Abstract
In the last two to three decades or so, the spatial pattern of mineral occurrences of a deposit-type has been studied to derive insights to mineralization controls and assist mineral exploration. In the Skellefte district, Fry plots of volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) mines/prospects reveal patterns that are likely due to postmineralization deformation events. The fractal dimensions of the spatial patterns of the present-day VMS mines/prospects and that of the ‘original’ VMS deposits support the concept that spatial patterns of mineral deposits are spatially-invariant. Therefore, analysis of the spatial pattern of mineral deposits is useful not only in research about pre- and syn-mineralization geological settings but also post-mineralization geological settings.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Agterberg F P, Cheng Q, Wright D F (1993). Fractal modeling of mineral deposits. In: Proceedings APCOM Symposium, 24th, Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy, and Petroleum Engineers, volume 1, Montreal: Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum Engineering, 43–53
Allen R L, Weihed P, and the Global VHMS Research Project Team (2002). Global comparison of volcanic-associated massive sulphide districts. In: Blundell D J, Neubauer F, Von Quadt A, eds. The Timing and Location of Major Ore Deposits in an Evolving Orogen. London: Geological Society [London] Special Publications 204, 13–37
Allen R L, Weihed P, Svenson S Å (1996). Setting of Zn-Cu-Au-Ag massive sulfide deposits in the evolution and facies architecture of a 1.9 Ga marine volcanic arc, Skellefte district, Sweden. Econ Geol, 91(6): 1022–1053
Bergman Weihed J (2001). Palaeoproterozoic deformation zones in the Skellefte and Arvidsjaur areas, northern Sweden. In: Weihed P, ed. Economic Geology Research, volume 1, 1999–2000. Uppsala: Sveriges Geologiska Undersökning Research Paper C 833, 46–68
Billström K, Weihed P (1996). Age and provenance of host rocks and ores in the Paleoproterozoic Skellefte District, northern Sweden. Econ Geol, 91(6): 1054–1072
Blenkinsop T G, Sanderson D (1999). Are gold deposits in the crust fractals? A study of gold mines in the Zimbabwe craton. London: Geological Society [London] Special Publications, 155: 141–151
Boots B N, Getis A (1988). Point Pattern Analysis. Sage University Scientific Geography Series, No. 8. Beverly Hills: Sage Publications
Carlson C A (1991). Spatial distribution of ore deposits. Geology, 19(2): 111–114
Carranza E JM(2009a). Controls on mineral deposit occurrence inferred from analysis of their spatial pattern and spatial association with geological features. Ore Geol Rev, 35(3–4): 383–400
Carranza E J M (2009b). Objective selection of suitable unit cell size in data-driven modeling of mineral prospectivity. Comput Geosci, 35(10): 2032–2046
Carranza E J M, Sadeghi M (2010). Predictive mapping of prospectivity and quantitative estimation of undiscovered VMS deposits in Skellefte district (Sweden). Ore Geol Rev, 38(3): 219–241
Cheng Q, Agterberg F P (1995). Multifractal modeling and spatial point processes. Math Geol, 27(7): 831–845
Fry N (1979). Random point distributions and strain measurement in rocks. Tectonophysics, 60(1–2): 89–105
Galley A G, Hannington M D, Jonasson I R (2007). Volcanogenic massive sulphide deposits. In: Goodfellow W D, ed. Mineral Deposits of Canada: A Synthesis of Major Deposit-Types, District Metallogeny, the Evolution of Geological Provinces, and Exploration Methods. Montreal: Geological Association of Canada, Mineral Deposits Division, Special Publication No. 5, 141–161
Juhlin C, Elming S Å, Mellqvist C, Öhlander B, Weihed P, Wikström A (2002). Crustal reflectivity near the Archaean-Proterozoic boundary in northern Sweden and implication for the tectonic evolution of the area. Geophys J Int, 150(1): 180–197
Kathol B, Weihed P (2005). Description of Regional Geological and Geophysical Maps of the Skellefte District and Surrounding Areas. Uppsala: Sveriges Geologiska Undersökning Ba 57
