ALBERT

Description: Various ultramafic Ni-Cu-platinum group element (PGE) deposits associated with the North American Midcontinent rift have been attributed to formation in a magma conduit setting, whereby PGE concentration is controlled by various fluid dynamic processes. The Marathon Cu-PGE sulfide deposit located within the Midcontinent rift-related Coldwell Alkaline Complex has been classified as a gabbro-associated contact-type deposit; however, both magmatic and hydrothermal processes have been proposed to account for the significant concentration of PGE. In light of the growing field of evidence for magma conduit-type settings, this study comprised a comprehensive geochemical investigation of the complicated crosscutting gabbroic to ultramafic units in the immediate vicinity of the Marathon deposit; and a thorough three-dimensional investigation of the distribution of Cu and Pd within the Main mineralized zone. The main objectives of this study were to test the applicability of the magma conduit deposit model to the Marathon deposit and to identify key exploration criteria for use elsewhere in the Coldwell Alkaline Complex. Mineralization is hosted by the Two Duck Lake gabbro, a 4-km-long and 250-m-thick unit of the Marathon Series. The Marathon Series is the latest of three magmatic series that make up the 1- to 2-km-thick Eastern Gabbro Suite, which wraps around the eastern and northern margin of the Coldwell Alkaline Complex. The three magmatic series are shown here to have distinct trace element signatures that enable reliable discrimination of potentially sulfide and PGE-bearing units of the Marathon Series from the barren rocks of either the Fine-Grained or Layered Series. At the Marathon deposit, sulfides consist of disseminated chalcopyrite, pyrrhotite, and minor bornite and occur within the Main, Footwall, and Hanging-wall zones and in the PGE-enriched W Horizon. This paper focused on sulfides located within the Main zone, including the keel-shaped feeder channel that continues downdip to over 550-m depth. The spatial distribution of Cu, Pd, and Cu/Pd were examined in relation to a three-dimensional surface model for the footwall contact; in a vertical profile through the Main zone; and in a longitudinal section that cuts the feeder channel. There are three important observations: (1) trends for elevated Cu and Pd are parallel to numerous troughs and ridges in the footwall, (2) Cu, Pd, and Cu/Pd varies up section in a saw-toothed pattern from high to low values, and (3) the proportion of high Cu/Pd sulfides is greatest within the thickest accumulations of sulfides within the feeder channel. Evaluation of interelement relationships between Cu and Pd and between Pd and Ir, Rh, Pt, and Au for mineralization within the Main zone indicate positive associative, but nonlinear behavior for all elements. Briefly, the data show nonlinear correlations between Cu and Pd in which Cu/Pd decreases with increasing Pd; and coherent but nonlinear behavior for Ir, Rh, Pt, and Pd in which Pd/Ir, Pd/Rh, Pd/Pt, and Pd/Au all increase with increasing Pd. The observed variation in Cu/Pd is consistent with a magmatic model calculated by others for deposits in the Duluth Complex, in which sulfides accumulated in a closed system from a melt with mantlelike Cu/Pd and an elevated silicate to sulfide ratio. The observed variations in Pd/Ir, Pd/Rh, and Pd/Pt are consistent with R factor fractionation related to differences in the relative partition coefficients between sulfide and silicate melts, and rule out the possibility that processes such as fractionation of sulfide melt by monosulfide solid solution (mss) or redistribution of metals during hydrothermal alteration played a significant role in the mineralizing event. The Two Duck Lake gabbro and associated sulfides of the Marathon deposit are proposed to have formed by multiple injections of plagioclase crystal mush that carried droplets of sulfide liquid along a conduit system that was controlled by radial and ring fault structures in the Coldwell Alkaline Complex. The accumulation of sulfides was controlled by flow dynamic processes within the magma channels, but Cu/Pd was controlled by local proportions of silicate melt to sulfide liquid. Key characteristics of the deposit that are critical to exploration elsewhere in the Coldwell Alkaline Complex include the following: (1) the recognition that gabbroic to ultramafic intrusions of the Marathon Series are the host for Cu and PGE mineralization, (2) the distribution of Cu/Pd data within sulfide occurrences are useful as vectors toward the feeder channel, (3) topographic lineaments are indicators of potential mineralized feeder zones, and (4) oxide- and apatite-rich, irregularly shaped gabbroic to ultramafic pods are potential indicators of an underlying feeder channel.

