Spatial distribution and genetic models of Cu-Ni-PGE systems associated with the Sudbury structure

萨德伯里是地球上独一无二的地方。萨德伯里盆地是一个变形的陨石撞击坑(现在充满了沉积岩)，形成于18.5亿年前。流星的撞击产生了一个直径估计为200公里的陨石坑，撞击时释放的能量融化了大量的岩石。这些岩石的冷却导致火成岩被归类为萨德伯里火成岩杂岩(SIC)。与这些岩石和冲击构造伴生的是大量的(铜)、镍(Ni)、金(Au)和铂族元素(PGE)的金属，如铂(PT)和钯(Pd)。这些金属被在高温下形成的富硫液体(硫化物熔体)以及在过热的撞击坑周围循环的热水液体(热液)所活化。然而，金属经济浓度的分布(用于开采和工业发展)是复杂的，因为这个古老的撞击地点在陨石坑形成和碳化硅完全冷却后，曾多次受到热液的变形、变质和循环的影响。我们的兴趣尤其集中在铜-镍-铂矿的分布上，这些矿化通常被称为“底盘”矿床，具有复杂的分布和几何形状，很难在萨德伯里构造周围找到。该项目的目标是确定岩浆作用、变质作用和热液作用的组合如何控制目前铜镍铂矿的分布。其目标是在对现有岩石进行详细测绘和分析的基础上，开发可用作勘探载体的方法，以寻找铜镍铅资源。加拿大经济在一定程度上是以资源为基础的，采矿业对加拿大国内生产总值(GDP)的贡献很大。此外，金属的提炼是全世界工业化和发展的重要组成部分。由于采矿业容易受到金属价格周期性波动的影响，可以从一个矿区开采的金属多样化提供了更强大的经济基础，并将金属价格波动的影响降至最低。

Sudbury is a unique place on Earth. The Sudbury basin is a deformed meteoritic impact crater (now filled with sedimentary rocks) that was created 1,850 million years ago. The impact of the meteor produced a crater estimated at 200 km diameter and the energy released on impact melted a large volume of rocks. Cooling of these rocks resulted in igneous rocks grouped as the Sudbury Igneous Complex (SIC). Associated with these rocks and with the impact structure are large reserves of (Cu), nickel (Ni), gold (Au) and metals of the platinum group elements (PGE), such as platinum (Pt) and palladium (Pd). These metals were mobilized by sulfur-rich liquids (sulfide melts) formed at high temperatures and also by hot aqueous fluids (hydrothermal fluids) circulating around the superheated impact crater. However, the distribution of economic concentration of metals (for the extraction and industrial development) is complicated because this ancient impact site has been affected by deformation, metamorphism and circulation of hydrothermal fluids in several occasions after the crater was formed and the SIC was completely cooled. Our interest, in particular, is focused on the distribution of Cu-Ni-PGE mineralization, commonly known as "footwall" deposits, which have complex distribution and geometries and are difficult to locate around the Sudbury Structure. The objective of this project is to determine how the combination of magmatic, metamorphic, and hydrothermal processes control the current distribution of Cu-Ni-PGE ores. The goal is to develop methods, based on detailed mapping and analysis of existing rocks, that can be used as exploration vectors to find Cu-Ni-PGE resources. The Canadian economy is partly resource based and the mining sector contributes significantly to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Canada. In addition, extraction of metals is an essential part of industrialization and development worldwide. Because mining is prone to cyclical fluctuations in metals prices, diversification of metals that can be extracted from one mining district provides a stronger economic foundation and minimizes the impact of metal price volatility.