Title | Spatial relationship between porphyritic Cu-Au mineral occurrences and magnetic signatures within the Iron Mask Batholith, south-central Cordillera, British Columbia |
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Licence | Please note the adoption of the Open Government Licence - Canada
supersedes any previous licences. |
Author | Thomas, M D |
Source | Targeted Geoscience Initiative 5: contributions to the understanding and exploration of porphyry deposits; by Plouffe, A (ed.); Schetselaar, E (ed.); Geological Survey of Canada, Bulletin 616, 2021 p. 65-90, https://doi.org/10.4095/327943 Open Access |
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Year | 2021 |
Publisher | Natural Resources Canada |
Document | serial |
Lang. | English |
Media | on-line; digital |
Related | This publication is contained in Targeted Geoscience
Initiative 5: contributions to the understanding and exploration of porphyry deposits |
Related | This publication is related to Gravity and magnetic models
of the Iron Mask Batholith, south-central Canadian Cordillera, British Columbia |
File format | pdf |
Province | British Columbia |
NTS | 92I/09; 92I/10 |
Area | Kamloops |
Lat/Long WENS | -120.5667 -120.2667 50.6833 50.5333 |
Subjects | economic geology; geophysics; Science and Technology; Nature and Environment; mineral deposits; porphyry deposits; copper; gold; mineral exploration; mineralization; ore controls; mineral occurrences;
geophysical surveys; magnetic surveys; gravity surveys; radiometric surveys; geophysical interpretations; magnetic interpretations; total field magnetics; magnetic anomalies; magnetic susceptibility; magnetite; apatite; mining activities; models;
intrusions; plutons; dykes; Iron Mask Batholith; Canadian Cordillera; Iron Mask Pluton; Cherry Creek Pluton; Nicola Group; Nicola Horst; New Afton Mine; Cherry Creek Tectonic Zone; Phanerozoic; Mesozoic; Jurassic; Triassic |
Illustrations | geoscientific sketch maps; magnetic profiles; profiles; models |
Program | Targeted Geoscience Initiative (TGI-5) Intrusion/Porphyry ore systems - porphyry processes - mineral markers |
Released | 2021 09 01; 2022 11 17 |
Abstract | Gold-rich porphyry copper deposits are commonly associated with magnetic highs related to high magnetite content - up to 10% volume - within potassium silicate alteration zones. This association
promoted magnetic highs as exploration targets. The Iron Mask batholith (comprising Iron Mask and Cherry Creek plutons) contains more than 50 porphyry Cu-Au mineral occurrences, including the New Afton deposit. The batholith's strong positive
magnetic signatures permit examining magnetic high correlations with porphyry-type mineralization and evaluating the significance of magnetic signatures for mineral exploration. Groups of prominent magnetic peaks were delineated, with six and two
groups present in the Iron Mask pluton and Cherry Creek pluton, respectively. Mineral occurrences occur within the borders of two groups, but are peripheral to other groups, with the nearest occurrence an average of 500 m from the centre of a group.
These close spatial relationships support magnetic exploration for porphyry-copper deposits that significantly narrows the search area. Magnetic exploration is also supported by the observation that porphyry (Cu±Mo±Au) and magnetite-apatite
mineralization in the Iron Mask batholith are related to a single intrusive event, a characteristic shared by iron-oxide copper gold deposits, where magnetite-apatite mineralization is located laterally or deeper. The New Afton deposit is situated
laterally to the Magnet magnetite-apatite deposit near the end of a linear magnetic high passing through the latter. |
Summary | (Plain Language Summary, not published) This Bulletin published by the Geological Survey of Canada contains ten articles summarizing the results of five-year research projects conducted on
porphyry deposits in Canada as part of the Targeted Geoscience Initiative (TGI). Porphyry deposits are ore bodies, including past-producing and active mines, associated with intrusive rocks such as granite. They are significant producers of a variety
of metals, including copper, molybdenum, tin and tungsten. Nine out of ten papers describe projects conducted in the Canadian Cordillera where most Canadian porphyry deposits occur and a paper on similar, but older deposits in the Appalachians of
Atlantic Canada. The main objective of these TGI research projects was to better define the geological conditions where porphyry deposits form and test techniques to detect buried porphyry deposits in support of mineral exploration. |
GEOSCAN ID | 327943 |
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