This volume is an update of world-class and large-scale mineral deposits in the southern part of the easily accessible, well-exposed ca. 2800 to 2600 Ma Abitibi greenstone belt located across the Ontario–Quebec border in Canada and extends ~ 700 km NW and 350 km NE. The belt consists of greenschist facies volcanic rocks ranging from komatiite and tholeiitic basalt to calc–alkaline mafic to felsic lava, and lesser proportions of ultramafic and mafic intrusions, granite and sedimentary units including turbidite assemblages and minor banded iron-formation.

Economic mineralisation was discovered in the Abitibi greenstone belt around 100 years ago, and since then, a wealth of geological knowledge has accumulated with constant refinements in the understanding of various deposits. The belt is now known to host > 800 million tonnes (Mt) of polymetallic volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS), > 4500 t of orogenic and intrusive-related Au, komatiite-hosted Ni-Cu(-PGE) sulphide, Ag vein, banded Fe and Mo-Li deposits. The high level of preservation of the units and mineralisation allows for the opportunity to better comprehend the tectonic settings and mineral processes during the Neoarchean.

The book contains nine chapters with the first by the editors discussing the geology and tectonic history of the main deposits and tectonic history of the southern Abitibi greenstone belt (SAGB). The succeeding chapters are on:

  • Archean orogenic quartz-carbonate Au deposits included in the Timmins-Porcupine Camp in the central-western part of SAGB (Dubé et al., p. 51–79). The camp is the largest Archean orogenic greenstone-hosted gold camp worldwide;

  • Kidd Creek VMS deposit in the northern-western part of SAGB, which is the largest known Archean VMS deposit being mined (Hannington et al., p. 81–102). The chapter presents a review of the exploration and mining history of Kidd Creek;

  • Physical volcanology of komatiites and N-Cu(-PGE) deposits at the Dundonald, Munro and La Motte townships across SAGB (Houlé et al., p. 103–132). This chapter is an overview of this type of deposit and their geological setting;

  • Larder Lake-Cadillac Break (fault zone) and its gold districts in the southern part of SAGB (Poulsen, p. 133–167). The fault zone is a first-order, steeply dipping crustal structure with a long, protracted and complex structural history and hosts numerous Au deposits;

  • A review of the geology and stratigraphy at the VMS deposits in the Noranda Camp in central SAGB (Monecke et al., p. 169–223);

  • A review of the history of exploration and development of the LaRonde Penna Au-rich VMS in the eastern part of SAGB (Mercier-Langevin et al., 225–245);

  • Geology of the Lapa orogenic Au deposit east of the LaRonde Penna deposit (Mercier-Langevin et al., p. 247–262); and

  • Geology and hydrothermal alteration of the world-class Malartic Au deposit in the southeastern part of SAGB (De Souza et al., p. 263–291).

The volume is well written and produced with high quality and colour illustrations (including colour photographs) and gives detailed reviews of major deposits in SAGB including stratigraphy, structures and mineralogy. The contribution is intended for industry geoscientists, exploring for base and precious metals, and for students desiring to become familiar with Neoarchean geology in an area that is well-exposed and easy to traverse.