Abstract
AbstractMineral systems can be thought of as a combination of several critical elements, including the whole‐lithosphere architecture, favorable geodynamic/tectonic events, and fertility. Because they are driven by processes across various scales, exploration benefits from a scale‐integrated approach. There are open questions regarding the source of ore‐forming fluids, the depth of genesis, and their transportation through the upper crust to discrete emplacement locations. In this study, we investigate an Au–Cu metal belt located at the margin of an Archean‐Paleoproterozoic microcontinent. We explore the geophysical signatures by analyzing three‐dimensional models of the electrical resistivity and shear‐wave velocity throughout the lithosphere. Directly beneath the metal belt, narrow, vertical, finger‐like low‐resistivity features are imaged within the resistive upper‐middle crust and are connected to a large low‐resistivity zone in the lower crust. A broad low‐resistivity zone is imaged in the lithospheric mantle, which is well aligned with a zone of low shear‐wave velocity, examined with a correlation analysis. In the upper‐middle crust, the resistivity signatures give evidence for ancient pathways of fluids, constrained by a structure along a tectonic boundary. In the lower lithosphere, the resistivity and velocity signatures are interpreted to represent a fossil fluid source region. We propose that these signatures were caused by a combination of factors related to refertilization and metasomatism of the lithospheric mantle by long‐lived subduction at the craton margin, possibly including iron enrichment, F‐rich phlogopite, and metallic sulfides. The whole‐lithosphere architecture controls the genesis, evolution, and transport of ore‐forming fluids and thus the development of the mineral system.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: 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.