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Abstract
The North Australian Element (NAE) is one of the most richly endowed cratonic blocks in the world, containing major Zn-Pb, U, Cu-Au, diamond and Au deposits as well as smaller deposits with a range of other commodities. This richness results from a complex tectonic history extending from the Archean through to the Paleozoic. The NAE largely assembled before ~1840 Ma through accretion of the Kimberley and Pine Creek provinces from the northwest, the Numil-Kowanyama Province from the east and Aileron Province from the south onto a proto-NAE comprising the Tanami-Tennant and Isa provinces. The last major growth of the NAE occurred during accretion of the Warumpi Province from the south at ~1640 Ma. This overlapped development of the North Australian Basin System along the eastern flank between ~1800 Ma and 1540 Ma. Since then the NAE has been affected by 1540-1500 Ma A-type magmatism, Meso- to Neoproterzoic alkaline magmatic events, and the development of the intracratonic Neoproterozoic-Paleozoic Centralian superbasin, which was terminated by Paleozoic inversion associated with accretion in the Tasman Element to the east. The oldest significant mineral deposits - VHMS, orthomagmatic Ni-Cu-PGE and REE deposits - relate to convergence and docking of the Kimberley and Pine Creek provinces at 1865-1830 Ma. The ~1850-1845 Ma Tennant Creek IOCG event may relate to convergence of the Aileron Province. Small VHMS (1810-1765 Ma) deposits and, possibly, the Tanami and Pine Creek lode gold provinces (1810-1795 Ma) relate to north-dipping subduction along the southern margin of the NAE. Syn- to post-collisional magmatism associated with the Strangways event, which terminated subduction, produced widespread but relatively minor W-Mo and Sn deposits at 1740-1720 Ma. Development of the North Australian Basin System was accompanied by U (1740-1610 Ma) and Zn-Pb (1690-1575 Ma) events, many of which correspond in time to bends in the apparent polar wander path. The last Mesoproterozoic mineralising events in the NAE occurred at 1540-1500 Ma, involving IOCG, sediment-hosted Cu, and apatite-REE-U-Th vein deposits. Between ~1500 Ma and initiation of the Centralian Basin System at ~850 Ma, mineralisation was associated with alkaline magmatism, including one of the world's the world's largest diamondiferous diatreme at ~1180 Ma. The most recent period of mineralisation accompanied inversion of the Centralian superbasin and included ~360 Ma MVT and ~320 Ma lode gold deposits.
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nonGeographicDataset
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78981
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- External Publication
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- NTQLDWA
- Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC)
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- Earth Sciences
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- Published_Internal
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2014-02-10T00:00:00
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