Olympic Dam Iron-oxide Copper Gold Research Articles

Coupled Microstructural EBSD and LA-ICP-MS Trace Element Mapping of Pyrite Constrains the Deformation History of Breccia-Hosted IOCG Ore Systems

Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) methods are used to investigate the presence of microstructures in pyrite from the giant breccia-hosted Olympic Dam iron–oxide copper gold (IOCG) deposit, South Australia. Results include the first evidence for ductile deformation in pyrite from a brecciated deposit. Two stages of ductile behavior are observed, although extensive replacement and recrystallization driven by coupled dissolution–reprecipitation reaction have prevented widespread preservation of the earlier event. Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) element maps of pyrite confirm that many pyrite grains display compositional zoning with respect to As, Co, and Ni, but that the zoning is often irregular, patchy, or otherwise disrupted and are readily correlated with observed microstructures. The formation of ductile microstructures in pyrite requires temperatures above ~260 °C, which could potentially be related to heat from radioactive decay and fault displacements during tectonothermal events. Coupling EBSD methods with LA-ICP-MS element mapping allows a comprehensive characterization of pyrite textures and microstructures that are otherwise invisible to conventional reflected light or BSE imaging. Beyond providing new insights into ore genesis and superimposed events, the two techniques enable a detailed understanding of the grain-scale distribution of minor elements. Such information is pivotal for efforts intended to develop new ways to recover value components (precious and critical metals), as well as remove deleterious components of the ore using low-energy, low-waste ore processing methods.

Laser ablation (in situ) Lu-Hf dating of magmatic fluorite and hydrothermal fluorite-bearing veins

Fluorite (CaF2) is a common hydrothermal mineral, which precipitates from fluorine-rich fluids with an exceptional capacity to transport metals and Rare Earth Elements (REEs). Hence, the ability to date fluorite has important implications for understanding the timing of metal transport in hydrothermal systems. Here we present, for the first time, fluorite Lu-Hf dates from fluorite-carbonate veins from the Olympic Cu-Au Province in South Australia. The fluorite dates were obtained in situ using the recently developed LA-ICP-MS/MS Lu-Hf dating method. A fluorite-calcite age of 1588 ± 19 Ma was obtained for the Torrens Dam prospect, consistent with the timing of the formation of the nearby Olympic Dam iron-oxide copper gold Breccia Complex. Veins in the overlying Neoproterozoic successions were dated at 502 ± 14 Ma, indicating a temporal link between Cu-sulphide remobilisation and the Delamerian Orogeny. Additionally, we present a multi-session reproducible date for magmatic fluorite from a monzogranite in the Pilbara Craton (Lu-Hf age of 2866 ± 19 Ma). This age is consistent with a garnet Lu-Hf age from the same sample (2850 ± 12 Ma) and holds potential to be developed into a secondary reference material for future fluorite Lu-Hf dating.

OPENING THE MAGMATIC-HYDROTHERMAL WINDOW: HIGH-PRECISION U-Pb GEOCHRONOLOGY OF THE MESOPROTEROZOIC OLYMPIC DAM Cu-U-Au-Ag DEPOSIT, SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Abstract Establishing timescales for iron oxide copper-gold (IOCG) deposit formation and the temporal relationships between ores and the magmatic rocks from which hydrothermal, metal-rich fluids are sourced is often dependent on low-precision data, particularly for deposits that formed during the Proterozoic. Unlike accessory minerals routinely used to track hydrothermal mineralization, iron oxides are dominant components of IOCG systems and are therefore pivotal to understanding deposit evolution. The presence of ubiquitous, magmatic-hydrothermal U-(Pb)-W-Sn-Mo–bearing zoned hematite resolves a range of geochronological issues concerning formation of the ~1.6 Ga Olympic Dam IOCG deposit, South Australia, at up to ~0.05% precision (207Pb/206Pb weighted mean; 2σ) using isotope dilution-thermal ionization mass spectrometry (ID-TIMS). Coupled with chemical abrasion-ID-TIMS zircon dates from host granite and volcanic rocks within and enclosing the ore-body, a confident magmatic-hydrothermal chronology is defined. The youngest zircon date from the granite intrusion hosting Olympic Dam indicates magmatism was occurring up until 1593.28 ± 0.26 Ma. The orebody was principally formed during a major mineralizing event following granite uplift and during cupola collapse, whereby the hematite with the oldest age is recorded in the outer shell of the deposit at 1591.27 ± 0.89 Ma, ~2 m.y. later than the youngest documented magmatic zircon. Hematite dates captured throughout major lithologies, different ore zones, and the ~2-km vertical extent of the deposit support ~2 m.y. of hydrothermal activity. New age constraints on the spatial-temporal evolution of the formation of Olympic Dam are considered with respect to a mantle to crustal continuum model. Cyclical tapping of magma reservoirs to maintain crystal mushes for extended time periods and incremental building of batholiths on the million-year scale prior to main mineralization pulses can explain the ~2-m.y. temporal window temporal window inferred from the data. Despite the challenge of reconciling such an extended window with contemporary models for porphyry deposits (≤1 m.y.), formation of Proterozoic ore deposits has been addressed at high-precision and supports the case that giant IOCG deposits may form over millions of years.

