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NEWSLETTEREconomic Geology Research CentreCollege of Science, Technology and EngineeringJames Cook UniversityTownsville, QueenslandAustralia

Issue: January 2016

IN THIS ISSUE:

Geita Gold Project, Tanzania

Doug Kirwin Alumni Award

EGRU News January 2016 3

EGRU 2016EGRU 2016

2 EGRU News January 2016

Cover photo: Microcline crystals from Mogok in Myanmar; photo courtesy of Doug Kirwin.

EGRU ContaCts

EGRU DIRECTORAssociate Professor Zhaoshan Chang Tel: 61 7 4781 6434Email: [email protected]

EGRU MANAGERJudy BottingTel: 61 7 4781 4726Email: [email protected]

EGRU COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER Kaylene CamutiTel: 61 7 4781 4726Email: [email protected]

WEB: https://www.jcu.edu.au/egruEconomic Geology Research Centre (EGRU) College of Science, Technology and Engineering

James Cook UniversityTownsville, QLD, 4814, Australia

Major Research ProjectsNE QLD Prospectivity ProjectAssociate Professor Zhaoshan ChangTel: 61 7 4781 6434Email: [email protected]

Geita Gold ProjectProfessor Paul DirksTel: 61 7 4781 5047Email: [email protected]

Adamantine Energy & Heritage Oil ProjectsAssociate Professor Eric Roberts Tel: 61 7 4781 6947Email: [email protected]

Rare Earths ProjectAssociate Professor Carl SpandlerTel: 61 7 4781 6911Email: [email protected]

Antamina ProjectAssociate Professor Zhaoshan ChangTel: 61 7 4781 6434Email: [email protected]

LEVEL 1

South 32

Evolution Mining

Mount Isa Mines

LEVEL 2

MMG

Newmont

LEVEL 3Anglo American Carpentaria GoldChinova Resources FMR InvestmentsMap to Mine Mineral Resources Authority PNGTerra Search

LEVEL 4CSA Gnomic Exploration ServicesLantana ExplorationTeck

EGRU MEMbERs

EGRU CHAIRMANTrevor ShawMount Isa Mines

DEPUTY CHAIR Kaylene CamutiLantana Exploration

DIRECTORA/Prof. Zhaoshan ChangCollege of Science, Technology and Engineering

Dan GoddardSouth 32

Roric SmithEvolution Mining

Jim MorrisonConsultant

Simon BeamsTerra Search Pty Ltd

Nick LisowiecCarpentaria Gold

Stewart ParkerConsultant

John NetheryNedex Pty Ltd

Ron FurnellRocsol Pty Ltd

Geoff PhillipsConsultant

Prof. Noel WhiteConsultantAdjunct JCU

Prof. Paul DirksDeanCollege of Science, Technology and Engineering

A/Prof. Carl SpandlerDeputy Head of Discipline - Earth and OceansCollege of Science, Technology and Engineering

EGRU boaRd

Director’s Report 5

ResearchGold Mineralization in the Geita Greenstone Belt, NW Tanzania

Titanite as a Recorder of the Timing and Fluid Source of Ore Formation

New Hominid Species in the Rising Star Cave system of South Africa

Lead Isotope Mapping in Eastern Australia

The Giant Antamina Deposit, Peru

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Teaching & Training3D Visualisation and Gigapixel Photography at JCU

Mineral Supertrumps: A New Card Game to Assist Learning of Mineralogy

IOCG and Other Mineral Systems in the World-Class Cloncurry District

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Conferences & Field TripsEGRU @ SEG 2015

SEG Student Chapter Field Trip - North Island, New Zealand

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PeopleDoug Kirwin - 2015 JCU Outstanding Alumnus

The Kirwin Collection at the Royal Ontario Museum

Staff & Student Awards

New Students

Visiting Students

Postgraduate Student Research Projects

EGRU Visitors

Farewelling Two EGRU Pioneers

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EGRU Events back cover

In thIs IssUE

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mailto:[email protected]








https://www.jcu.edu.au/egru


EGRU 2016EGRU 2016


dIRECtoR’s REpoRtIn the past six months EGRU staff and students were working full steam on research projects. Some of the research results, including the discovery of a new hominid species that made headlines all over the world, are featured in this newsletter.

The high quality of JCU geoscience research was also recently highlighted when the Australian Research Council (ARC) announced the latest Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) ratings (which are scored out of 5). JCU’s ERA ratings of 5 for Geology (indicating “Well Above World Standard”) and 4 for Geochemistry (indicating “Above World Standard”) recognised the outstanding efforts of our geoscience research staff. This is on par with other universities such as ANU, the University of Melbourne, UQ and UWA.

In addition to the national acknowledgement of JCU geoscience research, several staff and students were recognised with individual awards last year and these are detailed on page 37 of this issue.

EGRU was also proud to announce in September last year that Doug Kirwin, a graduate of the JCU Masters in Mineral Exploration, had been awarded a 2015 JCU Outstanding Alumni Award in recognition of his great career achievements in the discovery and exploration of numerous ore deposits, including the giant Oyu Tolgoi Cu-Au deposit in Mongolia. An article highlighting Doug’s achievements is included in this issue. The EGRU student cohort continues to grow and, in early 2016, we welcomed 8 new PhD and Masters candidates and 18 Honours students. Unfortunately Associate Professor John Carranza moved on from JCU early this year. We appreciate his contributions to EGRU very much.

From August to December last year EGRU was host to many outstanding visitors from international and domestic academia and industry. The seminar schedule was very busy during this period.

During the next six months EGRU will offer four short courses / workshops. These are listed on the back cover and further information is available from the EGRU web site. We are also moving ahead with planning for our next major conference - FUTORES II - which is

scheduled for June next year.

EGRU is continuing to strengthen contacts with its many alumni, who live and work all over the world. At the SEG 2015 Conference in Hobart last September, an EGRU alumni reunion was a great opportunity to catch up with

former students. We encourage EGRU alumni to keep in touch and, if you’d like to join the EGRU mailing list for the Newsletter and information about upcoming events, send an email to [email protected].

EGRU continues to grow. We thank the university and the college, and the minerals industry - particularly our members - for the continuing strong support. We will keep working hard to contribute to our industry and society.z

Associate Professor Zhaoshan Chang

EGRU REsEaRCh

GEOLOGY AND GEOCHEMISTRY OF ORE DEPOSITS AND IGNEOUS SYSTEMSResearchersA/Prof. Zhaoshan ChangDr Jan Marten HuizengaDr Christa PlaczekA/Prof. Carl SpandlerDr Cassian PirardDr Yanbo ChengDr Isaac CorralAdjuncts (overseas)Prof Antonio ArribasProf. Richard GoldfarbProf. Jeffrey HendenquistA/Prof. Doug KirwanProf. Lawrence MeinertProf. Noel WhiteLocationsNorth East QueenslandMount Isa - Cloncurry Districts, QldWA, SA, NT, NSWSW PacificChinaPeruPhilippines

STRUCTURE AND TECTONICS OF ORE DEPOSITS AND RELATED SYSTEMSResearchersProf. Paul DirksA/Prof. Eric RobertsDr Ioan SanislavDr Rob HolmAdjunctsEmeritus Prof. Bob HendersonProf. Tom BlenkinsopProf. Nick OliverDr Mike RubenachLocationsNorth East QueenslandCloncurry District, QldTanzaniaZimbabweVanuatuNew ZealandPapua New GuineaSolomon Islands

COMPUTATION MODELLING APPLIED TO EXPLORATION AND MINING GEOLOGYResearchersDr Arianne FordAdjunctsDr John McLellanLocationsNorth East QueenslandIranTurkey

EGRU REsEaRCh thEMEs

Research Projects 2011-2015

For your calendar.......

Townsville, Australia4 - 7 June 2017

A conference about the

Future Understanding of Tectonics, Ores, Resources, Environment and Sustainability

“JCU’s ERA ratings of 5 for Geology (indicating ‘Well Above World Standard’)

and 4 for Geochemistry (indicating ‘Above World Standard’) recognised the outstanding efforts of

our geoscience research staff.”

http://www.jcu.edu.au/egru/


mailto:egru%40jcu.edu.au?subject=

Research: Geita Gold

6 EGRU News January 2016 EGRU News January 2016 7

Research: Geita Gold

Gold MInERalIzatIon In thE GEIta GREEnstonE bElt, nW tanzanIa

Project OverviewIoan Sanislav EGRU - JCU

In 2011 EGRU started a multidisciplinary collaborative research project with Geita Gold Mine, a large mining operation located in north western Tanzania and fully owned by AngloGold Ashanti. Geita Gold Mine is located approximately 30 km south of Lake Victoria, near the town of Geita in the Archean Geita Greenstone Belt. The aim of the project was to develop new reserves from satellite pits and new exploration targets for the entire tenement area by building an integrated geological model for the entire greenstone belt. A team of EGRU researchers and Geita Gold Mine geologists was put in place and the project officially started in April 2011. The project benefited from close monitoring to achieve high scientific standards by Professors Paul Dirks (JCU) and Tom Blenkinsop (Cardiff University). The project, in excess of AUD 1.7m, was fully funded by Geita Gold Mine.The main objectives of the project were:1. Map the entire greenstone belt (with a focus on the

license areas held by GGM) - Understand the large scale architecture of the

greenstone belt - Identify the main shear zones - Identify the distribution of various lithological

units2. Understand the tectonic history of the area

- Sequence of deformation events - Kinematics - Stratigraphy - Intrusive history

3. Identify dominant controls on gold mineralization - Regional gold distribution - Structural, lithological, geochemical and

mechanical controls - Far field stress and kinematic history

4. Better understanding of deposit geology - Improve geological knowledge on existing

deposit - Age dating of porphyries and sediments within

deposits - Timing of mineralization

5. Target generation - Help rank existing exploration targets by

understanding their local geological settings and gold mineralization controls.

- Generate new exploration targets - Improved geological models

Geology of the Northern Tanzania CratonThe Tanzania Craton underlies central and northern Tanzania, western Kenya, and southeast Uganda and is bordered and partly reworked by the Kibaran, Ubendian, Usagaran and Mozambique mobile belts. Granitoids, granitic gneisses, migmatites and high-grade metamorphic supracrustal rocks of the Dodoman Group cover the south and central portions of the craton with generally lower metamorphic grade granite-greenstone belts occurring in the north and west.The stratigraphy of the Archean Tanzania Craton is subdivided into three supergroups: the Dodoman Supergroup, the Nyanzian Supergroup and the Kavirondian Supergroup. The Dodoman Supergroup is interpreted to represent the basement unit and thus oldest unit of the Tanzania Craton and occurs mainly in central and southern part of the craton. No basement age rocks have been identified so far in the northern half of the Tanzania Craton. The northern half of the Tanzania Craton is dominated by the Nyanzian Supergroup and the associated granitoid intrusions with isolated occurrences of Kavirondian sediments. The stratigraphy is fragmented and disrupted by shear zones and granitoid intrusions. The Nyanzian Supergroup has been subdivided into Lower Nyanzian and Upper Nyanzian. The Lower Nyanzian is dominated by deformed lower amphibolite facies mafic rocks consisting of lava flows, pillow basalts, dolerite and gabbro sills with minor occurrences of shales and felsic volcanics. The Upper Nyanzian consists of deformed, greenschist facies, black shales and ironstones topped by a well bedded turbiditic sequence with volcanoclastics intercalations. The Kavirondian Supergroup unconformably overlies the Nyanzian and comprises conglomerate, quartzite and grits.In contiguous northwest Tanzania and southwest Kenya eight greenstone belts occur south and east of Lake Victoria. All these belts are described in terms of Nyanzian and Kavirondian volcano-sedimentary stratigraphy and are intruded by a range of syn-sedimentary granitoids prior to further granitic intrusion and crustal consolidation by about 2640 Ma. Igneous geochemistry from four of these belts has led authors to infer a variety of tectonic settings during evolution of this sector of the Tanzanian Craton. An immature arc or back arc environment occurs in Sukumaland Greenstone Belt, a back arc environment in Iramba-Sekenke Greenstone Belt and the southern sector of Musoma-Mara Greenstone Belt, and an island arc environment is inferred in Kilimafedha Greenstone

Belt. A continental environment is inferred in the northern sector of Musoma-Mara greenstone belt where plume influenced subduction occurs along a continental margin.

Sukumaland Greenstone BeltSukumaland Greenstone Belt is exposed in an inferred easterly plunging anticline as two arcs of supracrustal rocks, each of which is fragmented and flanked by granitoids and gneisses. The arcs have commonly been

described as two lithologically distinct components of the belt; 1) the inner arc comprising gabbro and pillow basalts that indicate an outward younging direction, with subordinate felsic flows and pyroclastics, all of which are classified as lower Nyanzian Supergroup, and 2) the outer arc comprising iron-rich, carbonaceous and clastic metasediments with felsic and intermediate metavolcanics that are classified as part of the upper Nyanzian Supergroup. However, with a significant proportion of metasedimentary rocks in the Tulawaka

Simplified geological map (Sanislav et al., 2015) of northern Tanzania showing the main geological units and the location of the Geita Greenstone Belt. SU – Sukumalanad Greenstone Belt; NZ – Nzega Greenstone Belt; SM – Shynianga-Malita Greenstone Belt; IS – Iramba-Sekenke Greenstone Belt; KF – Kilimafedha Greenstone Belt; MM – Musoma-Mara Greenstone Belt. Super-terrane boundaries are as proposed by Kabete et al. 2012a: ELVST – East Lake Victoria, MLEST- Mwanza Lake Eyasi, LNST- Lake Nyanza, MMST – Moyowosi-Manyoni, DBST – Dodoma Basement, MAST – Mbulu-Masai, NBT – Nyakahura-Burigi. Inset shows the map of Africa and the distribution of Archean crust (grey areas) with Tanzania highlighted.


Research: Geita GoldResearch: Geita Gold


Geita Gold Project: Overview (cont’d)

sector of the inner belt, mafic volcanic horizons in the outer belt and young age in the inner belt there are no distinct lithological differences between the two arcs.

