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Evolution of the Northeast Zone Breccia Body, Mount Polley Mine, British Columbia

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Evolution of the Northeast Zone Breccia Body, Mount Polley Mine, British Columbia EVOLUTION OF THE NORTHEAST ZONE BRECCIA BODY, MOUNT POLLEY MINE, BRITISH COLUMBIA by MEGHAN LEA JACKSON BSc, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, 2002 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES (Geological Science) THE UNIVERSiTY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) October 2008 © Meghan Lea Jackson, 2008 ABSTRACT The Mount Polley deposit in north-central British Columbia is a Cu-Au porphyry system related to alkaline magmatism. The deposit is composed of numerous discrete zones of Cu-Au mineralization related to bodies of hydrothermal breccia, including the Northeast zone which hosted a pre-mining proven and probable reserve of approximately 11 Mt of ore averaging 0.88% Cu and 0.28 g/t Au. The polylithic breccia body at the Northeast zone is irregular in shape and intruded by multiple generations of post-mineral dykes. Post-mineral faults cut the breccia, making the original breccia geometry unclear. 11,000 meters of core logging along two vertical sections perpendicular to the long axis of the orebody show that a significant percentage (locally >50%) of the breccia is composed of K-feldspar-phyric monzonite porphyry clasts. Many of these have globular shapes, implying that this material was ductile at the time of brecciation. Cu-sulfides are most abundant in and immediately above zones containing the greatest concentration of K feldspar-phyric monzonite porphyry clasts. This relationship suggests that the fluids responsible for both mineralization and brecciation originated during this phase of intrusion. Most of the Cu-Au-bearing sulfide minerals form hydrothermal chemical infill in the breccia. Where fine-grained clastic material is abundant or where movement of clasts was minimal, sulfides are generally less abundant or absent. The entire breccia body of the Northeast Zone at Mount Polley appears to be the result of a single brecciation event. Variation in breccia character within the body is attributable to variations in fluid flux, pre-existing rock character, and fluidization processes. Furthermore, the permeability structure established during the brecciation event exerted the fundamental control over ore distribution within the breccia body. II TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ii Table of Contents iii List of Tables vi List of Figures vii Acknowledgements xi Dedication xii CHAPTER 1-Significance of the Mount Polley deposit 1 Introduction 1 The Mount Polley Cu-Au porphyry 1 The significance of alkaline hydrothermal systems 7 The Mount Polley system 13 Thesis Objectives 24 CHAPTER 2- Background and previous work 25 Introduction 25 Previous Work 25 Literature Review 25 History of the Mount Polley deposit 27 Property discovery 27 Exploration 27 Development 28 Discovery of the Northeast Zone 29 Development of the Northeast Zone 29 Reserves and resources at Mount Polley 30 Regional Geology 32 Geology of Quesnellia 32 Extrusive igneous rocks of the Mount Polley area 32 Mount Polley Intrusive Complex 38 Augite-biotite diorite 40 K-feldspar-bearing diorite 40 Undifferentiated Monzonite 41 Monzonite 42 K-feldspar monzonite porphyry 42 Augite porphyry 44 Bootjack stock 44 Summary 44 111 CHAPTER 3-Intrusive Rocks of the Northeast Zone 45 Introduction 45 Northeast Zone 45 Field relations 45 Xenoliths 46 Biotite-magnetite “mafics” 47 Diorite 50 Monzodiorite 51 Hornblende-mafic porphyry 51 Pre-breccia rocks 52 Equigranular augite monzonite 52 Mafic 56 Altered mafic 57 Syn-breccia intrusive rocks 59 Post-breccia intrusive rocks 64 Equigranular augite monzonite 66 K-feldspar-phyric monzonite porphyry 68 K-feldspar-(plagioclase) phyric monzonite porphyry. 