Radionuclide distributions in Olympic Dam copper concentrates: The significance of minor hosts, incorporation mechanisms, and the role of mineral surfaces

Some iron oxide-copper-gold (IOCG) deposits contain variable amounts of uranium. Developing mineral deportment models for the radiogenic isotopes resulting from decay of 238U presents a singular technical challenge, as concentrations of 226Ra, 210Pb, and 210Po fall far below the detection limits achievable for most in situ analytical methodologies. The nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry (nanoSIMS) platform combines low detection limits with sub-micron resolution, revealing previously unseen spatial distribution patterns of radionuclides (RNs) in (and on) particles of copper sulphide concentrates. Many potential host minerals for these radionuclides can be readily predicted based on chemical behaviour, periodic table trends, and published studies documenting likely host minerals. Using nanoSIMS data for ores and metallurgical products from the Olympic Dam IOCG deposit and associated processing facilities, we present compelling evidence for the ability of certain minerals within the copper concentrates to host daughter radionuclides derived from uranium decay. Many of these minerals had not traditionally been considered or previously documented as such. These include high-abundance minerals hosting low concentrations of radionuclides, and several relatively low abundance minerals exhibiting remarkable radionuclide enrichment. Rutile, fluorapatite, fluorite, hematite, zircon, covellite, and molybdenite are all proven to be minor hosts of at least some members of the 238U decay chain, and are, collectively, important for establishing the overall RN budget. Surface effects are found to play a significant role, with elevated levels of 226Ra and 210Pb found on most available surfaces, irrespective of mineral, in acid-leached concentrate. Some rRNs, particularly 226Ra and 210Pb liberated from uranium minerals during sulphuric acid leaching, can become extensively redistributed throughout the concentrate, creating newly-formed RN hosts. This new mineralogical deportment information can be used in developing new flowsheets to enhance radionuclide removal without a corresponding loss of Cu. NanoSIMS has proven invaluable for elucidating the mineral-scale deportment of ultra-trace radionuclides throughout the processing circuit at Olympic Dam.

Mineralization signatures of the magnetite-dominant Acropolis prospect, Olympic Dam IOCG district, South Australia

The Acropolis prospect is a vein-style magnetite (±apatite ±hematite) system located ~20 km southwest from the giant Olympic Dam iron-oxide copper gold (IOCG) deposit, South Australia. A whole rock...

Associations between zircon and Fe–Ti oxides in Hiltaba event magmatic rocks, South Australia: atomic- or pluton-scale processes?

