Till geochemical signatures of volcanogenic massive sulphide deposits: an overview of Canadian examples

McClenaghan, M B; Peter, Jan M.

doi:10.1144/geochem2014-315

Cited by 11 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 78 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposits are an important source of Cu, Pb and Zn in Canada [15,16]. Thus, indicator mineral methods can be an important exploration method in Canada because much of the landscape is covered by glacial deposits.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploration Potential of Fine-Fraction Heavy Mineral Concentrates from Till Using Automated Mineralogy: A Case Study from the Izok Lake Cu–Zn–Pb–Ag VMS Deposit, Nunavut, Canada

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Exploration under thick glacial sediment cover is an important facet of modern mineral exploration in Canada and northern Europe. Till heavy mineral concentrate (HMC) indicator mineral methods are well established in exploration for diamonds, gold, and base metals in glaciated terrain. Traditional methods rely on visual examination of >250 µm HMC material, however this study applies modern automated mineralogical methods (mineral liberation analysis (MLA)) to investigate the finer (<250 µm) fraction of till HMC. Automated mineralogy of finer material allows for rapid collection of precise compositional and morphological data from a large number (10,000–100,000) of heavy mineral grains in a single sample. The Izok Lake volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposit, one of the largest undeveloped Zn–Cu resources in North America, has a well-documented fan-shaped indicator mineral dispersal train and was used as a test site for this study. Axinite, a VMS indicator mineral difficult to identify optically in HMC, is identified in till samples up to 8 km down ice. Epidote and Fe-oxide minerals are identified, with concentrations peaking proximal to mineralization. Corundum and gahnite are intergrown in till samples immediately down ice of mineralization. Till samples also contain chalcopyrite and galena up to 8 km down ice of mineralization, an increase from 1.3 km for sulfide minerals in till previously reported for coarse HMC fractions. Some of these sulfide grains occur as inclusions within chemically and physically robust mineral grains and would not be identified visually in the coarse HMC visual counts. Best practices for epoxy mineral grain mounting and abundance reporting are presented along with the automated mineralogy of till samples down ice of the deposit.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploration Potential of Fine-Fraction Heavy Mineral Concentrates from Till Using Automated Mineralogy: A Case Study from the Izok Lake Cu–Zn–Pb–Ag VMS Deposit, Nunavut, Canada

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…It builds upon previous regional and thematic compilations (e.g. Armstrong & Kjarsgaard, 2003;Batterson & Liverman, 2000;Cummings, 2018;Dyke & Dredge, 1989;Flint, 1947;Klassen & Thompson, 1993;Lamothe, 1992;Levson, 2001;McClenaghan & Peter, 2015;Parent, Paradis, & Boisvert, 1995;Shilts, 1982) and, in doing so, captures over 150 years of work by geological surveys, mineral exploration companies, and academic researchers. The map can be seen as a counterpart to other continent-scale glacial maps (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Glacial dispersal trains in North America

Cummings

Russell

2018

Journal of Maps

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A map depicting glacial dispersal trains in North America has been compiled from published sources. It covers the Canadian Shield, the Arctic Islands, the Cordillera and Appalachian mountains, and Phanerozoic sedimentary basins south of the Shield. In total, 140 trains are portrayed, including those emanating from major mineral-deposit types (e.g. gold, base metal, diamondiferous kimberlite, etc.). The map took 10 years of on-and-off work to generate, and it culls data from over 150 years of work by government, industry, and academia. It provides a new tool to help companies find ore deposits in Canada: the trains are generally a better predictor of dispersal distance and direction than striations and streamlined landforms, the data typically depicted on surficial-geology maps, including the Glacial Map of Canada. It also gives new insight into sedimentation patterns and processes beneath ice sheets, a sedimentary environment that, because of its inaccessibility, remains poorly understood and controversial.

show abstract

“…Anomalous concentrations of ore and pathfinder elements in till can therefore be used to assess and trace back sources of potential mineralized bedrock. Suites of pathfinder elements in till have been defined through case studies for a broad range of mineral deposits, including magmatic Ni-Cu-PGE, Cu porphyry, volcanogenic massive sulfide, U, Au, Mississippi Valley-type Pb-Zn, and diamonds (e.g., [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22]). Here, we tested whether till geochemistry can be used to identify iron-oxide apatite (IOA) and iron oxide-copper-gold (IOCG) deposits with complex alteration signatures within the Great Bear magmatic zone (GBMZ) in the Northwest Territories, Canada.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Till Geochemistry as a Vector to Metasomatic Iron and Alkali-Calcic Systems and Associated Deposits in the Great Bear Magmatic Zone, Northwest Territories, Canada

Normandeau,

McMartin,

Corriveau

2024

Minerals

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Recent advances in the characterization of metasomatic iron and alkali-calcic (MIAC) systems with associated iron-oxide apatite (IOA) prospects and iron-oxide–copper–gold (IOCG) and metasomatic cobalt deposits of the Great Bear magmatic zone were used to determine if the geochemistry of glacial sediments can unveil pathfinder elements indicative of mineralization and associated alteration. Analysis of variance within bedrock lithogeochemical (n = 707 samples) and till geochemical datasets (n = 92 samples) are compared. Results show that Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, As, Mo, Bi, La, Th, U, and W were identified as potential vectoring elements in different fractions of till due to their anomalous concentrations down-ice of various mineralized outcrops within the study area. For instance, Fe, Co, Cu, and Mo were established as the most useful vectoring elements in the locally derived till (<2 km down-ice) near the Sue Dianne IOCG deposit, and Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Mo, W, Bi, and U near the Fab IOCG prospect. At the Sue Dianne deposit, the ratios of near-total (4-acid digestion) versus partial (modified aqua regia digestion) concentrations in the silt + clay-sized till fraction (<0.063 mm) for both La and Th reflect the mineralization alteration signature and define a more consistent dispersal train from mineralization compared to element concentrations mapped alone. Additional testing in an area of continuous till cover near an isolated point source is recommended to further develop the elemental ratio method for exploration of MIAC systems.

show abstract

Till geochemical signatures of volcanogenic massive sulphide deposits: an overview of Canadian examples

Cited by 11 publications

References 78 publications

Exploration Potential of Fine-Fraction Heavy Mineral Concentrates from Till Using Automated Mineralogy: A Case Study from the Izok Lake Cu–Zn–Pb–Ag VMS Deposit, Nunavut, Canada

Exploration Potential of Fine-Fraction Heavy Mineral Concentrates from Till Using Automated Mineralogy: A Case Study from the Izok Lake Cu–Zn–Pb–Ag VMS Deposit, Nunavut, Canada

Glacial dispersal trains in North America

Till Geochemistry as a Vector to Metasomatic Iron and Alkali-Calcic Systems and Associated Deposits in the Great Bear Magmatic Zone, Northwest Territories, Canada

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About