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

火山成因块状硫化物(VMS)矿床是古老的富铜、锌、铅、银和金的矿物矿床，形成于海底或恰好在海底以下。它们是由沿大洋中脊、岛弧内或弧后盆地的海底热液喷发形成的，后者是岛弧后面形成的裂谷区域。这些矿床赋存于太古宙-始新世火山岩序列中，这些火山岩序列形成于主要的海洋闭合和相关的地体碰撞时期，包括晚太古宙(2.8-2.69Ga)、古元古代(1.92-1.87Ga)、寒武纪-奥陶纪(500-450 Ma)、德文诺-密西西比纪(370-340)和侏罗纪早期(200-180 Ma)。西北地区(NWT)太古宙火山弧至弧后序列拥有多个VMS矿床，是加拿大高矿产潜力区。这项研究的目的是确定一个特定的火山序列为什么含有VMS类型的矿化或是贫瘠的；它的区域背景，以及构造环境、火山结构和相分布在VMS形成中的作用。研究小组将通过重建亚北极冬季湖绿岩带的火山、岩浆、热液、沉积、构造和构造演化来实现这些目标，该带承载着VMS类型的矿化，但尚未得到勘探。这项研究项目将促进对Slave Craton成矿机制的了解，并带来多方面的好处：1)它将促进HQP的培训，从而为加拿大采矿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负责VMS矿床勘探的加拿大采矿和矿产勘探行业(该行业历史上占加拿大相当大的基础(~30%铜、~50%锌、~20%铅)和贵金属(~40%Ag、~3%Au))；以及3)它将有助于维持北部社区的经济，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.