Metallogenic Evolution of the Mackenzie and Eastern
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Document generated on 09/25/2021 8:47 p.m. Geoscience Canada Metallogenic Evolution of the Mackenzie and Eastern Selwyn Mountains of Canada’s Northern Cordillera, Northwest Territories: A Compilation and Review Luke Ootes, Sarah A. Gleeson, Elizabeth Turner, Kirsten Rasmussen, Steve Gordey, Hendrick Falck, Edith Martel and Kelly Pierce Volume 40, Number 1, 2013 Article abstract The Mackenzie and eastern Selwyn Mountains, Northwest Territories, Canada, URI: https://id.erudit.org/iderudit/geocan40_1art02 are the northeast expression of the Cordilleran orogen and have a geologic history that spans the last one billion years. The region has undergone a See table of contents diverse tectonic evolution, which is reflected in an equally diverse collection of mineral deposits and prospects. More than 300 of these deposits and prospects have been documented in this area of the Northwest Territories and here they Publisher(s) are categorized into mineral deposit types and their mode of formation evaluated and highlighted. Stratiform/stratabound Cu–Ag occurrences are The Geological Association of Canada hosted in the Neoproterozoic Coates Lake Group, generally preserved in the hanging wall of the Cretaceous Plateau fault, and define a belt through the ISSN central part of the Mackenzie Mountains. Low-grade phosphatic stratiform iron (47.5% Fe) occurs as iron formation in the Neoproterozoic Rapitan Group 0315-0941 (print) in the very northwest of the Mackenzie Mountains. Sedimentary exhalative 1911-4850 (digital) Zn–Pb (± Ba) deposits are preserved in Cambrian through Devonian strata of the Selwyn Basin in the eastern Selwyn Mountains. Numerous Explore this journal carbonate-hosted Zn–Pb (± base-metals) occurrences are located in the Paleozoic strata of the Mackenzie Platform in the Mackenzie Mountains. Cretaceous felsic-intermediate plutons, which occur throughout the eastern Cite this article Selwyn Mountains, are associated with tungsten skarn (proximal to intrusions), base-metal skarn (distal from intrusions), rare metals, semi-precious Ootes, L., Gleeson, S. A., Turner, E., Rasmussen, K., Gordey, S., Falck, H., Martel, tourmaline related to pegmatites, and vein-hosted emeralds. Other resources of E. & Pierce, K. (2013). Metallogenic Evolution of the Mackenzie and Eastern potential interest include coal deposits, placer gold, and possible Carlin-type Selwyn Mountains of Canada’s Northern Cordillera, Northwest Territories:: A gold deposits that have recently been identified farther west in the Yukon. Compilation and Review. Geoscience Canada, 40(1), 40–69. All rights reserved © The Geological Association of Canada, 2013 This document is protected by copyright law. Use of the services of Érudit (including reproduction) is subject to its terms and conditions, which can be viewed online. https://apropos.erudit.org/en/users/policy-on-use/ This article is disseminated and preserved by Érudit. Érudit is a non-profit inter-university consortium of the Université de Montréal, Université Laval, and the Université du Québec à Montréal. Its mission is to promote and disseminate research. https://www.erudit.org/en/ 40 ARTICLE 5Geological Survey of Canada sions), base-metal skarn (distal from 625 Robson Street intrusions), rare metals, semi-precious Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6B 5J3 tourmaline related to pegmatites, and vein-hosted emeralds. Other resources SUMMARY of potential interest include coal The Mackenzie and eastern Selwyn deposits, placer gold, and possible Car- Mountains, Northwest Territories, lin-type gold deposits that have recent- Canada, are the northeast expression ly been identified farther west in the of the Cordilleran orogen and have a Yukon. geologic history that spans the last one billion years. The region has undergone SOMMAIRE Metallogenic Evolution of a diverse tectonic evolution, which is Les monts Mackenzie et ceux de la reflected in an equally diverse collec- chaîne orientale de Selwyn, dans les the Mackenzie and Eastern tion of mineral deposits and prospects. Territoires du Nord-Ouest, au Canada, Selwyn Mountains of More than 300 of these deposits and sont l'expression au nord-est de prospects have been documented in l'orogène de la Cordillère, et leur his- Canada’s Northern this area of the Northwest Territories toire géologique s’étale sur le dernier milliard d’années. La région a été and here they are categorized into min- Cordillera, Northwest l’hôte d’une évolution tectonique diver- eral deposit types and their mode of sifiée, et cela se reflète par une suite Territories: A Compilation formation evaluated and highlighted. tout aussi diversifiée de gisements and Review Stratiform/stratabound Cu–Ag occur- minéraux et d’indices prometteurs. rences are hosted in the Neoprotero- 1 2 Plus de 300 de ces dépôts et indices Luke Ootes , Sarah A. Gleeson , zoic Coates Lake Group, generally pre- 3 prometteurs ont été documentées dans Elizabeth Turner , Kirsten Ras- served in the hanging wall of the Cre- 