Post-Tviassic Mineralization in Central New Brunswick: Implications of the Mcbean Brook Zn-Pb-Ag Occurrence
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ATLANTIC GEOLOGY 1 Post-TViassic mineralization in central New Brunswick: implications of the McBean Brook Zn-Pb-Ag occurrence Russell M. Crosby Canadian Pacific Forest Products Limited, P.O. Box 148, Boiestown, New Brunswick EOH 1A0, Canada John D. Greenough* ** Geology Department, Mount Allison University, Sackville, New Brunswick EOA 3C0, Canada Donald Hattie P.O. Box 480, Sackville, New Brunswick EOA 3C0, Canada and Dodda V. Venugopal New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources and Energy, P.O. Box 6000, Fredericton, New Brunswick E3B 5H1, Canada Date Received June 8,1989 Date Accepted December 7,1989 Mineralization at the McBean Brook Zn-Pb-Ag prospect (central New Brunswick) occurs in fault-brecciated Ordovician metasedimentary rocks and Mesozoic diabase dyke rocks. The dyke is interpreted to form part of the early Jurassic Caraquet dyke because it is on strike with the Caraquet dyke, has the same NE-SW orientation, and is similar in mineralogy (containing large plagioclase phenocrysts and olivine) and chemistry (e.g., T i02 and Ga concentrations and Zr/Y ratios). Thus the mineralization at McBean Brook, consisting of carbonate, quartz, pyrite, pyrrhotite, sphalerite, galena, and chalcopyrite, is probably early Jurassic or younger. Available data indicate chemical similarity with Ordovician massive sulphide deposits near Bathurst, New Brunswick, possibly reflecting the control of similar source rocks on the composition of hydrothermal solutions despite different tectonic conditions. Many Mesozoic or younger hydrothermal sulphide, magnetite and native copper showings occur in the Appalachian belt. Although these tend to be Pb-, Fe- or Cu-dominated, many have the reactivated fault zone-diabase association like that at McBean Brook. A widespread rift-related early Mesozoic episode o f low-temperature hydrothermal activity may have affected the Appalachians, a possibility that should be kept in mind when estimating ages for ore deposits. La mineralisation presente dans le prospect a Zn-Pb-Ag de McBean Brook (centre du Nouveau-Brunswick) s’est developpee au sein de roches metasedimentaires ordoviciennes brechifiees par une faille et de filons de dolerite mesozoi'ques. On interprete le filon comme faisant partie du filon de Caraquet (debut du Jurassique) puisqu’il en a la direction ainsi que l’orientation NE-SO, et qu’il pr6sente une mineralogie (contenant des phenocristaux de plagiociase de grande dimension et de l’olivine) et un chimisme (e.g. concentrations en T i02 et Ga, rapports Zr/Y) semblables a ce dernier. La mineralisation rencontree a McBean Brook, et qui comporte du quartz, de la pyrite, de la pyrrhotite, de la sphalerite, de la galene et de la chalcopyrite, est done probablement d’ age eojurassique ou plus recent. Les donnees disponibles indiquent une similitude chimique avec les am as sulfures ordoviciens pres de Bathurst, au Nouveau-Brunswick, ce qui pourrait refleter le controle exerce par des metallotectes semblables sur la composition des solutions hydrothermales, et ce en depit de conditions tectoniques differentes. Plusieurs indices de sulfures hydrothermaux, de magnetite et de cuivre natif mesozoi'ques ou plus recents sont presents dans la chaine appalachienne. Bien qu’ils aient tendance a etre domines par le plomb, le fer ou le cuivre, laplupart montrent l’association entre une zone de faille reactivee et une dolerite, comme celle presente a McBean Brook. II se peut qu’un episode repandu d’hydrothermalisme de faible temperature en liaison avec un fosse d’effondrement ait affecte les Appalaches au debut du Mesozoi'que. On doit envisager cette possibility lorsqu’on estime l’age des gites. (Traduit par le journal) *Contact for reprint requests **Present address: Department of Geological Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 0W0, Canada ATLANTIC GEOLOGY 26,1-9 (1990) 0843-5561/90/010001-9S2.35/0 2 CROSBY ET AL. INTRODUCTION Approximately two hundred million years ago, a rifting event produced extensive mafic volcanism and formed majorrift valleys in what is now North Africa, western Europe, and eastern North America (Manspeizer etal., 1978). The economic impor- tance of rifts is well established, their high heat flow and mag- matic activity having produced countless hydrothermal ore deposits (Neumann and Ramberg, 1978). Despite the magni- tude of the Mesozoic rifdng event, the areas affected are not well known for their economic deposits, although Mitchell and Hal- liday (1976) argued that evidence for a large North Atlantic province of hydrothermal ore deposits has largely been ignored. We report on a Zn, Pb and Ag sulphide mineral prospect discovered in 1975 on McBean Brook in central New