Description: The NICO Au-Co-Bi(±Cu±W) deposit is located in the Great Bear magmatic zone, NWT, Canada, where numerous polymetallic, iron oxide-dominated mineralized systems have been recognized. Petrographic, electron microprobe analysis (EMPA), and laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) studies of host-rock alteration and ore mineralogy, together with sulfarsenide geothermometry, have been carried out to constrain the nature of alteration and/or mineralization assemblages in this deposit. Metasedimentary rocks of the Treasure Lake Group host NICO and are pervasively altered to an assemblage of ferrohornblende I + actinolite I + biotite I + magnetite I ± orthoclase, which is cut by barren veins composed of quartz ± ferrohornblende-orthoclase-calcite (Set 1). These alteration events are overprinted by metasomatic prograde and retrograde mineralized assemblages and both brittle and ductile deformation accompanied the metasomatism. The prograde assemblage (〉400°C) consists of cobaltite, Co-rich loellingite, and Co-rich arsenopyrite (stage I), magnetite II, ferrohornblende II, actinolite II, biotite II, pyrite, and minor scheelite and orthoclase. The earliest retrograde mineralization consists of arsenopyrite (stages II and III), which contains variable amounts of Co, together with native Bi (±bismuthinite) and Au, with lesser magnetite, marcasite, pyrite, hastingsite, and minor quartz. The preservation of solidified native Bi droplets suggests a temperature range of 270° to 〈400°C for precipitation of this assemblage. The final stage of retrograde mineralization consists of a chalcopyrite-bismuthinite-hematite-chlorite assemblage, together with hastingsite ± emplectite, which formed at temperatures of less than 270°C. Textural and trace element evidence indicates that the Au and Bi present within arsenides and sulfarsenides in the NICO system resulted from the initial partitioning of structurally bound Au and/or "invisible" (nanometer-sized particles) of Au and Bi into the prograde sulfarsenide and arsenide phases, which contain up to 81 ppm Au. The Au and Bi were remobilized following retrograde alteration of those minerals to arsenopyrite II. Molten Bi droplets are interpreted to have scavenged Au insitu, resulting in the formation of the Bi-Au inclusions observed in arsenopyrite II. The second mechanism of gold refining is explained by the occurrence of contemporaneous Bi (±Te) melt and hydrothermal fluids that also could have fractionated gold during transport in solution and deposited it in fractures, interstitially to earlier mineral grains, and as disseminations within Ca-Fe-amphibole-magnetite-biotite-altered rocks. Overall, the gold upgrading at NICO is consistent with the liquid bismuth collector model, suggesting that this process was an important control on gold concentration in this and potentially other Au-Bi-Te-Fe-As-S-rich iron oxide-copper-gold (IOCG) deposits.

Description: The Paleoproterozoic Great Bear magmatic zone is the focus of ongoing exploration for iron oxide copper-gold (IOCG) deposits and also hosts iron oxide-apatite occurrences. Examples of IOCG deposits in the Great Bear magmatic zone include Sue-Dianne and NICO, and other smaller prospects, including Damp, Fab, and Nori/Ra. The past-producing Terra mine property hosts significant IOCG-like alteration that contains dome-shaped, iron oxide-apatite bodies. Petrographic study has identified multiple generations of magnetite at NICO, Fab, and Nori/Ra and, for the most part, a single generation of magnetite at Sue-Dianne, Damp, and Terra. Laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) documents important geochemical differences in V, Ni, Cr, and Co concentrations within the magnetite. Variations of trace elements in magnetite from the Great Bear magmatic zone could be a result of (1) host rock-fluid equilibration during regional metamorphism, (2) postmetamorphic hydrothermal metasomatism of Treasure Lake Group metasedimentary rocks, (3) preferential solubility of Co over Ni within the Fe-rich fluids, (4) changes in oxygen fugacity ( f O 2 ), and (5) partitioning of elements into coprecipitating sulfides. Regionally, the Cr/Co ratio is higher in barren and pre-ore magnetite compared to magnetite coprecipitated with ore minerals and/or present in ore-rich veins and breccias. Locally, at the Nori/Ra prospect, the V/Ni ratio in magnetite differentiates between barren and ore-related magnetite, and at Damp and Sue-Dianne the Co/Ni ratio is extremely high and clearly different from that of other Great Bear magmatic zone magnetite samples. These results provide the first database for geochemically characterized magnetite from different stages of IOCG alteration and illustrate the potential use of magnetite as an indicator mineral in the exploration for IOCG deposits.

Description: The Kiruna-type Pea Ridge iron oxide-apatite (IOA) deposit is hosted by a sequence of 1.47 Ga rhyolite tuffs of the St. Francois Mountains, southeast Missouri, USA. It consists of a series of altered zones composed mainly of amphibole, magnetite, hematite, and quartz, together with the presence of several rare earth element (Y + REE)-rich breccia pipes. In many cases, the fluorapatite within these zones is rich in inclusions of monazite, iron oxide, and quartz inclusions, plus minor xenotime. Monazite and minor xenotime are also found intergrown as inclusions in the fluorapatite, as well as in surrounding recrystallized magnetite and hematite in the magnetite ore. Monazite and xenotime typically occur as inclusions within both oxides. Monazite-(Ce) and xenotime-(Y) are both relatively poor (〈2 wt %) in ThO 2 and UO 2 . No significant compositional differences exist in the (Y + REE) chemistry between monazite and xenotime inclusions in fluorapatite compared to grains intergrown with magnetite and hematite, suggesting that these two REE-rich minerals are cogenetic. Monazite-xenotime geothermometry and geochronology of monazite inclusions in fluorapatite provide evidence that formation/remobilization of the (Y + REE) phosphates took place at ca. 50° to 400°C, approximately 5 to 10 m.y. after emplacement of the main iron oxide-phosphate orebody. Evidence from field relationships and fluid inclusion chemistry, together with the massive recrystallization and remobilization of fluorapatite, monazite, xenotime, and iron oxides at Pea Ridge, suggest a subvolcanic origin coupled with a strong metasomatic reworking of the IOA deposit.