Geita Greenstone BeltGeita Greenstone Belt is geographically and geologically well defined, incorporating all components found within a typical belt, including extensive mafic volcanics, an assemblage of cherts, mud rocks, sandstones and ironstones, with felsic to intermediate metavolcanic horizons, which are all intruded by a range of felsic and mafic porphyritic bodies. Geita Greenstone Belt is sandwiched between extensive undeformed granitic plutons that define its northern margin and extensive granitoids and gneisses that are sheared alongside its southern margin and isolate Geita from Sukumaland Greenstone Belt to the south. Sm and Nd isotope data for mafic volcanics in the southeast of Geita Greenstone Belt show a similar model age to the 2823 Ma mafic volcanics in the Rwamagaza area of the inner Sukumaland Greenstone Belt and are the oldest rocks identified in Geita Greenstone Belt. Maximum deposition ages for felsic volcaniclastic and

epiclastic deposits are 2771 Ma and 2702 Ma respectively, and the minimum age of Geita sedimentation is obtained from a 2699 ± 9 Ma U–Pb zircon age from an intrusive trachyandesite. Intrusive activity within the belt ranges from 2698-2620 Ma constraining the timing of tectonic activity in Geita Greenstone Belt to a period approximately 2823-2620 Ma.

Gold Deposits in Geita Greenstone BeltThe Geita Greenstone belt contains three gold deposits that are actively mined in open pit (Geita Hill, Nyankanga, and Star and Comet), three deposits that were mined in open pit (Lone Cone, Kukuluma and Mtandani) and two deposits that were mined underground (Ridge 8 and Pit 30). There are also three deposits with reserves defined but not developed (Area 3 West, Chipaka and Roberts). A large number of prospects are currently at different levels of research and development and the greenstone belt contains a few deposits which are currently mined by artisanal miners.

ReferencesSanislav, I. V., Kolling, S. L., Brayshaw, M., Cook, Y. A., Dirks, P. H. G. M., Blenkinsop, T. G., Mturi, M. I., and Ruhega, R., 2015. The geology of the giant Nyankanga gold deposit, Geita Greenstone Belt, Tanzania. Ore Geology Reviews 69, 1-16.z

Geological map of Geita Greenstone Belt (Sanislav et al., 2015) showing the main gold deposits and gold prospects.

The Structural History and Mineralization Controls on the World-Class Geita Hill Gold Deposit, Geita Greenstone Belt, TanzaniaIoan Sanislav1, Matthew Brayshaw2, Sergio Kolling2, Paul Dirks1, Yvonne Cook1, Tom Blenkinsop3 1EGRU - JCU, 2 Anglo Gold Ashanti, 3 Cardiff University

The Geita Hill gold deposit is located in the Archean Geita Greenstone Belt (GGB) and is one of the largest and longest operating gold deposits in East Africa. The Geita Hill gold deposit lies within a 6-7 km long, ENE-WSW trending mineralized zone within the nose of a regional scale fold structure that closes to the SE. This WSW-trending Geita mineralized zone has accounted for the vast majority of gold produced in the GGB, and also includes the Lone Cone and Nyankanga deposits to the WSW of Geita Hill.

Gold mineralization was first discovered in the Geita district in 1898 by a German prospector. A regional survey by a Kenyan company, Saragura Prospecting Syndicate, followed in 1930.

A mine was developed in 1934 and, between 1936 and closure in 1966,

the Geita mine was the largest gold mine in East Africa, producing a million ounces.

Mining took place on 9 levels, each between 400 and 800 metres long and 45 to 50 metres apart. Exploration in the GGB was resumed in the mid-1990’s and mining at Geita Hill recommenced as an open pit operation in 2002.

Sedimentary UnitsThe stratigraphic units hosting the Geita Hill deposit, and the nearby Lone Cone and Nyankanga deposits, consist of a thick pile of sandstone, siltstone and shale beds that were deposited at approximately 2700 Ma and metamorphosed to upper greenschist facies. Clastic sediments are interbedded with black shale, thought to be deposited in a volcanogenic, oxygen-poor environment. Apart from the black shale units all sedimentary units are interpreted as turbidite beds, deposited in a prograding submarine deltaic or delta-fan environment. The turbidite sequence generally consists of immature, chlorite-plagioclase-rich metasedimentary rocks originally derived from an andesite-rich source. The sequence contains several horizons of massive, graded beds of coarse-grained, quartz-feldspar-rich sandstone that contain pebbles up to 15cm in size, representing high-energy event horizons derived most probably from a proximal rhyolitic to dacitic source.

The stratigraphically lowermost pebble-rich, quartz-sandstone bed is several metres thick and forms a distinct marker horizon within the sedimentary pile.Fine grained magnetite-rich siltstone, shale and chert is common throughout the turbidite sequence. Magnetite banding is para-concordant to highly discordant to bedding, and commonly anastomosing. The beds are extensively silicified and epigenetic pyrite is common, especially near and within ore zones. Layers and lenses of bedded chert, up to 50 cm thick, are common in association with fine-grained, magnetite-rich layers, and are interpreted to result from early-diagenetic replacement of sediments near the sea floor during periods of non-deposition. Chert was deposited near the stratigraphic top of fining upward cycles, indicating waning pulses of clastic deposition or periods of tectonic inactivity. Chert beds are less common in coarser-grained turbiditic sandstone units.

IntrusionsThe sedimentary pile hosts numerous intrusions with a wide variety of compositions and textures. Variably foliated sills, dykes and stocks with dioritic composition are common throughout Geita Hill, and merge into a larger diorite body at depth, which makes up the greater part of the pit at the nearby Nyankanga deposit (see page 13), forming the Nyankanga Intrusive Complex. Field evidence, such as dykes radiating from the Nyankanga Intrusive Complex, suggests that the Nyankanga Intrusive Complex extends beneath the supracrustal package hosting the Geita deposit. Diorite intrusions have a dark groundmass of altered feldspar and mafic minerals with phenocrysts of plagioclase and/or hornblende. Fine-grained quartz forms <5% of total modal mineralogy. Primary phenocrysts of hornblende can be abundant; they are green to dark brown with an acicular habit, and are usually replaced by biotite or actinolite-carbonate. Plagioclase phenocrysts vary in size and distribution, but can be up to 1 cm in length, and are commonly replaced by fine-grained sericite. Biotite phenocrysts are rare and where present make up < 5% of the total modal mineralogy. The diorite in Nyankanga pit has been dated at 2698 ± 14 Ma. The sedimentary pile is also cut by late-tectonic quartz-feldspar porphyry and quartz porphyry dykes of granodioritic composition, dated at 2695 ± 18 Ma and 2689 ± 11 Ma, respectively. Quartz-feldspar porphyries and quartz porphyries are rare and usually occur as cross-cutting dykes. They have a fine-grained groundmass, are light to medium grey in colour, with a weak to moderate porphyritic texture. Plagioclase phenocrysts form the main porphyritic phase, but smaller porphyry bodies with rounded quartz augen and minor hornblende are also present.




Two generations of biotite-rich lamprophyre dykes transect the sedimentary pile: early syn-tectonic lamprophyre dykes dated in the Nyankanga pit at 2686±13 Ma, and late tectonic lamprophyre dykes sampled in the Geita underground mine, dated at 2644±3 Ma. The early generation of lamprophyre dykes is folded and strongly sheared and altered, with most mafic minerals replaced by fine-grained biotite and carbonate. The second generation of lamprophyre dykes are fresh with shearing developed only along dyke margins and crosscut the folded sequence.

DeformationDeformation structures at Geita Hill fall into two broad groups: an early group of folding and shearing events, which occurred when the rocks were fully ductile (D1-D5), and a later group of brittle-ductile shearing and faulting events (D6-D8), which are more localised and associated with the main phase of mineralization. Deformation events were accompanied by a wide range of felsic and intermediate intrusions. D6 shear zones are networks of moderately to gently NW dipping, brittle-ductile shear zones that traverse the open pit,

and have been linked to mineralization. This system of shear zones is referred to here as the Geita Hill Shear Zone (GHSZ). They appear to be similar in nature and relative timing to the package of sinistral reverse shear zones associated with the main ore zone in the nearby Nyankanga deposit, except that they are located in the metasediments. In the Geita Hill deposit, D6 shear zones are preferentially developed in sedimentary lithotypes, whilst diorite bodies are less commonly sheared, with shear zones deflecting around their margins. D7 shears are dextral and sinistral strike slips shear zones up to 20 or 30 cm wide marked by gouge and chlorite alteration and S-C fabrics.

Late-stage, normal faults are common throughout the pit, and are mostly parallel to bedding (i.e. dip moderately NW). The normal faults are discrete narrow fractures that are locally slickensided with steeply NW-pitching lineations preserving a normal-sinistral movement sense. Rhomboidal quartz veins are commonly developed at the extensional intersection of regular right-stepping fault segments.

MineralisationWhen viewing the overall distribution of mineralization at the Geita Hill gold deposit, a low grade (0.5 g/t) mineralization envelope can be defined along the length of the Geita Hill pit, which trends NE-SW, dips moderately NW and cuts across bedding and the diorite layers. The envelope appears to be largely confined to the short limb of the main D3 folds mapped in the pit. In places discrete shears can be found within this envelope, whereas elsewhere, no major shear occurs

within the ore envelope. High-grade (>5 g/t) ore lenses generally plunge ~40-45° from W to NNE. They cluster around a common linear direction (~345/45) that approximately parallels the orientation of F3 and F4 fold hinges. In the NE part of the deposit the plunge of the high grade lenses is consistently NW, whereas in the SW part of the deposit ore lenses show a larger range of orientations with plunge direction varying between W to NE. In terms of alteration assemblages, gold is associated with pyrite-biotite-actinolite-carbonate-chlorite, and extensive quartz-carbonate veining within complexly fractured rocks. Veins associated with the mineralized fracture zones are mm- to cm-thick features composed of quartz, quartz-sulfide and quartz-chlorite-sulfide-carbonate. Shearing has locally led to attenuation and brecciation of veins. Tension gashes are uncommon, but may occur within and adjacent to shear zones. Intense silicification and brecciation commonly coincides with high-grade mineralization. Hydrothermal brecciation (in situ fragmentation without rotation of the fragments) is locally important, and spatially restricted to zones of intense alteration in both sedimentary rocks and diorite. Brecciation probably occurred late in the evolution of intense silicic alteration, as indicated by the intense alteration of clasts. All clasts are silicified and no crosscutting, late quartz or carbonate veins were observed. ReferencesSanislav, I. V., Brayshaw, M., Kolling, S. L., Dirks, P. H. G. M., Cook, Y. A., Blenkinsop, T., 2016. The structural history and mineralization controls on the world-class Geita Hill gold deposit, Geita Greenstone Belt, Tanzania. Mineralium Deposita – accepted.z

The Geita Hill Gold Deposit (cont’d) (cont’d) The Geita Hill Gold Deposit

Detailed wall map showing the relationships between the rock types, structures and gold mineralization.

Geological map (a) and cross section (b) across the Geita Hill gold deposit.




Geochemical Characterisation of Gold Mineralisation at the Geita Hill Deposit,Geita Greenstone Belt, TanzaniaMatthew Van Ryt, Ioan Sanislav, Paul Dirks, Jan Marten HuizengaEGRU - JCUGeita Hill deposit hosts significant gold mineralisation, and is one of the largest gold deposits from the Geita Greenstone Belt. The aims of this sub project are to investigate and characterise the alteration at the Geita Hill deposit. The Geita Hill deposit, located in Northwest Tanzania, is hosted within the Archean Geita Greenstone Belt, a world-class gold system forming the northern arc of the regional Sukumaland Greenstone Province. Geita Hill is hosted within a thick unit of turbidites; sandstone, siltstone and shale beds intercalated with ironstone units. The sedimentary pile has been repeatedly intruded by variably foliated diorite dykes and sills, as well as late-tectonic porphyry granodiorite and lamprophyre dykes.Detailed structural mapping has linked gold mineralisation to the commencement of brittle-ductile deformation at the deposit. Ore envelopes within the Geita Pit are spatially linked to the Geita Hill Shear Zone, a NW dipping brittle-ductile shear system. The GHSZ has been interpreted as a multistage shear system, involving early sinistral thrusting and later normal movement. Mineralisation occurs both in sedimentary and igneous host rock, and is characterised by multistage early silicic, auriferous auriferous potassic and late-stage carbonate alteration. The alteration paragenesis is:Stage 1: Variably concentrated silicification of host rock. Silicification emanates from cm-to-dm scale quartz feeder veins; strong silicification completely obliterates host rock textures.Stage 2: Multistage auriferous potassic alteration, dom-inated by pyrite, biotite and k-feldspar, with infills along silicified microfracture networks as well as overprinting silicified host rock. Minor minerals include monazite, galena, chalcopyrite and apatite.

Stage 2a: Early phase of mineralised potassic alteration. Gold is finely dispersed throughout subhedral pyrite, along with magnetite, galena, chalcopyrite and sphalerite mineral inclusions. Stage 2b: Late phase of mineralised potassic alteration characterised by euhedral ‘clean’ pyrite overgrowth of mineral inclusion rich ‘cores’. Gold is present as micron-scale mineral inclusions of free gold and gold tellurides (mainly sylvanite and calaverite).

Stage 3: Post-mineralisation, multistage carbonate-actinolite, carbonate-chlorite and quartz-carbonate overprinting and veining. Overprinting carbonate phases are dominated by calcite, actinolite (replacing biotite), chlorite (replacing actinolite and biotite), and siderite (pyrite proximal). Vein-hosted carbonate alteration is dominated by calcite and quartz, with minor fine-grained (non-auriferous) pyrite, siderite, chlorite and barite.Laser ablation conducted on the auriferous pyrite suggests that secondary ‘clean’ pyrite hosts the bulk of mineralisation. On the assay scale, gold mineralisation could be tracked using the trace element levels of base-metals.Major and trace element geochemistry can be used to help identify mineralised and non-mineralised potassic phases. These include elevated iron and manganese in biotite, and the potassium-iron ratio in k-feldspar. Future work for this sub-project includes: - Construction of an alteration cross section of the

deposit based on core logging and core samples collected.

- Short Wave Infrared Reflectance (SWIR) characterisation of alteration types.

- Fluid inclusion petrography and microthermometry to investigate fluid composition, and constrain physical conditions of mineralisation.

- Zircon dating and Hf isotope studies of porphyry intrusives in the Geita Hill pit.

- Pilot study on monazite dating with the aim to obtain an empirical age for the commencement of gold mineralisation.z

EPMA image of Stage 2a auriferous potassic alteration.

