Structural geometry of orogenic gold deposits: Implications for exploration of world-class and giant deposits

Groves, David; Santosh, M.; Goldfarb, Richard J.; Zhang, Liang

doi:10.1016/j.gsf.2018.01.006

Cited by 191 publications

(58 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…The structural controls on gold mineralization at Kukuluma and Matandani conform with models for Archaean gold mineralization more broadly, as summarized by [8,9], in the sense that mineralization is late-tectonic, appears to occur as a single event during a shift in the far field stress, precedes cratonic stabilization, and is associated with a range of structural traps created earlier in the deformation and intrusive history of the belt. However, the Kukuluma, Matandani, and Area 3 deposits do not fit the orogenic model, as defined by [9,70] or [2]. In review papers on gold mineralization, the Geita mine is commonly classified as a Neoarchaean, BIF-hosted, orogenic gold deposit [1][2][3]6,7] related to subduction-accretion systems, with all mafic sequences deposited in a subduction-back arc environment [27,36].…”

Section: Controls On Gold Mineralizationsupporting

confidence: 59%

“…The Kukuluma and Matandani deposits provide excellent examples of complex trapping structures that formed as a result of multiple overprinting deformation events before the gold was introduced [9]. Thus, whilst gold mineralization is late-tectonic, ore body geometries are associated with older structures and lithological boundaries.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The deformation events have been summarized in Table 1 and are described in detail below. In reading the deformation history, it is important to realize that the D 1 -D 6 deformation geometries, in combination with intrusive boundaries, provide the deformational architecture that trap the auriferous fluids, which percolated late in the deformation history of the area [9]. Table 1.…”

Section: The History Of Deformation In the Kukuluma Terrainmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In this context, it is important to note that the ore zones in the Kukuluma and Matandani pits widen where the D 6,7 shear zones display S-like bends (from northwest to west to northwest-trending). Such S-bends would be constraining [46] during D 6 reverse faulting, but would be areas of maximum dilatancy during D 7 [9,12,63]. The drop in fluid pressure and possibly temperature that would have occurred along the micro-fracture zones in extension would also have played a role in ore deposition [12].…”

Section: Controls On Gold Mineralizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The mineralizing events post-date an intrusive event, dated at 2651 Ma in the Matandani pit [28] and at 2644 Ma in the Geita Hill deposit [35], where lamphrophyre dykes occured in association with mineralization [24,35]. Thus, whilst the ore-body geometries are entirely controlled by deformational geometries and lithological distributions that formed during the second stage (i.e.,~2700-2665 Ma) evolution of the GGB, the actual mineralizing events probably occurred later, when fluids, possibly linked to a deeper igneous source, moved into the dilatant zones during extension [9,24,25]. A similar relative timing relationship of deformation structures, intrusions, and gold mineralization also exists in other parts of the Tanzania Craton ( [72][73][74]; for example, in the Golden Pride deposit in the Nzega Greenstone Belt (Figure 1), mineralization was introduced along a crustal scale shear zone during late-stage reactivation, and accompanied by the intrusion of lamprophyre and quartz porphyry dykes.…”

Section: Controls On Gold Mineralizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Archaean Gold Mineralization in an Extensional Setting: The Structural History of the Kukuluma and Matandani Deposits, Geita Greenstone Belt, Tanzania

