Copper-platinum group element mineralization of the Midcontinent rift-related Marathon deposit, Ontario

安大略省中部大陆裂谷相关马拉松矿床的铜铂族元素矿化

• 批准号: 558451-2020
• 负责人: Hollings, Peter
• 金额: $ 3.93万
• 依托单位: Lakehead University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Alliance Grants
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2021-01-01 至 2022-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=721138
• 关键词: Copper; platinum; group; element; mineralization

This project will focus on the variably mineralized zones of the Marathon Palladium deposit of the Midcontinent Rift-related Coldwell Complex, specifically the high PGE-low sulfur W Horizon, the low PGE-high sulfur Footwall Zone, and the compositionally intermediate Main Zone. Two BSc students and one PDF will integrate novel core-scanning technology, including high resolution chemical and mineral mapping, with more traditional bulk-rock and mineral chemical data, transmitted- and reflected-light microscopy observations, geologic mapping, and core logging. The aims of this integration are to identify relationships between the style of mineralization (e.g., high PGE-low sulfur vs. low PGE-high sulfur) and regional- and deposit-scale structures, rock textures, mineralogy, as well as mineral textures and chemistry. The ultimate goals of this study are two-fold i) development of accessible, economic, and scalable exploration strategies that can be used to identify and vector towards high-grade PGE mineralization in the Coldwell Complex and ii) further refinement of an internally consistent mineral deposit model for the Marathon Palladium deposit. The vectors developed through this study, along with a refined mineral deposit model, will aid Generation Mining in identifying additional Cu-PGE resources at Marathon and elsewhere in the Coldwell Complex. Since these vectors are scalable and grounded in the fundamental mechanisms that generated the mineralization, they can be applied at various stages of exploration (e.g., early-stage regional-scale exploration vs. late-stage deposit-scale exploration) by Canadian resource companies to identify Ni-Cu-PGE mineralization throughout Canada. Additionally, scanning large volumes of drill core from a well-characterized ultramafic-mafic Ni-Cu-PGE mineralized system with support from experts on the deposit will provide Enersoft the opportunity to test and enhance their artificial intelligence algorithms in an environment in which these technologies are not typically applied. Ultimately, this will enhance the applicability of core scanning and the associated technologies to a new set of mineral deposits and petrologic environments.

该项目将重点关注与中大陆裂谷相关的 Coldwell 杂岩的 Marathon 钯矿床的不同矿化带，特别是高 PGE-低硫 W 地平线、低 PGE-高硫下盘带以及成分中间的主带。两名理学学士学生和一名 PDF 人员将整合新颖的岩心扫描技术，包括高分辨率化学和矿物测绘，与更传统的散装岩石和矿物化学数据、透射和反射光显微镜观察、地质测绘和岩心测井。这种整合的目的是确定矿化类型（例如，高 PGE-低硫与低 PGE-高硫）与区域和矿床规模结构、岩石结构、矿物学以及矿物结构和化学。这项研究的最终目标有两个：i) 制定可利用、经济且可扩展的勘探策略，可用于识别和引导 Coldwell 复合体中的高品位 PGE 矿化；ii) 进一步精炼内部一致的矿物马拉松钯矿床的矿床模型。 通过这项研究开发的向量以及精炼的矿床模型将帮助 Generation Mining 识别 Marathon 和 Coldwell 综合体其他地方的额外 Cu-PGE 资源。由于这些向量是可扩展的，并且以产生矿化的基本机制为基础，因此加拿大资源公司可以将它们应用于勘探的各个阶段（例如，早期区域规模勘探与后期矿床规模勘探）识别整个加拿大的 Ni-Cu-PGE 矿化。此外，在矿床专家的支持下，从特征良好的超镁铁质 - 镁铁质 Ni-Cu-PGE 矿化系统中扫描大量钻芯，将为 Enersoft 提供在使用这些技术的环境中测试和增强其人工智能算法的机会。通常不应用。最终，这将增强岩心扫描和相关技术对一组新矿床和岩石环境的适用性。