Genesis of gold mineralisation in the Detour-Fenelon belt, Northern Abitibi subprovince

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The Abitibi is the World's largest greenstone belt and is mainly responsible for the ~75% of Canadian gold production coming from Ontario and Québec valued at ~$8.4 billion annually. Most of the Abitibi production has come from its well-exposed southern regions. In comparison, the northern regions have seen limited exploration, due to poor outcrop, limited field access and a general sentiment that this part of the Abitibi has lower potential for the discovery of large gold orebodies. This view, however, has changed following the development of the Detour Mine and the recent discovery of a large gold system at Fenelon by the partner, Wallbridge Mining. Although the structural setting is consistent with Fenelon being an orogenic-type deposit, it is atypical in that the gold is accompanied by a relatively high content of copper, pyrrhotite is the dominant sulphide mineral instead of pyrite, and quartz-carbonate veins are conspicuously absent in the main mineralised zones. The research, which will be conducted by a team selected using EDI best-practices, will involve characterising the mineralisation and alteration and their relationships to microstructural and metamorphic features in order to establish the nature of the mineralisation and associated alteration and their relationships to deformation and metamorphism. This will be complemented by mineral and bulk chemical, stable and radiogenic isotope, and fluid inclusion studies study that, in conjunction with a thermodynamic analysis of phase equilibria, will be used to determine the physicochemical conditions of mineralisation and alteration. The resulting framework will be used, in combination with geochronological data, to develop a genetic model for Fenelon that will be applied locally and refined regionally for the Detour-Fenelon belt where Wallbridge has significant interests. The project will provide the company with access to research products that will enable it optimise its exploration strategy for gold mineralisation at Fenelon and for the discovery of new deposits in the Detour-Fenelon belt. Canada will benefit from the development of new tools for exploring for gold in greenstone terrains and from the training of highly qualified personnel needed to conduct such exploration.