The Hiltaba Suite intrusive rocks and penecontemporaneous Gawler Range Volcanics (GRV) comprise the 1590 Ma Gawler silicic large igneous province in the Gawler Craton, South Australia. Zircon is principally associated with Fe–Ti oxides and clusters of touching crystals in these rocks, including in the Roxby Downs Granite (RDG), host of the Olympic Dam iron oxide–copper–gold deposit, and in other intrusive rocks that comprise the Olympic Province. There has been no explicit evaluation and explanation of potential origins published for concentrations of zircon with Fe–Ti oxides (herein zircon-rich clusters) found in these and similar rocks of western North America and elsewhere. Here we use U–Pb geochronology, mineral morphologies and compositions, and insights from surface chemistry and liquid-bound particle interaction studies to investigate zircon-rich clusters and provide a model for their formation. U–Pb geochronology does not reveal any concordant zircon populations older than ca 1590 Ma, so it is unlikely that there are significant xenocrystic zircon grains or that the zircons include significant inherited cores. The lack of pre-magmatic zircon, consistent intra-grain and inter-grain zircon compositional trends, the predominance of oscillatory zoned zircon with morphologies indicating growth from hot, evolved silicate melts, and the lack of evidence for zircon recrystallisation, indicates that zircon crystallised in the host GRV and RDG magmas. Variable zircon compositions within individual clusters does not support epitaxial nucleation of zircon on Fe–Ti oxides, but it is likely that some zircon grains grew from seed crystals formed by exsolution of Zr from Fe–Ti oxides. Aggregation of isolated, liquid-bound crystals is energetically favourable, and the grainsize discrepancy between larger crystals (Fe–Ti oxides, pyroxenes) and smaller accessory minerals (zircon, apatite) maximises the disparity in particle velocities and hence enhances the opportunities for collisions and adhesion between these crystals. We propose that zircon adheres to Fe–Ti oxides with greater ease and/or with greater bond strengths, than to other phases present in the parental magmas. It is possible that this association is related to interactions between zircon and Fe–Ti oxide surface sites with opposing charges, presuming the distance between phase surfaces is sufficiently small. The occurrence of small zircon grains within Fe–Ti oxides and both euhedral zircon and zircon with asymmetric growth zonation in contact with Fe–Ti oxides indicates that several processes are responsible for the high concentrations of zircon crystals in some Fe–Ti oxide clusters.Zircon is principally associated with Fe--Ti oxides in 1.59 Ga Gawler Range Volcanics (GRV) and Roxby Downs Granite (RDG)U–Pb geochronology does not reveal any concordant zircon populations older than ca 1590 MaZircon compositions and morphologies indicate that zircon crystallised in the host RDG and GRV magmas and suggest recharge, reheating and mixing occurred in these magmatic systemsSeed crystals, aggregation and surface chemical affinities contributed to the strong association of zircon and Fe–Ti oxides

Lithospheric Architecture and Mantle Metasomatism Linked to Iron Oxide Cu‐Au Ore Formation: Multidisciplinary Evidence from the Olympic Dam Region, South Australia

AbstractThe role of lithospheric architecture and the mantle in the genesis of iron oxide copper‐gold (IOCG) deposits is controversial. Using the example of the Precambrian Gawler Craton (South Australia), which hosts the giant Olympic Dam IOCG deposit, we integrate geophysical data (seismic tomography and magnetotellurics) with geological and geochemical data to develop a new interpretation of the lithospheric setting of these deposits. Spatially, IOCG deposits are located above the margin of a mantle lithospheric zone with anomalously high electrical conductivities (resistivity <10 ohm.m, top at ~100–150 km depth), low seismic shear‐wave velocities (horizontal component, Vsh < 4.6 km/s), and unusually high ratios of compressional‐ to shear‐wave velocities (Vp/Vsh > 1.80). The high conductivity cannot be explained by water‐bearing olivine‐rich rock alone. Relatively fertile and metasomatized peridotitic mantle with additional high‐Vp/Vs phases, for example, clinohumite, hydrous garnet, and/or phlogopite, could explain the anomalous velocity and conductivity. The top of this high‐Vp/Vsh zone marks a midlithospheric discontinuity at ~100–130 km depth that is interpreted to reflect locally orthopyroxene‐rich mantle. A sub‐Moho zone with high Vp/Vsh at ~40–80 km depth correlates spatially with primitive Nd isotope signatures and arc‐related ~1,620–1,610 Ma magmatism and is interpreted as the eclogitic root of a magmatic arc. Mafic volcanics contemporaneous with ~1,590 Ma IOCG mineralization have geochemistry suggesting derivation from subduction‐modified lithospheric mantle. We suggest that Olympic Dam formed inboard of a continental margin in a postsubduction setting, related to foundering of previously refertilized and metasomatized lithospheric mantle. Deposits formed during the switch from compression to extension, following delamination‐related uplift and exhumation.

