Giant copper: a new copper-gold exploration target for copper and gold in the Canadian Cordillera

不列颠哥伦比亚省的铜产量占加拿大的一半，其中大部分铜来自斑岩铜矿。这些矿床通常含有相当数量的其他金属，如金、银和钼。它们发生在世界各地的山区，最常见的是在较年轻的山区，如北美和南美的科迪勒拉山脉。这些矿床通常被认为是一个更大的矿化系统的一部分，通常上面有一个浅成热液矿床。浅成热液矿床**经常被侵蚀掉，直接暴露出地表的斑岩铜矿床。在某些情况下，另一种类型的铜矿，电气石角砾岩矿床，位于斑岩之上。智利Los Bronces—里约热内卢Blanco体系中的电气石角砾岩铜矿床是此类矿床的典型经济版本，斑岩型铜矿成矿发生在该体系的深部。由于电气石角砾岩矿床位于铜斑岩矿床之上，通常位于地表，它们可能提供一个有用的、更独特的勘探目标，并且由于它们包含不止一个、而是两个潜在的铜矿，因此是可取的。不列颠哥伦比亚省南部的巨型铜矿物具有电气石角砾岩矿床的全部特征，具有良好的出露性和可得性。迄今为止，在科迪勒拉北部没有发现有经济价值的含铜电气石矿床。本提案旨在支持博士生W. Fischer与智利系统进行Giant Copper矿物学、化学、构造和一般地质的详细比较，以评估BC省相对丰富的电气石角砾岩脉作为BC省新的勘探目标的潜力及其作为更深斑岩铜矿的勘探载体的价值。该项目的主要成果**是更好地了解Giant copper **勘探属性中铜和金富集的性质，从而为帝国金属公司目前持有的**属性提供更好的勘探模型。这也将使他们在收购新房产和扩大持股方面处于有利地位。**结果最终将通过W. Fischer的论文和任何结果出版物公开。

British Columbia accounts for half of Canada's copper production and the bulk of that copper derives from**porphyry copper deposits. These deposits generally contain appreciable amounts of other metals such as gold,**silver, and molybdenum. They occur in mountain belts around the world and are most common in younger**belts such as the cordilleras of North and South America. These deposits are generally thought to be part of a**larger mineralizing system often with an epithermal deposit sitting directly above. Often the epithermal deposit**has been eroded away, directly exposing the porphyry copper deposit at surface. In some cases, another type of**copper deposit, a tourmaline breccia deposit, sits above the porphyry. Tourmaline breccia copper deposits in**the Los Bronces - Rio Blanco systems in Chile are typical economic versions of these deposits with porphyry**copper mineralization occurring deeper in the system. As the tourmaline breccia deposits sit above the copper**porphyry deposits, often at surface, they may provide a useful and more-distinct exploration target and are**desirable as they contain not just one, but two potential copper mines. The Giant Copper property in Southern**BC exhibits all the characteristics of a tourmaline breccia deposit, has excellent exposure, and acccess. To date**no economic copper-bearing tourmaline deposits have been found in the northern Cordillera. The aim of this**proposal is to support a PhD student, W. Fischer, to undertake a detailed comparison of the mineralogy,**chemistry, tectonics, and general geology of the Giant Copper property with the Chilean system to assess the**potential of tourmaline breccia veins, which are relatively abundant in BC, as a new exploration target for BC**and their value as an exploration vector to deeper porphyry copper deposits. The major outcomes of this project**are to develop a better understanding of the nature of copper and gold enrichment in the Giant Copper**exploration property, resulting in better exploration models for Imperial Metals Corporation's currently held**properties. It will also place them in an excellent position to acquire new properties and extend their holdings.**Results will ultimately be publicly available via W. Fischer's thesis and any resulting publications.