Structural and alteration history of the Buffalo gold deposit, Red Lake, Ontario

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dc.contributor.advisorSpray, John
dc.contributor.authorPettigrew, Neil
dc.date.accessioned2023-06-07T18:59:33Z
dc.date.available2023-06-07T18:59:33Z
dc.date.issued1999
dc.description.abstractDetailed structural, petrographic, and geochemical analysis of the Buffalo gold deposit in the Archean Red Lake greenstone belt, northwestern Ontario, suggests that gold was localized during D3 mylonite-style deformation and associated retrograde metamorphism. The deposit is therefore younger than much larger deposits elsewhere in the belt. The deposit is hosted by the -7km-diameter, 2718 Ma Dome stock granodiorite. Gold is hosted within two sets of quartz + tourmaline+ pyrite + calcite veins in conjugate orientation. The first set of veins is small (- 3 cm or less wide), with a strike of 239° and dipping 73° north (northeast veins). The second set is larger (- 10 cm wide) with a strike of 119° dipping 76° south (northwest veins). Compilation of structural fabrics in the Buffalo deposit and the surrounding area suggests that the two sets of quartz + tourmaline + pyrite+ calcite veins were formed as a result of the intersection of two D3 mylonitic deformation zones. The Dome stock was originally a white and black granodiorite which has been extensively altered to pink. This was followed by a greenish-grey alteration event, associated with mylonitic deformation during the M3. During a later phase of M3, a massive tourmalinization event replaced the much of the quartz in the northwest veins at the Buffalo deposit. This tourmalinization was associated with bleached pink metasomatic halos (-10 cm), which developed around tourmaline rich portions of the northwest veins Gold mineralization at the Buffalo deposit is divided into two major phases: (1) During metasomatism surrounding the northwest veins, gold and sulphide minerals were enriched with respect to the surrounding granodiorite. Microprobe analysis indicates that gold is associated with calcite and albite alteration of the granodiorite; (2) During late brittle fracturing of the quartz+ tourmaline + pyrite + calcite veins. Gold in this phase is associated with bismuth tellurides as fracture and cavity fillings in quartz and especially late fracture-filling pyrite.
dc.description.copyrightNot available for use outside of the University of New Brunswick
dc.description.noteUniversity of New Brunswick. Department of Geology.
dc.format.extentxi, 154 pages
dc.format.mediumelectronic
dc.identifier.urihttps://unbscholar.lib.unb.ca/handle/1882/32234
dc.language.isoen_CA
dc.publisherUniversity of New Brunswick
dc.rightshttp://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_16ec
dc.subject.disciplineEarth Sciences
dc.titleStructural and alteration history of the Buffalo gold deposit, Red Lake, Ontario
dc.typesenior report
thesis.degree.disciplineEarth Sciences
thesis.degree.fullnameBachelor of Science
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of New Brunswick
thesis.degree.levelundergraduate
thesis.degree.nameB.Sc.

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