The Midcontinent of the United States
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The Midcontinent of the United States Permissive Terrane for an Olympic Dam-Type Deposit? U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 1932 AVAILABILITY OF BOOKS AND MAPS OF THE U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Instructions on ordering publications of the U.S. Geological Survey, along with prices of the last offerings, are given in the cur rent-year issues of the monthly catalog "New Publications of the U.S. Geological Survey." Prices of available U.S. Geological Sur vey publications released prior to the current year are listed in the most recent annual "Price and Availability List." Publications that are listed in various U.S. Geological Survey catalogs (see back inside cover) but not listed in the most recent annual "Price and Availability List" are no longer available. 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E-146, 701 C St. Maps For maps, address mail orders to U.S. Geological Survey, Map Distribution Maps Federal Center, Box 25286 Maps may be purchased over the counter at the U.S. Geologi Denver, CO 80225 cal Survey offices where books are sold (all addresses in above list) and at the following Geological Survey offices: Residents of Alaska may order maps from • ROLLA, Missourl--1400 Independence Rd. Alaska Distribution Section, U.S. Geological Survey, • DENVER, Colorado--Map Distribution, Bldg. 810, Federal New Federal Building - Box 12 Center 101 Twelfth Ave., Fairbanks, AK 99701 • FAIRBANKS, Alaska--New Federal Bldg., 101 Twelfth Ave. The Midcontinent of the United States Permissive Terrane for an Olympic Dam-Type Deposit? Edited by WALDEN P. PRATT and P.K. SIMS Midcontinent Strategic and Critical Minerals Project 1988 Workshop Report U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 1932 DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR MANUEL LUJAN, JR., Secretary U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Dallas L. Peck, Director Any use of trade, product, or firm names in this publication is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1990 For sale by the Books and Open-File Reports Section U.S. Geological Survey Federal Center Box 25425 Denver, CO 80225 Library of Congress Cataloging-In-Publication Data Midcontinent Strategic and Critical Minerals Project (U.S.). Workshop (1988: Denver, Colo.) The midcontinent of the United States-permissive terrane for an Olympic-Dam type deposit ; Midcontinent Strategic and Critical Minerals Project 1988 Workshop report I edited by Walden P. Pratt and P.K. Sims. p. em. - (U.S. Geological Survey bulletin ; 1932) Includes bibliographical references. Supt. of Docs. no.: I 19.3: 1932 1. Ore-deposits-United States-Congresses. 2. Strategic materials United States-Congresses. I. Pratt, Walden P. II. Sims, P.K. (Paul Kibler), 1918- . Ill. Title. IV. Series. OE75.B9 no. 1932 [TN23] 557.3 s-dc20 [553'.0973] 9Q-3716 CIP CONTENTS Introduction, by Walden P. Pratt and P. K. Sims 1 Part 1 Petrogenesis and tectonic setting of Middle Proterozoic iron oxide-rich ore deposits-An ore deposit model for Olympic Dam-type mineralization, by Steven A. Hauck 4 Geologic setting and ages of Proterozoic anorogenic rhyolite-granite terranes in the central United States, by P.K. Sims 40 General features of the St. Francois and Spavinaw granite-rhyolite terranes and the Precambrian metallogenic region of southeast Missouri, by Eva B. Kisvarsanyi 48 Progress toward an occurrence model for Proterozoic iron oxide deposits-A comparison between the ore provinces of South Australia and southeast Missouri, by Marco T. Einaudi and Naomi Oreskes 58 The geophysical signature of Olympic Dam and Midcontinent (U.S.A.) analogs [abstract], by William J. Hinze 70 Part 2 Midcontinent Strategic and Critical Minerals Project-Proposed Midcontinent Olympic Dam study 71 Part 3 Methodology for analysis of the Proterozoic metallogenic province of southeast Missouri-A blueprint for State and Federal cooperation (a.k.a. the "Olympic Dam Project") [abstract], by Eva B. Kisvarsanyi and Charles E. Robertson 76 Geologic mapping and evaluation of the Pea Ridge iron ore mine (Washington County, Missouri) for rare-earth element and precious metal potential-A progress report, by Mark Alan Marikos, Laurence M. Nuelle, and Cheryl M. Seeger 77 FIGURES 1. Diagram showing tectonic evolution of iron oxide-rich ore deposits 5 2-3. Maps showing: 2. Middle Proterozoic iron oxide-rich districts known to contain about 1 billion tons of ore 6 3. Tectonic and generalized geologic features of the Gawler craton, South Australia 8 4. Diagrams showing tectonic evolution of the Gawler craton, South Australia, including the Stuart Shelf and Mt. Woods Inlier 10 5. Map showing paleomagnetic reconstruction of Australia during the Middle Proterozoic 14 6. Chart showing generalized stratigraphy of Lower and Middle Proterozoic rocks, Kiruna area, northern Sweden 16 7-8. Maps showing: 7. Geology of the Kiruna iron district, Sweden 17 Contents Ill 8. Distribution and age of basement rocks and anorogenic (rapakivi-type) granite-rhyolite complexes of the Midcontinent region of the United States 20 9. Chart showing geologic history of the Butler Hill-Taum Sauk caldera area, St. Francois Mountains, southeast Missouri 22 10-13. Diagrams showing: 10. Si02 versus K20 + Na20 for Middle Proterozoic anorogenic volcanic plutonic complexes 26 11. Si02 versus Zr(l'i02 for Middle Proterozoic anorogenic complexes in Missouri and South Australia 27 12. Model for evolution of Middle Proterozoic iron oxide-rich ore deposits 30 13. Postulated Middle Proterozoic differentiation sequence to produce iron oxide-rich ore deposits 31 14-19. Maps showing: 14. Precambrian basement terranes in the northern Midcontinent region of the United States 42 15. Major Proterozoic terranes in the Midcontinent region of the United States 48 16. Geology of the St. Francois terrane, southeast Missouri, as interpreted from outcrop, drill-hole, and aeromagnetic data 50 17. Ring structures, alkaline-intermediate rocks, and mineralization in the St. Francois terrane, southeast Missouri 52 18. Major iron occurrences on the Stuart Shelf of South Australia 61 19. Missouri iron deposits 61 20. Drawing showing hypothetical example of an underground traverse map 79 TABLES 1. Major characteristics of Middle Proterozoic rapakivi granite-anorthosite massifs 25 2. Chemical analyses of representative samples of rhyolite and granite, Protero zoic anorogenic terranes, central United States 44 IV Contents Introduction By Walden P. Pratt and P.K. Sims The Olympic Dam (Roxby Downs) deposit in continent region of the United States, especially the St. South Australia is one of the world's largest ore deposits. Francois and Spavinaw Proterozoic anorogenic granitic Primarily a hydrothermal iron oxide deposit, its terranes in and adjacent to southern Missouri, may have approximately 2 billion metric tons (tonnes) of rock high potential for an Olympic Dam-type deposit (Hauck contain an estimated 32 million tonnes of copper, 1.2 and Kendall, 1984; Sims and others, 1988a, b). Indeed, in million tonnes of uranium oxide, 1.2 million kg of gold, 1981 UMETCO, a subsidiary of Union Carbide and significant concentrations of rare-earth elements Corporation, began an exploration project in search of (REE) and silver (Roberts and Hudson, 1983; Olympic such a deposit in southwestern Missouri, on the basis of Dam Marketing