generate fraction images of end-member minerals, the automated spectral hourglass (ASH) approach was implemented. Linear spectral unmixing (LSU) algorithm was thereafter used to produce a mineral map of fractional images. Furthermore, adaptive coherence estimator (ACE) algorithm was applied to visible and near-infrared and shortwave infrared (VINR + SWIR) bands of ASTER using laboratory reflectance spectra extracted from the USGS spectral library for verifying the presence of mineral spectral signatures. Results indicate that the boundaries between the Franklinian sedimentary successions and the Etah metamorphic and meta-igneous complex, the orthogneiss in the northeastern part of the Cu-Au mineralization belt adjacent to Dallas Bugt, and the southern part of the Cu-Au mineralization belt nearby Marshall Bugt show high content of iron oxides/hydroxides and Si-OH/SiO2 mineral groups, which warrant high potential for Cu-Au prospecting. A high spatial distribution of hematite/jarosite, chalcedony/opal, and chlorite/epidote/biotite were identified with the documented Cu-Au occurrences in central and southwestern sectors of the Cu-Au mineralization belt. The calculation of confusion matrix and Kappa Coefficient proved appropriate overall accuracy and good rate of agreement for alteration mineral mapping. This investigation accomplished the application of multispectral/multi-sensor satellite imagery as a valuable and economical tool for reconnaissance stages of systematic mineral exploration projects in remote and inaccessible metallogenic provinces around the world, particularly in the High Arctic regions.





2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-34
Author(s):  
Jingsen Zhang ◽  
Jing Zhang ◽  
Yanchao Zhai

Purpose This paper aims to elucidate the geochemical characteristics of the hydrothermally altered rocks with gold mineralization and the elemental transfers in hydrothermal alteration hosted in alkaline complex in Hongshan area, Taihang Orogen, North China, and preliminarily discuss the relationship between the gold mineralization and the hydrothermal alteration. Design/methodology/approach Based on detailed field investigation, sampling and petrographical observation, major oxides and trace elements of nine rock samples are analyzed, and the method of mass balance equation is used in calculation of the elemental transfer. Findings Three alteration stages in the Hongshan area are identified, which are the early, main and late alterations. The early one is characteristic of extensive pyritization in the complex, which is related to the mantle-derived magmas and occurs before gold mineralization. The main one is characterized by developing a great deal of altered rock in fracture zones with the gain of many elements and the loss of a few elements. The late one is dominated by limonitization, that is limonite replacing the early pyrite or Fe2O3 replacing FeO in rocks. In the main alteration, the altered rocks obviously gain fluid component (LOI, i.e. loss on ignition) and elements such as V, As, Rb, Au, La, Ce and Nd and total rare earth elements (REEs). Elements such as K, Fe, Cu, Zn, Y, Mo, Sb, W, Re and U are gained in some altered rocks. Na and Sr are lost in all altered rocks, and Th and Bi are lost in some ones in the meantime. The following elements: Si, Mg, Mn, Ca, Li, Sc, Cr, Co, Ni, Zr, Ag, Ba and Hg show either gain or loss in different altered rocks. Au is notably enriched in the hydrothermal alteration. The elemental gain or loss in the altered rocks indicates that the main mineralization develops extensive de-alkalinization, local potassic metasomatism, silicification or desilicification.



2014 ◽  
Vol 88 (s2) ◽  
pp. 835-836
Author(s):  
Binglin ZHANG ◽  
Liqiang YANG ◽  
Zhongliang WANG ◽  
Yue LIU ◽  
Rongxin ZHAO


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