4 5 cette région des Territoires du Nord- mussen , Steve Gordey , Hendrik taceous Plateau fault, and define a belt 1 1 Ouest, et le présent article ils sont Falck , Edith Martel , and Kelly through the central part of the Pierce1 classés en types de gîtes minéraux, et Mackenzie Mountains. Low-grade l’attention est portée sur leur mode de 1Northwest Territories Geoscience Office phosphatic stratiform iron (47.5% Fe) formation. Les gisements de Cu-Ag Box 1500, Yellowknife, NT, Canada, occurs as iron formation in the Neo- stratiformes ou stratoïdes sont encais- X1A 2R3 proterozoic Rapitan Group in the very sés dans le Groupe néoprotérozoïque E-mail: [email protected] northwest of the Mackenzie Moun- de Coates Lake, et ils sont générale- tains. Sedimentary exhalative Zn–Pb (± 2 ment préservés dans l'éponte Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sci- Ba) deposits are preserved in Cambrian supérieure de la faille du plateau cré- ences, University of Alberta, 1-26 Earth through Devonian strata of the Selwyn tacé, et ils forment une bande qui tra- Sciences Building, Edmonton, AB, Canada, Basin in the eastern Selwyn Mountains. verse la partie centrale des monts T6G 2E3 Numerous carbonate-hosted Zn–Pb (± Mackenzie. Le fer se retrouve dans des 3Department of Earth Sciences base-metals) occurrences are located in gisements phosphatées stratiformes à Laurentian University, 935 Ramsey Lake the Paleozoic strata of the Mackenzie faible teneur (47,5% Fe) qui provient Road, Sudbury, ON, Canada, P3E 2C6 Platform in the Mackenzie Mountains. de formations de fer dans le Groupe Cretaceous felsic-intermediate plutons, néoprotérozoïque de Rapitan situé 4Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences which occur throughout the eastern dans la pointe nord-ouest des monts University of British Columbia, 6339 Stores Selwyn Mountains, are associated with Mackenzie. Des gisements sédimen- Road, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6T 1Z4 tungsten skarn (proximal to intru- taires exhalatifs de Zn-Pb (± Ba) sont Geoscience Canada, v. 40, http://dx.doi.org/10.12789/geocanj.2013.40.005 © 2013 GAC/AGC® GEOSCIENCE CANADA Volume 40 2013 41 8 60°N 60 40°W 0°W préservés dans des strates cambriennes °W 160°W à dévoniennes du bassin de Selwyn 140°W 20°W 1 100°W dans la portion est des monts Selwyn. De nombreux indices de Zn-Pb (± 0°N métaux communs) dans des roches car- 6 bonatées des strates paléozoïques de la plate-forme de Mackenzie, des monts Mackenzie. Des plutons felsiques intermédiaires crétacés, qui pointent Mackenzie tout au long de la chaîne est de Selwyn, Mountains sont associées à des skarns de tungstène (proximaux), à des skarns de 40°N métaux communs (distaux), à des con- centrations de métaux rares, de tour- RM maline semi-précieuses liés aux peg- Canada matites, et à des émeraudes filoniennes. Parmi d’autres ressources d'intérêt, on USA 40°N retrouve des gisements de charbon, d'or alluvionnaire, et d’éventuels gise- ments d'or de type Carlin qui ont été découverts récemment plus à l'ouest au Yukon. INTRODUCTION Mineral deposits record evidence of 20°N lithospheric-scale processes and thus Mexico provide important constraints on the °N tectonic evolution of a region. The 20 Mackenzie and eastern Selwyn Moun- tains (MSM) of Canada’s Northwest Territories are the easternmost sub- province (Foreland belt) of the Cordilleran orogen. The MSM region 120°W 100°W 80°W is the northern extent of the Canadian Rocky Mountains and the Sevier fold- Figure 1. Geographic relief map of North America with the location of the thrust belt, the now deformed ancient Mackenzie Mountains in the Cordillera of northern Canada. Transparent grey is margin of western North America ancient North American margin, now preserved as the Rocky Mountains (RM) in (Fig. 1; Gabrielse and Yorath 1991; Canada and Sevier fold and thrust belt in the US. Thick black line with teeth on the Gabrielse et al. 1991; Cecile et al. 1997; hanging wall side indicates the frontal thrust of the Cordilleran orogen. The map is DeCelles 2004). The geologic evolution modified after DeCelles (2004). of the southern parts of the Foreland belt has been well-studied and the rela- 2009; Turner and Long 2008; Martel et for a review of the metallogenic evolu- tionship between rock units and ore al. 2011; Rasmussen et al. 2011). tion of this vast area and a summary deposits is well-documented (e.g., Whereas many recent publications have of our current understanding of min- Gabrielse and Yorath 1991; Dawson et focused on the metallogenic evolution eral deposits in the context of sedi- al. 1991; Gabrielse et al. 1991; Burch- of North American geological mentary, intrusive, and tectonic events. fiel et al. 1992; Hutchinson and Albers provinces, commodity-specific mineral The deposits and prospects are 1992; Cecile et al. 1997; DeCelles 2004; deposit types, or mineral deposits as a grouped into deposit types based on Ross et al. 2005; Colpron et al. 2007; function of particular geological events host-rock lithology, age, structural Lund 2008; Wells and Hoisch 2008). (e.g., Hart et al.