EARLY, DEEP MAGNETITE-FLUORAPATITE MINERALIZATION AT THE OLYMPIC DAM Cu-U-Au-Ag DEPOSIT, SOUTH AUSTRALIA*

The Olympic Dam iron oxide copper-gold (IOCG)-uranium-silver deposit (South Australia) is hosted in the large Olympic Dam breccia complex within the ~1.59 Ga Roxby Downs Granite. This breccia complex formed through multiple stages of hydrothermal activity and texturally destructive brecciation that affected the granite. The deepest diamond drill hole to date (RD2773, end at ~2,329 m) intersected weakly altered, in situbrecciated granite (~370–2,329 m) and a quartz-phyric felsic unit (~2,010–2,265 m). These two rock units host coarse-grained hydrothermal minerals, from ~2,150 m to the end of the drill hole. The main minerals in this assemblage are magnetite (± hematite), pyrite, fluorapatite, and quartz, with minor disseminated chalcopyrite, sericite, chlorite, rare earth element (REE)-fluorcarbonates, monazite, uraninite, thorite, galena, sphalerite, anhydrite, schorl, rutile, and pyrrhotite. The assemblage is cut by abundant multiphase veinlets and calcite (± fluorite ± barite) veins. A zircon U-Pb age for the felsic unit (1591 ± 11 Ma) implies that this unit is broadly coeval with the granite, whereas U-Pb ages for hydrothermal uraninite (1593.5 ± 5.1 Ma), fluorapatite (1583.3 ± 6.5 Ma), and hematite (1592 ± 15 Ma) indicate that deposition of the U-REE–rich hydrothermal magnetite-fluorapatite-pyrite-quartz assemblage and replacement of magnetite by hematite occurred soon after emplacement of the granitic host rocks. Sm-Nd dating of ubiquitous calcite veins suggests formation at ~1.54 Ga. The deep ~1.59 Ga magnetite-fluorapatite-pyrite-quartz assemblage at Olympic Dam resembles those characteristic of iron oxide-apatite deposits and many other sensu stricto IOCG deposits. This study confirms that the ~1.59 Ga event involved significant and widespread IOCG mineralization in the Olympic Cu-Au province.

Alteration at the Olympic Dam IOCG–U deposit: insights into distal to proximal feldspar and phyllosilicate chemistry from infrared reflectance spectroscopy

ABSTRACTTwenty thousand metres of diamond drill core representing a 14 km cross-section from weakly to intensely altered Roxby Downs Granite through the Olympic Dam Breccia Complex, host to the Olympic Dam iron-oxide–copper–gold–uranium deposit in South Australia, was analysed using the HyLogger-3 spectral scanner. Thermal and shortwave infrared spectroscopy results from 30 drill holes provide insight into the spatial relationships between quartz, orthoclase–microcline, albite–oligoclase and progressively changing sericite and chlorite compositions. The relative proportions of quartz, feldspars and phyllosilicates were mapped with thermal infrared spectroscopy. Variations in the chemistry of sericite and chlorite were extracted by proxy from their shortwave infrared spectral response, together with their relative spatial distribution. HyLogger scanning has revealed four deposit-scale mineralogical trends, progressing from least-altered Roxby Downs Granite into mineralisation where most of the feldspar has been replaced by sericite + hematite + quartz: (1) a progressive Al–OH wavelength shift of 2205 nm to 2210 nm for sericite, followed by a spatially rapid reversal corresponding to lower phengite/muscovite abundance ratios; (2) progressive Mg/Fe–OH wavelength shift of 2248 nm to 2252 nm reflecting an increase in the Fe:Mg ratio of chlorite; (3) increasing ratio of microcline to orthoclase followed by a rapid decrease; and (4) slightly decreasing ratio of albite to oligoclase followed by plagioclase destruction prior to albite replacement by sericite. The HyLogger feldspar results support recent petrographic evidence for hydrothermal albite and K-feldspar at the Olympic Dam deposit, not previously reported. The spectral results from continuous HyLogger scans also show that the microscopic observations and proposed feldspar replacement reactions are not locally isolated phenomena, but are applicable at the deposit and regional-scale. A modified quartz–K-feldspar–plagioclase ternary diagram utilising mineralogy interpreted from HyLogger thermal infrared spectra (QAPTIR) diagram along with supporting data on the abundance ratios of orthoclase/microcline and albite/plagioclase, and the wavelength shifts in characteristic absorption features for sericite and chlorite, can be used as empirical vectors towards mineralisation within the Olympic Dam mineral system, with potential application to other IOCG ore-forming systems. Intrusion of Gairdner Dyke Swarm dolerite dykes into sericite ± hematite altered Roxby Downs Granite results in retrograde albite–chlorite–magnetite alteration envelopes (up to tens of metres thick) overprinting the original sericite ± hematite alteration zone and needs to be carefully evaluated to ensure that such areas are not falsely downgraded during exploration.

