Numerical modelling of orogenic processes and gold mineralisation in the southeastern part of the Yilgarn Craton, Western Australia

Sorjonen-Ward, Peter; Zhang, Y.; Zhao, Chongbin

doi:10.1046/j.1440-0952.2002.00969.x

Cited by 93 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 84 publications

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“…Hronsky and Groves 2008; Potma et al 2008). Although significant progress has been made in coupling heat transfer, species transport and reaction for simplified chemical systems (Raffensperger and Garven 1995a;Appold and Garven 2000;Schaubs and Zhao 2002;Sorjonen-Ward et al 2002;Alt-Epping 2004;Alt-Epping andDiamond 2006, 2007;Gessner 2006a, b, 2009a-this volume;Cleverley 2007;Elmer et al 2007;Ord et al 2007;Kühn 2009-this volume), the physical process interaction during hydrothermal mineralisation cannot yet be modelled in its full complexity in a spatially accurate manner. One of the key requirements for efficient hydrothermal flow and mineralisation is the existence of a hydraulic architecture that allows the flow of hydrothermal solutions across critical gradients of temperature, pressure, and chemical composition.…”

Section: Fully Coupled Models: Challenges and Approachesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There have been numerous analyses of this kind undertaken during the last decade, typically involving Mohr-Coulomb plasticity with Darcy flow to simulate dilation and fluid migration in complex multi-material geometries in 2D and 3D (Jiang et al 1997;Gow et al 2002;Oliver et al 2001;Ord et al 2002;Ord and Oliver 1997;Schaubs and Wilson 2002;Schaubs and Zhao 2002;Sorjonen-Ward et al 2002;Gessner et al 2006;McLellan et al 2004;Robinson et al 2006;Schaubs et al 2006;Upton et al 2007;Vos et al 2007;Zhang et al 2006aZhang et al , b, 2007. The ability to simulate fluid flow within 3D architectures has been crucial to successfully predict locations of mineralisation (Potma et al 2008).…”

Section: Deformation and Fluid Flow Couplingmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Coupled Process Models as a Tool for Analysing Hydrothermal Systems

et al. 2009

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Hydrothermal systems are characterised by complex interactions between heat transfer, fluid flow, deformation, species transport and chemical reactions. Numerical models can provide quantitatively constrained information in regions where acquisition of new data is difficult or expensive thus providing a means for reducing risks, costs, and effort during targeting, production, and management of resources linked to hydrothermal systems. Here we show how numerical simulations of hydrothermal processes can be used to better understand coupled reactive transport in modern geothermal systems and in ancient hydrothermal ore deposits.

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Section: Fully Coupled Models: Challenges and Approachesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Deformation and Fluid Flow Couplingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Coupled Process Models as a Tool for Analysing Hydrothermal Systems

et al. 2009

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“…Models In both cases there is a potential to drive flow upward in regions where fluid pressure departs from hydrostatic gradient, but the high pore pressure below the seal (in b) may favour tensile failure of the rock at the top of the reservoir are either purely elastic (Cox and Ruming 2004;Micklethwaite and Cox 2004), based on damage mechanics concepts (Sheldon and Micklethwaite 2007), or simulate plasticity by slip along interfaces of discrete elements representing weak fault systems (Ojala et al 1993;Holyland and Ojala 1997;Mair et al 2000). Other workers have used numerical models based on coupling Mohr-Coulomb plasticity with Darcy flow as implemented in the finite difference codes FLAC (Itasca 2000) and FLAC 3D (Itasca 2003;Cundall and Board 1988), to simulate dilation in complex multi-material geometries (Jiang et al 1997;Gow et al 2002;Ord et al 2002;Ord and Oliver 1997;Schaubs and Zhao 2002;Sorjonen-Ward et al 2002;Gessner et al 2006;McLellan et al 2004;Sheldon and Ord 2005;Robinson et al 2006;Schaubs et al 2006;Vos et al 2007;Zhang et al 2006aZhang et al , b, 2007Potma et al 2008). The latter technique is based on coupling Darcy flow to a Mohr-Coulomb constitutive model including plasticity.…”

