austman - departmental seminar - fraser lakes zone b mineralization
DESCRIPTION
Departmental seminar that I gave on my research on the Fraser Lakes Zone B U-Th-REE mineralization.TRANSCRIPT
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Fraser Lakes Zone BPegmatite-hosted U-Th-REE
mineralization: Geology, geochemistry, and origin
Christine AustmanDepartment of Geological Sciences
University of Saskatchewan
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Purpose Regional Geological Setting Fraser Lakes Geology Granitic Pegmatite Mineralogy and
Geochemistry Alteration and Remobilization of U-Th-Pb-
REE Metamorphism and Migmatization Metallogenetic Model Similarities to other uranium deposits Conclusions
Outline
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Unresolved issues still exist in understanding uranium source, fluid flow, and the nature of the reductant involved in the formation of unconformity- related (U/C) uranium deposits
Determine if uraniferous pegmatites are related to high-grade unconformity-related uranium deposits of the Athabasca Basin (U protore?)
Determine whether granitic pegmatites represent a distinct target for uranium exploration in Saskatchewan
Purpose of this study
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The Wollaston Domain consists of: Archean
orthogneisses (predominantly granitic gneisses)
Paleoproterozoic Wollaston Group metasedimentary rocks
Hudsonian granites, amphibolites, leucogranites, migmatites, and granitic pegmatites
Regional Geology
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Fraser Lakes Geology
NE-SW regional fabric
Two mineralized zones: A and B
Zone A is in a NNE-plunging synformal and Zone B is in an NNE-plunging antiformal fold nose
5 km section of a complexly folded electromagnetic (EM) conductor (i.e. graphitic pelitic gneisses) is adjacent to Zones A and B
After Ray, 1979
Fraser L
akes Gra
nite In
lier
Johnson River
Granite
Inlie
r
Wolla
ston G
roup
met
ased
imen
tary
gnei
sses
Wollaston G
roup
metasedimentary gneisses
Fraser Lakes Zone B
Fraser Lakes Zone A
Needle Falls S
hear Zone
Wathaman
Batholith
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Fraser Lakes Zone B The surface
expression of the EM conductor adjacent to Fraser Lakes Zone B is a swampy, low-lying area
Zone B mineralization outcrops at surface on the eastern edge of the swamp
Fold nose is visible from the air
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Fraser Lakes Zone B geology
Modified from Ko, 1971
WYL-08-526WYL-08-524WYL-08-526
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Granitic pegmatites Granitic pegmatites with variable
amounts of quartz, feldspar, biotite, and other minerals
Overall coarse grained to pegmatitic
Variable size (cm to several m scale)
Complexly zoned (igneous AFC processes)
Multiple generations of granitic pegmatites
1810-1790 Ma uraninite U-Pb chemical ages in mineralized pegmatites
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Mineralogy
U-Th-REE Minerals• Zircon (Zrn)• Uraninite (Urn)• Uranothorite –
Thorite (Uth)
• Monazite (Mz)• Allanite (Aln)• Xenotime (Xen)
Primary Minerals
• Quartz (Qtz)• Feldspar
(Fsp)• Biotite (Bt)• Magnetite
(Mgt)• Ilmenite
(Ilm)• Pyrite (Py)• Fluorite (Fl)• Sphalerite
• Molybdenite• Apatite (Ap)• Titanite • Rutile• Garnet• Chalcopyrite• Pyrrhotite• Graphite• Nb-oxide?
Highly Variable!