Postmagmatic magnetite–apatite assemblage in mafic intrusions: a case study of dolerite at Olympic Dam, South Australia

An assemblage of magnetite and apatite is common worldwide in different ore deposit types, including disparate members of the iron-oxide copper–gold (IOCG) clan. The Kiruna-type iron oxide-apatite deposits, a subtype of the IOCG family, are recognized as economic targets as well. A wide range of competing genetic models exists for magnetite–apatite deposits, including magmatic, magmatic-hydrothermal, hydrothermal(-metasomatic), and sedimentary(-exhalative). The sources and mechanisms of transport and deposition of Fe and P remain highly debatable. This study reports petrographic and geochemical features of the magnetite–apatite-rich vein assemblages in the dolerite dykes of the Gairdner Dyke Swarm (~0.82 Ga) that intruded the Roxby Downs Granite (~0.59 Ga), the host of the supergiant Olympic Dam IOCG deposit. These symmetrical, only few mm narrow veins are prevalent in such dykes and comprise besides usually colloform magnetite and prismatic apatite also further minerals (e.g., calcite, quartz). The genetic relationships between the veins and host dolerite are implied based on alteration in the immediate vicinity (~4 mm) of the veins. In particular, Ti-magnetite–ilmenite is partially to completely transformed to titanite and magmatic apatite disappears. We conclude that the mafic dykes were a local source of Fe and P re-concentrated in the magnetite–apatite veins. Uranium-Pb ages for vein apatite and titanite associated with the vein in this case study suggest that alteration of the dolerite and healing of the fractures occurred shortly after dyke emplacement. We propose that in this particular case the origin of the magnetite–apatite assemblage is clearly related to hydrothermal alteration of the host mafic magmatic rocks.

Lithology and Hydrothermal Alteration Control the Distribution of Copper Grade in the Prominent Hill Iron Oxide-Copper-Gold Deposit (Gawler Craton, South Australia)

The Prominent Hill iron oxide-copper-gold (IOCG) deposit, located in the Gawler craton of South Australia, contains ca. 278 million metric tons (Mt) of ore at 0.98% Cu, 0.75 g/t Au, and 2.5 g/t Ag. In contrast to the predominantly granite-hosted Olympic Dam IOCG deposit, Prominent Hill is mainly within unmetamorphosed sedimentary rocks comprising coarse clastic to laminated argillaceous lithologies with some volcaniclastic components and variable carbonate, including local massive dolomite. Essentially unmetamorphosed sedimentary rocks and structurally underlying mafic to intermediate-composition lavas, inferred to be members of the lower Gawler Range Volcanics, host the economically mineralized hematite breccias. The volcanic-sedimentary package was downfaulted and tilted along a major east-west fault, north of which similar but regionally low-grade metamorphosed rocks were affected by subeconomic skarn mineralization, and (on a more regional scale of the Mount Woods domain) intruded by granitic and gabbroic bodies. Hydrothermal alteration and mineralization at Prominent Hill involved pervasive and texturally destructive replacement of formerly calcareous, dolomitic, and siliciclastic breccia components. Hydrothermal alteration minerals comprise hematite, magnetite, siderite, ankerite, quartz, sericite, chlorite, kaolinite, fluorapatite, fluorite, barite, REE-U minerals (including monazite), uraninite, and coffinite, together with Cu sulfides including chalcopyrite, bornite, and chalcocite in the highest grade ore. Brecciation and replacement caused mechanical mixing as well as chemical alteration of primary lithologies, such that sedimentary contacts became obscured. Mass-balance calculations identify Al, Ti, Si, and Zr as least mobile components during hematite-chlorite-sericite to weak hematite-quartz alteration. Because Zr was not regularly assayed in drill cores, we use concentration ratios of Ti, Al, and Si from the deposit-scale assay database to delineate the distribution of lithochemical units prior to hydrothermal alteration and Cu mineralization. The resulting lithochemical model, based on one horizontal and five vertical cross sections, is used as a basis for mapping alteration patterns calculated from molar (Fe + Si)/(Fe + Si + Al), K/Na, and K/Al ratios. These chemical patterns, in conjunction with mineral stoichiometry, indicate that the spatial distribution of hematite, chlorite, variably phengitic sericite (and/or illite) ± kaolinite ± quartz-bearing alteration is superimposed on the pattern of interpreted lithologic contacts. The alteration patterns confirm visual logging results, showing that hematite enrichment correlates only partially with the distribution of Cu grades of >0.25 wt %. A subvertical body of complete replacement by hematite and quartz with consistent but subeconomic gold enrichment forms a Cu-barren core in the central and eastern parts of the deposit. Zones of increasing K/Al and K/Na ratios extend upward and westward from this Cu-barren core, transgressively overprinting lithologic contacts. The degree of hematite-quartz replacement can be measured by a hematite-quartz alteration index, here termed the HMSI value [(Fe + Si)/(Fe +Si + Al)], which inversely correlates with the normal probability for Cu grade. Areas of highest Cu grade (>1 wt %) spatially correlate with irregular zones having intermediate molar alteration indices: 0.34 < K/Al < 0.40, 20 < K/Na < 36, and HMSI < 0.98. Hematite breccias and Cu ore deposition developed after tilting of the host sequence into its present steep orientation, as indicated by geopetal structures within the breccia matrix. Thus, the economic mineralization occurred late in the deformational history of the region and after extrusion of the lower Gawler Range Volcanics. The formation of the Prominent Hill orebodies occurred during or after upthrusting of deeper seated rocks containing subeconomic Cu in skarns north of the fault. Faulting as well as ore formation may be related to orogenic processes in the central and northern part of the Mount Woods domain. Iron oxide introduction was decoupled from, and at least partly preceded, hydrothermal deposition of high-grade Cu. Geochemical and petrographic data indicate that economic Cu mineralization occurred together with mildly acidic hematite-chlorite-sericite ± siderite alteration of originally carbonate-, illite-, and feldspar-bearing sedimentary rocks. The presence of copper enrichment with an intermediate degree of cation leaching from the host rocks indicates that pH neutralization of initially highly acidic metal-transporting fluids was an essential factor causing Cu sulfide deposition. Distinct ranges in Na-K-Al ratios and low HMSI values offer potential as exploration indicators pointing toward higher ore grades. These results from Prominent Hill are consistent with recently published mineralogical studies at the giant Olympic Dam deposit, indicating similar ore depositional controls despite lithologically different host rocks.

