Characteristics and origin of gold mineralization and host rocks, Seabee Gold Operation, Saskatchewan: Implications for exploration and resource development

加拿大历史上的大部分大型金矿都与加拿大地盾的岩石有关，这些岩石的年龄超过25亿年。这些被称为“造山金矿床”，因为它们是在古代的造山运动中形成的。在加拿大中部和北极的加拿大地盾也发现了类似的金矿，但与一个更年轻（约18亿年）的山脉带有关，称为Trans-Hudson Orogen。然而，这些矿床的起源还没有得到很好的理解，因此这一大片地区可能还没有得到充分的勘探。 SSR矿业公司，与该公司一起开发了该提案，该公司经营萨斯喀彻温省唯一的金矿，位于Trans-Hudson Orogen的岩石中。该公司正在积极探索其财产的新矿床，但希望提高他们对金矿和周围岩石形成的理解。具体而言，该项目将成为萨斯喀彻温大学四篇硕士和四篇B.Sc.论文的一部分，并将使用矿产公司通常无法获得的分析技术。该项目的重点有两个方面。其中一个将是描述在Fisher勘探财产内发现的火山岩和侵入火成岩的特征，并将其与SSR采矿财产上的历史和活跃矿山所在的岩石进行比较。另一项任务是确定含高品位金的石英脉中矿物中金和其他元素的分布情况，以及形成这些石英脉的热液的成分。从而对区内岩石和含金石英脉的成因、金及伴生金属在存款矿物中的实际位置有了进一步的认识。后者将有助于提高黄金回收率和未来矿区的修复，而前者将有助于将勘探重点放在最有可能蕴藏新矿床的岩石类型上。勘探、采矿和环境监测活动将激发萨斯喀彻温省北方加拿大地盾这一孤立地区的经济活动，并为北方社区带来培训和经济机会。

Most of the large historical gold deposits in Canada are associated with rocks of the Canadian Shield that are older than 2.5 billion years old. These are called "orogenic gold deposits" as they formed during ancient, mountain building events. Similar gold deposits are found in the Canadian Shield of central and arctic Canada, but are associated with a younger (about 1.8 billion years old) mountain belt, called the Trans-Hudson Orogen. However, the origin of these deposits are not well understood, and so this large region may be underexplored. SSR Mining Inc., the company with which this proposal has been developed, operates the only gold mine in Saskatchewan, and is located in rocks of the Trans-Hudson Orogen. The company is actively exploring for new deposits on their property, but are wanting to improve their understanding of how the gold deposits and the surrounding rocks formed. In detail, the project will form part of four M.Sc. and four B.Sc. theses at the University of Saskatchewan, and will use analytical techniques not routinely available to minerals companies. The focus of the project will be two-fold. One will be to characterize the volcanic and intrusive igneous rocks that are found within the Fisher exploration property, and compare them with the rocks that host the historical, and active mines on the SSR Mining property. The other will be to determine the distribution of gold and other elements in minerals in quartz veins that contain high-grade gold, as well as the composition of the hydrothermal fluids from which the veins formed. In the end, we will have a better understanding of the origin of the rocks and gold-bearing quartz veins in the region, and the actual location of the gold and associated metals in the minerals in the deposit. The latter will assist in improving gold recovery and the remediation of the mine sites in the future, whereas the former will help to focus exploration on the rock types with the best chance of hosting new deposits. Exploration, mining, and environmental monitoring activity will spark economic activity in this isolated part of the Canadian Shield in northern Saskatchewan, and lead to training and economic opportunities for northern communities.