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The geology and Re–Os geochronology of the Palaeoproterozoic Vaikijaur Cu–Au–(Mo) porphyry-style deposit in the Jokkmokk granitoid, northern Sweden

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Abstract

The Vaikijaur Cu–Au–(Mo) deposit is located in the ca. 1.88 Ga calc-alkaline Jokkmokk granitoid near the Archaean–Proterozoic palaeoboundary within the Fennoscandian shield of northern Sweden. The Skellefte VMS district lies immediately to the south and the northern Norrbotten Fe-oxide–Cu–Au deposits to the north. The Vaikijaur deposit occupies an area of 2×3 km within the Jokkmokk granitoid and includes stockwork quartz-sulphide veinlets and disseminated chalcopyrite, pyrite, gold, molybdenite, magnetite, and pyrrhotite. Porphyritic mafic dykes were emplaced along fractures in a ring dyke pattern. The Jokkmokk granitoid, dykes, and the mineralized area are foliated, indicating that mineralization predated the main regional deformation. The mineralized area is characterized by strong potassic alteration. Phyllic and propylitic alteration zones are also present. A pyrite-rich inner core is surrounded by a concentric zone with pyrite, chalcopyrite, and gold. Molybdenite is distributed irregularly throughout the chalcopyrite zone. Geophysical data indicate a strongly conductive central zone in the mineralized area bordered by conductive and high magnetic zones. Five high precision Re–Os age determinations for three molybdenite occurrences from outcrop and drill core samples constrain the age of porphyry-style Cu–Au–(Mo) mineralization to between 1889±10 and 1868±6 Ma. A younger molybdenite is associated with a much later metamorphic event at about 1750 Ma. These data suggest that primary porphyry-style mineralization was associated with calc-alkaline magmatism within the Archaean–Proterozoic boundary zone at ca. 1.89–1.87 Ga.

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Acknowledgements

CL was supported by Geological Survey of Sweden, research grant 03/1090/2000, and Luleå University of Technology, Sweden. Funds for the Re–Os analyses were obtained through the Georange Program, and time contributed by HS was supported jointly by the U.S. National Science Foundation (EAR-0087483) and Edward M. Warner. Material from drill cores was obtained from the Malå office of the Geological Survey of Sweden. Constructive reviews by journal reviewers Peter Sorjonen-Ward, Peter Pollard, and Pat Williams are gratefully acknowledged.

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  1. Division of Ore Geology and Applied Geophysics, Luleå University of Technology, 971 87, Luleå, Sweden

    Christina Lundmark & Pär Weihed

  2. AIRIE Program, Department of Geosciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, 80523-1482, USA

    Holly Stein

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  1. Christina Lundmark
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Correspondence to Christina Lundmark.

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Editorial handling: P. Williams

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Lundmark, C., Stein, H. & Weihed, P. The geology and Re–Os geochronology of the Palaeoproterozoic Vaikijaur Cu–Au–(Mo) porphyry-style deposit in the Jokkmokk granitoid, northern Sweden. Miner Deposita 40, 396–408 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00126-005-0003-0

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