A genetic and exploration model for syenite-hosted scandium mineralisation

正长岩型钪矿化成因与勘探模型

• 批准号: 538926-2019
• 负责人: WilliamsJones, Anthony
• 金额: $ 2.14万
• 依托单位: McGill University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Collaborative Research and Development Grants
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2019-01-01 至 2020-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=683321
• 关键词: genetic; exploration; model; syenite; hosted

Recent advances in materials science have led to the development of high tensile strength, thermally and corrosion resistant aluminium-scandium alloys that have great potential in the increasingly green aerospace and automotive industry. As most current production of scandium is in China and Russia, there is an urgent need to find scandium resources in the West. Imperial Mining Group Ltd., a Canadian junior mining company specialising in the exploration and development of mineral properties with the potential for hosting rare earth elements, controls the Crater Lake property in northern Québec, and has demonstrated that the underlying syenite ring dyke complex contains potentially mineable concentrations of scandium. Imperial Mining requires that a genetic model be developed to understand the factors that favour the concentration of scandium to economic levels in syenites in order to devise an effective exploration strategy for the Crater Lake complex. The starting point for developing such a model is to establish where (in what rocks/minerals) and how the metal is concentrated. As a result of our recent research (Williams-Jones and Vasyukova, 2018) we know that Sc is an incompatible element and concentrates in early fractionating (from the magma) ferromagnesian minerals, particularly clinopyroxene. Results of analyses of a small number of samples supplied to the applicant by Imperial Mining suggest that clinopyroxene may be the host to some or all of the scandium at Crater Lake. The proposed research will trace the path of scandium enrichment at Crater Lake by reconstructing the evolution of the magma and possible subsolidus hydrothermal alteration using a combination of major and trace element analyses of bulk rocks, minerals and melt inclusions. This will lead to a genetic model that will be used by Imperial to target the scandium mineralisation in the Crater Lake complex and will promote generally the exploration for and discovery of economic syenite-hosted scandium deposits elsewhere in Canada.

材料科学的最新进展导致了高抗拉强度，耐热和耐腐蚀铝钪合金的发展，在日益绿色的航空航天和汽车工业中具有巨大的潜力。由于目前钪的生产主要集中在中国和俄罗斯，因此迫切需要在西方寻找钪资源。帝国矿业集团有限公司（Imperial Mining Group Ltd.）是加拿大一家专门从事矿产资源勘探和开发的初级矿业公司，该公司控制着qusamebec北部的火山口湖（Crater Lake）矿产资源，并已证明其下方的正长岩环脉复合体含有潜在的可开采钪浓度。帝国矿业公司要求建立一个遗传模型，以了解在正长岩中有利于钪浓度达到经济水平的因素，以便为火山口湖复合体设计有效的勘探策略。建立这种模型的出发点是确定金属在哪里（在什么岩石/矿物中）以及如何集中。根据我们最近的研究（Williams-Jones and Vasyukova, 2018），我们知道Sc是一种不相容的元素，富集在（从岩浆中）早期分选的氧化铁矿物中，特别是斜辉石。对帝国矿业提供给申请人的少量样品的分析结果表明，斜辉石可能是火山口湖部分或全部钪的宿主。该研究将通过对大块岩石、矿物和熔体包裹体进行主微量元素分析，通过重建岩浆演化和可能的亚固体热液蚀变，来追踪火山口湖钪富集的路径。这将导致一个遗传模型，帝国理工学院将使用该模型来定位火山口湖复合体中的钪矿化，并将普遍促进加拿大其他地方经济正长岩型钪矿床的勘探和发现。