ALBERT

Description: A glacial dispersal study was conducted around a subcropping Pb–Zn deposit (O28) in the Pine Point Mississippi Valley-type (MVT) district, Northwest Territories, Canada, with the intent of characterizing and documenting the indicator minerals and their dispersal from a known orebody. Mapping of striations adjacent to deposit O28, and throughout the Pine Point district, along with observed glacial stratigraphy, indicate that there are three phases of ice flow that have affected the Pine Point district. Sphalerite, galena, and pyrite were identified in mineralized bedrock samples at deposit O28, and sphalerite and galena were recovered from the sand fraction of till samples up to 500 m from the mineralized subcrop. The majority of sphalerite and galena grains recovered from till samples down-ice of deposit O28 were 0.25–0.5 mm in size. Size and morphology of sphalerite grains in till demonstrate relative proximity to their bedrock source, with the largest and more angular grains being closer to the ore zone (〈50 m) whereas smaller and more rounded grains occur further down-ice (~250 m). The paragenesis, textures, major-element concentrations, and S and Pb isotopic compositions of bedrock samples from deposit O28 and from newly drilled core from four other deposits were characterized. Concentrations of Zn in bedrock sphalerite grains range from 43.95 to 67.48 wt.%, concentrations of S range from 32.03 to 34.01 wt.%, and concentrations of Fe range from 0.02 to 16.94 wt.%. The Fe concentration in bedrock sphalerite decreases from east to west across the district. Concentrations of S in galena grains in bedrock range from 12.50 to 14.00 wt.% and have a bimodal distribution. Generally, the geochemistry of sphalerite grains recovered from till were statistically similar to bedrock grains recovered from deposits O28 and L65. Major-element concentrations were statistically the same between the sphalerite grains recovered from till and the honey-brown and cleiophane varieties in the bedrock samples. Galena grains recovered from till samples were similar to the cubic and fracture-fill varieties of grains recovered from bedrock in the R190 and M67 deposits. Sulphur isotopic values for sphalerite grains from bedrock range from 20.6 to 24.2, while those from till samples range from –5.3 to 24.4. Lead isotopic ratios for galena grains from bedrock and till samples had very little variation, which is a characteristic of the Pine Point district. The S and Pb isotopic studies as well as major-element geochemistry suggest that indicator minerals derived from Pine Point-type mineralization can be distinguished from those sourced from other types of carbonate-hosted mineralized systems (e.g., Cordilleran zinc–lead deposits) and that the methods here can be used as exploration tools for identifying MVT deposit provenance or potential. The results of this study present criteria and highlights additional methods for exploration of MVT deposits in glaciated terrain.

Description: Sediment-hosted massive sulfide (SHMS) deposits are an important source of global zinc resources, and the Red Dog Pb-Zn-Ag ± Ba district in Alaska (USA) contains giant deposits of this type. The existing model for ore formation at Red Dog involves early diagenetic replacement of sediment deposited in a restricted basin with stratified suboxic bottom waters. We present new observations of trace fossils Schaubcylindrichnus ichnospecies (isp.) and Chondrites isp. in several Red Dog deposits. The presence of the trace fossils, the size of the largest burrows, and the pervasiveness of the ichnofabric indicate that at least some intervals of the host sediment were deposited in an oxygenated middle to outer shelf environment. The burrow linings and infill are replaced by barite, hydrothermal quartz, and sulfide minerals, and the lack of compaction suggests that mineralization was diagenetically early. To reconcile these data with those from previous regional sedimentological and lithogeochemical studies, we propose a new model whereby the ore-hosting sediment was deposited in a shelfal setting in which redox conditions were affected by a fluctuating oxygen minimum zone. The strong spatial correlation between bioturbation and Red Dog SHMS deposits suggests that the presence of trace fossils may have played an important role in controlling the flow of ore-forming fluids by increasing host sediment permeability.

Description: Author(s): S. H. Hong, R. Verduzco, J. T. Gleeson, S. Sprunt, and A. Jákli We report small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) studies of isotropic, nematic, and smectic mesophases formed by binary mixtures of bent-core (BC) and rod-shaped (RS) molecules. While optical studies indicate that the components are fully miscible, SAXS reveals fascinating structures that are consisten... [Phys. Rev. E 83, 061702] Published Thu Jun 09, 2011

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 Irish Midlands region contains one of the world’s largest hydrothermal Zn-Pb ore districts, but uncertainty exists in the timing of mineralization relative to host rock ages. Consequently, genetic models for ore formation are poorly constrained and remain controversial. Here we use Re-Os geochronology to show that ore-stage pyrite from the Lisheen deposit formed at 346.6 ± 3.0 Ma, shortly after host rock deposition. Pyrite from the Silvermines deposit returns an age of 334.0 ± 6.1 Ma, indicating that at least some mineralization occurred during later burial. These age determinations show that the much younger paleomagnetic ages reported for the Irish Zn-Pb deposits reflect remagnetization during the Variscan orogeny, a process that we suggest affects paleomagnetic dating more widely. The Re-Os ages overlap with the ages of lower Carboniferous volcanic rocks in the Midlands, which are the product of magmatism that has been invoked as the driving force for hydrothermal activity. The relatively low initial Os ratios for both Lisheen (0.253 ± 0.045) and Silvermines (0.453 ± 0.006) are compatible with derivation of Os from these magmas, or from the Caledonian basement that underlies the ore deposits.

