Evaluating mineral potential of the Winter Lake greenstone belt, Slave craton, Northwest Territories******************

火山块状硫化物（VMS）矿床是古老的富含铜、锌、铅、银和金的矿床，形成于海底或海底以下。它们是由海底热液喷口沿着洋中脊、岛弧内或弧后盆地形成的，弧后盆地是在岛弧后面形成的裂谷区域。这些矿床为太古宙至始新世火山层序，形成于晚太古宙（2.8-2.69 Ga）、古元古代（1.92-1.87 Ga）、寒武纪-奥陶纪（500-450 Ma）、泥盆纪-深盆纪（370-340）和早侏罗世（200-180 Ma）时期。加拿大西北地区（NWT）的太古代火山弧-弧后层序拥有多个VMS矿床，是加拿大的高矿产潜力地区。本研究的目的是确定为什么特定的火山序列包含vms型矿化或荒芜；其区域背景，以及构造环境、火山构造和相分布在VMS组中的作用。研究小组将通过重建亚北极冬湖绿岩带的火山、岩浆、热液、沉积、构造和构造演化来实现这些目标，该绿岩带具有vms型矿化，但尚未勘探。该研究项目将促进对奴隶克拉通成矿作用的认识，并带来多方面的好处：1)它将促进HQP的培训，从而为加拿大矿业和矿产勘探行业提供高技能的地球科学家；2)通过本研究获得的新知识将直接影响加拿大采矿和矿产勘探行业，负责VMS矿床勘探（历史上占相当大的加拿大基地（~30% Cu, ~50% Zn, ~20% Pb）和贵金属（~40% Ag, ~3% Au）生产）；3)它将有助于维持北方社区的经济，这些社区的经济在很大程度上依赖于矿产勘探和采矿。＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

Volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposits are ancient copper-, zinc-, lead-, silver-, and gold-rich mineral deposits that form at or just below the seafloor. They form from seafloor hydrothermal venting along mid-ocean ridges, within island arcs, or in back-arc basins, which are areas of rifting that form behind island arcs. These deposits are hosted by Archean to Eocene volcanic sequences that formed during periods of major ocean closure and associated terrane collision, including the Late Archean (2.8-2.69 Ga), Paleoproterozoic (1.92-1.87 Ga), Cambro-Ordovician (500-450 Ma), Devono-Mississippian (370-340), and Early Jurassic (200-180 Ma). Archean volcanic arc to backarc sequences of the Northwest Territories (NWT) host multiple VMS deposits and are areas of high mineral potential in Canada. Objectives of this research are to determine why a specific volcanic succession contains VMS-type mineralization or is barren; its regional context, and the role of tectonic setting, volcanic architecture, and facies distribution in VMS formation. The research team will accomplish these objectives through reconstruction of the volcanic, magmatic, hydrothermal, sedimentary, structural and tectonic evolution of the subarctic Winter Lake greenstone belt that hosts VMS-type mineralization, but is under explored. This research program will advance understanding of the metallogenesis of the Slave craton and bring multiple benefits: 1) it will facilitate the training of HQP, thereby providing the Canadian mining and mineral exploration industry with highly skilled geoscientists; 2) new knowledge gained through this research will directly impact the Canadian mining and mineral exploration industry responsible for VMS deposit exploration (which historically accounts for considerable Canadian base (~30% Cu, ~50% Zn, ~20% Pb) and precious metal (~40% Ag, ~3% Au) production); and 3) it will aid in sustaining northern communities, whose economies are largely dependent on mineral exploration and mining. **********