Does dynamic recrystallization enrich gold deposits? A field- to micro-scale study of the Goliath gold complex

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The discovery of new, economic, mineral deposits is decreasing in Canada despite increasing expenditures in the mineral exploration industry. Developing new deposit models and a better understanding of their structural signatures is essential for developing more effective exploration strategies for mining companies. This in turn leads to smaller economic and ecological footprints during the discovery of new deposits. Greenstone-hosted gold deposits account for 59% of Canada's total production and reserves of gold and many of these deposits occur in Northern Ontario. Gold is transported in hot hydrothermal fluids at the parts-per-billion level; however, greenstone-hosted gold deposits are mined at the parts-per-million level. The mechanisms of gold enrichment from the low levels of gold in fluids to the final mineable deposit is poorly understood despite decades of work on greenstone-hosted gold deposits. We hypothesize that dynamic recrystallization of the quartz veins which host the gold leads to gold remobilization and enrichment. This research program will use innovative field mapping techniques and modern microanalytical techniques to test whether dynamic recrystallization led to enrichment of a gold complex in Northern Ontario. If the hypothesis is correct, mineral exploration companies will be able to vector towards regions where dynamic recrystallization is more likely to have occurred to discover new deposits.