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

加拿大历史上的大型金矿大多与超过25亿年历史的加拿大盾岩石有关。这些金矿被称为“造山金矿”，因为它们是在古代的造山事件中形成的。在加拿大中部和北极的加拿大盾中也发现了类似的金矿，但与一条较年轻的(约18亿年前)山带有关，称为横贯哈德逊造山带。然而，这些矿床的成因尚不清楚，因此这一大片地区可能没有得到很好的勘探。与SSR矿业公司共同开发这一提议的公司，经营着萨斯喀彻温省唯一的金矿，位于跨哈德逊造山带的岩石中。该公司正在积极勘探他们地产上的新矿藏，但希望提高他们对金矿和周围岩石如何形成的理解。具体来说，该项目将成为四个M.Sc.和四个B.Sc.萨斯喀彻温省大学的论文，并将使用矿物公司常规无法使用的分析技术。该项目的重点将是双重的。一是确定费舍尔勘探矿区内发现的火山岩和侵入火成岩的特征，并将它们与SSR矿区历史上活跃的矿山所在的岩石进行比较。另一项是确定金和其他元素在含高品位金的石英脉矿物中的分布，以及形成矿脉的热液流体的组成。最终，我们将更好地了解区内岩石和含金石英脉的成因，以及金和伴生金属在矿床矿物中的实际位置。后者将有助于提高黄金回收率和未来矿场的修复，而前者将有助于将勘探重点放在最有可能容纳新矿藏的岩石类型上。勘探、采矿和环境监测活动将在萨斯喀彻温省北部这片与世隔绝的加拿大盾地区激发经济活动，并为北部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.