Section: Modelling Approachesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Coupled Models of Brittle-plastic Deformation and Fluid Flow: Approaches, Methods, and Application to Mesoproterozoic Mineralisation at Mount Isa, Australia

Gessner

2009

Surv Geophys

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Rock deformation has an important effect on the spatial distribution and temporal evolution of permeability in the Earth's crust. Hydromechanical coupling is of fundamental significance to natural fluid-rock interaction in porous and fractured hydrothermal systems, and in the assessment and production of hydrocarbon resources and geothermal energy. Shearing and fracturing of rocks can lead to the creation or destruction of permeability when fractures or faults form, or when existing structures are reactivated. Changes in stress orientation or fluid pressure can drive rock failure and create dilating fault zones that have the potential to focus fluid flow, or to breach seals above overpressured fluid compartments. Here, numerical models of deformation and fluid flow related to Mesoproterozoic copper mineralisation at Mount Isa, Australia, are presented that show how changes in deformation geometry in multiply deformed geological architectures relate to changes in dilation patterns, fluid pathways and flow geometry. Coupled numerical simulations of deformation and fluid flow can be useful tools to better understand structural control on fluid flow in hydrothermal mineral systems.

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“…In FLAC3D, crustal-scale processes can be simulated by modelling regionally significant faults and shear zones as zones of different (weaker) material properties in the finite-difference grid (Sorjonen-Ward et al 2002). Numerical simulations in FLAC3D are defined in terms of: (i) the model architecture; (ii) the material properties assigned to the mesh elements; and (iii) the boundary conditions considered most relevant to the purpose of modelling.…”

Section: Flac3d Numerical Modellingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Results can be compared and used to resolve basic geological questions, such as the effect of a listric fault geometry compared to a planar fault geometry. An extensive overview of coupled modelling of deformation and fluid flow with FLAC is given by Oliver et al (2001) and Sorjonen-Ward et al (2002) from which we have summarised the important characteristics.…”

Section: Flac3d Numerical Modellingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Numerical modelling of the western Hodgkinson Province, northeast Queensland: implications for gold mineralisation

Vos

Potma

Bierlein

et al. 2007

Australian Journal of Earth Sciences

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Results of coupled mechanical and fluid-flow modelling provide insights into some of the factors that controlled gold mineralisation and deformation in the Hodgkinson Province in northeastern Queensland. These results aid in resolving why the north -south-striking segment of the terrane-bounding Palmerville Fault is barren, while many north -south-to northwest -southeast-trending, second-order fault zones throughout the Hodgkinson Province are spatially associated with gold deposits. The simplified, regional-scale model geometry used in this study permitted variation of boundary conditions, material properties and stress regimes. This included variation of lithological properties, the absence of fault zones in some models, and the application of plane strain or transpression. The model outcomes illustrate the importance of a listric fault geometry for focusing deformation and fluid flow in zones of relatively high permeability and/or low rock strength. Also, the orientation of fault zones with respect to the dominant far-field compressive stress regime is shown to be a key factor controlling deformation and fluid flow. In addition, fault bends and terminations are shown to influence significantly the distribution of deformation and fluid flow in our models. The results provide an improved understanding of first-order factors that may have controlled localisation of deformation and fluid flow in the regional geological architecture of the Hodgkinson Province. Focused fluid flow arising from localised dilation and permeability increase plays an important role in the formation of ore deposits; hence the outputs of the modelling may be of significant value for future exploration in the Hodgkinson Province and analogous regions elsewhere. The study illustrates the usefulness of numerical modelling as a tool for testing multiple scenarios, leading to improved conceptual understanding of geological systems.

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Numerical modelling of orogenic processes and gold mineralisation in the southeastern part of the Yilgarn Craton, Western Australia

Cited by 93 publications

References 84 publications

Coupled Process Models as a Tool for Analysing Hydrothermal Systems

Coupled Process Models as a Tool for Analysing Hydrothermal Systems

Coupled Models of Brittle-plastic Deformation and Fluid Flow: Approaches, Methods, and Application to Mesoproterozoic Mineralisation at Mount Isa, Australia

Numerical modelling of the western Hodgkinson Province, northeast Queensland: implications for gold mineralisation

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