Mineralogical and Geochemical Study of the Ni-Cu-Co-Au-Ag-PGE Sulfides of the Discovery Zone, Nickel Mountain Gabbro Complex, British Columbia

镍山辉长岩杂岩中的 E&L 矿床是不列颠哥伦比亚省已知的第二大岩浆镍铜硫化物矿化区，也是在埃斯凯裂谷内发现的第一个矿化区。拟议的研究将考察一个异常高品位的块状硫化物 Ni-Cu-PGE 矿化带，该矿化带主要由 E&L 侵入体附近的变沉积岩构成。该矿化区被称为“发现区”，由加里波第资源公司 (GRC) 于 2016 年发现，但人们对该矿化区的起源仍知之甚少。块状硫化物片显示出从底部到顶部镍、铜、钴和贵金属浓度的系统变化。这为了解硫化物熔体分化的机制提供了一个独特的新机会。该项目的目标是确定发现区内矿化的地质控制，并了解片层内的成分多样性是如何起源的，以及该矿化与 E&L 侵入体的可变质地橄榄石辉长岩中浸染状和块状硫化物的关系。该研究将利用原生现场和钻芯观测、全岩硫化物地球化学以及矿物结构和成分数据来评估原生岩浆与晚期岩浆和岩浆后对矿化成分控制的相对作用。这些数据将用于生成发现区矿化的遗传模型，该模型将用于评估和改进 GRC 在镍山辉长岩杂岩内寻找更多硫化物矿化的勘探策略。

The E&L deposit in the Nickel Mountain Gabbro Complex is the second largest known zone of magmatic nickel-copper sulfide mineralization in British Columbia and the first to be discovered within the Eskay Rift. The proposed research will examine a zone of unusually high-grade massive sulfide Ni-Cu-PGE mineralization, largely hosted by metasedimentary rocks adjacent to the E&L Intrusion. The mineralization, known as the Discovery Zone, was discovered in 2016 by Garibaldi Resources Corp. (GRC), but the origin of the mineralization remains poorly understood. The massive sulfide sheet shows systematic changes in the concentrations of Ni, Cu, Co, and precious metals from base to top. This offers a unique and new opportunity to understand the mechanisms responsible for the differentiation of sulfide melts. The objectives of this project are to identify the geological controls of the mineralization within the Discovery Zone and to understand how the compositional diversity within the sheet originated, and how this mineralization relates to the disseminated and massive sulfides hosted by the variable-textured olivine gabbro of the E&L Intrusion. The study will utilize primary field and drill core observations, whole-rock sulfide geochemistry, and mineral textural and compositional data to evaluate the relative roles of primary magmatic versus late magmatic and post-magmatic controls on the composition of the mineralization. These data will be used to produce a genetic model for the Discover Zone mineralization, which will be used to assess and improve GRC's exploration strategy in the search for additional sulfide mineralization within the Nickel Mountain Gabbro Complex.