Hanging-Wall Vectoring for Buried Volcanogenic Massive Sulfide Deposits, Paleoproterozoic Flin Flon Mining Camp, Manitoba, Canada

Ames, D E; Galley, A G; Kjarsgaard, I M; Tardif, Nicole; Taylor, B E

doi:10.2113/econgeo.111.4.963

Cited by 12 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…This finding is consistent with the widespread occurrence of chlorite with compositions that suggest a metamorphic origin [32]. However there is anomalous Fe-and Mg-rich chlorite in interpillow mafic tuff and hyaloclastite in the lower parts of the hanging wall stratigraphy, which although formed by the metamorphic recrystallization of chlorite, initially crystallized from hydrothermal fluids [31,32]. Figure 12 illustrates a hypothetical sequence of events in the tectonic evolution of the Flin Flon VMS ore system that highlights the localization of high shear strain in the sulfide ore horizon and associated footwall hydrothermal alteration.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

“…Rhyolite and mafic volcanic rocks are commonly fractured and filled with late quartz-carbonate or quartz-carbonate-epidote veins, crosscutting the earlier alteration assemblages in the host rocks. This vein system also overprints the synvolcanic hanging wall alteration in the overlying Hidden and Louis formations [31].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 84%

“…The ore-hosting lithofacies are inferred to have been deposited at the margin of an extensional basin during the waning stages of an episode of submarine mafic volcanism, before it was buried by basalt flows of the Hidden formation and intruded by synvolcanic sills and dykes during the next episode of voluminous mafic volcanism [28,29]. The Hidden formation is in turn overlain by basalt flows and inter-flow volcaniclastic sediments of the Louis formation, which records a third period of voluminous mafic volcanism [30,31]. These rocks, together with mafic and felsic volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks in adjacent fault blocks (collectively defining the Flin Flon arc assemblage) [18], (Figure 2) were intruded by early successor arc plutons and shortened by D1-D2 folding and thrust faulting prior to a period of orogenic uplift.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The rectangle shows the location of the Flin Flon mining camp. Evidence of hydrothermal alteration at the surface and in outcrops of the footwall of the VMS ore zone is rare [31], but where encountered, is typical of discordant hydrothermal alteration in proximal vents to the VMS ore zones. These rarely-exposed footwall alteration types include: intensely epidotized pillow basalt, local zones of chloritization and sericitization in volcanic and volcaniclastic lithofacies and gossans with chlorite and pyrite-filled fractures [24].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Integrated 3D Geological Modeling to Gain Insight in the Effects of Hydrothermal Alteration on Post-Ore Deformation Style and Strain Localization in the Flin Flon Volcanogenic Massive Sulfide Ore System

2017

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3D geological modeling of lithogeochemical and geological data provides insight into the role of the sulfide ore horizon and associated footwall hydrothermal alteration in localizing shear strain in the Flin Flon volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits, Canada, as deformation evolved from brittle-ductile to ductile regimes during collisional stages of the 1.9-1.8 Ga Trans-Hudson orogeny. 3D spatial characterization of hydrothermal alteration based on the Ishikawa index (AI) and normative corundum percentages outline sericite + chlorite-rich high strain zones, consisting of Al-enriched and Na-depleted felsic and mafic volcanic rocks in the footwall of the sulfide ore horizon. The hydrothermal vent complex, from which these sheared alteration zones originated, was stacked together with the ore horizon by W-vergent thrust faults during an early collisional deformation regime, imbricating molasse-type clastic sediments with the ore-hosting volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks of the Flin Flon arc assemblage. Chlorite-rich planar zones marked by high values of the Carbonate-chlorite-pyrite index (CCPI) are laterally more extensive and outline a later system of ductile shear zones, in which phyllosilicates, quartz and chalcopyrite in stringer zones localized shear strain and enhanced transposition of the hydrothermal vent stockwork. The contrasting deformation styles of these two thrusting events and their localization within the ore horizon and hydrothermal vent stockwork have important implications for vectoring towards undiscovered ore in this mature mining camp that are possibly also relevant to other strongly deformed VMS ore systems.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 84%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Integrated 3D Geological Modeling to Gain Insight in the Effects of Hydrothermal Alteration on Post-Ore Deformation Style and Strain Localization in the Flin Flon Volcanogenic Massive Sulfide Ore System

