| Title | Mineralogy and chemistry of tourmaline in the Woodjam porphyry deposits, British Columbia |
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| Licence | Please note the adoption of the Open Government Licence - Canada
supersedes any previous licences. |
| Author | Chapman, J B |
| Source | TGI 4 - Intrusion Related Mineralisation Project: new vectors to buried porphyry-style mineralisation; by Rogers, N (ed.); Geological Survey of Canada, Open File 7843, 2015 p. 403-413, https://doi.org/10.4095/296479  Open Access |
| Links | Canadian Database of Geochemical Surveys, downloadable
files
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| Links | Banque de données de levés géochimiques du Canada,
fichiers téléchargeables
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| Image |  |
| Year | 2015 |
| Publisher | Natural Resources Canada |
| Document | open file |
| Lang. | English |
| Media | on-line; digital |
| Related | This publication is contained in TGI 4 - Intrusion Related
Mineralisation Project: new vectors to buried porphyry-style mineralisation |
| Related | This publication is related to Mineralogy and chemistry of
tourmaline in the Woodjam porphyry deposits, British Columbia |
| File format | pdf |
| Province | British Columbia |
| NTS | 92I; 92P; 93A; 93B |
| Area | Williams Lake; Woodjam; Gibraltar; Highland Valley |
| Lat/Long WENS | -124.0000 -120.0000 53.0000 50.0000 |
| Subjects | economic geology; mineralogy; geochemistry; igneous and metamorphic petrology; porphyry deposits; porphyry copper; mineral exploration; mineralization; tungsten; molybdenum; tin; bismuth; copper; gold;
intrusive rocks; igneous rocks; tourmaline; alteration; Woodjam deposit; Mesozoic; Jurassic; Triassic |
| Illustrations | location maps; photomicrographs; photographs; ternary diagrams; plots |
| Program | Targeted Geoscience Initiative (TGI-4) Intrusion/Porphyry Ore Systems |
| Released | 2015 06 11; 2023 03 17 |
| Abstract | Tourmaline is a common accessory and gangue mineral in a diverse range of hydrothermal ore-forming systems covering a broad spectrum of pressure, temperature and chemical conditions, reflecting
tourmaline's wide stability range. Previous studies, dating back into the 1960s, have shown that tourmaline can very closely track changes in physicochemical conditions within the fluid from which it is precipitated. Tourmaline's refractory and
resistant physical properties mean that the mineral is able to preserve this information through numerous subsequent phases of metamorphism, alteration and weathering; in many cases tourmaline may be the only robust remaining record of original
hydrothermal processes. Although tourmaline's utility in mineral exploration has been demonstrated, very few studies have attempted to measure concentrations of the ore metals themselves. In general, these limitations have been imposed by the common
use of EPMA alone to interrogate mineral chemistry at high spatial resolution.
In many porphyry-related deposits of the South American Cordillera, tourmaline occurrences are abundant and extensive, and have attracted much interest for use during
mineral deposit exploration. However, owing to various factors including differences in their tectonic settings and magma chemistries, porphyry-related deposits of the Canadian Cordillera rarely report significant tourmaline among their mineral
inventory. Consequently, studies of tourmaline associated with Canadian deposits are limited, and almost no data exist on tourmaline occurrences associated with alkalic or hybrid alkalic - calc-alkalic systems. In this study we report mineralogical
and LA-ICP-MS trace element analyses of tourmaline minerals from within the hybrid alkalic and calc-alkalic Woodjam porphyry Cu-Au deposits of central British Columbia. These minerals display significant variation in both their major and trace
element compositions, reflecting both temporal and spatial evolution of the magmatic- hydrothermal fluids from which the deposit formed. Tourmaline associated with high-temperature potassic alteration has greater schorl (i.e., Fe-rich) component and
trace element abundances characteristic of the core of a porphyry hydrothermal system, while tourmaline recovered in association with distal, lower-temperature, albite-rich alteration has an increased dravitic (i.e., Mg-rich) component and a distinct
trace element suite. Tourmaline recovered in intimate association with chalcopyrite mineralization has a pronounced blue colour and increased copper content. Hence, within the Woodjam and other similar deposits it may be possible to use tourmaline
mineralogy and chemistry as a vector to mineralization. In addition, careful analysis of tourmaline recovered from surficial samples (till, soil, etc.) may provide detailed information on the type and abundance of any concealed mineralized body.
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| Summary | (Plain Language Summary, not published)
The Targeted Geoscience Initiative (TGI-4) is a collaborative federal geoscience program that provides industry with the next generation of geoscience
knowledge and innovative techniques to better detect buried mineral deposits, thereby reducing some of the risks of exploration. This volume summarises research activities completed under the TGI 4 Intrusion Related Mineralisation Project that
focused on porphyry-style ore systems related to the Cu- and Cu-Mo deposits of South-Central British Columbia and the Sn-W-Mo-In deposits in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. |
| GEOSCAN ID | 296479 |
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