Description: Mineral thermometry and fluid inclusion studies were conducted on variably altered and mineralized samples from the Mesoproterozoic Pea Ridge iron oxide-apatite (IOA)-rare earth element (REE) deposit in order to constrain P-T conditions, fluid chemistry, and the source of salt and volatiles during early magnetite and later REE mineralization. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM)-cathodoluminescence and SEM-backscatter electron images show that quartz and rutile precipitated before, during, and after magnetite and REE mineral growth. Ti-in-quartz and Zr-in-rutile equilibration temperatures range from ≤350° to 750°C in the amphibole, magnetite, hematite, and silicified zones where T increased during magnetite and quartz growth and dropped precipitously after fracturing and brecciation. Late drusy quartz cements within a REE-rich breccia pipe record the lowest T (≤315°–400°C). Liquid-, vapor-rich, and hypersaline (±hematite, calcite) fluid inclusions are common and liquid CO 2 is present locally. Salinities define three populations: saline (10–27 wt % NaCl equiv), hypersaline (34–〉60 wt % NaCl equiv), and dilute (0–10 wt % NaCl equiv ). The wide range of eutectic melting temperatures (–67° to –19°C) suggests that saline inclusions trapped variable proportions of a CaCl-MgCl-FeCl-bearing fluid end member and an NaCl-KCl fluid end member. Homogenization temperatures and pressures of these saline inclusions suggest they were trapped when fluids unmixed into brine and vapor at T 〈350°C, P 〈15 MPa, and a depth of ~1.5 km. Hypersaline inclusions were trapped at low T and P (~200°C and ~1 MPa) along the V + L + H curve when the system vented to the paleosurface. Data for dilute inclusions in late drusy quartz from the REE-rich breccia pipe are indicative of a boiling epithermal environment. The Na/Cl, Na/K, and Cl/Br ratios of fluid inclusion extracts provide evidence for mixtures of magmatic hydrothermal fluids and evaporated seawater. Extracts from magnetite, hematite, and pyrite plot in the magmatic-hydrothermal field, indicating that Fe was derived from a magmatic source. Their enrichments in Mg and Ca are consistent with a mafic magmatic source. The positive correlation between Na/Mg and Na/Ca ratios may be due to halite saturation or albitization of igneous rocks. Extracts from barite in the REE-rich breccia pipes are enriched in Na and Br and plot near the seawater evaporation trend. He is highly enriched relative to Ne and Ar in fluid inclusion extracts, which precludes air as a source of He. Although the He is mostly of crustal origin, pyrite with a 3 He/ 4 He (R/R A ) of 0.1 contains up to 12% mantle He. Many extracts have low 20 Ne/ 22 Ne ratios due to nucleogenic production of 22 Ne in high F/O minerals such as fluorapatite or F biotite. The arrays of data for 3 He/ 4 He (R/R A ) and 22 Ne/ 20 Ne suggest that volatiles were derived from two sources, a moderate F mafic magma containing mantle He and a high F silicic magma with crustal He. Together with other evidence cited in this report, these data (1) support a magmatic hydrothermal origin for the Mesoproterozoic magnetite-apatite deposit with ore fluids derived from a concealed mafic to intermediate-composition intrusion, (2) suggest that the REE minerals in breccia pipes were either derived from apatite or precipitated in response to decompression and cooling during breccia pipe formation, (3) provide evidence for the influx of basinal brine, magmatic fluids from granitic intrusions, and meteoric water after breccia pipe formation, and (4) show that Pea Ridge was relatively unaffected by the late Paleozoic Mississippi Valley-type (MVT) Pb-Zn system in overlying Cambrian sedimentary rocks.

Description: Although the rare earth elements have been thought by many to be immobile in hydrothermal fluids, we have known since the first attempts to separate them in the early nineteenth century that they are soluble in aqueous solutions. Driven by a need to isolate individual REEs for industrial applications, and more recently to explore for them, we have started to develop an understanding of their solubility and speciation in hydrothermal fluids. This knowledge is allowing us to understand the processes that promote their transport in the Earth's crust, their concentration, and their fractionation.