Abstract
Stream sediment and water samples were collected around the Sisson W-Mo deposit as part of the Geological Survey of Canada's (GSC) Targeted Geoscience Initiative 4 (TGI-4). The TGI-4 Program is a collaborative federal geoscience program with a mandate to provide industry with the next generation of geoscience knowledge and innovative techniques that will result in more effective targeting of buried mineral deposits. The stream sampling is part of an indicator mineral case study around the Sisson deposit to document indicator mineral signatures of the deposit in bedrock as well as surficial media (till and stream sediments). Stream sediments have been eroded from till, not from the Sisson deposit, thus patterns in stream sediments reported here reflect both glacial transport and fluvial transport. Indicator elements of the deposit in the <0.1 77 mm fraction of stream sediment are the main ore elements W and Mo and pathfinder elements include As, Bi, Ag, Cu, Zn, In, Tl, and Cd. A total analysis method (INAA) is required to determine the total concentration of W and Mo in stream sediments. Aqua regia/ICPMS is a suitable method for determining the content of the other pathfinder elements. Indicator/pathfinder elements in stream waters include As, Cd, Cu, Cs, W, and Zn. Indicator minerals of the deposit in the <2.0 mm heavy mineral fraction of stream sediments are the main ore minerals scheelite, wolframite, and molybdenite as well as other minerals including chalcopyrite, sphalerite, arsenopyrite, and pyrite. Fluvial dispersal of scheelite and wolframite from the deposit is detectable in stream sediments at least 4 km downstream from the north end of the deposit and 5 km southeast of the deposit in streams that drain the southeast-trending glacial dispersal train. Additional stream sediment sampling would be required to fully document the nature of dispersal of scheelite downstream from the deposit. Molybdenite is not a useful indicator mineral in stream sediments around the Sisson deposit because it is too soft to survive glacial and subsequent fluvial transport. A 2 km (4 km2) spacing of stream sediment samples is recommended to detect the W dispersal train from the Sisson deposit or similar styles of W-Mo mineralization.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