Reflected light image of typical two-stage pyrite grain from Stage

2b mineralisation, with euhedral pyrite

overgrowing a mineral inclusion

rich core.

The Geology of the Giant Nyankanga Gold Deposit, Geita Greenstone Belt, TanzaniaIoan Sanislav1, Sergio Kolling2, Mathew Brayshaw2, Yvonne Cook1, Paul Dirks1, Thomas Blenkinsop3, Marwa Mturi2, Roger Ruhega2

1 EGRU - JCU, 2 Anglo Gold Ashanti, 3 Cardiff University

Nyankanga is the largest gold deposits found in the Geita Greenstone Belt with gold reserves in excess of 8Moz. The Nyankanga gold deposit was discovered in 1995, by Ashanti Goldfields Corporation, based on a weak soil anomaly which was drilled in 1996. Reported reserves in 2002, at the start of mining, for the Nyankanga gold deposit included 6.3 Moz @ 5.42 g/t (open pit), and 1.04 Moz @ 8.12 g/t (underground) with significant reserves added by further exploration and with open potential at depth.

IntrusionsThe geology of the Nyankanga deposit is dominated by the Nyankanga Intrusive Complex which is volumetrically dominated by diorite intruded by several generations of feldspar and/or quartz porphyry and lamprophyre dykes. Two main types of diorite have been identified in the Nyankanga deposit. These are plagioclase-rich diorite and hornblende-rich diorite. Both varieties can be equigranular, or porphyritic with a range of matrix grain-size. The two types can grade progressively into each other and zones of hornblende-rich diorite can be found within plagioclase-rich diorite and vice versa; suggesting that this mineralogical variation is the result of magmatic differentiation rather than indicating different timing relationships. The felsic porphyries are light to medium grey in colour with obvious feldspar and/or quartz phenocrysts. Their matrix is usually fine grained and contains quartz, plagioclase and amphibole. They are present usually as dykes. A few lamprophyre dykes ~1mthick occur in the Nyankanga deposit. They are light to dark brown in colour and contain abundant biotite, hornblende and calcite in the matrix and as veins.

IronstonesThe Nyankanga Intrusive Complex contains a series of ironstone dominated fragments interpreted to represent roof pendants from the overlaying sedimentary package. The ironstones can be subdivided into three stratigraphic units or lithofacies with both lateral and stratigraphic transitions observed. The lower most ironstone unit is about 3 m thick and consists of intercalations of graphite-rich magnetic shales or siltstone and laminated chert. The middle unit consists of poorly bedded magnetite and chert intercalations. The unit is usually dark-grey in colour and the chert beds are typically translucent pale-grey. The upper ironstone unit consists of laminated intercalations of silty, chloritic clastic sedimentary rocks

interbedded with chert. Magnetite is present along the contact between chert beds and the overlaying clastic beds. This unit is usually dark-green in colour with planar, thin laminations. In general the boundaries between each of these units are gradational. Banded magnetite–chert units may occur within laminated ironstone or laminated ironstone within banded chert–magnetite.

DeformationThe entire sequence is complexly deformed with eight (D1 to D8) deformation events identified. D1 to D5 are ductile events and consists of layer parallel foliation and shear (D1) and complex folding (D2 to D5). D6 to D8 are mostly brittle deformation although D6 structures contain zones of deformation with well-developed shear fabric. D6 structures are moderately NW to N dipping fault zones with a dominantly reverse component of movement, one of which is a narrow (0.05–2 m wide) semiductile shear zone with a strike-length of at least 1.5 km spatially related to gold mineralization and referred to as the Nyankanga Fault Zone. The Nyankanga Fault Zone consists of an anastomosing array of sharp discontinuities that form discrete slip surfaces, which occur together with complex vein arrays, foliation domains defined by orientated mica (mainly chlorite) and pressure solution seams. Narrow, steeper-dipping fault zones link the imbricate thrusts to form a complex, anastomosing network of fault zones that occur throughout the large open pit at Nyankanga. Only some of these fault zones are associated with mineralisation. D7 structures are steeply dipping dextral and sinistral shear zones with a distinct NW trend while D8 structures are steeply dipping, ~E–W trending, faults that have a consistent normal component of movement with at most a few m displacement (typically less than 1 m).

AlterationThe alteration in the Nyankanga deposit displays a systematic change in mineralogy with distance from the mineralisation, and can be subdivided into three main alteration zones: a distal zone, a transitional zone and a proximal zone. Distal alteration is characterised by the association chlorite–epidote–calcite ± actinolite–pyrite ± pyrrhotite and is best developed in diorite, where it can be seen to overprint primary igneous textures. In the diorite, chlorite replaces primary biotite and hornblende while epidote replaces mafic minerals and plagioclase. Calcite occurs both as disseminations and calcite–pyrite or calcite–chlorite ± epidote–pyrite veins. In ironstone this alteration zone is less prominent, but it can be recognised by the presence of chlorite in shale, actinolite near magnetite bands and rare calcite–chlorite– pyrite ± pyrhotite veinlets. The transitional alteration zone is characterised by biotite–chlorite– calcite±pyrite association. The difference between the distal alteration zone and the transitional zone is the appearance of biotite and increased abundance




of calcite. Thin veins of biotite and associated thin biotite haloes occur throughout this zone. Within diorite, the transitional zone is further characterised by the appearance of biotite which replaces primary hornblende. Calcite ± quartz–biotite–chlorite–pyrite veins occur throughout this zone . Within the proximal alteration zone the dominant mineral association is quartz – calcite – dolomite/ankerite – hematite –pyrite – biotite. In diorite, biotite replacement of mafic minerals is common and is associated with fine-grained, disseminated magnetite. Increased alteration

intensity within this zone has locally resulted in a complete overprint of primary igneous textures due to silicification, carbonation and/or sulfidation.

MineralisationIn general the gold mineralization in the Nyankanga deposit occurs in close spatial proximity to the Nyankanga Fault Zone with the bulk of the mineralization being located in the footwall. The ore envelope at a cut-off grade of 0.5 g/t is tabular with a shallow, approximately 22°W to NW dip, i.e.

The Nyankanga Gold Deposit (cont’d) (cont’d) The Nyankanga Gold Deposit

Geological map (a) and cross-section (b) through the Nyankanga gold deposit

a

b

Alteration features found in the Nyankanga gold deposit: a) calcite-rich vein with minor chlorite and pyrite, and with an earlier magnetite-rich vein; b) quartz–carbonate–biotite–pyrite vein with minor chlorite; fine-grained biotite has replaced the hornblende in the matrix; c) biotite–chlorite–pyrite microveining and moderate to intense hematite alteration; d) silica alteration overprinting an earlier sulphide (pyrite alteration) and associated brecciation.

approximately 10° shallower than dip of the Nyankanga Fault Zone. However, steeper mineralised zones up to 10 m thick are common and have a shape resembling imbricate splays in the hanging wall.

The mineralization is preferentially located along ironstone-diorite contacts with high grade zones normally hosted by mineralised ironstone enclaves. Within diorite, mineralisation is generally lower grade and more disseminated across dispersed, stockwork zones. As a general rule high grade ore zones usually occur below the Nyankanga Fault Zone and have steeper dip than the overall mineralization and the shear zone, and a shallow plunge towards SW and WSW. Based on the local geology controlling the individual ore zones, a few different mineralisation styles can be distinguished. High grade ore shoots usually are related to disseminated ironstone-hosted mineralisation and fault-bound breccia and quartz veins. The disseminated mineralisation style is characterised by sulphide altered

silicified ironstones with quartz–magnetite–pyrite ± hematite alteration. The fault-related quartz veins and breccia mineralization style form distinct domains in the footwall of the Nyankanga Fault Zone usually with a steeper orientation than the Nyankanga Fault Zone.

The ore mineralogy is dominated by pyrite bearing quartz ± carbonate cemented breccia and veins. Medium grade ore zones are usually related to bedding parallel small shear zones overprinted by thin vein arrays and with the mineral association quartz-magnetite–pyrite±hematite. The low grade ore zones are usually dominated by planar sheeted veins developed mainly in the footwall of Nyankanga Fault Zone with a quartz–carbonate–pyrite–chlorite–biotite assemblage.

ReferencesSanislav, I. V., Kolling, S. L., Brayshaw, M., Cook, Y. A., Dirks, P. H. G. M., Blenkinsop, T. G., Mturi, M. I., and Ruhega, R., 2015. The geology of the giant Nyankanga gold deposit, Geita Greenstone Belt, Tanzania. Ore Geology Reviews 69, 1-16.z




Gold Mineralization in the Kukuluma Domain, Geita Greenstone Belt,NW TanzaniaShimba Kwelwa1, Ioan Sanislav1, Paul Dirks1, Tom Blenkinsop3 1EGRU - JCU, 3 Cardiff University

The Kukuluma domain comprises the easternmost, NW trending part of the Geita Greenstone Belt and contains five gold deposits: Matandani, Kukuluma, Area 3 West, Area 3 Central and Area 3 South. The oxide zone of Matandani and Kukuluma deposits was mined in open pit. The remaining three deposits and the sulphide mineralization from Matandani and Kukuluma are in preservation status at the moment. The gold mineralization in the Kukuluma domain was discovered based on soil anomalies. To the SW, the Kukuluma domain is bordered along a NW trending shear zone by the mafic rocks forming the base of the stratigraphic sequence. To the E and NE, the Kukuluma domain is intruded by late high-K granites. The geology of the Kukuluma domain consists of a deeply weathered sedimentary package, dominated by ironstones, that was intruded by a series of intermediate to felsic porphyries and dykes and metamorphosed to lower amphibolite facies. The sedimentary sequence starts with pyritic black shales that transition into ironstones which, in turn, transition into a turbiditic sequence. The black shales appear mainly as thin and discontinuous units with thin greywacke bands that grade into chert-magnetic shales intercalation and eventually into ironstones. The ironstones are variable in appearance and can vary between finely laminated chert-magnetic shales intercalation to thick chert layers with

irregular magnetite bands. Grunerite and ferro-actinolite are common at the contact between the magnetite and chert bands. Intraformational conglomerates are common within the ironstone unit. The ironstones contain frequent intercalations of volcanoclastic such as tuffs and ignimbrites. The amount of volcanoclastic material increases towards the top of the ironstone unit where it grades into chert-volcanoclastic intercalations and eventually into a turbiditic sequence formed by alternating immature layers of sandstones, siltstones and mudstones. The sandstone beds are rapidly fining upwards into a siltstone. The siltstone beds are commonly 5 to 10 cm thick, and like the sandstone, rapidly fine upwards to mudstone. The mudstone varies in thickness from 5 cm to commonly less than 20 cm and is pinkish to purplish in color. The sedimentary sequence was intruded by a fine grained diorite to granodiorite intrusive complex named the Kukuluma Intrusive Complex. The Kukuluma Intrusive Complex is deeply weathered and fresh samples can be found only from drill cores. In the southeastern part of the Kukuluma domain, the exploration drill holes intercepted fresh high-K granites suggesting that the high-K granites that intrude to the E and NE of the domain extend also bellow the Kukuluma domain. Late porphyry dykes similar in composition to the Kukuluma Intrusive Complex crosscut the entire sequence. DeformationThe Kukuluma domain is complexly deformed and shows evidence of at least seven deformation events. The earliest deformation event (D1) consists of mylonitic chert layers with complex internal folding that truncates the stratigraphy at a low angle. This was followed by two deformation events (D2 and D3) that produced

isoclinal upright folds which were overprinted by open reclined (D4) and recumbent (D5) folds. The Kukuluma Intrusive Complex contains a foliation similar in orientation to the D3 axial planar foliation and intruded preferentially along the D3 folds axial planes suggesting intrusion during the D3 deformation event. Locally, the contact between the Kukuluma Intrusive Complex and the sediments was overprinted by steep brittle-ductile shear zones (D6) with a dextral shear sense. The entire sequence is cut by ~ E-W trending fracture pattern showing a normal component of movement (D7).

MineralizationThe gold mineralization in all deposits is preferentially localized along the sheared contact between the Kukuluma Intrusive Complex and the ironstones. The mineralization is associated with three different textural styles of arsenopyrite: disseminated and clustered fine-grained arsenopyrite, coarser grained anhedral arsenopyrite and coarser grained euhedral arsenopyrite. The coarser arsenopyrite is preferentially located along fracture zones that overprinted the brittle-ductile shear fabric associated with the D6 structures.z

(cont’d) Gold Mineralisation in the Kukuluma Domain

(a) Geological map of the Kukuluma Domain. (b) Cross section through Matandani gold deposit. The gold mineralization sits along the contact between the intrusion and the ironstones.

a

b

Mineralized rock types from the Kukuluma domain: (a) laminated ironstones with fracture-fill mineralization; (b) ironstone with pyrrhotite replacing magnetite; (c) brecciated ironstone with carbonate infill in a siliceous matrix; (d) brecciated and sheared intrusive with arsenopyrite.

