Controls on gold mineralization in high-grade metamorphic rocks, Borden, Chapleau, Ontario

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This application, following on a recently completed Engage project (12/2012 to 05/2013), requests support for a collaborative research between the University of Saskatchewan and Probe Mines Limited to further investigate the Borden gold deposit. The Borden gold deposit, discovered in November 2010, is characterized by its association with high-grade metamorphic rocks between the Kapuskasing Structural Zone and the Wawa Gneiss Domain in the Superior Province. Gold mineralization in Canada and elsewhere is typically hosted in unmetamorphosed or low- to medium-grade metamorphic lithologies that formed in the upper crust, such as the nearby Timmins gold mines in the Abitibi subprovince. The Borden deposit hosted in lithologies that formed in mid-to-lower crust represents the possible upper limits of temperature, crustal depth, and gold mineralization in Canada and the world. Therefore, research on the unique Borden deposit will provide new insights into gold mineralization and facilitate new exploration and mining activities in other high-grade metamorphic terranes in Canada. The specific objectives of this proposed research include: 1) systematic regional to outcrop-scale geological mapping of the Borden deposit and its surrounding area into the Kapuskasing Structural Zone and the Wawa Gneiss Domain, including the use of a Trimble GPS system, 2) systematic collection of samples from both outcrops and drill cores to establish spatial relationships between gold mineralization and lithology, alteration, metamorphism, and structure using field mapping techniques, petrography, electron microprobe, scanning electron microscope, and fabric analyzer, 3) document pressure-temperature-fluid composition of metamorphism, gold mineralization and alteration at the Borden deposit, 4) establish a temporal relationship among gold mineralization, metamorphism, and deformation using radiogenic isotope geochronological analyses, 5) investigate rheological controls on gold mineralization, and 6) establish a new deposit model for gold mineralization in high-grade metamorphic terrains. This project provides excellent training opportunities for one PhD and three HBSc students at the University of Saskatchewan.