Geochemical & Spectral

Zonation in Mineral Systems

Exploration Round-Up, Charters Towers, May 2015
Ned Howard, Senior Exploration Geologist, Evolution Mining
Acknowledgement to Scott Halley, Mineral Mapping
Outline

Zonation Basics

Geochemistry Fundamentals

Spectral Fundamentals

Zonation Examples

Pajingo – low sulphidation epithermal

Mount Carlton – high sulphidation epithermal

Mount Rawdon – intrusion-related?

Summary
Geochemical Zonation

Pattern Recognition – visualisation is key!
Geochemical Zonation

Context

No substitute for data distribution
Geochemical Zonation

Relative Enrichment

cf. Elsewhere in system

cf. Background

AusIMM Field Geologists’ Manual

From Levinson, A (1974)
Geochemical Zonation

Relative Enrichment

cf. Elsewhere in system

cf. Background

Scott Halley, 2014

Geochemical Zonation

Gradient Controls

Temperature

pH, redox, etc

Mineral Controls

Partition Coefficients

Pyrite – the mongrel mineral!
Geochemistry Fundamentals
What do you want to achieve?

Elements
Data distribution (CONTEXT!)

Detection Limits

Program Design

Sample Type

Assay Method

Sample Spacing

Digestion

# Samples

Analysis
Geochemistry Fundamentals

Collection

Consistency

Contamination

Metadata
Geochemistry Fundamentals

Program Design

Mapping hydrothermal systems

Broad spaced sampling

Soils: ≥400m
Geochemistry Fundamentals
100-200m data
Samples: ~14,000
Assays: ~$400,000

400m data
Samples: ~1,300
Assays: ~$40,000
Geochemistry Fundamentals

Program Design

Mapping hydrothermal systems

Broad spaced sampling

Downhole: 1/lith unit (max ~20m spaced)
Geochemistry Fundamentals

Program Design

Mapping hydrothermal systems

Broad spaced sampling

TOFR sampling
Scott Lode

Mt Janet

Vera South
Jandam
Geochemistry Fundamentals

Program Design

Direct Detection

Target size & shape

Get to background

More dimensions is better!
Geochemistry Fundamentals

Assaying

Which elements?

Detection Limits

Cost
Geochemistry Fundamentals

Assaying

Which Elements?

Pathfinders

Ag, As, Sb, Zn, Pb, W, Bi, Mo, Se, Te, Cu
Deep Shallow Marginal
Mn
As
Pb
Zn
Cu
Ag
Au
Bi
Te
S Mt Rawdon zonation
Geochemistry Fundamentals

Assaying

Which Elements?

Majors - K, Na, Ca, Mg, Fe, Al, (Si)

K-Feldspar/Biotite
K/Al molar

Kspar

Illite

Albite
Na/Al molar
 Geochemistry Fundamentals

Assaying

Which Elements?

Immobiles - Ti, Sc, V, Ni, Zr, Th, Nb, Ce, Y, Lu, etc
Ti pct

Nb ppm
 Geochemistry Fundamentals

Assaying

Which Elements?

Fusion can’t do Ag, As, Bi, Cu, Mo, Pb, Sb, Se, Te, Zn…

Aqua regia
4 Acid Digest
Fusion HF
Geochemistry Fundamentals

Assaying

Detection Limits

Analysis
Detectio XRF/ AAS/ ICP-AES ICP/MS Average
n Limit AAS NAA crustal
abundance
Cu 2 2 1 0.2 20
Pb 5 5 2 2 30
Zn 5 5 2 2 50
As 20 5 2 0.1 5
Sb 5 1 2 0.01 0.2
W 20 2 10 0.1 1
Mo 4 2 1 0.1 1
Bi 5 5 2 0.01 0.15
Se ? X 1 0.05
Te ? X 0.05 0.001 Ammended from
Scott Halley
Geochemistry Fundamentals

Assaying

Detection Limits

Are they low enough to capture the full anomaly?

Bi ppm

Bi ppm
Geochemistry Fundamentals

ICP-MS

Pathfinders>Majors & Immobiles

4AD (or AR if you’re skint)

LESS, BETTER, DISTRIBUTED DATA!
Element Detection Digest Cost Pros Cons
s Limits

AR Path Low Partial $ Low DL’s Partial

ICP-MS/AES finders (Sb, W, Low Cost digest
majors) Sb, W,
majors
4AD Lots Low Near $$ Low DLs Incomplete
ICP-MS/AES Near total Zr, Hf
Total Avail element (HREE, Ti)
(Zr,Hf±HREE,Ti)
Rel. Cost
Fusion Limite Mod- Total $$$ Complete High DLs
ICP-MS/AES digest Available
d High $ elements
Spectral Fundamentals

VNIR: Visible-Near Infrared: 350-1000nm

SWIR: Short Wave Infrared: 1000-2500nm

TIR: Thermal Infrared: 3000-14,000nm (3-14 µm
Spectral Fundamentals

Instruments
ASD TerraSpec Halo HyLogger

HyMAP Satellites (ASTER, HISUI, EnMAP)

Spectral Fundamentals

Short Wave Infrared
Spectrum line
100%
Reflection

Absorption
features

0%
Wavelength (nm)
Spectral Fundamentals

Mineral Identification

SWIR
• Al-OH – Clays, micas
• Fe-OH & Mg-OH – Chlorite, biotite, epidote, etc
• CO3 – carbonates
• SO4 – alunite