Brunswick. The mineralization has cut early Jurassic mafic dyke rocks (the Caraquet dyke?) and is one of the first recorded Zn-dominated showings of this type in the Appalachian mountain belt. Meso- zoic hydrothermal activity may have been more common than generally realized and this has significant implications for future mineral exploration. Regional and site geology The McBean Brook prospect occurs within the Gander or Miramichi Terrane (Fyffe and Flicker, 1987; Williams and Hatcher, 1983) (Fig. 1). The terrane includes a thick sequence of altered Cambrian-Ordovician mafic and felsic volcanic rocks intercalated and interbedded with grey, green, red and black slate, Fig. 1. Map showing the location and geology of the McBean Brook argillite and chert (the Tetagouche Group) and intruded by prospect in central New Brunswick (modified after Irrinki, 1981). Ordovician gabbro and granite (Irrinki, 1978). These rocks are overlain by Silurian-Devonian sedimentary and volcanic rocks CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MAFIC DYKE and intruded by Silurian-Devonian granites. Rocks at the McBean Brook prospect (Fig. 1) consist of Petrography Ordovician black siliceous and graphitic argillite and slate con- taining a network of small anastomosing quartz veinlets. The Five samples of the dyke were obtained from drill core Bamford Brook fault brings these rocks in contact with dark grey, approximately 3 m from the breccia zone. All are fine grained (< 1 lithic greywacke of Silurian age southeast of the prospect A mm) with <5% Fe-Ti oxides, pigeonite (<10%) and subequal mafic dyke varying from 1 to 27 m wide follows two or more proportions of augite and plagioclase forming a subophitic tex- splays of the fault. Mineralization occurs in breccia zones within ture. Three samples display micro-variolitic pyroxene texture. the dyke and adjacent Ordovician metasedimentary rocks. Two contain large (3-5 mm) zoned plagioclase phenocrysts (An Mineralized portions of the fault were only found in association <85 determined optically). Phenocrysts with characteristic oli- with the dyke and Ordovician sedimentary rocks. In a similar vine forms comprise -10% of all samples but have been altered outcrop located 6.5 km to the northeast of McBean Brook, to iddingsite and/or chlorite. However, unaltered olivine was graphitic slates are in faulted contact with the dyke and bear identified in samples from dyke outcrops in McBean Brook. minor sulphide mineralization. Of the early Mesozoic volcanic and dyke rocks in Atlantic The age of the dyke is critical to our arguments. Field Canada (Avalon dyke, Newfoundland; Caraquet dyke, New inspection shows that, relative to other mafic dykes in the area, Brunswick; Shelburne dyke, Nova Scotia; Minister Island dyke, it appears very “fresh” only meters away from the breccia zone. New Brunswick and North Mountain basalt, Nova Scotia) only Only Mesozoic mafic rocks in Adantic Canada typically show the Caraquet dyke contains large An-rich plagioclase phenoc- such “fresh” mineralogy. It has the same northeasterly trend as rysts (Greenough and Papezik, 1986; Venugopal, 1979,1980),as the Caraquet dyke and occurs at the anticipated location of the observed in the dyke at McBean Brook. Similarly olivine has latter in this part of New Brunswick (Burke et al., 1973; Seguin only been observed in the Caraquet and Avalon dykes whereas et al., 1981). The Caraquet dyke was dated by Wanless et al., orthopyroxene occurs in all rocks except the Caraquet and (1972) at 180 ± 31 -167 ± 28 Ma and Hodych and Hyatsu (1988) Avalon dykes. Thus McBean Brook dyke samples mineralogi- at 191 ± 2 Ma. Hence the mineralization in the dyke at McBean cally resemble the Caraquet dyke more than any other of the Brook could be Mesozoic or younger in age. Mesozoic mafic units. ATLANTIC GEOLOGY 3 Geochemistry dyke has a composition intermediate between die high-Ti and low-Ti types in the Weigand and Ragland (1970) classification Five samples of the dyke from drill core were analyzed for scheme (Greenough and Papezik, 1986; Papezik etal., 1988). In major and trace elements (Table 1). The rocks are quartz-norma- this respect the McBean Brook samples resemble the Caraquet tive tholeiites intermediate between high-Ti and low-Ti types dyke. characteristic of early Mesozoic tholeiites of the northern Appa- Other chemical similarities between the McBean Brook lachians (Weigand and Ragland, 1970). samples and the Caraquet dyke are apparent using statistical Various authors have pointed out that the early Mesozoic techniques outlined in Ragland etal. {1968). In this approach two tholeiites have geochemical signatures that distinguish them parameters give a representation of the similarity between any from many other mafic volcanic rocks (Papezik et al., 1988; two groups of rocks for each major element oxide and trace Ragland et al., 1968).