URL: https://geoscience.data.qld.gov.au/dataset/cr126164
The Mineral Geochemistry Vectoring project was undertaken by researchers at the Centre for Ore Deposit and Earth Sciences (CODES) as part of the Queensland Government's Strategic Resources Exploration Program (SREP). The aims of the project were to use the trace element chemistry of hydrothermal minerals in both IOCG and sediment-hosted Cu styles of mineralization across the Mt. Isa Inlier to determine the following
1. Deposit ‘fingerprints’ – Do individual IOCG or sediment-hosted Cu deposits in the Mt. Isa Inlier carry a unique trace element signature in their hydrothermal mineral assemblages?
2. Deposit ‘footprints’ – Can the trace element ‘fingerprint’ of a given IOCG or sediment-hosted Cu deposit be tracked away from the deposit centre, in a manner similar to that shown for porphyry Cu systems? If so, how far out does the signal go?
3. U-Pb dating of non-traditional minerals – Are there minerals in these deposits besides zircon and titanite that can be dated reliably using U-Pb systematics?
Selected study sites for this project included Ernest Henry, SWAN, and deposits along the Starra Line, together with Lady Annie and deposits of the Capricorn-Mammoth district. In addition, a set of 140 samples from 21 deposits and prospects in the Cloncurry IOCG district were loaned to CODES personnel by CSIRO for trace element characterization of selected hydrothermal minerals.
This report is divided into two main sections based on deposit type. The IOCG systems of the Cloncurry district (Ernest Henry, SWAN, and Starra) are covered first, followed by the sediment-hosted Cu systems of the Mt. Isa district (Lady Annie, Capricorn/Mammoth) and one SEDEX Zn-Pb system of the Lawn Hill platform (Lady Loretta). The individual deposit reports are written in the style of a standalone research paper, containing an executive summary and/or an abstract followed by the main body (i.e., introduction, regional/local geology, sampling/analytical methodology, results, discussion, conclusions, and references). A final summary and conclusions section follows the sediment-hosted Cu deposit reports.
All data generated as part of this project are housed in a digital repository arranged by deposit. These include all LA-ICPMS spot and image analyses collected on all minerals from all deposits, as well as optical and scanning electron microscope photomicrographs, whole-sample quantified modal mineralogy (XMOD), and microprobe spot and image analyses on selected minerals.
Reference: Steadman, J.A., Cloutier, J., Hohl, M., Cooke, D.R., Barker, S. and Hong, W., 2021: Mineral Geochemistry Vectoring: Uncovering Northwest Queensland’s Hidden Potential - FINAL REPORT. (203p) https://geoscience.data.qld.gov.au/report/cr126164