Surficial geochemical tools for Cu-Mo porphyry exploration in till-covered terrain
department or school: Science, Faculty of
department or school: Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Department of
data provider: DSpace
degree campus: UBCV
creator: Chouinard, Rachel L.M.
issued: 2018-08-09T18:26:05Z
issued: 2018
related degree: Master of Science - MSc
degree grantor: University of British Columbia
description: As the discovery of porphyry Cu deposits from outcropping mineralised or altered bedrock decreases, mineral exploration is required to adapt new strategies and techniques for exploring deeper. This is especially important in areas with disconnected transported cover, such as the Quaternary glacial sediments that cover much of Canada. Surficial geochemical exploration strategies to detect the presence of known bedrock mineralisation through transported cover were evaluated at two buried porphyry Cu-Mo targets, Highmont South and J.A., at Highland Valley Copper. The Highmont South target subcrops below 2‒10 metres of till, whereas the J.A. target is concealed by sequences of pre-Quaternary to Holocene sediments up to 347 metres in thickness. Detailed surficial mapping at both targets followed by upper B horizon soil sampling, physicochemical measurements, profile sampling, biogeochemical sampling, and installation of soil hydrocarbon collectors was undertaken to characterise the mineralogical and chemical changes that develop in the surficial environment after glacial dispersal and soil development. Anomalous Cu, Mo, Ag, Bi, Sb, As, and W in upper B horizon soils overlying mineralisation at Highmont South is attributed to local glacial transport of weathered porphyry material. Anomalous Cu, Ag, Sb, and W in upper B horizon soils above the West Highmont fault, which crosscuts mineralisation, is attributed to metal-bearing groundwater migrating along the fault. Vegetation uptake and cycling is responsible for elevated concentrations of Mo in lodgepole pine needles sampled from trees growing above and proximal to mineralisation, as well as contributing to elevated soil Mo concentrations in the corresponding area. A response of long-chain normal alkane hydrocarbons is identified in the soil overlying mineralisation and the West Highmont fault. There is no evidence for a surficial geochemical response to deeply buried mineralised bedrock at J.A. Surficial geochemistry is c…
aggregated CHO: https://circle.library.ubc.ca/rest/handle/2429/66703
note: SURFICIAL GEOCHEMICAL TOOLS FOR Cu-Mo PORPHYRY EXPLORATION IN TILL-COVERED TERRAIN by Rachel L.M. Chouinard B.Sc., Brock University, 2014 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE AND POSTDOCTORAL STUDIES (Geological Sciences) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) July 2018 © Rachel L.M. Chouinard, 2018 ii The following individuals certify that they have read, and recommend to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies for acceptance, a thesis/dissertation entitled: Surficial geochemical tools for Cu-Mo porphyry exploration in till-covered terrain submitted by Rachel Chouinard in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Geological Sciences Examining Committee: Dr. Peter Winterburn Co-supervisor Dr. Martin Ross Co-supervisor Dr. Craig Hart Supervisory Committee Member Dr. Gregory Dipple Additional Examiner Additional Supervisory Committee Members: Stephen Cook Supervisory Committee Member iii Abstract As the discovery of porphyry Cu deposits from outcropping mineralised or altered bedrock decreases, mineral exploration is required to adapt new strategies and techniques for exploring deeper. This is especially important in areas with disconnected transported cover, such as the Quaternary glacial sediments that cover much of Canada. Surficial geochemical exploration strategies to detect the presence of known bedrock mineralisation through transported cover were evaluated at two buried porphyry Cu-Mo targets, Highmont South and J.A., at Highland Valley Copper. The Highmont South target subcrops below 2‒10 metres of till, whereas the J.A. target is concealed by sequences of pre-Quaternary to Holocene sediments up to 347 metres in thickness. Detailed surficial mapping at both targets followed by upper B horizon soil sampling, physicochemical measurements, profile sampling, biogeochemical sampling, and installation of soil hydrocarbon coll…
has type: Thesis/Dissertation
date issued: 2018-09
is shown at: 10.14288/1.0370934
language: eng
degree discipline: Geological Sciences
provider: Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
publisher: University of British Columbia
rights: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
rights URI: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
scholar level: Graduate
type: Text
identifier URI: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/66703