Kwelwa¹,

Dirks

Sanislav

et al. 2018

Minerals

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Three major gold deposits, Matandani, Kukuluma, and Area 3, host several million ouncez (Moz) of gold, along a~5 km long, WNW trend in the E part of the Geita Greenstone Belt, NW Tanzania. The deposits are hosted in Archaean volcanoclastic sediment and intrusive diorite. The geological evolution of the deposits involved three separate stages: (1) an early stage of syn-sedimentary extensional deformation (D 1 ) around 2715 Ma; (2) a second stage involving overprinting ductile folding (D 2-4 ) and shearing (D 5-6 ) events during N-S compression between 2700 and 2665 Ma, coeval with the emplacement of the Kukuluma Intrusive Complex; and (3) a final stage of extensional deformation (D 7 ) accommodated by minor, broadly east-trending normal faults, preceded by the intrusion of felsic porphyritic dykes at~2650 Ma. The geometry of the ore bodies at Kukuluma and Matandani is controlled by the distribution of magnetite-rich meta-ironstone, near the margins of monzonite-diorite bodies of the Kukuluma Intrusive Complex. The lithological contacts acted as redox boundaries, where high-grade mineralization was enhanced in damage zones with higher permeability, including syn-D 3 hydrothermal breccia, D 2 -D 3 fold hinges, and D 6 shears. The actual mineralizing event was syn-D 7 , and occurred in an extensional setting that facilitated the infiltration of mineralizing fluids. Thus, whilst gold mineralization is late-tectonic, ore zone geometries are linked to older structures and lithological boundaries that formed before gold was introduced. The deformation-intrusive history of the Kukuluma and Matandani deposits is near identical to the geological history of the world-class Nyankanga and Geita Hill deposits in the central part of the Geita Greenstone Belt. This similarity suggests that the geological history of much of the greenstone belt is similar. All major gold deposits in the Geita Greenstone Belt lack close proximity to crustal-scale shear zones; they are associated with intrusive complexes and volcanics that formed in an oceanic plateau rather than subduction setting, and formed late-tectonically during an extensional phase. They are not characteristic of typical orogenic gold deposits.

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Section: Controls On Gold Mineralizationsupporting

confidence: 59%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The History Of Deformation In the Kukuluma Terrainmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Controls On Gold Mineralizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Controls On Gold Mineralizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Archaean Gold Mineralization in an Extensional Setting: The Structural History of the Kukuluma and Matandani Deposits, Geita Greenstone Belt, Tanzania

Kwelwa¹,

Dirks

Sanislav

et al. 2018

Minerals

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Regional structural control on the distribution of world‐class gold deposits: An overview from the Giant Jiaodong Gold Province, China

et al. 2018

Self Cite

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The Jiaodong gold province in northeastern China is the country's premier gold resource and globally one of the most important gold provinces. The late Early Cretaceous gold metallogeny in this belt remains an enigma as it is hosted in the Archean Jiaobei Terrane of the North China Block and, to a lesser extent, within the Palaeoproterozoic Sulu Terrane of the South China Block.The driving force for widespread Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous granitic magmatism, the switchover from a compressional to extensional tectonic regime, and gold mineralization are considered to be a combination of plate subduction with lithospheric delamination and consequent asthenospheric upwelling. Although many aspects related to the genesis of the gold deposits in Jiaodong have been resolved, the spatial distribution of the world-class gold deposits in this belt, which is of vital importance to brownfields and greenfields exploration, has been poorly understood in terms of the structural evolution of the province. In the northwestern segment of the Jiaobei Terrane, the world-class gold deposits of Sanshandao in the west, through Jiaojia, to Linglong in the east define a broadly E-W corridor. This corridor links a series of east-verging jogs on ore-controlling NNE-trending oblique-slip faults that are subparallel to an lithospheric-scale Tan-Lu Fault to the west. There is cryptic evidence that these jogs line up in the E-W trend due to reactivation of Palaeoproterozoic to Mesozoic faults and folds that were part of the structural architecture of the terranes prior to the gold event. These jogs induced deviations in the local principal stresses relative to regional equivalent stresses, with resultant heterogeneous strain, increased rock permeability, and focussed ore-fluid ingress. Both disseminated/ microbreccia-stockwork and vein-type gold deposits formed in this corridor, with the former being predominant and the latter having a higher gold grade. In contrast, predominant vein-type gold deposits in the eastern segment of the Jiaobei and Sulu terranes tend to form N-S corridors.These vein-type ores may relate to rotational strain induced by movement on pairs of more linear NNE-trending faults with the same kinematic movement sense.

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Geological Structure and History of Exploration of the Anikhov Graben (Southern Urals, Russia)

Рanteleeva,

Snachev,

Pankratev

et al. 2024

Springer Geology

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Structural geometry of orogenic gold deposits: Implications for exploration of world-class and giant deposits

Cited by 191 publications

References 47 publications

Archaean Gold Mineralization in an Extensional Setting: The Structural History of the Kukuluma and Matandani Deposits, Geita Greenstone Belt, Tanzania

Archaean Gold Mineralization in an Extensional Setting: The Structural History of the Kukuluma and Matandani Deposits, Geita Greenstone Belt, Tanzania

Regional structural control on the distribution of world‐class gold deposits: An overview from the Giant Jiaodong Gold Province, China

Geological Structure and History of Exploration of the Anikhov Graben (Southern Urals, Russia)

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