Research

18 EGRU News January 2016 EGRU News January 2016 19

Research

The Mary Kathleen Fold Belt, Mount Isa Inlier, comprises highly deformed metamorphic rocks that experienced granite intrusion and regional-scale pervasive metasomatism during the middle Proterozoic (Page, 1983). The Belt is renowned for its polymetallic mineralization, including Cu, Au, U and REE, although few of the known mineralization occurrences are currently considered economically viable for extraction.The Mary Kathleen U-REE deposit (Figure 1A) has been the focus of significant research (Page, 1983; Maas et al., 1987; Oliver et al., 1999; Hammerli et al., 2014b), and is interpreted to have a complex and protracted geological evolution, including an initial regional scale skarn event caused by intrusion of the Burstall magmatic suite at ca. 1740 Ma (Page, 1983), followed by a sequence of deformation and metamorphic events and associated hydrothermal activity that led to ore formation at between 1550 and 1500 Ma (Oliver et al., 1999, and refs. therein). Lying 8 km to the south, and in a similar structural setting, is the little-studied Elaine Dorothy Cu-Au (+REE) skarn orebody. Elaine Dorothy and Mary Kathleen share similar geological attributes and are broadly

considered to be part of the same mineralisation system (Maas et al., 1987; Oliver et al., 1999), although Elaine Dorothy is distinguished by its high content of Cu and Au compared to Mary Kathleen, which is principally a U and REE deposit. The Elaine Dorothy orebody is hosted within amphibolite-grade marble and garnet-diopside-K-feldspar (± scapolite) skarn rocks of the Corella Formation (Oliver et al., 1999; Hammerli et al., 2014b). Extensive drilling by Chinalco Yunnan Ltd. has defined a resource of 27.7 Mt of ore at 0.53 % Cu and 0.08 g/t Au. Copper–Fe sulphide mineralization is focused in a steeply dipping NE-SW trending zone that likely represents a splay or segment of the Mary Kathleen Shear Zone (Figure 1A; Oliver et al., 1999). The host rocks are biotite-rich schist and coarse-grained pyroxene skarn that commonly contain coarse titanite and variable amounts of allanite. These rocks are invariably cut by calcite + diopside (± magnetite, ± titanite, ± apatite) veins (mm to metres in thickness) that may contain chalcopyrite and pyrite, and that are interpreted to be minor remobilization of the primary ore. MKED1 titanite is sourced from one of these veins. To determine the timing and origin

of Cu-dominated mineralization at Elaine Dorothy, we evaluated the U-Pb age and Sm-Nd isotope composition of MKED1 and four additional titanite samples taken from drillcore. Two samples (171B and 182) are coarse pyroxene skarns that feature coarse (up to 1 cm) euhedral titanite grains intergrown with Cu-Fe sulfide ore minerals (Figures 3A, 3B). These titanites are interpreted to be contemporaneous with primary ore formation. We also analysed a large titanite grain from another pyroxene skarn sample (190D) that is cross-cut by a thin calcite+sulfide vein (Figure 3C). In this case the titanite clearly predates the vein. Our fourth sample (BC3) is from a late-stage calcite-diopside-apatite-titanite vein that cuts banded garnet-diopside-K-feldspar skarn, approximately 200 metres to the north of the orebody. Data from this titanite, together with MKED1, is used to constrain the timing of the late-stage veins and associated minor ore remobilisation. The titanite co-existing with sulphides (samples 171B and 182) returned weighted mean 207Pb/206Pb ages of 1532 ±14 Ma (MSWD = 0.41) and 1531.0 ±6.7 Ma (MSWD = 1.5). Titanite from the pyroxene skarn sample 190D (Figure 3C) and

Titanite: Application to the Elaine-Dorothy Cu+Au (+U+REE) Skarn

Titanite (sphene) as a Recorder of the Timing and Fluid Source for Ore Formation: an example from the Elaine-Dorothy Prospect, Mary Kathleen Fold Belt, QueenslandCarl Spandler, Johannes Hammerli, Peng Sha, Yi HuEGRU - JCU

IntroductionDue to advances in in-situ microanalysis techniques and understanding of phase petrology, the geochemical and isotopic compositions of accessory minerals are now widely used to unravel complex, and often cryptic, petrological processes and geological histories. Titanite is a common accessory mineral in a large range of igneous and metamorphic rocks (e.g. Frost et al., 2000), and is often associated with hydrothermal alteration and ore formation processes (Li et al., 2010). The crystal structure of titanite can accommodate high levels of trace elements including rare earth elements (REE), F, Nb, Ta, Zr, Hf, U, Th, Sr, and Pb (Tiepolo et al., 2002), so it has great potential to be used in geochemical and isotopic fingerprinting of geological processes (e.g. Sm-Nd, Rb-Sr; Hammerli et al., 2014), and as a U-Pb geochronometer (Frost et al., 2000). Titanite is stable over a large range of P-T conditions but it is relatively reactive to metamorphism and hydrothermal alteration. These characteristics offer advantages over other mineral geochronometers such as zircon, in that titanite may be particularly useful for dating metamorphism, hydrothermal alteration and ore formation, in addition to igneous crystallization (see Table 1 - page 14).

Developments in micro-analytical techniques, such as laser ablation ICP-MS analysis, now make it possible to rapidly collect high precision isotopic and elemental datasets in situ from mineral or fluid (glass or fluid inclusions) phases. A fundamental requirement of these analytical methods is concurrent analysis of matrix-matched mineral standards that have been well characterized for their elemental and isotopic composition. Suitable standards for analysis of zircon are widely available, whereas there are presently few well characterized titanite standards that are suitable for combined trace element, Sm-Nd isotope and U-Pb dating analysis. Clearly, the availability of a single, high quality titanite reference standard for trace element

and isotopic analysis would greatly assist researchers to take advantage of the chemical and isotopic archives of geological processes and events that are recorded by titanite.

In this paper we describe a new titanite standard, labelled MKED1, that has been characterized at JCU for use as a calibration standard for analysis of trace element concentrations, U-Pb isotope ages and Sm-Nd isotope compositions of titanite. To demonstrate the potential of this new analytical capability, we use the MKED1 standard to determine the U-Pb age and Sm-Nd isotope composition of hydrothermal titanite associated with the Elaine-Dorothy Cu-Au (+U+REE) mineralized skarn of the Mary Kathleen Fold Belt, Queensland.

MKED1 titanite standardMKED1 titanite derives from euhedral, double terminated crystals measuring up to 8 cm in length (Figure 1b) associated with coarse pink calcite and minor diopside in a vein that cuts banded diopside-K-feldspar-scapolite skarn rocks of the Elaine-Dorothy Cu-Au-REE prospect of the Mt Isa Inlier, Queensland, Australia (Figure 1a). MKED1 titanite is taken from diamond drill core from ca. 80 metres below the

surface, and so the samples are free of surface weathering or alteration. Microscope observation of crystal fragments (several mm to <100 µm) appear inclusion free and homogenous. Extensive backscatter

electron imaging and chemical analysis of multiple MKED1 titanite chips by electron microprobe and laser ablation ICP-MS (all work done at the Advanced Analytical Centre, JCU) confirm the lack of mineral inclusions and the compositional homogeneity at the µm to mm scale.

Several mm-sized chips of MKED1 were analysed for U-Pb and Sm-Nd isotopes by ID-TIMS; these analyses further confirmed the homogeneity of the crystal. Our repeat (n= 61) in situ Sm-Nd isotope microanalysis of multiple MKED1 chips by LA multicollector ICP-MS, together with bulk isotopic analysis of whole chips by TIMS, indicates MKED has a homogenous Sm-Nd isotopic composition with εNd value of -6.13 ± 0.05. MKED1 has relatively high levels of radiogenic Pb and U, but very low levels of common Pb (Figure 2), and returns a concordia U-Pb age 1517.9 ±1.3 Ma. Micro-scale homogeneity in U-Pb isotopes was evaluated

via over 100 individual LA-ICP-MS analyses, which show less than 10% of analyses fall outside of 2 sigma uncertainty of the TIMS value. Using MKED1 we were able to accurately reproduce the age of known titanite standards (Khan, OLT1 and Fish Canyon Tuff), indicating MKED1 can be used as a calibration standard for age dating titanites ranging from Precambrian to Neogene in age. In summary, our analyses indicate that the MKED1 titanite crystal has a high degree of homogeneity in major and trace elements, and Sm-Nd and U-Pb isotope compositions, and is fit for purpose as a calibration

standard for U-Pb dating, trace element analysis and Sm-Nd isotope analysis of titanite. As titanite is an accessory mineral found in a diverse range of igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks, and can be formed in hydrothermal environments associated with ore deposits (e.g., intrusion related deposits, skarns, IOCGs), it holds great potential to inform on the timing and petrogenesis of geological events. We demonstrate this potential based on a case study of titanite geochronology and geochemistry from the Elaine Dorothy mineralized skarn from the Mount Isa inlier (below).

“titanite may be particularly useful for dating metamorphism,

hydrothermal alteration and ore formation”


ResearchResearch


the late calcite-diopside-apatite vein sample BC3 returned concordia ages of 1534.6 ±8.6 Ma (MSWD = 0.30) and 1515.2 ±6.2 Ma (MSWD = 1.14), respectively. Initial εNd values for all titanite samples, including MKED1, are around -6.0 to -6.5. Based on these new titanite data, we place the formation of the coarse pyroxene skarn and associated Cu-Au-REE mineralization at Elaine Dorothy to ca. 1530 Ma. This age is not only consistent with the timing of regional Na-Ca alteration and the published broad age constraints for U-REE mineralization at the Mary Kathleen Mine and Elaine Dorothy (Oliver et al., 1999; Maas et al., 1987), but also corresponds to emplacement of the Williams–Naraku Batholith in the Cloncurry District (Page and Sun, 1998). The age of MKED1 (1518 Ma) and BC3 titanite (ca. 1515 Ma) place formation of the late-stage veining and minor ore remobilization to be 10-15 m.y. after primary ore formation. These results, together

with those of Maas et al. (1987), indicate that the skarn rocks and associated ore in the Mary Kathleen shear zone region (see Fig. 1a) may have experienced multiple episodes of alteration and remobilisation after primary ore formation. The initial εNd of Elaine Dorothy titanites of around -6, is consistent with the value of -6.1 ±0.7 calculated from a mineral isochron by Maas et al. (1987). These values are similar to those of the hosting Corella Formation skarns (Maas et al., 1987), but are distinct from the Mary Kathleen U-REE ore (εNd ~ -9; Maas et al., 1987), and granites of the William–Naraku Batholith (εNd = -1 to -3; Page and Sun, 1998). We suggest that the Sm-Nd results for Elaine Dorothy titanites either simply reflect local sourcing of REE from the Corella Formation (and hence limited REE mobility), or reflect mixing between components of Mary Kathleen type ore and unrecognized or unexposed Williams–Naraku intrusions. In the

former case, the Williams–Naraku intrusions may have contributed heat, volatiles (Kendrick et al., 2011; Hammerli et al., 2014b), and possibly Cu (Oliver et al., 2008, and refs. therein) for the mineralization at Elaine Dorothy. In the latter case, the intrusions may also have contributed REE ± U to the mineralization system.

Conclusions - Titanite can be used as a

geochronometer and petrogenetic indicator for a range of geological processes in a diverse range of rock types. - Hydrothermal titanite from ore

deposits can be used to constrain the timing and origin of mineralization processes. - The MKED1 titanite standard is fit

for purpose for in situ microanalysis of trace elements, U-Pb dating and Sm-Nd isotopes in titanite.MKED1 is available to analytical labs on request from Carl Spandler ([email protected]).z Figure 1. A) Simplified geological map of the area around the Mary Kathleen Syncline, Mount Isa Inlier, Queensland

Australia (adapted from Oliver et al., 1999). MK = Mary Kathleen. The Mary Kathleen U-REE mine and Elaine Dorothy Cu-Au-REE prospect are marked by white stars. MKED1 is sourced from the Elaine Dorothy prospect. Mineral abbreviations: Cpx = clinopyroxene, Kfd = K-feldspar, Gr = grossular, Gt = garnet. Fm. = formation. B) Diamond drill core of the pink calcite vein containing coarse euhedral MKED1 titanite crystals.C) Optical microscope image of gently crushed and cleaned fragments of MKED1 that range in size from several mm to less than 100 µm.

Figure 2. Box and whisker plots of 206Pb/204Pb and total common Pb (in ppm) content of MKED1 and other titanite standards used for U-Pb dating. Note that MKED1 titanite has significantly lower contents of common Pb and proportionally high contents of radiogenic Pb compared to other titanite standards. Data for OLT1, Khan and BLR-1 are taken from Kennedy et al. (2010), Heaman (2009), and Aleinikoff et al. (2007), respectively.

Titanite article: cont’d from page 19

Mineral

In Situ Chemical Tools for Age Dating and Tracing Source FormationTick

CountU-Pb dating Sm-Nd isotopes Lu-Hf isotopes Rb-Sr

isotopes trace elements

Zircon √√ √√ √ 5

Monazite √√ √√ √√ 6

Apatite (√?) √√ (√?) √√ 4

Titanite √√ (√?) √√ (√?) √√ 6

Mineral

Environment of Formation / OccurrenceTick

Countgranite & rhyolite

gabbro & basalt

detrital (1 recycling

event)

detrital (>1 recycling

event)

low grade metamorphic

high grade metamorphic

ore deposits

Zircon √√ √√ √√ √ 7

Monazite √ √ √ √ √ 5

Apatite √√ √ √√ √√ √√ √√ 11

Titanite √√ √ √√ √√ √ √√ 10

√√ = very useful / common; √ = somewhat useful / rare; (√?) = possible

Table 1. Utility and occurrence of accessory / minor minerals from geological environments

mailto:carl.spandler%40jcu.edu.au?subject=


ResearchResearch


ReferencesAleinikoff, J.N., Wintsch, R.P., Tollo, R.P., Unruh, D.M., Fanning, C.M., Schmitz, M.D., 2007. Ages and origins of rocks of the Killingworth dome, south-central Connecticut: Implications for the tectonic evolution of southern New England. Am. J. Sci. 307, 63-118.Frost, B.R., Chamberlain, K.R., Schumacher, J.C., 2000. Sphene (titanite): phase relations and role as a geochronometer. Chem. Geol. 172, 131-148.Hammerli, J., Kemp, A.I.S., Spandler, C., 2014a. Neodymium isotope equilibration during crustal metamorphism revealed by in situ microanalysis of REE-rich accessory minerals. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 392, 133-142. Hammerli, J., Spandler, C., Oliver, N.H.S., Rusk, B., 2014b. Cl/Br of scapolite as a fluid tracer in the earth’s crust: insights into fluid sources in the Mary Kathleen Fold Belt, Mt. Isa Inlier, Australia. J. Metamorph. Geol. 32, 93-112.Heaman, L.M., 2009. The application of U–Pb geochronology to mafic, ultramafic and alkaline rocks: an evaluation of three mineral standards. Chem. Geol. 261, 43-52.Kendrick, M.A., Honda, M., Oliver, N.H.S., Phillips, D., 2011. The noble gas systematics of late-orogenic H2O–CO2 fluids, Mt Isa, Aus-tralia. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 75, 1428-1450.Kennedy, A.K., Kamo, S.L., Nasdala, L., Timms, N.E., 2010. Grenville skarn titanite: potential reference material for SIMS U–Th–Pb analy-sis. Can. Mineral. 48, 1423-1443.

