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Active and ongoing gold exploration and mining in ... - IAGS 2011

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ocks <strong>in</strong> northernmost Sweden <strong>in</strong>to low-, medium-<br />

<strong>and</strong> high-grade areas. It is <strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>g to note<br />

that most of the low-grade areas there (i.e. Kiruna,<br />

Rensjön <strong>and</strong> Stora Sjöfallet) are located <strong>in</strong> the westernmost<br />

part of Norrbotten whereas the majority of<br />

medium to high grade metamorphic rocks are located<br />

<strong>in</strong> the central to eastern part where also the vast<br />

majority of the L<strong>in</strong>a type granites (1.81–1.78 Ga)<br />

are situated. The strong spatial relationship between<br />

the higher-grade metamorphic rocks <strong>and</strong> the S-type<br />

granites is either a result of deeper erosional level of<br />

the crust <strong>in</strong> these areas or reflects areas affected by<br />

higher heat flow at c. 1.8 Ga.<br />

In central F<strong>in</strong>nish Lapl<strong>and</strong>, the follow<strong>in</strong>g<br />

metamorphic zones have been mapped (Hölttä et al.<br />

2007): I) granulite facies migmatitic amphibolites<br />

south of the Lapl<strong>and</strong> Granulite Belt, II) high pressure<br />

mid-amphibolite facies rocks south of the zone<br />

I, characterised by garnet-kyanite-biotite-muscovite<br />

assemblages with local migmatisation <strong>in</strong> metapelites,<br />

<strong>and</strong> garnet-hornblende-plagioclase assemblages <strong>in</strong><br />

mafic rocks, III) low-pressure mid-amphibolite facies<br />

rocks south of the zone II, with garnet-<strong>and</strong>alusite-staurolite-chlorite-muscovite<br />

assemblages with<br />

retrograde chloritoid <strong>and</strong> kyanite <strong>in</strong> metapelites,<br />

<strong>and</strong> hornblende-plagioclase-quartz±garnet <strong>in</strong> metabasites,<br />

IV) greenschist facies rocks of the Central<br />

Epigenetic Au deposits <strong>in</strong> northern<br />

Fennosc<strong>and</strong>ian shield<br />

Pasi Eilu<br />

Geological Survey of F<strong>in</strong>l<strong>and</strong>, Espoo, F<strong>in</strong>l<strong>and</strong><br />

Olof Mart<strong>in</strong>sson<br />

Luleå University of Technology, Luleå, Sweden<br />

Epigenetic sulphide deposits <strong>in</strong> the northern part of<br />

the Fennosc<strong>and</strong>ian Shield have an extensive variation<br />

<strong>in</strong> the style of m<strong>in</strong>eralisation, alteration, metal<br />

association, <strong>and</strong> host rock. Most deposits occur <strong>in</strong><br />

(1) Palaeoproterozoic greenstones <strong>in</strong> the Central<br />

Lapl<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> Kuusamo belts <strong>in</strong> F<strong>in</strong>l<strong>and</strong>, but also <strong>in</strong><br />

Sweden <strong>and</strong> Norway, <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong> (2) Svecofennian rocks<br />

of the Porphyrite <strong>and</strong> Kiirunavaara Groups <strong>in</strong> Sweden.<br />

Due to their variable <strong>and</strong> overlapp<strong>in</strong>g features<br />

(Table 1), several genetic types have been proposed<br />

for them (Ojala et al. 2007). Here, we only discuss<br />

deposit types detected <strong>in</strong> the area covered by the<br />

present field excursion (Table 1).<br />

Many parameters used to describe ore occurrences<br />

are identical when e.g. IOCG <strong>and</strong> orogenic<br />

<strong>gold</strong> m<strong>in</strong>eralisation is compared. For <strong>in</strong>stance,<br />

