Factors Controlling the Occurrence of Ferro
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TERRO.AXNITE AT TIIE COOKB MINE 905 The Cana.d.ianM ine rala gist Vol. 31, pp. 905-916(1993) FACTORSCONTROLLING THE OCCURRENCE OF FERRO.AXINITE WITHINARCHEAN GOLD.COPPER.RICH OUARTZ VEINS: COOKEMINE, CHIBOUGAMAU AREA. ABITIBI GREENSTONE BELT* BENOFI DIJBE** ANNJAYANTA GUHA Sciencesde lnTerre. Centre d'Ende sur les Ressources Mindrales, Ilniversitd d.u Qu.4bec d Chicoutimi, Chicouttuni,Qudbec G7H 2Bl ABSTRACT Boron is commonly associatedwith gold mineralization,as suggestedby the widespreadoccurrence of tourmalinein gold- bearingquartz veins. Axinite, a calc-silicateofboron, is rarer than tourmalineand generallyis not observedin associationwith auriferous zones.This paper documentsoccurences of ferro-axinite associatedwith gold--copper-richquartz veins at the Cooke mine, near Chibougamau,in OreAbitibi greenstoneb€lt. At the Cooke mine, pinkish violet ferro-axinite commonly occursin auriferousquartz veins, in baren calcite-quartzextension-related veins, in hydrothermalbreccias, and within or near late brittle faults. Cross-cuttingrelationships and strain compatibility indicate that the late brittle faults and the gold-hosting structureswere formed in a relatively short period of time. The FeO contentof the axinite is high (87o),whereas MgO is low (270).Composition variations are limited and do not seemto conelale with distinct environmentsof formation, despitethe dif- ferent modesof occurrence.The formation of ferro-axinite is consideredto occur where carbonatizationis limited so that the availableCa combineswith B, Fe, and Si from the hydrothermalfluid to form ferro-axinite ratherthan tourmaline.This reac- tion occurredearly, as the ferro-axinite is commonly attachedto the walls of the veins, whereasthe sulfides surroundand part- ly replacethe ferro-axinite.The similarity in compositionof the feno-axinite associatedwith mineralizedveins and with late brittle faults suggeststhat bottr structureswere infiltrated by the boron-rich fluid. The formation of feno-axinite rather than tourmalineis also strongly promotedby a Ca- and Lon-rich environment.The study illustratesthe stronginfluence of the com- position of the host rock and of the hydrothermalfluid on the formation of feno-axinite. Keywords:ferro-axinite, gol4 copper,boron, K-feldspar,Bourbeau sill, Cooke mine, Chibougamau,Abitibi GreenstoneBeIt Quebec. Sotwtarns Le bore est communementassoci6 aux mindralisationsaurifdres, comme le suggdrela pr6sencefr6quente de tourrnaline dansles veinesde quartzawifdre. L'axinite, un calco-silicatede bore, est plus rare que la tourmalineet n'est g6n6ralementpas associ6eaux zonesaurifbres. Nous documentonsla pr6sencede la ferro-axinite associ& b des veinesde quartz riches en or et en cuivre i la mine Cooke,prbs de Chibougamau,dans la ceinture de rochesvertes de fAbitibi. A la mine Cooke, l'axinite 1gseviolac6 est repanduedans les veinesde quartzaurif€re, dans des veinesd'extension st6riles compos6es de calcite-quartz, dans des brbcheshydrothermales, et dans des failles cassantestardives, ou d proximit6 de ces demibres.Les relations de recoupementet de compatibilit6 de la d6formation indiquent que les fatlles tardives cassanteset les structuresh6tes de la min6ralisationaurifbre se sont form6esdurant une p6rioderelativement courte. I.e contenuen FeO de I'axinite est 6lev6 (envi- ron 8Vo),alors que celui en MgO est fuble (4Vo). ks variationsen compositionde la ferro-axinite sont limit6es et ne sem- blent paspouvoir €tre associ6esd desmilieux de formation sp6cifiquesmalgr6 les diff6rentstypes de mise en place.La forma- tion de la ferro-axinite serait1i6e i un milieu oi la carbonatisationest faible; ainsi, 1eCa disponiblese combineavec le B, Fe, et Si provenantdu fluide pour former la ferro-axinite plut6t que la tourmaline. Cette rdaction se produit pr6cocement,6tant donn6que la ferro-axinite est gdndralementafrach& aux murs des veines, alors que les sulfuresentourent et remplacentpar- tiellementla ferro-axinite.La prdsencede ferro-axinite de compositionsimilaire associ6eaux veinesmin6ralis6es et aux failles cassantestardives indique que les deux structuresont 616infiltr6es par le fluide riche en bore. La formation de ferro-axinite plutdt que de tourmalingss1 (gals6ea1 fortement influenc6e par I'abondancede Ca et de fer disponiblesdans le miliel de for- mation. Cefie 6tude illusre I'influence de la compositionde la roche-h6teet du fluide hydrothermalsur la formation de la ferro-axinite. Mots-cl6s: ferro-axinite, or, cuiwe, bore, feldspathpotassique, sill de Bourbeau,mine de Cooke, Chibougamau,ceinture de rochesvertes de I'Abitibi, Qu6bec. * Contributionnum6ro 92-513G-19 du Ministbre de I'Energie et desRessources du Qu6bec. ** Presentaddress: Commission gdologique du Canada,Centre gdoscientifique de Qu6bec,2700, rue