Li, J.W., Deng, X.D., Zhou, M.F., Liu, Y.S., Zhao, X.F., Guo, J.L., 2010. Laser ablation ICP-MS titanite U–Th–Pb dating of hydrothermal ore deposits: a case study of the Tonglushan Cu–Fe–Au skarn deposit, SE Hubei Province, China. Chem. Geol. 270, 56-67.Maas, R., McCulloch, M.T., Campbell, I.H., Page, R.W., 1987. Sm-Nd isotope systematics in uranium rare-earth element mineralization at the Mary Kathleen uranium mine, Queensland. Econ. Geol. 82, 1805-1826.Oliver, N.H.S., Pearson, P., Holcombe, R., Ord, A., 1999. Mary Kath-leen metamorphic-hydrothermal uranium - rare-earth element depos-it: ore genesis and numerical model of coupled deformation and fluid flow: Aust. J. Earth Sci. 46, 467-483.Oliver, N.H.S., Butera, K.M., Rubenach, M.J., Marshall, L.J., Clever-ley, J.S., Mark, G., et al., 2008. The protracted hydrothermal evolution of the Mount Isa Eastern Succession: A review and tectonic implica-tions. Precamb. Res. 163, 108-130.Page, R.W., 1983. Chronology of magmatism, skarn formation, and uranium mineralization, Mary Kathleen, Queensland, Australia. Econ. Geol. 78, 838-853.Page, R.W., Sun, S.S., 1998. Aspects of geochronology and crustal evo-lution in the Eastern Fold Belt, Mt Isa Inlier. Aust. J. Earth Sci. 45, 343-361.Tiepolo, M., Oberti, R., Vannucci, R., 2002. Trace-element incorpo-ration in titanite: constraints from experimentally determined solid/liquid partition coefficients. Chem. Geol. 191, 105-119.

Titanite article: cont’d from page 21

New Hominid Species in the Rising Star Cave System of South AfricaCarl Spandler

September 2015 saw the announcement of the discovery of the new Hominid species called Homo naledi in the Rising Star Cave system of South Africa (see: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/09/150910-human-evolution-change/). The discovery and associated geological work made international headlines, and intimately involved EGRU researchers Paul Dirks and Eric Roberts.

In Mid November 2015, Eric and Paul returned to South Africa, along with Carl Spandler and Hannah Hilbert-Wolf, to continue geological work on the cave site with collaborators from the University of Witswatersrand. The fieldwork was very successful with the team having wide access to the cave site, including the Dinaledi Chamber that contains most of the hominid bones. Geophysical surveys were completed, and crucial samples for geochemistry and geochronology have been collected. Stay tuned for more exciting research announcements in 2016!

Top: The JCU team - Eric, Carl, Hannah and Paul - at the entrance of the Rising Star Cave.

Bottom: Remnants of a flowstone that has cemented cave mud breccia containing hominid bone

(near the centre of the photo).

Top: Eric and Hannah working in the hominid-bearing cave chamber.

Bottom: Carl negotiating the tight vertical entry chute into the Dinaledi Chamber.

Reference: Geological and taphonomic context for the new hominin species Homo naledi from the Dinaledi Chamber, South Africa. Paul HGM Dirks, Lee R Berger, Eric M Roberts, Jan D Kramers, John Hawks, Patrick S Randolph-Quinney, Marina Elliott, Charles M Musiba, Steven E Churchill, Darryl J de Ruiter, Peter Schmid, Lucinda R Backwell, Georgy A Belyanin, Pedro Boshoff, K Lindsay Hunter, Elen M Feuerriegel, Alia Gurtov, James du G Harrison, Rick Hunter, Ashley Kruger, Hannah Morris, Tebogo V Makhubela, Becca Peixotto, Steven Tucker. Publication at: http://elifesciences.org/content/4/e09561v1

ABC News article: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-09-10/new-species-of-human-relative-found-in-underground-graveyard/6765466

Figure 3. Thin section photographs of titanite-bearing diopside skarn samples from the Elaine Dorothy Cu-Au-REE prospect. A) Transmitted light image of sample 171B with intergrown coarse titanite and Cu-Fe sulphides. B) Reflected light photomicrograph of sample 182 with intergrown euhedral titanite and Cu-Fe sulphides (mostly pyrite). C) Transmitted light photomicrograph of sample 190D showing a coarse titanite grain cut by a late-stage calcite+sulphide vein. The preferred age estimate and εNd values for titanite with 2σ errors are shown for each sample. Mineral abbreviations: tnt = titanite, di = diopside, slf = Cu-Fe sulphides, cc = calcite.

171B titanite:age = 1532 ±14 Ma

εNd= -6.53 ±0.37

190D titanite:age = 1534.6 ±8.6 Ma

εNd= -6.13 ±0.51

182 titanite:age = 1531 ±6.7 Ma

εNd= -6.31 ±0.33

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/09/150910-human-evolution-change/



http://elifesciences.org/content/4/e09561v1

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-09-10/new-species-of-human-relative-found-in-underground-graveyard/6765466


ResearchResearch


The Giant Antamina Deposit, Peru: Intrusive Sequence, Skarn Mineralisation and Uplift History

Stephanie MrozekPhD Candidate, EGRUProject Update

Antamina, located in the central Andes of Peru, is the largest Cu-Zn skarn deposit in the world with a resource (measured,

indicated, and inferred) of 2,416 Mt at 0.84% Cu, 0.76% Zn, 10.8 g/t Ag, 0.02% Mo (Glencore, 2014). Operations at the open-pit mine commenced in 2001 and the current mine life is estimated to 2028. The deposit is hosted in limestone and marl of the Cretaceous Jumasha and Celendín Formations, which provided an ideal host rock for skarn formation. At least 40 million years of subduction-related tectonic activity has resulted in extensive regional deformation. Across the district the carbonate package is folded and locally thickened due to overthrusting; the Antamina deposit occurs in the hinge of an anticline where the host rocks are at least 700 metres thick. A multi-phase, Miocene (~10 Ma) porphyry intrusive complex occupies the core of the deposit and contains significant Cu and Mo grades. The surrounding skarn bodies contain Cu, Zn, Ag, and Bi mineralisation, which extends beyond the current maximum drilled depths exceeding 2 km. Two major goals for this project are: 1) characterize the porphyry-skarn transition, and 2) identify geological factors that may have contributed to the formation of the vertically extensive skarns observed at Antamina.

In order to characterize the porphyry-skarn transition I have documented the intrusive sequence (as observed in drill core, highwalls, and outcrops), with careful attention to cross-cutting relationships between intrusions, skarns, and mineralisation. My observations

reveal eight intrusive phases, with only the first two displaying a clear metasomatic relationship (i.e., endoskarn alteration, systematic mineral zoning) with the adjacent skarns; all other igneous phases cross-cut the skarns (Figure 1). Modal compositions range from granite to quartz diorite and all have porphyry textures. All igneous units also contain quartz veins and weak to pervasive secondary biotite alteration; younger units truncate veins and alteration in older units. To facilitate modelling of the intrusive sequence, each igneous rock type has been assigned a name that indicates its position in the paragenesis: P1, P2, P3, etc., where “P” denotes “porphyry” and P2 is younger than P1.

The vertically extensive skarn system at Antamina can be explained by a model that accounts for fluid released from two major porphyry intrusions (P1 and P2) into favourable host rocks during continuous tectonic uplift. P1 intrusions and skarns form first during uplift, then are moved upward while P2 intrusions and skarns form below and adjacent to P1. Because skarn formation is dependent on the availability of a favourable host rock, P2 skarns form spatially distinct bodies from P1 skarns. Zones of overlap are characterized by high quartz ± sulphide vein density and/or strong retrograde alteration. In general, P2 skarns can be identified by lower quartz vein densities and typically less retrograde alteration compared to older P1 skarns. These features may be recognised in the field, however analytical work is underway to test this model. I am using fluid inclusions in skarn minerals (garnet and clinopyroxene) to estimate the trapping pressure in samples from high and low elevations. I am also using (U-Th)/He thermochronology to date the most recent post-intrusion cooling event (i.e., exhumation) recorded by igneous apatite and zircon samples collected from a range of elevations across the district.zReference cited: Glencore, 2014, Resources & Reserves (as at 31 December 2014), 65 p. Available online: http://www.glencore.com/assets/investors/doc/reports_and_results/2014/GLEN-2014-Resources-Reserves-Report.pdf.

Cross-cutting relationships observed in drill core from Antamina. A. Metasomatic contact between P1 endoskarn and P1 exoskarn. B: P2 porphyry cuts P1 endoskarn, as displayed by a sharp contact and the juxtaposition of different alteration styles (P2 porphyry lacks endoskarn alteration).

Lead Isotope Mapping in Eastern AustraliaDavid Huston, David Champion, Jane ThorneGeoscience Australia

Geoscience Australia, in collaboration with the Geological Survey of Queensland, the New South Wales Geological Survey, the Geological Survey of Victoria, Mineral Resources Tasmania, EGRU (James Cook University), the University of Tasmania, the University of Melbourne, Klondike Exploration Services and Terra Search Pty Ltd, are undertaking a program to map spatial variations in lead isotopes in the Tasman Element of eastern Australia. This program follows on from the neodymium map of Australia (Champion, 2013), which documented spatial variations in Nd model ages that correspond to major tectonic breaks, and from an initial lead isotope map of the Lachlan Orogen in southeastern Australia (Figure 1).Figure 1 compares the locations of province boundaries and mineral deposits with variations in the “Lachlan lead index” (LLI: Huston et al., 2016), a parameter that uses initial lead isotope ratios to model the mixing of mantle-derived with crustal-derived lead using the growth model of Carr et al. (1995,). This parameter accurately maps province boundaries within the Lachlan Orogen (e.g., the boundary between the Eastern and Central Lachlan provinces) as defined by Glen (2013). Moreover, it highlights metallogenic provinces. For example the Macquarie porphyry copper provinces is characterised by low LLI values (i.e. mantle-like Pb) whereas the Wagga-Omeo tin province is characterised by high LLI (crustal Pb). Neodymium and lead isotope mapping in terranes around Australia and the world have demonstrated the efficacy of these isotopic systems in identifying major tectonic boundaries and mapping metallogenic terranes (Champion and Huston, 2016).The purpose of the current program is to extend lead isotope mapping along the eastern Australian seaboard, with further extensions into the Proterozoic of central Australia and the Archean of Western Australia in FY2016-17 and FY2017-18. Results, which will include the maps, comprehensive datasets including all public-domain analyses and brief explanatory notes, will be released progressively, with initial results for the Tasman Element to be released in June 2016.

At present, we request mineralised samples for analysis. Ideally these samples should be of

galena or Pb-rich material (i.e., >1000 ppm Pb), although Pb-poor minerals such as pyrite can

also provide useful information.

In particular, we are seeking samples from the New England Orogen in Queensland, material from Victoria, and material from the Etheridge Province in north Queensland.

For further information or to provide material for analysis, contact:

David Huston: [email protected] (02)6249-9577David Champion: [email protected] Jane Thorne: [email protected]

References cited:Carr, G., et al., 1995. Economic Geology, v. 90, p. 1467-1505.Champion, D., et al. (2009, Geoscience Australia Record 2009/18.Champion, D., 2013. Geoscience Australia Record 2013/044.Champion, D. and Huston, D., 2016. Ore Geology Reviews, in press.Glen, R., 2013. Australian Journal of Earth Sciences, v. 60, p. 315-370.Huston, D., et al., 2016. Ore Geology Reviews, in press.

Figure 1. Maps showing (A) the distribution of tectonic elements (from Glen, 2013), the distributions of the Macquarie Volcanic Province, Hill End Trough, Goulburn Basin and Cowombat Trough, and major mineral deposits of southeastern mainland Australia, and (B) variations in the Lachlan lead index. The boundary between the Lachlan and New England orogens, which underlies the Sydney and Gunnedah basins, is from Champion et al. (2009). Methods used to calculate the Lachlan lead index are described in Huston et al. (2016).

http://www.glencore.com/assets/investors/doc/reports_and_results/2014/GLEN-2014-Resources-Reserves-Report.pdf



mailto:David.Huston%40ga.gov.au?subject=

mailto:David.Champion%40ga.gov.au?subject=

mailto:Jane.Thorne%40ga.gov.au?subject=


Teaching & TrainingTeaching & Training


3D Visualisation and Gigapixel Photography at JCU Rob Holm

Field work and practical field skills are a cornerstone of geoscience education programs and the mining and minerals industry. Such field experiences are the foundation of education in many disciplines, including geology, which teaches a range of important observational and analytical skills in an experiential learning context. Geological field training is particularly distinguished by the need for students and geoscientists to document and conceptualise large and small scale phenomena in both time and space, and to develop high-level spatial perception skills. These specialised skills are best developed by exposure to multiple examples of a wide range of geological features, however, it is not possible within undergraduate units and graduate programs, to expose students and early career geologists to a comprehensive range of field experiences. In addition, highly instructive sites are often situated in inaccessible or dangerous locations where visits are simply not practical, an operating open pit for example.

TeachingThe experience of real fieldwork can be significantly enhanced by prior exposure to virtual geological information. Immersive interactive digital resources have the potential to expose students to a far greater diversity of field experiences than is currently possible,

and hence to more effectively prepare them for their professional roles as field scientists. Photogrammetry and gigapixel photography are new ‘enabling’ technologies for rapid and inexpensive generation of intuitive and immersive digital visualisation tools. The generation of photo-realistic 3D models and ‘deep zoom’ imagery create an interactive virtual field resource that can be complemented by innovative new teaching resources to improve student learning outcomes. Recent investments in new photographic technologies by EGRU and staff of Earth and Oceans (CSTE, JCU) allow the production of high resolution photography and 3D imagery. Initial resources utilising these immersive virtual field experiences have already received strong support from EGRU, the College of Science, Technology and Engineering, and Learning and Teaching, JCU.

Professional TrainingThis project will develop digital teaching resources for tertiary Earth science field education but the resources that we produce will also have important applications beyond the university sector. For example, these new technologies present an opportunity for enhanced engagement with the professional geological community in geoscience education through contributions of imagery to generate 3D visualisations and expert documentation of field sites. The new digital resources and Gigapan technology enable development of new utilities and applications for the on-going professional development of geoscientific staff in the mining and minerals industries.

360° full-spherical panorama of interbedded metapsammites and metapelites from the Snake Creek Anticline region south of Cloncurry. This is a composite image of 88 photographs taken with the Gigapan equipment with post-processing at JCU.

Imagery is projected in 2D but is best viewed ‘within’ the spherical image by way of an immersive virtual tour.

