Blenkinsop, Thomas, McLellan, John, Baker, Tim, Nugus, Michael, Biggam, James, Erickson, Mike, Miller, John, and Cleverley, James (2009) Sunrise Dam Gold Mine, Western Australia: mechanical controls on an Archean lode gold hydrothermal system. In: Smart Science for Exploration and Mining: Proceedings of the 10th Biennial SGA Meeting of the Society for Geology Applied to Mineral Deposits (2) pp. 800-802. From: 10th Biennial Meeting of the SGA 2009, 17-20 August 2009, Townsville, QLD, Australia.

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Abstract

The Sunrise Dam Gold Mine is the largest gold deposit in the eastern part of the Yilgarn craton. In several ways it is a typical Archean lode gold deposit, other than its exceptional size. Mineralization is hosted in intermediate-mafic metavolcanics and metasedimentary rocks. The major structures are gently NW to NNW dipping shear zones, which are connected by sub-vertical NNE and NE trending fault and breccia zones. Ore bodies occur parallel to the shear zones and faults. At least 6 deformation events can be distinguished. The majority of the gold mineralisation occurred in D3 and D4, with some also possibly occurring in the first event. The two major deformation/ mineralizing events had strike slip kinematics, reflecting SE and NE shortening respectively. Two key mechanical factors in the formation of the Sunrise Dam deposit were reactivation, and the existence of structures and competent bodies that caused stress perturbations. The identification of these factors could have useful exploration implications.

Item ID:	15850
Item Type:	Conference Item (Research - E1)
ISBN:	978-0-9805586-8-5
Keywords:	lode gold, Archean, kinematic and dynamic analysis, numerical modelling, fluid flow
Related URLs:	Publisher
Date Deposited:	31 Oct 2011 06:15
FoR Codes:	04 EARTH SCIENCES > 0403 Geology > 040307 Ore Deposit Petrology @ 50% 04 EARTH SCIENCES > 0403 Geology > 040312 Structural Geology @ 50%
SEO Codes:	84 MINERAL RESOURCES (excl. Energy Resources) > 8401 Mineral Exploration > 840105 Precious (Noble) Metal Ore Exploration @ 100%
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