2017

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“…Vectoring tools based on trace elements usually focus on the detection and study of geochemically anomalous halos of hydrothermally related elements around and away from deposits (e.g. Large et al, 2001b;Ames et al, 2016;Mukherjee and Large, 2017). Differences exist in the size of these halos depending on the permeability of the medium and the behaviour of trace elements (Large et al, 2001a, Hannington, 2014.…”

Section: Vectors Based On Trace Elementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vectors to ore in replacive VMS deposits of the northern Iberian Pyrite Belt: mineral zoning, whole rock geochemistry, and use of portable XRF

Gisbert¹,

Tornos²,

Losantos³

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Abstract. Volcanogenic Massive Sulphide (VMS) deposits represent a major source of base, precious and other metals of economic and industrial importance. As in other mineral systems, progressive exhaustion of the shallowest and most easily accessible deposits is leading to increasingly complex exploration. In this context vectors to ore play a vital role. The Iberian Pyrite Belt (IPB) is an outstanding VMS district located in the SW Iberian Peninsula, which represents the main mining area in Spain and one of the main zones of base metal production in Europe. But the work on vectors to ore in the IPB is far from systematic or complete. In this work we have performed a detailed study of the main vectors to ore related to mineral zoning and whole rock geochemistry that are currently used in the exploration of VMS systems to a representative volcanic rock hosted replacive VMS deposit located in the northern IPB, the Aguas Teñidas deposit. Results have been compared to other deposits in the IPB and in other VMS districts. The investigated vectors include: mineralogical zoning, host sequence characterization and mineralized unit identification based on whole rock geochemistry, the study of the characteristics and behaviour of whole rock geochemical anomalies around the ore (e.g. alteration-related compositional changes, characteristics and extent of geochemical halos around the deposit), with definition of threshold values for the mineralization-related indicative elements, and application of portable XRF analysis to the detection of the previous vectors. In the footwall, a concentric cone-shaped hydrothermal alteration bearing the stockwork passes laterally, from core to edge, from quartz (only locally), to chlorite, sericite–chlorite, and sericite alteration zones. The hydrothermal alteration is also found in the hanging wall despite its thrusted character: a proximal sericite alteration zone is followed by a more distal albite one, which is described here for the first time in the IPB. Whole rock major elements show an increase in alteration indexes (e.g. AI, CCPI) towards the mineralization, with a general SiO2 enrichment, FeO enrichment in the central portion of the system, K2O and Na2O leaching towards the outside areas, and a less systematic MgO behaviour. Copper, Pb and Zn produce proximal anomalies around mineralized areas, with the more mobile Sb, Tl and Ba generating wider halos. Whereas Sb and Tl halos form around all mineralized areas, Ba anomalies are restricted to areas around the massive sulphide body. Our results show that proposed vectors, or adaptations designed to overcome p-XRF limitations, can be confidently used by analysing unprepared hand specimens, including the external rough curved surface of drill cores. The data presented in this work are not only applicable to VMS exploration in the IPB, but on a broader scale they will also contribute to improve our general understating of vectors to ore in replacive-type VMS deposits.

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Equilibrium and disequilibrium processes across the greenschist–amphibolite transition zone in metabasites

Starr

Pattison

2019

Contrib Mineral Petrol

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Hanging-Wall Vectoring for Buried Volcanogenic Massive Sulfide Deposits, Paleoproterozoic Flin Flon Mining Camp, Manitoba, Canada

Cited by 12 publications

References 47 publications

Integrated 3D Geological Modeling to Gain Insight in the Effects of Hydrothermal Alteration on Post-Ore Deformation Style and Strain Localization in the Flin Flon Volcanogenic Massive Sulfide Ore System

Integrated 3D Geological Modeling to Gain Insight in the Effects of Hydrothermal Alteration on Post-Ore Deformation Style and Strain Localization in the Flin Flon Volcanogenic Massive Sulfide Ore System

Vectors to ore in replacive VMS deposits of the northern Iberian Pyrite Belt: mineral zoning, whole rock geochemistry, and use of portable XRF

Equilibrium and disequilibrium processes across the greenschist–amphibolite transition zone in metabasites

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