75 Equigranular homblende-(biotite) monzonite 77 Diorite and plagioclase porphyry 85 Mafic dykes 87 Augite porphyry 94 Conclusions 97 CHAPTER 4- Characteristics of the Northeast Zone Breccia 98 Introduction 98 The importance of magmatic-hydrothermal breccias 98 “Classic” breccia-associated porphyry deposits 99 Review of classification and processes 99 Descriptive classification 101 Alteration 103 Internal organization 103 Components 106 Grain size 111 Geometry 112 General 113 Breccia geometry 113 Section 18 and Section 26 relative to the breccia as a whole. 114 Breccia types 115 Margins and nature of margins of the breccia body 124 Breccia subunits 124 Infill 128 Carbonate 128 Chlorite 129 iv Biotite.130 Sulfide 132 Magnetite 136 Silicate 137 Discussion of breccia features 138 CHAPTER 5- Alteration 146 Introduction 146 Pre-breccia alteration 148 Altered mafic clasts 148 Hematite-carbonate alteration 149 Biotite-magnetite 152 Chlorite 152 Syn-breccia alteration 153 Chlorite 153 Biotite 155 Sulfide replacement 158 K-feldspar 158 Magnetite 162 Albite-actinolite 165 Post-breccia alteration 168 Sulfide replacement 168 Sulfide veins 168 Albite-epidote 169 Sericite-quartz-carbonate 171 Carbonate-gypsum (clinozoisite-zeolite) 176 Sequence of alteration, brecciation, and intrusion 178 CHAPTER 6-Evolution of the Northeast Zone Breccia 182 Discussion 182 Mathematical model for breccia propagation 185 Fluid flux and breccia formation 194 Fluid flux and fluid chemistry 197 Vectors to ore 198 Sequence of events 201 Avenues for further research 215 Mount Polley in the larger context 217 References 218 v LIST OF TABLES CHAPTER 1 Table 1.1- Characteristics of some alkalic-related mineral deposits 9 Table 1.2- Characteristics of alkalic porphyry systems 12 CHAPTER 2 Table 2.1- Reserves and resources for the Mount Polley orebody, from Imperial Metals, 2007 31 Table 2.2- Geochronology of the Nicola group, MPIC, and associated rocks... 34 CHAPTER 3 Table 3.1- Timing of rock types observed in the Northeast zone 46 Table 3.2- Trends in the composition and texture of post-mineral dykes 65 CHAPTER 4 Table 4.1-Breccia descriptive scheme 102 Table 4.2-Breccia internal organization 104 Table 4.3-Characteristics of breccia subunits 126 Table 4.4-Mechanisms for triggering hydraulic overpressure 141 vi LIST OF FIGURES CHAPTER 1 Figure 1.1- The location of Mount Polley and other alkalic porphyry deposits. 3 Figure 1.2- Geologic map of the Mount Polley Property 5 Figure 1.3- Major alkalic related Au deposits of the world 8 Figure 1.4- Terrane map showing Triassic-Jurassic alkalic intrusions in the Mount Polley Area 16 Figure 1.5-Alteration in the Central Zone at Mount Polley 20 Figure 1 .6-Lithology of the Central Zone at Mount Polley 21 Figure 1.7- Common characteristics of mineral deposits related to alkalic intrusions 23 CHAPTER 2 Figure 2. 