VNIR

Fe-oxides

NOT

Quartz, feldspar, sulphides, non-hydrous silicates
Spectral Fundamentals

Spectral Indices/Scalars

Numeric

CompositionΞWavelength

Illite/Sericite (Al/Si)

Chlorite (Fe/Mg)

Carbonate (Ca/Mg)

Alunite (K/Na)
Spectral Fundamentals

Spectral Indices/Scalars

Numeric

CompositionΞWavelength

Illite/Sericite (Al/Si)

Chlorite (Fe/Mg)

Carbonate (Ca/Mg)

Alunite (K/Na)

Kanowna Belle, WA
~7 Moz
Scott Halley, 2006
Spectral Fundamentals

Spectral Indices/Scalars

Numeric

RatiosΞCrystallinity

Illite/Smectite

Kaolinite
Spectral Fundamentals

Spectral Indices/Scalars

Numeric

RatiosΞCrystallinity

Illite/Smectite

Kaolinite
Strategies and Data Processing
1. Orientation survey

2. Data Acquisition
– 1/m of representative alteration

3. Mineral ID TSG/SpecMin/
4. Spectral Indices AISIRIS
~50¢  $10
5. Filtering and Masking Critical!
6. Database

Using the Data!

Pros & Cons

PROs CONs
• Objective • Mixtures
• Difficult to ID visually • Not all minerals
• Epithermals • Opaques
• Water
Queensland Examples
- Pajingo (LSE)
- Mt Carlton (HSE)
- Mt Rawdon (IRGD?)
Pajingo (~4 Moz)

Low Sulphidation Epithermal Gold Deposit

Doongara Formation
Rhyodacitic volcanoclastics
Rhyodacite lava
Mount Janet Andesite
Molly Darling Sandstone
Granitoids
Cambro-Ordovician
Volcanics/Sediments
Pajingo

Low Sulphidation zonation model

Hg

Sb

As
Ag
Au

Zn
Pb
Cu
 Pajingo

HW Argillic

Kaolinite-dickite

Lithological control

500m
ASD Alteration
Pajingo

500m
Pajingo

Proximal pathfinders
10Sb/As Mo ppm
Pajingo Weathered - Mo, Sb, W
Ba, K, Li, Tl,

Low Sulphidation Epiclastics
new zonation- As, Sb, Hg
model

Mo Sb
10Sb/As

Sb Mo
10Sb/As

Te, Mn
Cd, Carb
(Cu, Pb, Zn)

500m
Pajingo

Camp scale zonation – TOFR sampling
Pajingo

Adjacent intrusion-related alteration

Preservation level critical

Au Ag
Te Bi Mo Sb Mo
W As

Au Ag
Sb Mo As, Sb

As, Sb Above vein

Exposed vein
~3km
Intrusion-related
Mount Carlton

V2 – Au (Cu-Ag) Overlying Seds/Volcs
Tuffaceous Upper Rhyodacite

A39 – Ag (Cu-Au) Upper Rhyodacite
V Andesite
Gold >1 g/t Lower Rhyodacite
Silver > 50g/t Basement Andesite/Granite

Looking NE
Mount Carlton

Deposit Alteration Zonation
Mount Carlton

Deposit Alteration Zonation

3D Model
Mount Carlton

Metal Zonation

Z-score averages for metal groups
Mount Carlton
FeS
Cu-Au
Au-Ag
(Ag-Pb-Cu-Zn-As)
Ag-Pb
Zn-Pb
Mount Carlton

Deposit Alteration Zonation
 Decr pH 
Alunite
Mount Carlton Kaolinite Dickite Pyroph

Camp Scale Alteration Zonation Sme Ill-Sme Illite

Incr Temp 
Mount Carlton

Camp Scale Soil Geochemistry
Mount Carlton

Camp Scale Soil Geochemistry
Mount Rawdon (~2.5 Moz)

Epizonal Intrusion Related Gold Deposit?

500m
 Mount Rawdon

Schematic cross section

SW NE
Current land surface

Western
Dacite
~200m

Eastern Dacite

~200m
Mount Rawdon

Sericite Crystallinity
Mount Rawdon

Sericite Crystallinity

Ser XT

300m
Mount Rawdon

Sericite Crystallinity
Mount Rawdon

Sericite Composition

Al-OH absorption feature
Mount Rawdon

Sericite Composition

300m
Mount Rawdon

Sericite Composition
Mount Rawdon

Pathfinder element zonation

Deep Shallow Marginal

Mn
As
Pb
Zn
Cu
Ag
Au
Bi
Te
S
Mount Rawdon
Tellurium >0.5ppm Bismuth >10ppm

Deep Shallow Marginal

Mn
As
Pb
Zn
Cu
Ag
Au
Bi
Te
S
Mount Rawdon
Silver (dashed >2ppm, solid >4ppm) Manganese >1900nm

61

Deep Shallow Marginal

Mn
As
Pb
Zn
Cu
Ag
Au
Bi
Te
S
Mount Rawdon
As, Ag,
Zn, Pb

Mn Au, Bi
Mn (Zn)

Te, Bi, S
Summary

Value add your sampling

Map mineral systems

Less, Better, Distributed Data

4AD ICP-MS/AES

Pathfinders>ASD & Majors & Immobiles

Context – spatial, concentration, minerals, GEOLOGY

Pattern recognition – visualisation!
Summary

*ASD and Mass Spectrometer sold separately