Orogenic type gold distribution along major archean fault zones : numerical modelling in the Abitibi Belt

Olivier Rabeau. ( 2009 )
Institut National Polytechnique de Lorraine

Abstract

This thesis had the objective to define targeting methods adapted to orogenic gold deposits hosted in greenstone belts and to better understand the formation mechanism of these deposits. The work accomplished is presented in three distinct articles. The first article aimed to determine if a mathematical relation can characterize the spatial distribution of orogenic gold deposits along a crustal scale fault zone within or if the localization of a deposit is independent of the position of each other. A uniform law was fitted between the frequency and the curvilinear inter-distance between successive orogenic gold occurrences along the CLLF for distances ranging from 315 to 5600 m. This approach gave insights on the formation mechanism and allowed the generation of a probability map for undiscovered deposits at a regional scale. The second chapter of this thesis focuses on a sector of the Cadillac Larder Lake Fault that was considered as having a high potential for discovery using the methodology presented in the last chapter. Compiled assays allowed the evaluation of the spatial association of certain geological features with orogenic gold mineralizations to allow targeting high potential areas. Finally, the work presented in the last chapter aimed at identifying dilatant zones during the deformation that is contemporaneous to the orogenic gold deposit formation. A 3D geomechanical modelling which takes rock properties into account was performed on a chosen segment of a fault zone using a finite element code. The deformation was induced using displacement vectors or fields interpreted from field data

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BibTeX Reference

@phdthesis{rabeau:tel-01748772,
 abstract = {This thesis had the objective to define targeting methods adapted to orogenic gold deposits hosted in greenstone belts and to better understand the formation mechanism of these deposits. The work accomplished is presented in three distinct articles. The first article aimed to determine if a mathematical relation can characterize the spatial distribution of orogenic gold deposits along a crustal scale fault zone within or if the localization of a deposit is independent of the position of each other. A uniform law was fitted between the frequency and the curvilinear inter-distance between successive orogenic gold occurrences along the CLLF for distances ranging from 315 to 5600 m. This approach gave insights on the formation mechanism and allowed the generation of a probability map for undiscovered deposits at a regional scale. The second chapter of this thesis focuses on a sector of the Cadillac Larder Lake Fault that was considered as having a high potential for discovery using the methodology presented in the last chapter. Compiled assays allowed the evaluation of the spatial association of certain geological features with orogenic gold mineralizations to allow targeting high potential areas. Finally, the work presented in the last chapter aimed at identifying dilatant zones during the deformation that is contemporaneous to the orogenic gold deposit formation. A 3D geomechanical modelling which takes rock properties into account was performed on a chosen segment of a fault zone using a finite element code. The deformation was induced using displacement vectors or fields interpreted from field data},
 author = {Rabeau, Olivier},
 hal_id = {tel-01748772},
 hal_version = {v1},
 keywords = {Orogenic gold ; Cadillac Larder Lake Fault spatial distribution ; Mineral potential ; Hydrothermal circulation ; Or orog{\'e}nique ; Faille Cadillac-Larder Lake ; Distribution spatiale ; Potentiel min{\'e}ral ; Circulation hydrothermale ; Or -- Gisements},
 month = {November},
 number = {2009INPL073N},
 pdf = {https://hal.univ-lorraine.fr/tel-01748772/file/2009_RABEAU_O.pdf},
 school = {{Institut National Polytechnique de Lorraine}},
 title = {{Orogenic type gold distribution along major archean fault zones : numerical modelling in the Abitibi Belt}},
 type = {Theses},
 url = {https://hal.univ-lorraine.fr/tel-01748772},
 year = {2009}
}