Cretaceous reduced granitoids in the Goodpaster Mining District, east central Alaska

Abstract

The >5 Moz (1 oz (troy) = 31.103 g) gold veins of the Liese Zone and nearby prospects in the Goodpaster Mining District of east central Alaska are spatially and temporally associated with late-Early to Late Cretaceous reduced granitoids that are divided into a granite suite, tonalite suite, and diorite suite in decreasing age. Synkinematic to postkinematic biotite ± hornblende granite, granodiorite, pegmatite, and two-mica granite with accessory garnet compose the granite suite (109–107 Ma). The tonalite suite (107–103 Ma) forms small to large bodies of postkinematic hornblende–biotite granodiorite to tonalite with rare granite. Intruding the granite and parts of the tonalite suites are aplite and pegmatite that grade through sugary pegmatoidal or aplitic quartz veins and finally into quartz veins along strike. The diorite suite (95.4–93.7 Ma) consists of small stocks of diorite to tonalite that intrude the older suites and are inferred to intrude the shallowly dipping auriferous quartz veins. Limited data indicate granitoid emplacement at 5–9 km depths, consistent with formation of the auriferous quartz veins based upon published fluid inclusion data. The weakly peraluminous granite and tonalite suites are distinguished by variable amounts of monazite and zircon whereas the diorite suite is metaluminous, contains <5% magnetite, and lacks monazite. All suites are subalkalic, calc-alkaline and have low magnetic susceptibilities, high large-ion lithophile element/high field-strength element (LILE/HFSE), and depleted Nb and Ti. The granite suite has higher206Pb/204Pb values (19.4–19.6) than the diorite (19.1). Overall the granite and tonalite suites likely represent melts generated late during crustal thickening that intruded along shallowly dipping faults during exhumation, whereas the diorite suite represents postdeformation melts that underwent less interaction with the old silicic crust.