The mineral chemistry, near-infrared, and mid-infrared reflectance spectroscopy of phengite from the Olympic Dam IOCG deposit, South Australia

Phengite is the main potassic dioctahedral mica identified at the Olympic Dam iron oxide–copper–gold (IOCG) deposit, South Australia, where its mineral chemistry is quite variable. These differences can be explained by contrasting degrees of hydrothermal alteration. In the heavily-sericitized, ore-bearing rocks, the phengites display a lower-Si content, a higher-Al content, and a lower Mg-number than the phengites from the weakly-sericitized alteration halo that surrounds the deposit. Variations are also observed in the near- and mid-infrared reflectance spectra collected from phengite-bearing rocks. In the near-infrared, high-Al phengite produces a spectral absorption feature at 2.206μm, and this feature is displaced to 2.213μm for low-Al phengite. In the mid-infrared, high-Al phengite produces a strong reflectance peak at 9.59μm, whereas this peak is observed at 9.57μm in the spectra from low-Al phengite. Additional peaks were also identified at 10.98, 12.22, and 13.33μm. These were most intense in the spectra from high-Al phengite. A drill core profile was produced using the results of the spectral analysis that shows the change in phengite mineral chemistry and phengite abundance as a function of depth. In general, near- and mid-infrared reflectance spectroscopy can be used to characterize the aluminum content of potassic dioctahedral micas like phengite, and this information can be used to infer the degree of sericitic alteration that has occurred as a result of hydrothermal fluid flow.

AUTOMATED DRILL CORE LOGGING USING VISIBLE AND NEAR-INFRARED REFLECTANCE SPECTROSCOPY: A CASE STUDY FROM THE OLYMPIC DAM IOCG DEPOSIT, SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Reflectance spectrometers with automated scanning capabilities can gather compositional information directly from the surface of drill core. To showcase the usefulness of this analytical technique, 300 m of drill core from the Olympic Dam iron oxide copper-gold (IOCG) deposit, South Australia, were scanned using HyLogger. The reflectance spectra (400–2,500 nm) were analyzed to identify hematite and phengite, which are the most important alteration minerals at Olympic Dam. The results were plotted as a function of depth to produce a log that accurately identified ore-bearing and barren rocks. The position of the most intense absorption feature between 850 and 970 nm was found to correspond to iron concentration, and the intensity of the most intense absorption feature between 2,190 and 2,230 nm was found to correspond to aluminum concentration. In addition, phengite located near the ore-bearing zone was found to contain more aluminum than phengite located in the barren rocks, and this difference in phengite mineral chemistry was observable in the reflectance spectra between 2,190 and 2,230 nm.

