Hunting for gold in the southern Superior craton using Structural Geology

The minerals sector contributes significantly to Canada’s GDP with gold as the leading mineral product by value (25% of the total value in 2021). About 85% of historical gold production in Canada was from the Superior craton and a significant portion of this gold was from the Abitibi greenstone belt in Ontario and Quebec. The majority of the Abitibi gold is characterized as orogenic gold and associated with two regional deformation zones, i.e., the Porcupine–Destor deformation zone (PDDZ, 90 Moz gold produced) and the Larder Lake–Cadillac deformation zone (LLCDZ, 105 Moz gold produced). The LLCDZ and PDDZ host several world-class deposits including the world’s largest Archean orogenic gold camp in Timmins, Ontario (77 Moz). These two regional structures are expressed as 50 to 200 m wide, strongly foliated and lineated, highly strained zones. The foliation is generally steeply-dipping and the lineation is steeply-plunging along the foliation plane. The PDDZ merges with the LLCDZ in Quebec and both terminate against the Grenville orogen to the east. West of Timmins and Matachewan in Ontario, correlations across the Swayze greenstone belt are contentious. Further west, the expressions of the LLCDZ and PDDZ across the mid- to lower-crustal Kapuskasing structural zone into the Wawa terrane are even more contentious and largely unknown. Therefore, it is both economically and scientifically critical to investigate regional deformation zones in these areas and to evaluate the western extension of the LLCDZ and PDDZ by characterizing the structural and mineralization records in the affected rocks. This research seminar presents new results of structural and kinematic analysis of selected auriferous deformation zones in the Swayze greenstone belt and the Michipicoten and Mishibishu greenstone belts of the Wawa terrane. The results indicate that the Ridout deformation zone of the Swayze greenstone belt is structurally similar to the LLCDZ. In combination with the regional geology, the LLCDZ is considered to at least extend westward to the southern Swayze greenstone belt. Results from the Michipicoten and Mishibishu greenstone belts suggest that the LLCDZ has potential to be further extended to the Wawa terrane. The final outcomes of this research would have profound implications for precious metal exploration in this part of the Superior craton. This work was part of the Metal Earth R&D initiative (https://merc.laurentian.ca/research/metal-earth) and the field work was also supported by the Red Pine Exploration Inc., Wesdome Gold Mines Ltd., and Ontario Geological Survey.

Zoom link: https://ubc.zoom.us/j/61227908464?pwd=eE9IaGhPZFF6OW5OSWROL3U4cmJYQT09(link is external)

Meeting ID: 612 2790 8464

Passcode: 009405

Please note that after the seminar, the candidate will give a chalk-talk regarding their research plan over the next five years at ESB 5104 @2:30 pm, you are welcome to join as well!