MAPPING THE MINERAL ZONATION AT THE ERNEST HENRY IRON OXIDE COPPER-GOLD DEPOSIT: VECTORING TO Cu-Au MINERALIZATION USING MODAL MINERALOGY

Iron oxide copper-gold (IOCG) deposits form in spatial and genetic relation to hydrothermal iron oxide-alkali-calcic-hydrolytic alteration and thus show a mappable zonation of mineral assemblages toward the orebody. The mineral zonation of a breccia matrix-hosted orebody is efficiently mapped by regularly spaced samples analyzed by the scanning electron microscopy-integrated mineral analyzer technique. The method results in quantitative estimates of the mineralogy and allows the reliable recognition of characteristic alteration as well as mineralization-related mineral assemblages from detailed mineral maps. The Ernest Henry deposit is located in the Cloncurry district of Queensland and is one of Australia’s significant IOCG deposits. It is known for its association of K-feldspar altered clasts with iron oxides and chalcopyrite in the breccia matrix. Our mineral mapping approach shows that the hydrothermal alteration resulted in a characteristic zonation of minerals radiating outward from the pipe-shaped orebody. The mineral zonation is the result of a sequence of sodic alteration followed by potassic alteration, brecciation, and, finally, by hydrolytic (acid) alteration. The hydrolytic alteration primarily affected the breccia matrix and was related to economic mineralization. Alteration halos of individual minerals such as pyrite and apatite extend dozens to hundreds of meters beyond the limits of the orebody into the host rocks. Likewise, the Fe-Mg ratio in hydrothermal chlorites changes systematically with respect to their distance from the orebody. Geochemical data obtained from portable X-ray fluorescence (p-XRF) and petrophysical data acquired from a magnetic susceptibility meter and a gamma-ray spectrometer support the mineralogical data and help to accurately identify mineral halos in rocks surrounding the ore zone. Specifically, the combination of mineralogical data with multielement data such as P, Mn, As, P, and U obtained from p-XRF and positive U anomalies from radiometric measurements has potential to direct an exploration program toward higher Cu-Au grades.

Supplemental Material: Middle-lower crustal flow in response to the India-Eurasia collision: Structural evidence from the southern Chong Shan belt within the Sundaland block, southeastern Tibetan Plateau

S1: Analytical Methods; Table S1: Summary of Mineral assemblages, microstructures and temperature data; Table S2: Zircon U-Pb LA-ICP-MS data of the granitic rocks from the Chong Shan structural belt.

Supplemental Material: Middle-lower crustal flow in response to the India-Eurasia collision: Structural evidence from the southern Chong Shan belt within the Sundaland block, southeastern Tibetan Plateau

S1: Analytical Methods; Table S1: Summary of Mineral assemblages, microstructures and temperature data; Table S2: Zircon U-Pb LA-ICP-MS data of the granitic rocks from the Chong Shan structural belt.

Ore Mineralogy, Geochemistry, and Dating (Re-Os, Ar-Ar) of the El Volcán Porphyry/Epithermal System, Maricunga Gold Belt, Northern Chile

