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USGS Professional Paper 1697 - Alaska Resources Library

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68 Metallogenesis and Tectonics of the Russian Far East, <strong>Alaska</strong>, and the Canadian Cordillera<br />

sedimentary rocks of the North American Craton Margin. The<br />

deposits exhibit characteristics similar to Southeast Missouri<br />

Pb-Zn deposits in the Robb Lake metallogenic belt of Southeast<br />

Missouri Pb-Zn deposits (described herein) and to the Gataga<br />

metallogenic belt of SEDEX deposit (described herein). Sulphur<br />

isotope analyses exhibit heavy values for barite sulfur in all three<br />

metallogenic belts (K.M. Dawson, unpublished data, 1995).<br />

These data and a similar geologic setting suggest a genetic<br />

relation between the two deposit types and three metallogenic<br />

belts. A similar rifting origin is interpreted for all three metallogenic<br />

belts. The rifting is interpreted as occurring during the<br />

Late Devonian and Early Mississippian rifting event when the<br />

Yukon-Tanana and Kootenay metamorphosed continental-margin<br />

terranes separated from the North American Craton Margin<br />

(Nokleberg and others, 1994c, 1997c, 2000; Monger and Nokleberg,<br />

1996). During the rifting, volcanism, plutonism, related<br />

hydrothermal activity, and sedimentary exhalations occurred in<br />

the North American Craton Margin and in the Yukon-Tanana and<br />

Kootenay terranes (Paradis and others, 1998).<br />

Gataga Metallogenic Belt of Zn-Pb-Ag-Ba SEDEX<br />

Deposits (Belt GA) Northern British Columbia<br />

The Gataga metallogenic belt of Zn-Pb-Ag-Ba SEDEX<br />

deposits (fig. 17; tables 3, 4) occurs in northeastern British<br />

Columbia. The deposits are hosted in basinal sedimentary strata<br />

of the Kechika Trough, a southeastern extension of Selwyn<br />

Basin (Fritz and others, 1991). The belt contains eight significant<br />

deposits and extends for 180 km southeastward from Driftpile<br />

Creek to Akie River. The deposits are localized in inferred<br />

euxinic subbasins in a structurally controlled trough that was<br />

partly flanked by carbonate reefs (MacIntyre, 1982, 1998). The<br />

significant deposits are at Akie, Cirque (Stronsay), and Driftpile<br />

Creek (Saint, Roen; table 4) (Nokleberg and others 1997a,b,<br />

1998). The deposits and host rocks are part of a sequence of<br />

Late Devonian (Famennian) turbiditic shale and cherty argillite<br />

of the Earn Group (Pigage, 1986; Paradis and others, 1998).<br />

Cirque (Stronsay) Deposit<br />

The Cirque (Stronsay) Zn-Pb-Ag-Ba SEDEX deposit (fig.<br />

28), the largest in the Gataga belt, consists of stratiform, laminar<br />

banded, massive barite with pyrite, galena, and sphalerite that<br />

occur in turbidite shale, chert, and cherty argillite of the Late<br />

Devonian Gunsteel Formation (Jefferson and others, 1983;<br />

Gorzynski, 1986). The host rocks are siliceous and contacts<br />

between sulfide bodies and sediments are sharp. The deposit<br />

forms a 300 by 1000 m tapering, wedge-shaped lens that is about<br />

10 to 60 m thick. The Cirque and adjacent South Cirque deposits<br />

contain estimated reserves of 52.2 million tonnes grading 8 percent<br />

Zn, 2 percent Pb, and 47 g/t Ag (Mining Review, 1992).<br />

Driftpile Creek SEDEX Zn-Pb-Ag-Ba Deposit<br />

The three sulfide bodies at the Driftpile SEDEX Zn-Pb-<br />

Ag-Ba deposit consist of stratiform pyrite, sphalerite, galena,<br />

Cirque Deposit<br />

(surface projection)<br />

South Cirque<br />

Deposit<br />

(surface projection)<br />

SW<br />

Gunsteel Formation<br />

Porcellanite<br />

Siliceous shale<br />

Akie Formation (shale)<br />

Road River Group<br />

Map<br />

Earn Group<br />

Warneford Fm.<br />

Akie Fm.<br />

Gunsteel Fm.<br />

Barite / Pyrite<br />

Road River Group<br />

Shale, siltstone,<br />

limestone, chert<br />

Normal fault<br />

Thrust fault<br />

0 1 km<br />

0<br />

Cross section<br />

Mineral Facies<br />

Baritic<br />

Pyritic<br />

Laminar<br />

pyrite<br />

Contact<br />

NE<br />

200 m<br />

Contact<br />

Normal fault<br />

Thrust fault<br />

Figure 28. Cirque (Stronsay) sedimentary-exhalative Zn-Pb-Ag-<br />

Ba deposit, Gataga metallogenic belt, Canadian Cordillera. Schematic<br />

map and cross section. Adapted from Jefferson and others<br />

(1983). See figure 16 and table 4 for location.

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