Einstein,C.P. 7500' Sainte-Foy,Qu6bec GlV 4C7. Downloaded from http://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/canmin/article-pdf/31/4/905/3446707/905.pdf by guest on 01 October 2021 906 THE CANADIAN MINERALOGIST INTRoDUSIIoN within bodies of diabase.They contendedthat the gold-bearing axinite-quartz veins are producedby a The associationof boron with gold mineralization hydrothermalsolution related with an orogenicmove- is relatively common,as suggestedby the occurrence ment and not with a skam or igneousactivity. J6brak of tourmaline in gold-bearingquartz veins (Boyle et al. (1991) reportedthe presenceof Mg-rich axinite 1979,Roberts 1987). Axinite, a boron-bearingcalc- as a metamorphicphase in early carbonatized silicate, is rarer than tourmaline,and its occurrencein andesitesin the McWat0ersgold mine on the Cadillac associationwith auriferousmineralization is much less break,in Abitibi, Quebec.They notedthe early common.On the other hand, axinite is relatively replacementof axinite by tourmaline and suggested commonin manganeseand femrginousore deposits, that boron was first incorporatedin axinite and only contactmetamorphic and metasomaticore deposits, later precipitatedto form gold-associatedtourmaline. granitic pegmatitesand associatedhigh-temperature Axinite is a common mineral in Archean rocks of environments,regionally metamorphosedrocks, and the Chibougamau- Chapaismining district, where it veins in igneous and sedimentaryrocks (Simonen & is reportedfrom both mineralizedand barren areas Wiik 1952,Deer et al. 1,962,Mozgova1964, Carstens (Buchan1964, L976, Dub6 & Guha1989, Dub6 1990). 1965,Serdyuchenko & Makarov 197I, Ozaki 1970, In this study,we documentthe occurrenceof ferro- 1972, Lumpkin & Ribbe 1979, Pringle & Kawachi axinite associatedwith gold-copper-richveins and 1980,Sonnet & Verkaeren1989). Its associationwith determinewhy axinite is found at Chibougamaurather fracture fillings along or near fault zoneshas been than the more commontourmaline associated with the documentedby Hietanen& Erd (1978).Its relation- majority of Archeanmesothermal gold deposits. ship with gold mineralizationhas been reportedby Boyle (1979) and, in the Timmins area,where axinite RsctoNArSsrrn{c and clinozoisite occur chiefly in veins located on the fringe of quartz-ankeritegold-bearing veins, by Hurst The Chibougamau- Chapaismining district is (1935). Suzuki & Fujiwara (1971) have reportedon locatedabout 600 km north of Montreal, at the eastem gold mineralization in axiniteluartz veins emplaced end of the Chibougamau-MatagamiGreenstone Belt -_--1.--J-"v x_- --- -_-_:-Xj:- :" ---:--J ,--i *,r' =- I* ***.*Wlr-* -1tr-r,1*-li,***'1 *-a orraFo c'eo'#Fl :a'* -*" I v %doo ooi +i++ ++^e+'+r --++*+*t l*. .- * *'i:-J- *+ r + , , + +,F '. -T--:+ '{ f + ,- + + +"+ N.\ ++{+++-J@- i\\\r\* q 5 ul5rn + *,---:fi a'1 + + t 4 + + I UBST'TBIIAL@LDDEFOSIT | 8€Yff""^*"r*t"*. N ffiffi*. lE r*nu"sedoffiffi ffi,yr* Iffi#n*rorr ? oPEMISCAT?PBvEl{r (c,A!) O mnErexgrntveors (cq,ag) ffiffi F;1ffis*ffi'.*ffi ffi**bfiffi MW * rorrgrnycorrunrrm iffidw fffi]&#ffi$fi#^"^r * rsn-vomn F;rffisHh, ffiffit#fr eqdwlqt) Ftc. 1. Regionalgeological map of the Chibougamauarea (modified from cr'thaet aI. 1.990a). Downloaded from http://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/canmin/article-pdf/31/4/905/3446707/905.pdf by guest on 01 October 2021 FERRO-AXINIIE AT T.TIECOOKE MINE 907 of the SuperiorProvince, where the Abitibi Sub- the Chibougamau{opper Fault (Fie. 2). province is truncatedby the Grenville Front (Fig. 1). The gold-coppermineralization is found in sulfide- The Chibougamau- Chapaisarea consists of a rich quartz, calcite, ferro-axinite or K-feldspar veins sequenceof volcanic (Roy Group) and volcano- from a few cm to few m wide. Theseveins are located sedimentaryrocks (OpemiscaGroup) of Archeanage. within two main brittle to brittle-ductile shearzones Detaileddescriptions are given by Allatd et al. (1985). or fractures oriented NW-SE to E-W and known as The Bourbeausill, which hoststhe gold mineraliza- the no. 7 and 9 veins. Overall, thesestructures are sub- tion at the Cooke mine, is at the top of the mafic- parallel to stratigraphic contacts and are interpreted ultramafic CummingsComplex of three sills emplaced to be syntectonic(Dub6 & Guha 1992).At depth in lavas and felsic volcanogenicsediments of the (> 400 m), however,the structuresare discordant.The BlondeauFormation. Regionally, the Bourbeausill auriferous structureshave lateral and vertical exten- is a layered iron-rich gabbro of tholeiitic affinity sionsof more than 500 m. The gold- copperveins are @uquettel976,Dub€ & Guha 1989).The sill differ- confined to the Bourbeau sill and are generally sub- entiatedinto units that comprise,upward from the parallel to the shearzones. The mineralized shear base,peridotite-pyroxenite, leucogabbro, quattz