Description: The Tiger gold deposit, located in central Yukon, Canada, has an inferred resource of 8.28 Mt containing 289,400 ounces gold at an average grade of 1.09 g/t and an indicated resource of 7.15 Mt containing 509,000 ounces gold at an average grade of 2.21 g/t. A detailed paragenetic and geochemical study of the carbonate-hosted replacement-style deposit provides constraints on the fluid history and genesis of the gold mineralizing system. The deposit is hosted in Silurian-Devonian unmetamorphosed carbonate rocks of the Mackenzie Platform and occurs 7 km northeast of the Dawson thrust, which broadly marks the northeast boundary of the Selwyn Basin. A nearby Paleocene intrusion, the Rackla pluton, subcrops ~3 km from the Tiger deposit. No other deposits of this kind have been described within the Mackenzie Platform. The Tiger deposit consists of strata-bound replacement-style mineralization adjacent to an interpreted local feeder fault. Mineralization occurs in two distinct assemblages: (1) hydrothermal dolomite, gold-bearing arsenopyrite, and minor pyrite and (2) fractures hosting native gold associated with bismuth, antimony, silver, tungsten, and minor base metals. Carbon, oxygen, and strontium isotope values suggest magmatic water, originating from the Rackla pluton, as the source of mineralizing fluids for the Tiger deposit. Microthermometric data from gold-bearing dolomites, quartz, and sphalerite document the presence of hot, ~350°C aqueous-carbonic fluids for the duration of gold mineralization, overprinted by cooler, ~150°C aqueous meteoric fluids late in the paragenesis during the waning of the mineralizing system. The Tiger deposit is thus interpreted to represent a distal expression of Paleocene magmatic activity hosted in carbonates northeast of the Selwyn Basin, central Yukon.

Description: Author(s): P. Salamon, N. Éber, J. Seltmann, M. Lehmann, J. T. Gleeson, S. Sprunt, and A. Jákli The effect of director pretilt on the twist magnetic Fréedericksz transition of nematics was investigated in a planar cell. The director configuration was calculated as a function of magnetic inductance. The dielectric and optical response of the nematic liquid crystal was numerically modeled. A die... [Phys. Rev. E 85, 061704] Published Thu Jun 14, 2012

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: Sediment-hosted massive sulfide (SHMS) mineralization occurred in three main episodes during the evolution of the Selwyn Basin, Yukon, and Northwest Territories, Canada. In the Macmillan Pass district (Tom and Jason deposits), the Upper Devonian strata of the Earn Group host the youngest, least deformed examples of SHMS mineralization. The Earn Group comprises gray to black, homogeneous mudstones, which have been deformed in the Cordilleran fold-and-thrust belt, are weathered and poorly exposed; this makes stratigraphic correlations and the recognition of prospective units very challenging. The host rock (siliceous mudstone) and mineralized intervals at the Tom and Jason Zn-Pb ± Ba deposits have been sampled from drill core. Major element chemistry and total organic carbon (TOC) data are presented for the host-rock samples from two drill holes (TYK-5, n = 18; 76-17, n = 19). All mudstones contain between 2 and 5 wt % TOC and 67 to 83 wt % SiO 2 . Subtle alteration, marked by potassium loss (K 2 O/Al 2 O 3 〈0.2), is present in both footwall and hanging-wall samples from TYK-5, a drill-hole intersecting mineralization at Tom. Notably, samples from a regional drill hole (76-17) are unaltered, suggesting these samples represent the background mudstone composition. The SiO 2 content of the host rock has no obvious relationship with the hydrothermal activity at Macmillan Pass, and most likely represents an increased flux of biogenic silica. Radiolarians (30–500 μ m) have been identified within the host rock, either replaced by sulfide or hydrothermal carbonate, or recrystallized to silica spheroids. They are identifiable with a hand lens and form distinctive 10-cm-thick radiolarian-rich beds (〉50% radiolarians by volume) within the mineralized horizons and in barren, time equivalent strata, and therefore are a useful stratigraphic marker unit in otherwise homogeneous, featureless fine-grained mudstones. The presence of highly siliceous, carbonaceous mudstone units (with preserved radiolarians) suggests that in the Late Devonian there is a link between biological productivity in the water column, the resultant sedimentation, and the SHMS deposits. These biosiliceous lithologies may be particularly favorable host rocks to SHMS mineralization for the following reasons: (1) high porosities during early diagenesis preserve volume and enhance permeabilities in partially lithified sediments, which are important parameters for subseafloor replacement mineralization; (2) these units are rich in organic materials due to their deposition in productive settings, and have a high capacity for the generation of sulfide via sulfate reduction. Therefore, we suggest there is a link between times of high biological activity and productivity in oceans, sediments derived from those processes, and SHMS deposits.