Integrated Stratigraphic-Structural-Hydrothermal Alteration and Mineralisation Model for the Kangaroo Caves Zinc-Copper Deposit, Western Australia  


Authors / CoAuthors

Martindale, J. | Hagemann, S. | Huston, D.L. | Danyushevsky, L.

Abstract

The Kangaroo Caves zinc-copper deposit in the Archaean Panorama District in the northern Pilbara Craton, Western Australia contains an Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resource of 6.3 million tonnes at 3.3% zinc and 0.5% copper. The Kangaroo Caves area is characterised by predominantly tholeiitic volcanic rocks of the Kangaroo Caves Formation, which is overlain by turbiditic sedimentary and volcanic rocks of the Soanesville Group. Zinc-copper mineralisation is hosted mainly by the regionally extensive Marker Chert, the uppermost unit of the Kangaroo Caves Formation, and structurally controlled by D1 synvolcanic faults. The upper area of the deposit is characterised by quartz-sphalerite ± pyrite ± baryte ± chalcopyrite, whereas the lower area contains mainly chlorite-pyrite-quartz-carbonate-sericite ± chalcopyrite ± sphalerite. Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry analyses show that cobalt-nickel ratios in pyrite are significantly greater in the upper, zinc-rich area (median copper/nickel = 0.4) of the deposit than the lower, zinc-poor area (median copper/nickel = 5). Structural analysis of the Kangaroo Caves area combined with Leapfrog modelling of ore and trace element distribution shows that the deposit is predominantly an elongate sheet of zinc mineralisation (-1%), which plunges ~30° to the northeast and is approximately 1000 metres in length. The morphology of the Kangaroo Caves deposit was retained from its original formation, despite rotation during the D2 event. Variations in hydrothermal alteration assemblages, including the copper and nickel contents of pyrite within the deposit and underlying dacite, are interpreted to be the result of variations in the influx and mixing of seawater with upwelling volcanogenic fluids during zinc-copper mineralization. At the Kangaroo Caves area the cobalt-nickel ratio of pyrite can be used as an exploration vector towards high-grade zinc-copper mineralization.

Product Type

nonGeographicDataset

eCat Id

69966

Contact for the resource

  Custodian

MNHD  

  Point of contact

Commonwealth of Australia (Geoscience Australia)  
Cnr Jerrabomberra Ave and Hindmarsh Dr GPO Box 378
Canberra
ACT
2601
Australia

Keywords

  • External Publication
( Theme )
  • alteration
( Theme )
  • deformation
( Theme )
  • depositional mechanisms
( Theme )
  • economic geology
( Theme )
  • fluid flow pathways
( Theme )
  • geochemistry
( Theme )
  • geology
( Theme )
  • metallogenesis
( Theme )
  • mineral deposits
( Theme )
  • mineral exploration
( Theme )
  • ore
  • AU-WA
Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC)
  • Earth Sciences
  • Published_Internal

Publication Date

2009-12-16T00:00:00

Creation Date

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Australian Government Security ClassificationSystem    

Classification - unclassified

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Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence    

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Use - license

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Purpose

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unknown

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geoscientificInformation

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Unknown

Parent Information

Extents

[-21.25, -21.17, 119.17, 119.25]

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