Lundberg B (1980). Aspects of the geology of Skellefte field, northern Sweden. Geol Foren Stockh Forh, 102(2): 156–166
Mandelbrot B B (1982) The Fractal Geometry of Nature. New York: Freeman
Mandelbrot B B (1985). Self-affine fractals and fractal dimension. Phys Scr, 32(4): 257–260
Nironen M (1997). The Svecofennian Orogen: a tectonic model. Precambrian Res, 86(1–2): 21–44
Raines G L (2008). Are fractal dimensions of the spatial distribution of mineral deposits meaningful? Nat Resour Res, 17(2): 87–97
Rickard D T, Zweifel H (1975). Genesis of Precambrian sulfide ores, Skellefte District, Sweden. Econ Geol, 70(2): 255–274
Rutland R W R, Kero L, Nilsson G, Stølen K (2001a). Nature of a major tectonic discontinuity in the Svecofennian province of northern Sweden. Precambrian Res, 112(3–4): 211–237
Rutland RWR, Skiöld T, Page RW (2001b). Age deformation episodes in the Palaeoproterozoic domain of northern Sweden, and evidence for a pre-1.9 Ga crustal layer. Precambrian Res, 112(3–4): 239–259
Skiöld T, Rutland R W R (2006). Successive ∼1.94 Ga plutonism and ∼1.92 Ga deformation and metamorphism south of the Skellefte district, northern Sweden: substantiation of the marginal basin accretion hypothesis of Svecofennian evolution. Precambrian Res, 148(3–4): 181–204
Skyttä P, Bauer T E, Tavakoli S, Hermansson T, Andersson J, Weihed P (2012). Pre-1987 Ga development of crustal domains overprinted by 1.87 Ga transpression in the Palaeoproterozoic Skellefte district, Sweden. Precambrian Res, 206–207: 109–136
Skyttä P, Hermansson T, Andersson J, Weihed P (2011). New zircon data supporting models of short-lived igneous activity at 1.89 of the western Skellefte District, central Fennoscandian Shield. Solid Earth Discuss, 3(1): 355–383
Skyttä P, Hermansson T, Elming S Å, Bauer T (2010). Magnetic fabrics as constraints on the kinematic history of a pre-tectonic granitoid intrusion, Kristineberg, northern Sweden. J Struct Geol, 32(8): 1125–1136
Stubley M P (2004). Spatial distribution of kimberlite in the Slave craton, Canada: a geometrical approach. Lithos, 77(1–4): 683–693
Turcotte D L (1997). Fractals and Chaos in Geology and Geophysics (2nd edition). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Vearncombe J, Vearncombe S (1999). The spatial distribution of mineralization: applications of Fry analysis. Econ Geol, 94(4): 475–486
Vivallo W (1987). Early Proterozoic bimodal volcanism, hydrothermal activity, and massive sulphide deposition in the Boliden-Långdal area, Skellefte District, Sweden. Econ Geol, 82(2): 440–456
Weinberg R F, Hodkiewicz P F, Groves D I (2004). What controls gold distribution in Archean terranes?. Geology, 32(7): 545–548
Weihed P, Arndt N, Billström K, Duchesne J C, Eilu P, Martinsson O, Papunen H, Lahtinen R (2005). Precambrian geodynamics and ore formation: the Fennoscandian Shield. Ore Geol Rev, 27(1–4): 273–322
Weihed P, Bergman J, Bergström U (1992). Metallogeny and tectonic evolution of the Early Proterozoic Skellefte district, northern Sweden. Precambrian Res, 58(1–4): 143–167
Weihed P, Billström K, Persson P O, Bergman Weihed J (2002). Relationship between 1.90–1.85 Ga accretionary processes and 1.82–1.80 Ga oblique subduction at the Karelian craton margin, Fennoscandian Shield. Geol Foren Stockh Forh, 124: 163–180
Welin E (1987). The depositional evolution of the Svecofennian supracrustal sequence in Finland and Sweden. Precambrian Res, 35: 95–113
Zuo R, Agterberg F P, Cheng Q, Yao L (2009a). Fractal characterization of the spatial distribution of geological point processes. Int J Appl Earth Obs Geoinf, 11(6): 394–402
Zuo R, Cheng Q, Agterberg F P, Xia Q (2009b). Evaluation of the uncertainty in estimation of metal resources of skarn tin in Southern China. Ore Geol Rev, 35(3–4): 415–422
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Carranza, E.J.M., Sadeghi, M. Post-VMS mineralization deformations (1880–1820 Ma) of the Skellefte district (Sweden): insights from the spatial pattern of VMS occurrences. Front. Earth Sci. 8, 319–324 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11707-014-0466-3
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11707-014-0466-3