An example of deep-zoom imagery developed with the Gigapan photographic equipment (pictured in bottom right). The large image (top) is an approx. 1800 megapixel composite of over 450 individual photographs. Such deep-zoom

imagery allows the production of high-resolution images where the user can literally zoom in to view small features in high-detail (pictured in bottom left).

Geologically accurate 3D model of quarry faces from Castle Hill, Townsville. The model is generated using photographs taken from different perspectives to realistically recreate the depth and spatial context of outcrops at

various scales. Such applications would be ideal to image and record field outcrops and pit exposures.

EGRU Professional Development Training Courses & Workshops in 2016February Short Course: Jeffrey Hedenquist - Epithermal & Porphyry Systems

March Workshop: IOCG and Other Mineral Systems in the Cloncurry Region (details overleaf)

April Short Course: Integrated Spatial Analysis and Remote Sensing

June Short Course: Ore Textures and Breccias in Mineralised Systems

Further details on the back cover of this issue and at https://www.jcu.edu.au/economic-geology-research-centre-egru/professional-development/courses

Teaching & TrainingTeaching & Training


Industry ApplicationsThe rapid generation of immersive visualisations can play an important role in industry training and exploration strategies through efficient geological mapping or the recording and interpretation of mine exposures. This can also be combined with the capacity to ‘tour’ a management team or potential investors through critical target outcrops. Additionally, such visualisations have the potential to play a critical role in communication of geological concepts that can facilitate more efficient collaborative research and enrich and enhance public outreach activites and geoscience awareness.

Data Acquisition & ProcessingGigapixel photography can be acquired using Gigapan robotic camera systems and associated specialised photographic equipment. Data from this equipment is processed using Autopano Giga stitching software. Development of new imagery and immersive 3D visualisations can aid in the interpretation and visualisation of geological data. These technologies are ideal for recording and interpretation of real rocks or outcrops in 3D prior to mining or rock extraction, or communication of observations to interested parties and investors alike. These technologies provide the tools for generation of ‘deep zoom’ imagery complemented by innovative new student teaching resources, with potential for development of higher-level workshops and utilities that will specifically make use of the immersive visualisation.

EGRU FacilitiesThe new Gigapan robotic camera systems are available to EGRU members at a reduced cost, in addition to the existing research services and facilities. The immersive visualisation fully utilises the 3D Vislab, a state-of-the-art dedicated 3D visualisation laboratory space located on the James Cook University Townsville campus. This facility features professional-grade stereoscopic 3D projection supporting the industry-standard NVIDIA 3D Vision and OpenGL quad-buffered stereo with a high-resolution 4-metre display, supported by high performance computing, 5.1 surround sound, and adjustable lecture-style seating for 45 people. Such a venue is ideal for presenting immersive virtual tours with high entertainment value and allow the audience to fully experience the 3D visualisations and gain an appreciation for the field studies involved in earth sciences.

If you are interested in the application of this equipment of use of the 3D Vislab facilities then please contact Dr Rob Holm at [email protected] for more details.z

An example of the workflow to create 3D geological models. A cloud of points is generated from multiple photographs from different perspectives; a wire mesh

can then be fitted to the point cloud before adding photographic textures to produce a photorealistic 3D

model of rock samples or outcrops.

Mineral Supertrumps: A New Card Game to Assist Learning of Mineralogy Carl Spandler

Mineralogy is considered one of the cornerstone subjects of geoscience curricula. It provides the basic information from which we can understand the composition and behaviour of Earth and planetary materials, yet many students struggle to obtain adequate comprehension and knowledge of mineralogy during tertiary degree programs. At JCU, we have developed a new card game called “Mineral Supertrumps” that can be used to assist teaching of mineralogy at secondary and tertiary level. The card game is easy to learn and play, and is designed to promote active learning in a group environment.

The game involves 3 to 6 people, and is similar to the “Top Trumps™” card games. The pack consists of 54 mineral cards, and 6 ‘supertrump’ cards (see Figure below for examples). Each mineral card includes information about the mineral such as the generic chemical formula, the classification, crystal system,

the geological environment where the mineral is commonly found or formed, as well as information in the five playing categories (or trumps) of Hardness, Specific Gravity, Cleavage, Crustal Abundance, and Economic Value. The first three playing categories relate to distinct physical properties of the mineral, while last two categories rate the importance of the mineral in terms of abundance in the Earth’s crust and value to modern societies.

Results of a formal evaluation of the game by JCU geology students indicate that the game has clear benefits for learning about mineralogy. The majority of students enjoyed playing the game and considered it to be effective for enhancing learning about mineral properties and their application to other Earth Science disciplines. Therefore, inclusion of “Mineral Supertrumps” into Earth Science curriculum at secondary or tertiary level has the potential to redress the difficulties students face in learning of mineralogy, while requiring little to no adjustment to existing teaching programs.

Packs of cards can be acquired by contacting Carl Spandler ([email protected]).z


cont’d from page 27

mailto:carl.spandler%40jcu.edu.au?subject=

https://www.jcu.edu.au/economic-geology-research-centre-egru/professional-development/courses


Conferences & Field Trips

SEG 2015 - World-Class Ore Deposits: Discovery to Recovery Postgraduate Report

George CasePhD Candidate I was fortunate enough to attend the SEG 2015 Conference held at the Wrest Point Hotel in beautiful Hobart, Tasmania, from September 27th to

October 2nd, through the generous aid of both the Society of Economic Geologists and EGRU. I arrived Saturday September 26th, the day before the start of the Conference, in order to attend the excellent SEG Student members’ dinner, which was hosted by CODES

and the UTAS SEG Student Chapter at the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania. At the dinner I was able to meet fellow postgraduate Economic Geology students from all over the world and learn about their research, while also meeting and receiving advice from industry professionals. The President of SEG, François Robert, gave an inspiring speech to motivate the students, who will be tomorrow’s experts and innovators.

The following morning, Sunday, I joined other SEG student members on a short walking field trip along the Derwent River shoreline, led by Dr. Daniel Gregory from CODES. Dr. Gregory showed us some of the fascinating sediments, volcanic breccias and intrusives first described by none-other than Charles Darwin in 1836 (and most of us attending didn’t even know he was a geologist as well!). This was my first time seeing field examples of glacial drop stones in sediments.

Teaching & Training

Several EGRU staff and students rugged up and made the trip south to SEG 2015 in Hobart in September. Zhaoshan Chang, Isaac Corral, Yanbo Cheng, Joao Babo, Michael Calder, Jaime Poblete, Fredrik Sahlstrom, George Case and Judy Botting braved a chilly Hobart spring to take part in the conference’s technical program and meet with colleagues and friends. Several of the EGRU team presented research results during the technical program. Zhaoshan warded off the cold by keeping busy, collaborating with Larry Meinart to give a pre-conference short course on Skarn Deposits, presenting a paper on Lepanto, and chairing a plenary session. On the Tuesday evening EGRU hosted an alumni event at the Wrest Point Hotel, where former students and staff took the opportunity to have a drink and catch up with old friends.

Photographs courtesy of Judy Botting (EGRU) and the SEG.

EGRU @ sEG 2015


EGRU WorkshopIOCG and Other Mineral Systems in the

World-Class Cloncurry District: New Advances in Exploration and Deposit Understanding

For final session schedule contact EGRU: [email protected]

This 3 day workshop is a follow up to the highly successful workshop:

‘IOCG Deposits: The Cloncurry Experience’ held in Cloncurry in March 2015.

The workshop will be held in the Cloncurry region which is host to world-class

copper-gold and base metal deposits.

The focus of the technical sessions will be the mineral systems in the Cloncurry region, including IOCG, Broken Hill type, SEDEX and skarn deposits.

Core viewing and field trips are also included in the workshop.

Preliminary Workshop Outline15 March

Pre-Workshop Mine VisitErnest Henry Mine

16-17 MarchTechnical Sessions

Deposit-scale to regional-scale geologyExploration methods

History of, and lessons from, various deposits.Core ViewingSocial Event

18 MarchFull Day Field Visit

(subject to change)Altona Mining

Roseby (Little Eva)Turkey Flat

CRA Flats (MMG)Dugald River

Workshop Fees - per dayEGRU Members - $475

Non-EGRU Members - $575

Students - $225

(fees are in AUD & inclusive of GST)

16-18 March 2016 Cloncurry Community Precinct

Cloncurry, Queensland, AustraliaConvenors: A/Prof. Zhaoshan Chang, Dr Richard Lilly

Contributions by EGRU researchers included talks and posters on:The E1 Group of IOCG deposits, NW Qld (Case);Hydrothermal barite associated with mineralisation in the Clonclurry IOCG District, NW Qld (Case et al.);Trace elements in pyrite in the Lepanto high sulfidation epithermal deposit, Philippines (Chang et al.);The Mt Carbine W Deposit, NE Qld (Cheng et al.);The Cerro Quema High-Sulfidation Au-Cu Deposit, Panama (Corral et al.);Scheelite vein mineralization at the Watershed Tungsten Deposit, NE Qld (Poblete et al.);The Mt Carlton High Sulphidation Au-Ag-(Cu) deposits, NE Qld (Sahlstrom et al.).

mailto:egru%40jcu.edu.au?subject=

Isotopic Characteristics of Mineralization-Associated Hydrothermal Barite in the Cloncurry IOCG District, Northwest Queensland,” which was the product of collaborative work with EGRU MSc student Erin Stormont, and discussed the implications with John Walshe and Michael Hazley of CSIRO. Tuesday night I attended the EGRU Alumni event, where I enjoyed excellent wine and met several former JCU students now working in the industry, who provided some interesting insight into current industry affairs. After the EGRU event, I joined Michael Calder and sat with two industry workers and a Norwegian PhD student at the Industry Outlook Dinner, where we listened to an eye-opening speech from the CEO of S2 Resources, Mark Bennett, about the future of the industry. He spoke about the importance of support for exploration geologists by their corporate managers, and the need for risk-taking. After the conference, I participated in a two-day Short Course taught by Dr. Rick Sibson from the University of Otago entitled, “Faults, Fractures, Fluid Flow and Mineralizing Scenarios –Active and Ancient.” The course enlightened me on the importance of active faulting and deformation in forming ore deposits, and how to recognize these processes at work in systems like the one am studying for my PhD. I found the course extremely relevant to the structural aspects of my current work. Overall, it is clear to me that the conference was a truly rewarding experience. Although I found preparing a talk for such an expert audience daunting and stressful, the feedback I received was more than worth it. I have learned that attending conferences like SEG 2015 is absolutely vital in instilling students with the opportunity, confidence, and experience they need to communicate their ideas effectively to academia and industry. Such communication skills are necessary for preparing students for professional Economic Geology careers.z


Conferences & Field TripsConferences & Field Trips


The field trip group in the crater of the active White Island volcano. Photo by Stephanie Mrozek.

On November 17th the group visited GNS Science in Wairakei, the world leading institute on geothermal research, for a tour of the laboratories and to attend presentations concerning current research by Drs. Isabelle Chambefort, Andrew Rae, and Mark Simpson.

The next two days (November 18th and 19th) were reserved for volcano treks in the 18 km Tongariro Crossing (below) and Mt Ruapehu.

The field trip group with the Tongariro Crossing behind. Photo by Stephanie Mrozek.

The last day in Wellington the group attended presentations about phosphate sea floor mining in New Zealand by Straterra and Chatham Rock Phosphate.

Finally, the JCU SEG Student Chapter would like thank the generosity of all the sponsors who contributed to make this fantastic field trip happen. Thank you very much to the Australian Institute of Geoscientists (AIG), Amira International, James Cook University (JCU), the Economic Geology Research Centre (EGRU), JCU College of Science, Technology and Engineering (CSTE), the Society of Economic Geologists (SEG), Dr. Pat Williams, Bunnings Warehouse, Coles and Woolworths.z

SEG Student Chapter Field TripNorth Island, New Zealand

Jaime PobletePhD Candidate

The James Cook University (JCU) SEG Student Chapter organized a geological field trip to the North Island of New

Zealand from 10-20 November, 2015. Eleven people attended this trip including four PhD students from JCU, four undergraduate students from JCU and the University of Utah, and three participants from industry. Participants represented nine countries: Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, France Germany, Mongolia, United States, and Switzerland. The aim of this trip was to see and appreciate different geological features of the North Island, and the trip included mine and mill visits, geothermal fields and parks, a geothermal research centre, and volcanoes. The trip started in Auckland with a day hike up the 600 year old Rangitoto volcano. The following day, the group headed south to visit the Glenbrook steel mill to gain insight on the iron sand mining process. On Friday November 13th the group visited the Martha gold mine (low-sulfidation epithermal) located in the middle of Waihi town. The chief geologist gave a geological presentation, which was followed by a visit to the core shack to examine high-grade samples, then an overview of the open pit mine. Fantastic rock textures were observed during this visit (see example below).

Colloform textured ore from the Martha Mine grading 16.5 g/t Au. Photo by Jaime Poblete.

From November 14th to 16th we visited several geothermal parks and White Island active volcano (Photo 2). Dr. Mark Simpson, a geothermal geologist from GNS Science, accompanied us during our tours of the Waiotapu and Orakei Korako geothermal fields; he provided in-depth explanations of each of the geothermal features including, among others, the world famous Champagne Pool.

sEG stUdEnt ChaptER

On day one of the Conference, I attended several noteworthy presentations including “What industry wants from research” by Paul Agnew of Rio Tinto, “Olympic Dam: Discovery to Recovery” by Kathy Ehrig and Doug Haynes, and “Applications of UAVs in mining geology and mineral exploration” by Stefan Vollgger. Paul’s talk provided great insight into how we, as researchers, can better orient our research for developing new exploration tools. Kathy presented an excellent example of proper deposit characterization by BHP-Billiton at their world-class Olympic Dam deposit. I found this talk particularly important, as my PhD research focuses on an IOCG deposit of similar chemistry to Olympic Dam.

For the remainder of the conference I attended talks related to IOCGs, which has given me valuable insight into the newest ideas related to the genesis of this controversial group of deposits. I presented my own research in a talk on the second day entitled, “The evolution and potential sources of mineralizing fluids of the E1 Group of IOCG deposits, Cloncurry District, Northwest Queensland, Australia: Implications from fluid inclusion and SHRIMP S isotope analyses,” and gained vital feedback from attendees. Like many other IOCG talks that day, some of the feedback was controversial, especially concerning interpretation of the sulfur isotope data. Nonetheless, preparing the talk helped me compile many of the scattered theories generated in three years of PhD work into a complete deposit genesis story, and the constructive feedback will be essential for improving both the research and future talks.