The El Volcán gold project (8.9 Moz Au @ 0.71 g/t Au) is located in the Maricunga gold belt in northern Chile, on the flank of the large Cenozoic Copiapó Volcanic Complex. Precious metal mineralization is hosted in two zones (Dorado and Ojo de Agua) of (pervasively) altered Miocene porphyry intrusions and lava flows of andesitic to rhyolitic composition, and in breccias. The ore zones reflect an evolving magmatic-hydrothermal system with mineral assemblages of magnetite-ilmenite-pyrite-molybdenite (early), bornite-chalcopyrite-pyrite-rutile (stage I), chalcocite-chalcopyrite-enargite-fahlore-pyrite (stage II), and chalcopyrite-covellite-pyrite (stage III). Alteration is dominantly of Maricunga-style (illite-smectite-chlorite ± kaolinite), partly obscured by quartz-kaolinite-alunite ± illite ± smectite alteration. Powdery quartz-alunite-kaolinite alteration with native sulfur and cinnabar forms shallow steam-heated zones. Early K-feldspar ± biotite alteration is preserved only in small porphyry cores and in deep drill holes. Most gold is submicrometer size and is in banded quartz veinlets, which are characteristic of the Maricunga gold belt. However, some gold is disseminated in zones of pervasive quartz-kaolinite-alunite alteration, with and without banded quartz veinlets. Minor visible gold is related to disseminated chalcocite-chalcopyrite-enargite-fahlore-pyrite. The lithogeochemical database identifies a pronounced Au-Te-Re signature (>100× bulk crust) of the hydrothermal system. Molybdenum-rich bulk rock (100–400 ppm Mo) has an Re-Os age of 10.94 ± 0.17 Ma (2σ). 40Ar-39Ar ages on deep K-feldspar alteration and on alunite altered rock have the same age within error and yield a combined age of 11.20 ± 0.25 Ma (2σ). The formation of the El Volcán gold deposit took place during the establishment of the Chilean flat-slab setting in a time of increasing crustal thickness when hydrous magmas were formed in a mature arc setting. The vigorous nature of the hydrothermal system is expressed by abundant one-phase vapor fluid inclusions recording magmatic vapor streaming through a large rock column with a vertical extent of ≥1,500 m.

The Control of Diagenesis and Mineral Assemblages on Brittleness of Mudstones

The variation in mineral composition will affect the rock brittleness, thus the change of mineral assemblages during diagenesis has a potential control on the brittleness of mudstones. In this study, thin section, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) analyses were used to investigate compositional and microscopic features of mudstones. With the enhancement of diagenesis, three mineral assemblages were divided due to the diagenetic evolution of minerals. Quartz, feldspar, dolomite, chlorite, and illite were regarded as brittle minerals and (quartz + feldspar + dolomite + illite + chlorite)/(detrital mineral + carbonate + clay mineral) was defined as the brittleness evaluation index The mudstone brittleness changed slightly during early diagenesis but increased gradually with enhancement of diagenesis in the late diagenesis stage. Quartz and feldspar were scattered above the clay matrix and the contact of grains was limited, therefore, the contribution of detrital minerals to the brittleness was affected by the properties of clay minerals. The diagenetic transformation of clay minerals resulted in the reduction of ductile components (smectite/I-Sm and kaolinite) and increase of brittle components (illite and chlorite), leading to the enhancement of integral rigidity of the mudstones. Meanwhile, the improved crystallization of carbonate in late diagenesis stage enlarged the carbonate grains which resulted in rigid contact between grains. These results highlighted the influence of diagenesis on mudstone brittleness. Therefore, for evaluation of mudstone brittleness, attention should be paid to the diagenesis process besides mineral composition.

Soil minerals affect taxon-specific bacterial growth

Secondary minerals (clays and metal oxides) are important components of the soil matrix. Clay minerals affect soil carbon persistence and cycling, and they also select for distinct microbial communities. Here we show that soil mineral assemblages—particularly short-range order minerals—affect both bacterial community composition and taxon-specific growth. Three soils with different parent material and presence of short-range order minerals were collected from ecosystems with similar vegetation and climate. These three soils were provided with 18O-labeled water and incubated with or without artificial root exudates or pine needle litter. Quantitative stable isotope probing was used to determine taxon-specific growth. We found that the growth of bacteria varied among soils of different mineral assemblages but found the trend of growth suppression in the presence of short-range order minerals. Relative growth of bacteria declined with increasing concentration of short-range order minerals between 25–36% of taxa present in all soils. Carbon addition in the form of plant litter or root exudates weakly affected relative growth of taxa (p = 0.09) compared to the soil type (p < 0.01). However, both exudate and litter carbon stimulated growth for at least 34% of families in the soils with the most and least short-range order minerals. In the intermediate short-range order soil, fresh carbon reduced growth for more bacterial families than were stimulated. These results highlight how bacterial-mineral-substrate interactions are critical to soil organic carbon processing, and how growth variation in bacterial taxa in these interactions may contribute to soil carbon persistence and loss.