| Title | Geological setting of the 5.2 Moz Au Amaruq banded iron formation-hosted gold deposit, Churchill Province, Nunavut |
| Download | Download (whole publication) |
| |
| Licence | Please note the adoption of the Open Government Licence - Canada
supersedes any previous licences. |
| Author | Valette, M; De Souza, S; Mercier-Langevin, P; McNicoll, V J; Wodicka, N ; Creaser, R A; Côté-Mantha, O; Simard, M |
| Source | Targeted Geoscience Initiative: 2018 report of activities; by Rogers, N (ed.); Geological Survey of Canada, Open File 8549, 2019 p. 83-87, https://doi.org/10.4095/313643  Open Access |
| Year | 2019 |
| Publisher | Natural Resources Canada |
| Document | open file |
| Lang. | English |
| Media | on-line; digital |
| Related | This publication is contained in Targeted Geoscience
Initiative: 2018 report of activities |
| File format | pdf |
| Province | Nunavut |
| NTS | 66H |
| Area | Whale Lake; Mammoth Lake |
| Lat/Long WENS | -98.0000 -96.0000 66.0000 65.0000 |
| Subjects | economic geology; tectonics; mineral deposits; gold; strata-bound deposits; replacement deposits; mineral exploration; ore mineral genesis; mineralization; ore controls; modelling; tectonic setting;
deformation; folding; metamorphism; greenschist facies; shearing; strain; fabric analyses; veins; hydrothermal alteration; intrusions; bedrock geology; lithology; sedimentary rocks; iron formations; Algoma type iron formations; cherts; igneous rocks;
volcanic rocks; ultramafic rocks; mafic rocks; Archean; Canadian Shield; Churchill Province; Amaruq Deposit; Woodburn Lake Greenstone Belt; Woodburn Lake Group; Rumble Assemblage; Rae Domain; Snow Island Suite; Whale Tail Zone; IVR Zone;
Precambrian |
| Illustrations | location maps; geoscientific sketch maps; photographs; photomicrographs |
| Program | Targeted Geoscience Initiative (TGI-5) Knowledge Management Coordination |
| Program | Targeted Geoscience Initiative (TGI-5) Gold ore systems - tectonic drivers and conduits |
| Released | 2019 03 01 |
| Abstract | The recently discovered 5.2 Moz Au Amaruq deposit in Nunavut is part of the Neoarchean (ca. 2.72-2.63 Ga) Wood-burn Lake greenstone belt, Churchill Province. It is hosted in polydeformed, upper
greenschist facies banded iron formation (BIF), volcanic, and detrital sedimentary rocks of the Rumble assemblage of the Woodburn Lake group. The orebodies are primarily hosted in Algoma-type silicate-facies BIF and chert, and occur as stratabound to
discord-ant pyrrhotite-rich replacements and arsenopyrite (± löllingite)-bearing zones of silica flooding. Several sets of discordant quartz±carbonate auriferous veins are present and include fault-fill laminated veins in high-strain zones
preferentially developed along sheared/folded contacts between sedimentary and volcanic rocks. The host rocks are affected by at least three episodes of deformation. Textural relationships between silicate and sulphide minerals provide evidence for
prograde metamorphism associated with the main phase of deformation and main fabrics affecting the ore. Gold was exsolved from löllingite during retrograde metamorphism to lower greenschist facies. Possible Arche-an gold heritage and the timing of
the gold mineralization represent key issues that are being addressed to help im-prove exploration models for BIF-hosted/associated gold deposits in the Churchill Province and other Archean terranes. |
| Summary | (Plain Language Summary, not published)
The Targeted Geoscience Initiative (TGI) is directed towards providing next generation knowledge and methods to facilitate more effective targeting of
buried mineral deposits. The program aims to enhance the effectiveness of exploration for Canada's major mineral systems by resolving foundational geoscience problems that constrain the geological processes responsible for the liberation metals from
their source region, transportation of these ore metals and control their eventual deposition. TGI supports projects on gold, Ni-Cr-PGE, porphyry-style mineralization, uranium and volcanic- and sedimentary-hosted base metal mineralization ore
systems, with each project divided into subprojects focused on resolving specific knowledge gaps by integrating data and studies from multiple sites across Canada. Herein, we present interim results and interpretations from a selection of the
research activities currently being conducted under the auspices of TGI. |
| GEOSCAN ID | 313643 |
|
|