Application of indicator mineral methods to mineral exploration

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
M B McClenaghan ◽  
A Plouffe ◽  
D Layton-Matthews
Keyword(s):  
Mineral Exploration ◽  
Indicator Mineral

scholarly journals Exploration Potential of Fine-Fraction Heavy Mineral Concentrates from Till Using Automated Mineralogy: A Case Study from the Izok Lake Cu–Zn–Pb–Ag VMS Deposit, Nunavut, Canada

Minerals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 310 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Donald Lougheed ◽  
M. Beth McClenaghan ◽  
Dan Layton-Matthews ◽  
Matthew Leybourne
Keyword(s):  
Mineral Exploration ◽  
Fine Fraction ◽  
Test Site ◽  
Massive Sulfide ◽  
Heavy Mineral ◽  
Morphological Data ◽  
Indicator Mineral ◽  
Automated Mineralogy ◽  
Sediment Cover ◽  
Liberation Analysis

Exploration under thick glacial sediment cover is an important facet of modern mineral exploration in Canada and northern Europe. Till heavy mineral concentrate (HMC) indicator mineral methods are well established in exploration for diamonds, gold, and base metals in glaciated terrain. Traditional methods rely on visual examination of >250 µm HMC material, however this study applies modern automated mineralogical methods (mineral liberation analysis (MLA)) to investigate the finer (<250 µm) fraction of till HMC. Automated mineralogy of finer material allows for rapid collection of precise compositional and morphological data from a large number (10,000–100,000) of heavy mineral grains in a single sample. The Izok Lake volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposit, one of the largest undeveloped Zn–Cu resources in North America, has a well-documented fan-shaped indicator mineral dispersal train and was used as a test site for this study. Axinite, a VMS indicator mineral difficult to identify optically in HMC, is identified in till samples up to 8 km down ice. Epidote and Fe-oxide minerals are identified, with concentrations peaking proximal to mineralization. Corundum and gahnite are intergrown in till samples immediately down ice of mineralization. Till samples also contain chalcopyrite and galena up to 8 km down ice of mineralization, an increase from 1.3 km for sulfide minerals in till previously reported for coarse HMC fractions. Some of these sulfide grains occur as inclusions within chemically and physically robust mineral grains and would not be identified visually in the coarse HMC visual counts. Best practices for epoxy mineral grain mounting and abundance reporting are presented along with the automated mineralogy of till samples down ice of the deposit.

Thermoluminescence of quartz from Shihu gold deposit, western Hebei province, China: some implications for gold exploration

2010 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ye Cao ◽  
Shengrong Li ◽  
Meijuan Yao ◽  
Huafeng Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Gold Deposit ◽  
Cross Sections ◽  
North China Craton ◽  
North China ◽  
Mineral Exploration ◽  
Gold Deposits ◽  
Quartz Veins ◽  
The North ◽  
Indicator Mineral ◽  
Gold Bearing

AbstractThermoluminescence (TL) of monomineralic separates have been widely used in various geosciences fields in order to trace the thermal history and aid in prospecting for gold deposits. Quartz is a ubiquitous mineral in the Shihu gold deposit, which is situated in the northern part of the Taihang orogenic belt in the North China craton (NCC). The deposit is hosted by ductile-brittle faults within an Archean metamorphic core complex of the Fuping Group. This deposit is characterized by gold-bearing quartz-polymetallic sulfides and quartz veins. New TL results have been obtained for quartz, in which four type-TL glow curves were identified. The gold-bearing quartz present type III glow curves that consist of two peak glow curves at the middle and high peak temperatures with the similar TL intensity. In addition, the cross-sections of peak temperatures and TL intensity highlight the valuable area where the Au-bearing quartz present weak TL intensity and low-middle peak temperatures. Our results significantly enhance the usefulness of quartz in metallogenic studies of the North China craton and as an indicator mineral in mineral exploration of the Taihang Mountain region.

Till geochemical and indicator mineral methods in mineral exploration

2000 ◽  
Vol 16 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 145-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.B McClenaghan ◽  
L.H Thorleifson ◽  
R.N.W DiLabio
Keyword(s):  
Mineral Exploration ◽  
Indicator Mineral

scholarly journals Automated Indicator Mineral Analysis of Fine-Grained Till Associated with the Sisson W-Mo Deposit, New Brunswick, Canada

Minerals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 103
Author(s):  
H. Donald Lougheed ◽  
M. Beth McClenaghan ◽  
Daniel Layton-Matthews ◽  
Matthew I. Leybourne ◽  
Agatha Natalie Dobosz
Keyword(s):  
Mineral Exploration ◽  
Test Site ◽  
Coarse Fraction ◽  
Heavy Mineral ◽  
Optical Methods ◽  
Morphological Data ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Ore Minerals ◽  
Indicator Mineral ◽  
Liberation Analysis

Exploration under thick glacial sediment cover is an important facet of modern mineral exploration in Canada and northern Europe. Till heavy mineral concentrate (HMC) indicator mineral methods are well established in exploration for diamonds, gold, and base metals in glaciated terrain. Traditional methods rely on visual examination of >250 µm HMC material. This study applies mineral liberation analysis (MLA) to investigate the finer (<250 µm) fraction of till HMC. Automated mineralogy (e.g., MLA) of finer material allows for the rapid collection of precise compositional and morphological data from a large number (10,000–100,000) of heavy mineral grains in a single sample. The Sisson W-Mo deposit has a previously documented dispersal train containing the ore minerals scheelite, wolframite, and molybdenite, along with sulfide and other accessory minerals, and was used as a test site for this study. Wolframite is identified in till samples up to 10 km down ice, whereas in previous work on the coarse fraction of till it was only identified directly overlying mineralization. Chalcopyrite and pyrite are found up to 10 km down ice, an increase over 2.5 and 5 km, respectively, achieved in previous work on the coarse fraction of the same HMC. Galena, sphalerite, arsenopyrite, and pyrrhotite are also found up to 10 km down ice after only being identified immediately overlying mineralization using the >250 µm fraction of HMC. Many of these sulfide grains are present only as inclusions in more chemically and robust minerals and would not be identified using optical methods. The extension of the wolframite dispersal train highlights the ability of MLA to identify minerals that lack distinguishing physical characteristics to aid visual identification.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document