The 4D evolution of the Teutonic Bore Camp VHMS deposits, Yilgarn Craton, Western Australia

Abstract

The Teutonic Bore Camp, comprised of the Teutonic Bore, Jaguar and Bentley deposits, is one of the most significant volcanic-hosted massive sulphide (VHMS) camps in Western Australia. Despite being extensively studied, only recently there have been advances in the understanding of the mechanism that drove the formation of mineralisation. It has been recognized by recent studies that the volcanic-hosted deposits from the Teutonic Bore Camp represent replacement-type VHMS systems, with significant input of fluids and metals from a magmatic source. This paper tests the existing hypothesis that the nearby Penzance granite acted as the metals source and/or thermal engine driving the development of these ore deposits.New age constraints on the formation of the host volcanic sequence at the Bentley deposit and the crystallization of the Penzance granite allows for the construction of a 4D evolutionary model for the ore system. A new U-Pb SHRIMP monazite age of 2681.9 ± 4.5 Ma indicates that the Penzance granite post-dates the host stratigraphy at Bentley (ca. 2693 Ma) and is probably coeval with mineralisation. All zircons (Penzance, Bentley units I and III) have very similar ƐHf(i), with most values between −1 and + 6, slightly higher than the ƐHf(i) of zircons from other granites and volcanics within the Kurnalpi Terrain, and indicative of juvenile sources. The mean Th/U ratios are ~0.7 and ~0.6 for the Penzance and Bentley zircons, respectively. All zircons have similar Ce/Nd(CN) ratios. The chemical similarities between the zircons from the granite and the volcanic rocks at Bentley support a shared magmatic source between the Penzance and the Teutonic Bore Camp sequence. The Penzance granite is the likely source of heat, and potentially metals, which drove the VHMS mineralisation at the Teutonic Bore Camp.