Constraining models of the tectonic setting of the giant Olympic Dam iron oxide–copper–gold deposit, South Australia, using deep seismic reflection data

In the Gawler Craton, the completeness of cover concealing the crystalline basement in the region of the giant Olympic Dam Cu–Au deposit has impeded any sufficient understanding of the crustal architecture and tectonic setting of its IOCG mineral-system. To circumvent this problem, deep seismic reflection data were recently acquired from ∼ 250 line-km of two intersecting traverses, centered on the Olympic Dam deposit. The data were recorded to 18 s TWT (∼ 55 km). The crust consists of Neoproterozoic cover, in places more than 5 km thick, over crystalline basement with the Moho at depths of 13–14 s TWT (∼ 40–42 km). The Olympic Dam deposit lies on the boundary between two distinct pieces of crust, one interpreted as the Archean–Paleoproterozoic core to the craton, the other as a Meso–Neoproterozoic mobile belt. The host to the deposit, a member of the ∼ 1590 Ma Hiltaba Suite of granites, is situated above a zone of reduced impedance contrast in the lower crust, which we interpret to be source-region for its ∼ 1000 °C magma. The crystalline basement is dominated by thrusts. This contrasts with widely held models for the tectonic setting of Olympic Dam, which predict extension associated with heat from the mantle producing the high temperatures required to generate the Hiltaba Suite granites implicated in mineralization. We use the seismic data to test four hypotheses for this heat-source: mantle underplating, a mantle-plume, lithospheric extension, and radioactive heating in the lower crust. We reject the first three hypotheses. The data cannot be used to reject or confirm the fourth hypothesis.

Metallogeny of the Grenville Province revisited

Four new petrogenetic and metallogenic models are proposed herein to explain the formation of important mineral deposits in the Grenville Province, providing a framework from which to reappraise Grenvillian mineral potential. Recognition of a high-pressure metamorphic belt within the Grenville Province suggests a potential for eclogite-hosted rutile deposits, an important and much-sought commodity. A recently developed Norwegian model proposes that anorthosite genesis occurred through lower crust underplating and coeval partial melting, rather than by plume magmatism. Applied to the Grenville Province, the new petrogenetic model may provide insight into the widespread occurrence of platinum group element (PGE) poor nickel showings and the distribution of chromite, Ti-rich, and low-Ti iron-oxide deposits within the Grenville and adjacent terranes. A new type of sedimentary–exhalative (SEDEX) mineralization formed by oxidized brines has been defined following the discovery of new deposits in Australia. Applied to the Grenville Province, it provides a possible explanation for two long-recognized features of marble-hosted zinc deposits: (i) the presence of meta-siderite beds occurring as distal haloes around SEDEX zinc deposits, and (ii) the mutually exclusive division of these SEDEX deposits into massive sulphide and nonsulphide groups. The discovery of the giant Olympic Dam iron-oxide copper–gold (IOCG) deposit in Australia renewed the interest in magmatic low-Ti iron-oxide deposits in the Grenville Province that have been known and mined since early colonial times. Subsequent exploration in the northeastern part of the Grenville Province revealed the presence of breccia-hosted Cu–Au–U – rare-earth element (REE)-bearing iron-oxide mineralization. This deposit and other low-Ti iron-oxide deposits in the southwestern Grenville Province have a previously undocumented close spatial and temporal association with Ti-rich iron-oxide deposits. These examples demonstrate how new petrogenetic, tectonic, and ore deposit models developed in unmetamorphosed rocks can be successfully adapted to high-grade terranes, where they stimulate mineral exploration in these challenging conditions. Furthermore, by tracking the formation of ore deposits in the lower crust, the existence of unsuspected metallogenic associations in the higher crust, such as the low-Ti and high-Ti iron-oxide association observed in the Grenville Province, may be revealed.