On days 2 and 3 I attended more talks, met with industry and enjoyed the wonderful food. I also presented a poster entitled, “Fluid Inclusion, Trace Element, and

EGRU @ sEG 2015cont’d from page 31

Permian fossiliferous mudstone along the Derwent River shoreline which contains glacial drop stones (not pictured)

that were described by Darwin as “volcanic pebbles.”

Tertiary tuff and scoria on the shores of Sandy Bay,

(described by Charles Darwin).


PeoplePeople


On September the 7th James Cook University presented a 2015 Outstanding Alumni award to EGRU adjunct research fellow, Douglas Kirwin. Doug graduated from JCU with a Master of Science Degree in Mining and Exploration Geology in 1986, after completing his thesis on the formation and mineralisation processes associated with tourmaline breccia pipes. Many geologists will remember Doug from his time as a highly regarded and highly successful explorer in Australia and the Asian Pacific region.

A History of DiscoveryDoug Kirwin began his career as a geology vacation student in the late 1960’s. After graduating with a BSc (Geology) he worked in porphyry copper exploration in PNG, and epithermal gold, VHMS and porphyry exploration in Fiji with Anglo American. In 1979 Doug joined a specialist exploration team formed by Jack Thompson with AMAX Inc. From 1979 to 1986 the team carried out exploration in remote areas of Indonesia, Fiji, New Zealand, Vanuatu and Australia. During this period Doug was also seconded to AMAX’s latin american subsidiary, Rosario Resources, for 6 months to assist with the geological interpretation of the Cuale Ag base metal mines in Jalisco. This resulted in what

was probably the first recognition of VHMS deposits in Mexico (referenced in SEG Special Publication 8). From 1986 to 1995 Doug ran his own contracting business - International Geological Services - and for 10 years worked on numerous assignments for major and junior companies throughout the Asian Pacific region. In 1995, following consulting assignments for Robert Friedland in the Philippines and Myanmar, Doug was invited to assist with amassing a package of properties for a new company - Indochina Goldfields Ltd. This led to the role of exploration manager with the new company, and to a period of extensive exploration and discovery.

Kalimantan: Epithermal GoldInitial exploration efforts by Indochina were focussed mainly in north-east Kalimantan, and Doug re-located to Indonesia. Up until this time the north-east region of Kalimantan had been under moratorium, but Doug considered the geology to be prospective for epithermal deposits. A reconnaissance expedition soon after the moratorium was lifted resulted in the discovery of a number of epithermal deposits where there had been no previous record of gold mineralisation (Doug still has some of the discovery float samples). A 3 million ha land package was granted and this became part of the assets on which Indochina raised C$300M. Two of the deposits discovered, Jelai River and Seryung, are being intensely explored at the moment and mining recently commenced at Seryung. Other significant discoveries are located within forest reserves. Not long after the listing of Indochina, the BreX scandal in Kalimantan broke and Indochina decided to diversify its exploration activities. The company’s targets remained epithermals and Cu and Au porphyries and the countries identified with potential were Thailand, South Korea and Mongolia.

During 1996 to 1999, exploration programs were carried out simultaneously in each of these countries. Several grass roots discoveries were made in the Soengsan district (South Korea) which led to the development of two

small mines, Eunsan and Moisan, which are still operated by a Korean company. A large Ag (Au) epithermal system was also discovered on Gasado Island but development was restricted because of environmental issues (the discovery history was published in the 1999 PACRIM Proceedings). New sediment-hosted gold deposits were discovered in east and south Thailand, but unfortunately detailed evaluation was curtailed because of unfavorable legislation at the time.

Myanmar: Copper, Gold and JadeIvanhoe entered Myanmar in 1996 and Doug carried out the initial geological work at the Monywa high-sulphidation copper deposit (the largest copper deposit in mainland south-east Asia). Further exploration resulted in the first discovery of gold-bearing orogenic quartz veins at Moditaung in central Myanmar, and several mines are now in production in this area.During his time in Myanmar Doug also had the rare opportunity to visit the vast jade mines at Phakant in Kachin state, and specimens of jade and kosmochlor collected during this visit are included in the Kirwin collection at the Royal Ontario Museum (see page 36 this issue).

Mongolia: Oyu Tolgoi and CoalAn orientation visit to Mongolia in 1996 led to Ivanhoe (formerly Indochina Goldfields) establishing major exploration programs and to the acquisition of the Oyu Tolgoi copper-gold project in 1999 (details are published in the proceedings of New Gen Gold 2003). By 2003 there were 18 drilling rigs operating at the Oyu Tolgoi project, and by 2007 Ivanhoe had discovered a series of mineral deposits extending over a distance of 6.6 kilometres. Additional Mongolian discoveries made by Ivanhoe (following on from work by QGX Ltd) included the Altan Tolgoi-Kharmagtai Au-Cu porphyry deposits, where drilling outlined over one million ounces of gold with associated copper. (This discovery history is published in Geodynamics and Metallogeny of Mongolia, 2005.) In 2001, Doug and the late Miles Worsley (also a JCU alumnus) inspected the Hill 217 gold prospect in Inner Mongolia and recommended acquisition by Ivanhoe. The

deposit subsequently went in to production, and was later sold to China Gold Corp.

In 2003 Doug negotiated a joint venture agreement with a private Canadian group whereby Ivanhoe’s tenements and the Canadian group’s holdings in the South Gobi were combined and listed as Asia Gold. It fortuitously emerged that extensive coal deposits occurred within the land holdings and a new vehicle (South Gobi Energy) was created to explore and develop the coal assets. Ivanhoe’s 60% interest in South Gobi Energy recently attracted a bid of $925M from China Aluminum.

Cloncurry: IOCGs and Merlin MoIn 2004 Doug recognised that Ivanhoe should again broaden its exploration scope. Following a site visit and data review Doug considered the Cloncurry region in western Queensland represented a very underexplored and underdrilled Proterozoic terrane where Ivanhoe could acquire an extensive land position, and he recommended the purchase of the Cloncurry Project for A$11m.

Early in the exploration program it was recognised that hematite-matrix breccias in the district were similar to those at Olympic Dam. New and deeper drilling programs quickly began to reveal the potential of the Swan zone, and a 30 million tonne near-surface secondary copper deposit became a 500 million tonne IOCG deposit - which is still open. Drilling at the Mt Dore shale-hosted secondary copper deposit located hypogene sulphide mineralization at depth. And, in 2008, six months after listing an Australian subsidiary based on the Cloncurry assets and raising A$125m, the Merlin Mo(Re) deposit was discovered while drilling out the northern part of the Mt Dore deposit.

In addition to his success as an explorer, Doug has also contributed to the profession through a range of volunteer roles. He has served on the EGRU board for several years, was an Industry Advisor for the SGA and China Mining, and an Industry Ambassador for the Queensland Mines Department. He has served on various SEG committees and was SEG Vice President from 2009 to 2011. Doug continues to serve on committees and act as an honorary lecturer and student mentor.z

doUG KIRWIn - 2015 JCU oUtstandInG alUMnUs

Doug Kirwin(r) being presented with his JCU 2015 Outstanding Alumni award by the

Chancellor of James Cook University, LtGen John Grey AC.

Photo by Through the Looking Glass Photography.

Images this page courtesy of Doug Kirwin.


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Associate Professor Eric Roberts was awarded a 2015 James Cook University Award for Excellence in Research in late November. Eric has applied his research expertise in the fields of clastic sedimentology and palaeontology to a wide range of geoscience research projects, including the structure and tectonics of ore deposits, basin analysis for petroleum exploration, and the discovery of a new Hominid species in cave sediments in South Africa.

The Award for Excellence recognises Eric’s outstanding research contribution and his committment to the university, and was awarded just days after Eric was promoted to Associate Professor.

During his long and distinguished career as an exploration geologist, Doug Kirwin was not only involved in numerous discoveries, he also gathered an astounding collection of mineral and rock specimens from around the world. In late 2014 Doug’s collection arrived at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) in Toronto, following a three-year fund-raising endeavour by the Museum that raised C$3.7 million to support the cataloguing, storage and display of the collection. The Kirwin Collection of over 21,000 specimens, and weighing over 10 tonnes, represents more than 570 deposits from 47 countries. Many of the specimens are rare and of spectacular quality, and the collection includes outstanding specimens from mines that are now closed. There are gem quality crystals from skarn deposits in Myanmar and Vietnam, minerals from Russia’s Kola

Peninsular, and suites from copper gossans, VHMS, MVT and hydrothermal deposits. Sorting and loading the collection for transport from its home in Bangkok to the museum in Toronto was a massive job. A five-person mineralogy team from the ROM worked with 10 locals over 16 long days to fill the shipping container, ready for its sea voyage to Vancouver. After a six-month quarantine period, then unpacking, cataloguing and displaying the specimens, the Kirwin Collection opened at the ROM on the 28th September, three weeks after Doug was presented with his JCU 2015 Outstanding Alumni Award in Townsville. The Kirwin collection will be part of the museum’s Earth & Space Centre of Discovery display, offering an unique view of rare and exciting rocks and minerals, and a valuable teaching resource for students and geologists.z

Images (right) from top to bottom:- Painite: Mogok, Myanmanr- Spinel: Mogok, Myanmar- Scolecite: Nasik, India- Tourmaline: Pala, USA- Mimetite: Mt Bonney, Northern Territory- Topaz: Mogok, Myanmar- Unpacking the Kirwin Collection at the ROMImages courtesy of Doug Kirwin and the Royal Ontario Museum Kirwin Collection video.

thE KIRWIn CollECtIon at thE Royal ontaRIo MUsEUM

Above from left to right: Plumose Feldspars: Goonbarrow, Cornwall; Rubellite: Khetchel, Mogok area, Myanmar; Kosmochlor: Mogok area, Myanmar; Sapphire crystals in Syenite: Mogok area, Myanmar.

Images courtesy of Doug Kirwin.

staff & stUdEnt aWaRds

Eric robErts REsEaRCh ExCEllEnCE aWaRd

Eric receiving his Award for Excellence from JCU Vice-Chancellor Prof. Sandra Harding.

The Kirwin Collection: Legacy of an Exploration GeologistRoyal Ontario Museum

http://www.rom.on.ca/en/exhibitions-galleries/exhibitions/the-kirwin-collection-legacy-of-an

JohannEs hammErli dEan’s aWaRd foR REsEaRCh hIGhER dEGREE ExCEllEnCE In 2015

PhD Project: Using microanalysis of minerals to track geochemical processes during metamorphism: Examples

from the Mary Kathleen Fold Belt, Queensland, and the Eastern Mt. Lofty Ranges, South Australia

nataliE mcivEr

2015 aIG GEosCIEnCE honoURs bURsaRy

Honours Project: Structural and geochemical constraints on ore paragenesis at the Piccadilly gold prospect, North

Queensland

chEng Pang

2015 davIs - aIG GEosCIEnCE honoURs bURsaRy

Honours Project: Magmatic Ladder Dykes in the Ravenswood Batholith

Emma bEattiE

Gsa aChIEvEMEnt MEdalIn November last year Emma Beattie was presented with a GSA Qld Division Achievement Medal. The Medal is awarded to an outstanding final year undergraduate student at each of Queensland’s three universitys. The 2015 award recognised Emma’s excellent undergraduate results, along with her contributions to geoscience through highly active roles in the JCU student society and the Nth Qld AusIMM branch committee. Emma has since received 1st Class Honours for her thesis on channel iron deposits. Emma’s honours project was supported by Anglo American and Coziron Resources, and was supervised by Christa Placzek, Zhaoshan Chang and Paul Polito (Anglo American Exploration).

Emma (centre) with Dr Laurie Hutton (GSQ Qld Division Awards Convenor) and Prof. Suzanne Miller

(CEO, Qld Museums)

christa PlaczEk

REsEaRCh pREsEntatIon WInnERLecturer Christa Placzek was awarded the best “My Research in 3 minutes” in the established researcher category for both the College of Science, Technology and Engineering and the Division of Tropical Environments and Societies during the 2015 James Cook University competition. This award was for Christa’s presentation about exciting research from an Australian Research Council funded project on Barrow Island. In November last year this project reported ages from the oldest firmly dated human occupation site in Australia.

