Authors / CoAuthors
Fraser, G.L.
Abstract
Despite the extensive resources, ongoing mining activity and economic importance of iron-ore in Australia, the genesis of iron-ore and particularly its timing, remains relatively poorly understood. Most iron-ore in Australia is interpreted to originate as Banded Iron Formation (BIF) that has subsequently experienced one or more fluid leaching events in which silica is removed, leaving the residual rock highly enriched in iron (Morris and Kneeshaw, 2011). While this general model appears relatively well established, questions remain regarding whether iron-enrichment typically occurs over one or more events, the timing of such events, and the controls on fluid movement leading to iron enrichment. Here we report textural observations and U-Pb isotopic results from zircon extracted from hematite ore from the Iron Knob mine in the Middleback Range, South Australia. The U-Pb ages have yielded unexpected results that are interpreted to indicate at least some fluid interaction and iron enrichment in the Middleback Range occurred in multiple stages through the Paleozoic and Mesozoic. Such timing is unexpected given the local geological context, but may in part be explained by early Paleozoic tectonic events in the Adelaide Fold Belt (Delamerian Orogeny), ~100 km to the east, having played a role in mobilising supergene fluids within the adjacent margin of the Gawler Craton.
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nonGeographicDataset
eCat Id
74135
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Cnr Jerrabomberra Ave and Hindmarsh Dr GPO Box 378
Canberra
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2601
Australia
Keywords
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- GA Publication
- ( Theme )
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- geochronology
- Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC)
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- Earth Sciences
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- Published_Internal
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2012-05-29T00:00:00
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geoscientificInformation
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