Olympic Dam in a Test Tube: Critical Experiments and Theory for Understanding Fe-Cu-U-REE in Hydrothermal Fluids and during Fluid-Rock Interaction

奥林匹克大坝(OD)是一个超大型的铜-铀-金-银-稀土矿床，含有价值超过1万亿澳元的金属，赋存于南澳大利亚富含赤铁矿的角砾岩中。然而，对OD式矿床的地球化学的关键方面仍然知之甚少。该项目将进行创新性实验，以探讨氟在OD时Fe、U和REE迁移中的作用，以及流体-岩石相互作用在产生异常氧化的Fe-Cu矿物组合和控制U品位和分布方面的作用。获得的基本信息将支持正在进行的紧张研究，旨在发现新的OD式矿体，并创造环境可持续并能够获得较低品位矿石的新矿石加工技术。

Olympic Dam (OD) is a supergiant Cu-U-Au-Ag-REE ore deposit, containing more than a trillion Australian dollars worth of metals, and hosted by hematite-rich breccia in South Australia. Yet, key aspects of the geochemistry of OD-style deposits remain poorly understood. This project will conduct innovative experiments to address the role for fluorine in Fe, U and REE transport at OD, and the role of fluid-rock interaction in generating the unusually oxidised Fe-Cu mineral assemblages and in controlling U grades and distribution. The fundamental information gained will underpin intense on-going research aimed at discovering new OD-style orebodies and at creating new ore-processing technology that are environmentally sustainable and able to access lower-grade ores.