Lapl<strong>and</strong> Greenstone Belt, with f<strong>in</strong>e-gra<strong>in</strong>ed white<br />

mica-chlorite-biotite-albite-quartz <strong>in</strong> metapelites,<br />

<strong>and</strong> act<strong>in</strong>olite-albite-chlorite-epidote-carbonate <strong>in</strong><br />

metabasites, V) prograde metamorphism south of<br />

the zone IV from lower-amphibolite (<strong>and</strong>alusitekyanite-staurolite-muscovite-chlorite±chloritoid<br />

schists), to mid-amphibolite facies (kyanite-<strong>and</strong>alusite-staurolite-biotite-muscovite<br />

gneisses, <strong>and</strong> upper<br />

amphibolite facies garnet-sillimanite-biotite gneisses,<br />

VI) amphibolite facies pluton-derived metamorphism<br />

related with heat flow from central <strong>and</strong> western<br />

Lapl<strong>and</strong> granitoids.<br />

The present structural geometry shows an<br />

<strong>in</strong>verted gradient where pressure <strong>and</strong> temperature<br />

<strong>in</strong>crease upwards <strong>in</strong> the present tectonostratigraphy<br />

from greenschist facies <strong>in</strong> the zone IV through<br />

garnet-<strong>and</strong>alusite-staurolite grade <strong>in</strong> the zone III<br />

<strong>and</strong> garnet-kyanite grade amphibolite facies <strong>in</strong> the<br />

zone II to granulite facies <strong>in</strong> the zone I. The <strong>in</strong>verted<br />

gradient could be expla<strong>in</strong>ed by crustal thicken<strong>in</strong>g<br />

caused by overthrust of the hot granulite complex<br />

onto the lower grade rocks. Metamorphism <strong>in</strong> the<br />

Lapl<strong>and</strong> Granulite Belt occurred at 1.91–1.88 Ga<br />

(Tuisku & Huhma 2006), but the present metamorphic<br />

structure <strong>in</strong> central F<strong>in</strong>nish Lapl<strong>and</strong> may record<br />

later, postmetamorphic thrust<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> fold<strong>in</strong>g events<br />

(Hölttä et al. 2007).<br />

features of the orogenic <strong>gold</strong> occurrences observed<br />

<strong>in</strong> F<strong>in</strong>l<strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>clude 1) proximal to distal carbonatisation<br />

<strong>and</strong> proximal sericitisation <strong>and</strong> biotitisation, 2)<br />

PT conditions at 300–500°C <strong>and</strong> 1–3 kbar, 3) pyrite,<br />

pyrrhotite <strong>and</strong> arsenopyrite be<strong>in</strong>g the ma<strong>in</strong> ore m<strong>in</strong>erals,<br />

4) consistent enrichment of Ag, Au, As, CO 2,<br />

K, Rb, S, Sb, <strong>and</strong> Te, 5) a low-sal<strong>in</strong>ity aqueous fluid,<br />

<strong>and</strong> 6) any primary rock type with<strong>in</strong> the greenstone<br />

belts could act as host rock (Väisänen 2002, Eilu et<br />

al. 2007, Hulkki & Ke<strong>in</strong>änen 2007, Patison 2007).<br />

In several cases, the host rocks have also been albitised<br />

<strong>and</strong> carbonatised before <strong>gold</strong> m<strong>in</strong>eralisation<br />

(Hulkki & Ke<strong>in</strong>änen 2007, Patison 2007). This prem<strong>in</strong>eralisation<br />

alteration has prepared ground for<br />

m<strong>in</strong>eralisation by mak<strong>in</strong>g competent rocks from soft<br />

units, produc<strong>in</strong>g rocks which will break under deformation<br />

<strong>and</strong>, hence, give locations for the orogenic<br />

fluids to precipitate <strong>gold</strong>. When compar<strong>in</strong>g IOCG<br />

type m<strong>in</strong>eralisation with the listed features, the difference<br />

is <strong>in</strong> IOCG fluids be<strong>in</strong>g more sal<strong>in</strong>e, alteration<br />

of a more complex multi-stage type, <strong>and</strong> also<br />

other metals <strong>in</strong> addition to <strong>gold</strong> be<strong>in</strong>g enriched to potential<br />

commodities. It must also be emphasised that<br />

several orogenic <strong>gold</strong> occurrences <strong>in</strong> the northern<br />

Fennosc<strong>and</strong>ian shield st<strong>and</strong> out as be<strong>in</strong>g based-metal<br />

enriched. The latter, which are referred to as “atypi-<br />

17

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