Christa at work on Barrow Island.

http://www.rom.on.ca/en/exhibitions-galleries/exhibitions/the-kirwin-collection-legacy-of-an


PeoplePeople


Yougiang QiDr Yougiang Qi, from the Institute of Geochemistry within the Chinese Academy of Science, arrived at EGRU in September 2015. Yougiang will be working with Zhaoshan Chang’s research team for a year, studying the polymetallic mineralization at the Lengshuikeng Ag-Pb-Zn deposit on the northern margin of the Wuyi mountains.

nEW stUdEnts

Helge Behsen (PhD) Mobility of Rare Earth Elements in Crustal Fluids.Supervisors: A/Prof. Carl Spandler, Prof. Paul Dirks

Michael Calder (PhD) Zonation, paragenesis and fluid evolution from the root to top of the Far Southeast Lepanto porphyry epithermal system, Mankayan district, Philippines.Supervisors: A/Prof. Zhaoshan Chang, A/Prof. Carl Spandler, Prof. Jeffrey Hendenquist, Prof. Antonio Arribas

George Case (PhD) Ore genesis and alteration paragenesis of the E1 group and Monakoff IOCG deposits, Cloncurry region, north west Queensland.Supervisors: Prof. Tom Blenkinsop, A/Prof. Zhaoshan Chang

Vicky Darlington (PhD) Lawn Hill impact structureSupervisors: Prof. Tom Blenkinsop, Dr Douglas Orchiston

Hannah Hilbert-Wolf (PhD) Sedimentary Triple Dating: Constraining the timing of rifting, uplift, and sedimentation in the Western Branch of the East African Rift, southwestern Tanzania. Supervisors: Dr Eric Roberts, Prof. Paul Dirks

Quaid Jadoon (PhD) Kinematics of tectonic fracture development during regional folding in sandstones of the Kamlil formation, Khushalgarh northern Pakistan.Supervisors: Prof .Tom Blenkinsop, Prof. Paul Dirks, Dr Raphael Wust

Shimba Kwelwa (PhD) Gold Mineralization in the Kukuluma Domain in Geita Greenstone Belt.Supervisors: Prof. Paul Dirks, Prof. Tom Blenkinsop, Dr Yvonne Cook, Dr Ioan Sanislav

Asish Mishra (PhD)Rates of Erosion and Weathering in the Tropics.Supervisor: Dr Christa Placzek

Stephanie Mrozek (PhD) Uplift History, Intrusive Sequence, and Skarn Mineralisation at the Giant Antamina Deposit, Peru.Supervisors: A/Prof. Zhaoshan Chang, A/Prof. Carl Spandler, Prof. Lawrence Meinert

Cassy Mtelela (PhD) Sedimentology and Stratigraphy of the Plio-Pleistocene Lake Beds succession, Rukwa Rift Basin, Tanzania: Implications for hydrocarbon prospectivity.Supervisors: Dr Eric Roberts, Prof. Paul Dirks

Teimoor Nazari Dehkordi (PhD) Rare earths unearthed: Resolving the mystery of how rare earth elements are mobilized and concentrated in continental crust.Supervisors: A/Prof. Carl Spandler, Prof. Paul Dirks

Michael Nugus (PhD) Mechanisms of mineralization in Amphibolite Facies, BIF-hosted gold deposits, using the example of the Golden Pig deposit, SXGB.Supervisors: Prof. Tom Blenkinsop, Prof. Paul Dirks

Prince Owusu Agymang (PhD)Mesozoic Detrital Zircon Provenance of Central Africa: Implications for Jurassic-Cretaceous Tectonics, Paleogeography and Landscape Evolution.Supervisors: Dr Eric Roberts, A/Prof. Carl Spandler

Jaime Poblete Alvarado (PhD) Geological Characteristics and Origin of the Watershed W Deposit, North Queensland, Australia.Supervisors: A/Prof. Zhaoshan Chang, Prof. Paul Dirks, Dr Jan Martin HuizengaBehnam Sadeghi (PhD)Quantification of uncertainty in univariate geochemical anomalies for mineral exploration. Supervisors: A/Prof. John Carranza, Prof. Paul Dirks, Dr Arianne Ford, Dr Jan Marten Huizenga, Prof. Jef Caers (Stanford University)Fredrik Sahlstrom (PhD) Mt Carlton High-sulphidation epithermal deposit, Queensland Australia: Geological Character genesis and implications for exploration.Supervisors: A/Prof. Zhaoshan Chang, Prof. Paul DirksPaul Slezak (PhD) Understanding the hydrothermal mobility of rare earth elements in the continental crust.Supervisor: A/Prof. Carl Spandler

Mark Stokes (MPhil)Structural characteristics and evolution of Mt Carlton high-sulphidation epithermal deposit, and the implications for exploration.Prof. Paul Dirks, A/Prof. Zhaoshan Chang

Erin Stormont (MPhil) Hydrothermal Breccia Zones in the Proterozoic Cloncurry District (Mt Isa Inlier, Australia): Implications for Fe-Oxide-Cu-Au Mineralisation. Supervisor: Dr Jan Marten Huizenga

Christopher Todd (MPhil) Sedimentary History of the Porcupine Gorge National Park and Application of U Pb Detrital Zircon Geochronology for Correlation of Cretaceous and Jurassic Strata in Northern Queensland.Supervisor: Dr Eric RobertsMatthew Van Ryt (MPhil) Geochemical characterisation of gold mineralisation in Geita Hill (Geita Greenstone Belt,Tanzania).Supervisor: Dr Ioan Sanislav

postGRadUatE stUdEnt

REsEaRCh pRoJECtsPaul SlezakPaul graduated with a BSc in Earth and Environmental Science from New Mexico Tech (USA) and went on to purse an MSc in Geological Science from Queen’s University (Canada). His master’s research

focused on the zinc silicate deposits in Vazante, Minas Gerais, Brazil. After graduating from Queen’s in 2012 Paul worked as an exploration geologists at the Highland Valley Copper Mine, British Columbia. This was followed by a period working in geotechnical engineering with an engineering firm before coming to JCU. Paul joined EGRU in March 2015 as a student of A/Prof Carl Spandler. He is working on the Yangibana rare earth element (REE) deposit, hosted in the Proterozoic Gifford Creek Carbonatite Complex (GCCC) of the Gascoyne Province, Capricorn Orogen, Western Australia. The current focus of his research is the age, composition, and REE-chemistry of the carbonatite intrusions related to the “ironstone” mineral prospects within the GCCC. Ultimately, the aims of the research are to determine the mechanisms and processes that produced the REE-mineralising fluid, to quantify and qualify the controls on REE fluid mobility, and to estimate the potential for further mineral deposits in the region.

Behnam SadeghiBehnam joined EGRU in June 2015 to work on a multidisciplinary PhD project on the “Quantification of Uncertainty in Univariate Geochemical Anomalies for Mineral Exploration”. Behnam has a bachelor degree in

mining engineering (exploration) from the University of Kurdistan and a masters degree from the Islamic Azad University, South Tehran Branch (IAU). Behnam’s research interests are applied geochemistry, geomathematics (fractal modeling in 2D and 3D), geostatistics, GIS, remote sensing, and renewable and sustainable energy, especially geothermal energy. His master’s thesis was based on the application of number-size fractal modeling in 3D., and was awarded the best MSc thesis award by the IAU Department of Mining.Before coming to JCU to start his PhD, Benham worked with the Iranian Society of Mining Engineering and with several mining companies as a mining engineer. He has also worked as a university teaching assistant and as an instructor at the Tehran Institute of Technology.

vIsItInG stUdEnts & REsEaRCh staff

Sida NuiSida is a PhD candidate from the China University of Geosciences (Beijing) who is working on the Jiawula Pb-Zn-Ag deposit in Inner Mongolia, north-east China. The Jiawula deposit is considered to be a volcanic-subvolcanic hydrothermal vein deposit. Sida’s research is focussing on the mineralogy of the sulphides, age and geochemistry of subvolcanic rocks, and the tectonic history of the area. Sida arrived at JCU in November 2015 and will be working at EGRU for a year, under the supervision of Dr. Jan Marten Huizenga.

Haicheng WangHaicheng is a PhD candidate from the China University of Geosciences. His research interests include mineral resource prediction and assessment, pattern recognition in geospatial data, and geostatistics. Haicheng joined EGRU in July 2015 to work on new methods for mineral exploration and extracting weak anomalous information in covered areas (e.g., grassland, forest and desert cover).

Guoxiong ZhongGuoxiong is a PhD candidate from the School of Resources and Environmental Engineering at Hefei University of Technology in China. His PhD project is focussed on the Yaojialing Zn-Au skarn deposit, a recently-discovered deposit and the first Zn-Au skarn deposit recognised in the Tongling ore cluster in the Middle-Lower Yangtze River metallogenic belt (eastern China). Guoxiong’s project incorporates studies of the alteration, mineral assemblages, grade distribution, fluid inclusions and isotopes at the deposit. The overall aim is to better understand the ore-forming constraints and mechanisms at Yaojialing. Guoxiong joined EGRU in March 2015 for a year, to work with Zhaoshan Chang.


PeoplePeople


EGRU vIsItoRs

Andréas AudetatSEG International Exchange LecturerPresentation: Magmatic Controls on Porphyry Cu (+/- Au, Mo) FormationPresentation: The Metal Contentof Magmatic-Hydrothermal Fluids and their relation to Mineralisation Potential

John WalsheChief Geoscientist, CSIRO Mineral Research Centre, PerthPresentation: Chemical gradients in Archean Au systems and Au transport by reduced alkaline and low aH2O fluids

Cornel De RondeGNS New ZealandAusIMM 2015 Distinguished LecturerPresentation: Mineralised Seafloor Hydrothermal Systems related to Submarine Arc Volcanoes: Prospects for Exploitation?

Jake KleinExecutive Chairman, Evolution Mining LtdNorth Qld AusIMM George Fisher Lecture 2015Presentation: The Reinvigoration of the Australian Gold Industry

Douglas KirwinSpecial EGRU-SEG Student Chapter Guest SpeakerPresentation: Overpressured Volatiles, Fluids and Textures in Intrusion-Related Mineral Deposits

Dave Huston & Dave ChampionGeoscience Australia

Research: Ore specimen collection for Pb isotope studyPresentation (Dave Huston): Metallogenesis in Eastern Australia: new (and old)

insights from spatial and temporal variations in radiogenic isotopes

Suzanne MillerCEO and Director - Queensland Museums

Presentation: Geoheritage - Driving Economic Development

David GreenQueensland Geological Survey, Geoscience Manager - Coal

Presentation: The Future of Coal in Queensland

Antonio ArribasJCU Adjunct and Visiting Scholar

Collaborative Research: Far Southeast porphyry deposit (Philippines) and the GSQ Prospectivy Project, including the Mt Carlton high sulphidation deposit

and magma fertility studies. Julius Kruttschnitt Technical Session Presentation: Porphyry copper systems and

volcanoes: a XXI century tale from the “East of Java”

Andy TomkinsAusIMM Julius Kruttschnitt Lecture Series

Presentation: Suphur Release from Subducting Slabs and Metasomatism of Sub-Arc Mantle

EGRU vIsItoRs

Bob Carter was a palaeontologist, stratigrapher, marine geologist, and environmental scientist with almost 50 years of professional experience. He earned degrees from the University of Otago (New Zealand) and the University of Cambridge (England). He held tenured academic staff positions at the University of Otago (Dunedin) and James Cook University (Townsville), where he was Professor and Head of the Department of Geology and its successor, the School of Earth Sciences, between 1981 and 1997. Whilst at James Cook University, Bob was an inspirational departmental/school head. Through astute staff appointments, clear strategic vision, and motivational energy, the Department and School flourished under his leadership. The academic unit he led developed a national and international profile, and Earth Sciences became recognised as an area of research strength at JCU. His successes were many and include starting the Economic Geology Research Centre (1982), leading a successful bid for an ARC Key Centre in Economic Geology in the early 1990’s, persuading JCU to establish the Advanced Analytical Centre (a model which has proven very successful) with core infrastructure donated by the School of Earth Sciences, leading the development of Earth Sciences as a discipline on the Cairns Campus, and leading a successful bid for the School to acquire sophisticated marine seismic equipment which resulted in much productive research on the dynamics of the Great Barrier Reef lagoon.

People


faREWEllInG tWo EGRU pIonEERs

Bob served at times in his career as Chair of the Earth Sciences Discipline Panel of the Australian Research Council, Chair of the national Marine Science and Technologies Committee, Director of the Australian Office of the Ocean Drilling Program, and Co-Chief Scientist on ODP Leg 181(Southwest Pacific Gateways).In later years, after leaving his academic post in 2003, Bob Carter was seen by many as a leading authority on the science of climate change. His perspectives were informed by many prior years of research on Cenozoic sediments (younger that 65 million years) from New Zealand, the Southwest Pacific region, and especially the Great Barrier Reef. His research whilst on staff at James Cook University received exceptional support from public research agencies, in particular the Australian Research Council (ARC). His publication list is over 100 papers in international science journals and he was valued as a collaborator by many of the leading researchers in marine geology and stratigraphy.

Bob became passionately engaged in climate science and its relation to anthropogenic influences. He authored two books on the subject and co-authored several more. He also acted as an expert witness on climate change before the U.S. Senate Committee of Environment & Public Works, the Australian and N.Z. parliamentary Select Committees into emissions trading, and has acted as a primary science witness in various high-profile court cases on the same subject.

To his many close friends and scientific associates, not to mention ex-students, Bob will be remembered for his quite strategic capacities, great intellect and polite, cheerful, and academically rigorous debating style. Bob considered himself a rationalist and in his passing we have lost a person who believed in value-free science and the importance of a robust debate.

Roderick Allen, former Chief Government Geologist for Queensland, and one of the figures who helped develop the Queensland petroleum industry, died in June last year aged 84.Rod was appointed the Chief Government Geologist of the GSQ in 1976, a role he filled until 1987. He continued in the position of Chief Advisor, Geoscience Policy with the Department of Mines until his retirement in 1988.In 1984, Rod secured an increase in base-funding for the GSQ to employ additional staff and to continue regional geological mapping in Queensland, following the withdrawal of the Bureau of Mineral Resources from this role in 1982. The Regional Geological Mapping Program (RGMP) and its successor, GEOMAP2005, continued for over 20 years and the maps produced have underpinned much of the subsequent mineral exploration in Queensland. The GSQ continued to grow during Rod Allen’s tenure,

reaching a peak of 86 professional geoscientists in 1986.Rod made a much valued contribution in developing the Economic Geology Research Centre (EGRU) at James Cook University. He was the initial chair of the EGRU Board of Consultants from 1982-88, helping guide the fledgling unit in setting up its industry support facilities and relationships. In particular, organising a microfiche duplicate of reporting by the minerals, coal and petroleum industries to the Queensland Government to be available through EGRU was a major contribution. In 1987 Rod assisted James Cook University through membership of a committee set up to review its Department of Geology and EGRU. The work of that committee gave the institution focus in developing Earth Science as a discipline within the institution and its role in serving industry.

(This is an extract from the The Queensland Geologist - Newsletter of the GSA Qld Division - Vol 115, Sept 2015.)

Roderick Allen

Bob Carter

EGRU 2016


[email protected]

mailto:robert.holm%40jcu.edu.au?subject=

EGRU Members receive discounted registration forEGRU conferences, short courses and workshops.

Membership information is available at


Delegates attending EGRU conferences, short courses and workshops

may earn Professional Development points from their professional bodies.

EGRU pRofEssIonal dEvElopMEnt EvEnts

Jeffrey Hedenquist - Understanding of, and Exploration for, Epithermal and Porphyry Deposits: Transitions and Variations

25 - 26th February 2016

EGRU Short Course, JCU Townsville

IOCG and other Mineral Systems in the World-Class Cloncurry District: New Advances in Exploration and Deposit Understanding

16 - 18th March 2016

EGRU Workshop, Cloncurry

Integrated Spatial Analysis and Remote Sensing of Exploration Targets

18 - 29th April 2016


Ore Textures and Breccias in Mineralised Systems20 - 23rd June 2016


FUTORES II Conference4 - 7th June 2017

Townsville, Australia

http://www.jcu.edu.au/egru

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