Genesis of greenstone‐hosted Cu–Au mineralisation at Hill 800, Mt Useful Slate Belt, eastern Victoria

Abstract

A group of structurally emplaced Cambrian metavolcanic inliers, informally known as the Barkly River greenstones, in the Mt Useful Slate Belt, eastern Victoria, host several base‐ and precious‐metal anomalies. To date, the most significant anomaly is the Hill 800 prospect, where disseminated and stockwork/stringer chalcopyrite + sphalerite + galena ± native Au mineralisation have been recognised. This ore assemblage is hosted by andesitic lavas and breccias and is syngenetic to pretectonic in origin. Deformation fabrics as well as unmineralised, low‐temperature, quartz ± carbonate veins overprint the ore minerals. Spectacular gossan exposures and intense paragonite + chlorite + muscovite hydrothermal alteration zones are associated with the known extent of the mineralisation. Field relations, geochemical, petrographic, isotopic and fluid‐inclusion studies indicate that ore genesis is closely related to a volcanic‐hosted massive sulfide (VHMS) system, although certain characteristics resemble a porphyry‐Cu style of mineralisation. Comparisons of these findings with other ore systems suggest that Hill 800 is a ‘hybrid’ system transitional between a VHMS and porphyry‐Cu style of mineralisation. Moreover, the host rocks are analogous with the economically important Mt Read Volcanic Complex of western Tasmania. These findings emphasise that the Cambrian greenstones can potentially represent a new base‐ and precious‐metal mineral province of Victoria.