1-Stratigraphy of the Mount Polley area 33 Figure 2.2-Intrusive rocks of the Mount Polley Intrusive Complex 39 CHAPTER 3 Figure 3.1-Mafic xenoliths 48 Figure 3.2-Rectangular and irregular mafic xenoliths 48 Figure 3 .3-Photomicrographs of mafic xenoliths 49 Figure 3 .4-Diorite xenoliths 50 Figure 3.5-Monzodiorite xenolith 51 Figure 3 .6-Homblende mafic porphyry xenolith 52 Figure 3 .7-Equigranular monzonite clasts in breccia 52 Figure 3 .8-Fine-phenocryst porphyry and microporphyry clasts in breccia 54 Figure 3 .9-Photomicrographs of equigranular monzonite showing microporphyry textures 55 Figure 3.10-Cu-sulfide minerals in equigranular monzonite 56 Figure 3.11 -Mafic clasts in breccia 57 Figure 3.12-Altered mafic clast within the breccia 58 Figure 3.1 3-Distribution of altered mafic clasts on section 29 59 Figure 3.14- Juvenile megacrystic monzonite porphyry clasts 60 Figure 3.15-Broken phenocrysts and glomerocrysts in the megacrystic monzonite porphyry 62 Figure 3.1 6-Photomicrographs of a single K-feldspar megacryst 63 Figure 3.1 7a-Distribution of megacrystic porphyry dykes on Section 29 63 Figure 3.1 7b-Megacrystic K-feldspar porphyry in Section 18 64 Figure 3.18-Cu-sulfide mineralization in post-breccia monzonite 67 Figure 3.1 9a-Distribution of K-feldspar phyric monzonite porphyry dykes on section 29 69 Figure 3.1 9b-Distribution of K-feldspar phyric monzonite porphyry dykes on Section 18 70 vii Figure 3.20-Crowded K-feldspar phyric monzonite porphyry 71 Figure 3.21-K-feldspar glomerocrysts 72 Figure 3.22-Progressive changes in dyke texture over time 74 Figure 3.23 -Plagioclase and K-feldspar phyric monzonite porphyry, cut by a multi- generation pyrite vein 75 Figure 3 .24-Plagioclase and K-feldspar porphyry dyke in section 29 76 Figure 3 .25a-Hornblende and hornblende-biotite dykes in Section 29 78 Figure 3.25b-Hornblende and hornblende-biotite bearing equigranular monzbnite on section 18 79 Figure 3.26- Photomicrographs of hornblende in equigranular homblende monzonite 80 Figure 3 .27-Trachyte dykes on Section 18 81 Figure 3 .28-Trachyte microdykes cutting hydrothermal breccia 82 Figure 3.29-Carbonate and carbonate-silicate amygdules in trachyte 83 Figure 3.30-Trachyte infihl, monzonite clast breccia 83 Figure 3.31 -Trachyte clast, carbonate and gypsum infill breccias 84 Figure 3.32-Photomicrographs of a trachyte microdyke 85 Figure 3 .33a-Dark Monzonite dykes on section 18 86 Figure 3.33b-Plagioclase porphyry dyke on section 29 86 Figure 3.34-Mafic dykes on section 29 88 Figure 3.35-Grading parallel to mafic dyke margins 89 Figure 3.36- Photomicrographs of mafic dykes, including a carbonate amygdule.90 Figure 3 .37-Plagioclase phyric mafic dykes cutting augite-phyric mafic dyke. .91 Figure 3.38-Plagioclase phyric mafic dykes showing flow alignment of phenocrysts 92 Figure 3 .39-Olivine phyric mafic dykes showing complex dyke margins 93 Figure 3.40-Augite porphyry 94 Figure 3.41a-Augite porphyry dykes on section 18 95 Figure 3.41b-Augite porphyry dykes on Section 29 96 Figure 3 .42-Photornicrographs of augite porphyry, showing polycrystalline augite phenocrysts in a dominantly plagioclase groundmass 97 CHAPTER 4 Figure 4. 1-Breccia internal organization 105 Figure 4.2-Photomicrographs showing the intimate mixture of clastic and chemical infihl 107 Figure 4.3a-Breccia components 108 Figure 4.3b-Breccia components, showing igneous infill and open space 109 Figure 4.4-Ternary plot showing the relationship between clastic, chemical, and igneous infill 109 Figure 4.5-Normal, slightly bimodal, and extremely bimodal grain size distributions 112 Figure 4.6-Three dimensional view of the breccia, viewed from the east-northeast.
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