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Origin of sulfur and crustal recycling of copper in polymetallic (Cu-Au-Co-Bi-U ± Ag) iron-oxide-dominated systems of the Great Bear Magmatic Zone, NWT, Canada

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Abstract

The Great Bear Magmatic Zone, in northwest Canada, contains numerous polymetallic mineral occurrences, prospects, and deposits of the iron oxide copper-gold deposit (IOCG) family. The mineralization is hosted by the Treasure Lake Group and igneous rocks of the Great Bear arc and was deposited concomitantly with the arc magmatism (ca. 1.88 to 1.87 Ga). In situ δ 34S (n = 48) and δ 65Cu (n = 79) analyses were carried out on ore-related sulfides from a number of these systems. The δ 34S values mainly vary between 0 and +5‰, consistent with derivation of sulfur from the mantle. Lower δ 34S values (−7.7 to +1.4‰) from the Sue-Dianne breccia may indicate SO2 disproportionation of a magmatic hydrothermal fluid. The δ 65Cu values vary between −1.2 and −0.3‰, and are lower than the igneous δ 65Cu range of values (0.0 ± 0.27‰). The S and Cu isotopic data are decoupled, which suggests that Cu (and possibly some S) was dissolved and remobilized from supracrustal rocks during early stages of alteration (e.g., sodic alteration) and then precipitated by lower temperature, more oxidizing fluids (e.g., Ca-Fe-K alteration). A limited fluid inclusion dataset and δ 13C and δ 18O values are also presented. The δ 18Ofluid values are consistent with a magmatic origin or a host-rock equilibrated meteoric water source, whereas the δ 13Cfluid values support a marine carbonate source. Combined, the S and Cu isotopic data indicate that while the emplacement of the Great Bear magmatic bodies may have driven fluid convection and may be the source of fluids and sulfur, metals such as Cu could have been recycled from crustal sources.

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Acknowledgements

The present contribution is part of the IOCG-Great Bear region project of the Geomapping for Energy and Minerals Program, sponsored by the Geological Survey of Canada (Natural Resources Canada; contribution number 32072), and the South Wopmay Bedrock Mapping Project of the Northwest Territories Geological Survey (Contribution 0086). Collaborative research agreements among the Community Government of Gamèti, Natural Resources Canada, and Fortune Minerals Limited supported this research project as well as Aurora Research Institute NWT Science Licenses 14548 and 14649.

The authors also acknowledge the financial support provided by the Research Associate Program of Natural Resources Canada Earth Science Sector to Pedro Acosta-Góngora. Supplementary financial aid was obtained from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Discovery grants awarded to Sarah A. Gleeson and Iain M. Samson. Also, the authors thank Dr. Jeremy Richards (University of Alberta) for allowing us to use the fluid inclusion facilities and providing important input on the interpretation of analytical data. In addition, we thank Drs. Thomas Chacko (University of Alberta), Dan Marshall (Simon Fraser University), and Clare Currie (University of Alberta) for their thorough reviews of an earlier version of this paper. Finally, we acknowledge two anonymous reviewers, and Drs. Christoph Gauert and Joseph Magnall, and Associate Editor Frank Melcher as their thorough comments greatly improved the quality of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G2E3, Canada

    P. Acosta-Góngora & S.A. Gleeson

  2. Natural Resources Canada/Geological Survey of Canada, Office 669, 601 Booth Street, Ottawa, ON, K1A0E8, Canada

    P. Acosta-Góngora, S.E. Jackson, B.E. Taylor & I. Girard

  3. Helmholtz Center Potsdam, Deutches GeoForschungsZentrum, Telegrafenberg, 14473, Potsdam, Germany

    S.A. Gleeson

  4. Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON, N9B3P4, Canada

    I.M. Samson

  5. Natural Resources Canada/Geological Survey of Canada, 490 rue de la Couronne, Québec, QC, G1K9A9, Canada

    L. Corriveau

  6. Northwest Territories Geological Survey, Box 1320, Yellowknife, NT, X1A 2L9, Canada

    L. Ootes

  7. British Columbia Geological Survey, PO Box 9333, Stn Prov Govt Victoria, BC, V8W 9N3, Canada

    L. Ootes

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  1. P. Acosta-Góngora
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  2. S.A. Gleeson
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  3. I.M. Samson
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  4. L. Corriveau
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  5. L. Ootes
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  7. B.E. Taylor
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  8. I. Girard
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to P. Acosta-Góngora.

Ethics declarations

The present study was entirely funded by the Canadian Government, and mostly under the Geomapping for Energy and Minerals Program (GEM I; Natural Resources Canada/Geological Survey of Canada) and the South Wopmay Bedrock Mapping Project (Northwest Territories Geoscience Office, NTGO). Supplementary funding given by the Canadian federal government was sourced from the Research Associate Program of Natural Resources Canada (RAP; Earth Science Sector Contribution 20130173) grant awarded to Pedro Acosta-Góngora and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Discovery grants awarded to Sarah A. Gleeson and Iain M. Samson.

Conflict of interest

Therefore, the authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Acosta-Góngora, P., Gleeson, S., Samson, I. et al. Origin of sulfur and crustal recycling of copper in polymetallic (Cu-Au-Co-Bi-U ± Ag) iron-oxide-dominated systems of the Great Bear Magmatic Zone, NWT, Canada. Miner Deposita 53, 353–376 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00126-017-0736-6

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