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Age of the Zambian Copperbelt

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Abstract

The sediment-hosted stratiform Cu ± Co deposits and prospects of the Central African Copperbelt are characterized by two intimately associated mineralization styles: disseminated sulfides and sulfide-bearing quartz-carbonate veins and veinlets. It has been widely accepted that the disseminated mineralization was introduced during sediment diagenesis in a rift setting, and possibly in multiple events spanning several hundred million years. In contrast, the veinlet-hosted mineralization is commonly thought to have been derived either by remobilization of the disseminated sulfides during the Lufilian collisional orogeny or introduced at broadly the same time(s) as the disseminated sulfides during diagenesis and subsequent orogeny. The results of 15 Re-Os molybdenite age determinations from Cu ± Co deposits and prospects across the Zambian part of the Central African Copperbelt suggest that both the disseminated and veinlet mineralization styles were indeed generated together, but in a 50-myr Cambrian window (~540–490 Ma) during the later stages of the Lufilian collisional orogeny. The molybdenite ages for the disseminated stratiform mineralization at two localities do not support the notion of syndiagenetic Cu introduction. The molybdenite ages also show that individual deposits formed over minimum time intervals of ~10–24 myr.

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Acknowledgments

Drill-core inspection was facilitated by management and staff of MAWE Exploration and Technical Services Ltd. at the Kalulushi core archive, Will Godsall of Mopani Copper Mines Plc, and Trevor Pearton of Caledonian Mining Corporation. Branko Corner, Alfredo García, Dennis Mwape, and the late Dave Armstrong are thanked for assistance and discussions, Paula Cornejo for petrographic work, Héctor Poblete for figure preparation, and Dave Broughton and Sophie Decrée for reviews. Antofagasta Minerals S.A. provided support and permission to publish.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. 27 West Hill Park, Highgate Village, London, N6 6ND, UK

    Richard H. Sillitoe

  2. Antofagasta Minerals S.A., Apoquindo 4001, piso 18, Las Condes, Santiago, Chile

    José Perelló

  3. Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T2G 2E3, Canada

    Robert A. Creaser

  4. Antofagasta Plc, 33 King Street, London, SW1Y 6RJ, UK

    John Wilton

  5. Antofagasta Minerals Canada, Suite 4320, 161 Bay Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5J 2T3, Canada

    Alan J. Wilson

  6. Apartado 000245, EC Silves, 8300-999, Silves, Portugal

    Toby Dawborn

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  1. Richard H. Sillitoe
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  2. José Perelló
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  3. Robert A. Creaser
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Correspondence to Richard H. Sillitoe.

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Sillitoe, R.H., Perelló, J., Creaser, R.A. et al. Age of the Zambian Copperbelt. Miner Deposita 52, 1245–1268 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00126-017-0726-8

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