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Uraninite- and uranothorite-bearing◦ Also contain
zircon and minor allanite
◦ Monazite is very rare
Intrude the western part of the fold nose
Uraniferous pegmatites
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Monazite-rich◦ Also contain
zircon, uranothorite-thorite, altered allanite, and xenotime as the main U-Th-REE hosts
Generally confined to eastern portions of the fold nose
Th- and LREE Pegmatites
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Alteration of granitic pegmatites
Retrograde Alteration• Chlorite (Chl)• Epidote (Ep)• Sericite (Ser) • Hematite (Hem)• Quartz (Qtz)
Hydrothermal Alteration• Fluorite (Fl)• Chlorite (Chl)• Hematite (Hem)• Clay minerals• Sausserite• Carbonate (Cal)• Quartz (Qtz)
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Uranothorite - evidence for reaction (i.e. elevated Zr) where in contact with zircon
Radiogenically produced galena inclusions in U-Th-REE minerals
Uraninite and secondary uranium minerals in fractures with galena and pyrite
Monazite -commonly altered to hematite, chlorite, and clay
Alteration of U-Th-REE phases and remobilization of U, Th, Pb
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Major element geochemistryLegend
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Samples range from strongly peraluminous (off the chart) to slightly metaluminous
S-type granitoids
Alumina saturation index
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Two major compositional subdivisions of pegmatites; correspond to mineralogical subdivisions◦ U- plus Th-rich◦ Th- and LREE-
rich
Trace element geochemistry
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◦ Garnet◦ Biotite◦ Cordierite◦ Sillimanite◦ Spinel◦ K-feldspar◦ Quartz◦ Plagioclase◦ Rutile◦ Myrmekite◦ NO prograde
muscovite
Metamorphic Mineral Assemblages – Pelitic gneisses
Upper amphibolite to lower granulite
facies metamorphism
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◦ Clinopyroxene◦ Orthopyroxene◦ Hornblende◦ Biotite◦ Spinel◦ Myrmekite◦ Quartz◦ K-feldspar◦ Plagioclase
Metamorphic Mineral Assemblages –Orthogneisses
Upper amphibolite to lower granulite
facies metamorphism
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Pegmatites – Partial melting at depth vs. in situ melting ?
Migmatites associated with the granitic pegmatites
Leucosomes tend to be boudinaged
Locally small pegmatitic veins of leucosome
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Melt occasionally forms thin rims around minerals, and locally larger blobs
Common near the contact between biotite and garnet and within K-feldspar
Biotite frequently shows degradation due to partial melting
Migmatites and melt-textures in the pelitic gneisses
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Metallogenetic model – Fraser Lakes Zone B
a
b
c
Melts generated at depth (a)
Transported upwards along the structural discontinuity/contact between Archean and Wollaston Group (b)
Underwent igneous assimilation-fractional crystallization during transport and crystallization
Melts were concentrated in antiformal fold noses (c)
Peraluminous to weakly metaluminous chemistry agrees with the pegmatites forming due to partial melting of pelitic gneisses
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Uranium mineralization within late-tectonic to post-tectonic granitoids
Structurally controlled: mineralization concentrated in antiformal fold noses
Concentrated in areas of highest metamorphic grade
Formed from melts generated by partial melting of metasedimentary gneisses
Similarities to Rössing/Rössing South, among other deposits
Extract Resources, 2009
Modified from Ray, 1979
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Radioactive leucogranites and granitic pegmatites are in the basement rocks under several Athabasca Basin unconformity uranium deposits (ex: McArthur River Zone 2, Millenium, Roughrider, and others)
Chlorite, clay, and hematite alteration with drusy quartz found in Zone B drill core is similar in appearance to that of basement-hosted unconformity uranium deposits
Similarities to Athabasca unconformity-type uranium deposits
Modified from Ray, 1979
Jefferson et al. 2007
~150 – 200 m
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Structurally controlled, basement-hosted U and Th mineralization (+/- REE mineralization)
Hosted by Hudsonian granitic pegmatites intruding at/near the contact between Wollaston Group metasediments and Archean orthogneisses
Granitic pegmatites formed by partial melting of metasedimentary rocks in the middle to lower crust followed by transport and assimilation-fractional crystallization
Regional metamorphism up to lower granulite facies
Granitic pegmatites experienced post-crystallization alteration and remobilization of U and Th
Similarities to Rossing and U/C-related basement-hosted uranium deposits
Conclusions
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Acknowledgements Thesis co-supervisors: Dr. Irvine
Annesley and Dr. Kevin Ansdell
JNR Resources Inc. – access to drill core, geological and geophysical datasets, logistical support, and financial assistance
NSERC - Discovery Grant (Kevin)
University of Saskatchewan Graduate Scholarship
Saskatchewan Research Council – geochemical analysis
Blaine Novakovski – thin section preparation
Kimberly Bradley – assistance with petrography
Steven Creighton and Tom Bonli – assistance with electron microprobe analyses