The PACE Geochronology program fosters collaboration on projects of geological and metallogenic significance with focus on dating rocks and minerals from samples suggested by companies through a competitive proposal-based selection process....
The PACE Geochronology program fosters collaboration on projects of geological and metallogenic significance with focus on dating rocks and minerals from samples suggested by companies through a competitive proposal-based selection process. Successful projects are those that have relevance for metallogenic processes or those that have input into regional stratigraphic issues. This report presents the results of geochronology from projects completed during 2013-2 015. The samples studied derive from a number of different geological provinces within South Australia. Project PGC03-01 undertaken with UraniumSA focussed on the Samphire Uranium Project, dating granites to confirm their membership of the Hiltaba Suite, and U-bearing sediments within an overlying paleochannel in order to determine their provenance and relationship to U mineralisation. Project PGC03-02 made a geochronological, isotopic and geochemical investigation of a drillhole recently drilled in the far north-eastern region of the Gawler Craton, where few drillholes exist. Project PGC03-03 investigated the host rocks and timing of pyrite-chalcopyrite mineralisation at the Cooperinna prospect of PepinNini Minerals within the Musgrave Province. The data suggest that the host rock is part of the Pitjantjatjara Supersuite, and that the mineralisation (dated via Re-Os on molybdenite) occurred during the Giles Event. Project PGC03-06 looked at detrital zircons within laminated iron-rich sediments of Centrex Metals’ Wilgerup iron deposit of central Eyre Peninsula. The data suggest that the sediments were deposited after c. 1850 Ma. Project PGC03-07, also undertaken with Centrex Metals, investigated the age of the crystalline basement to the Bungalow prospect, which was penetrated in recent drilling of the iron deposit, and it has revealed that the iron formations were deposited onto a c. 3150 Ma basement of similar age to the Cooyerdoo Granite. Project PGC03-08 undertaken with Phoenix Copper investigated recently drilled basement rocks in the central-southern Yorke Peninsula, revealing metamorphosed Wallaroo Group - equivalent felsic rocks along with a possible region of basement equivalent to the Corny Point Paragneiss. Also revealed by this geochronology study was metamorphic zircon formed during the Olarian Orogeny, synchronous with the Hiltaba Suite magmatic event. Project PGC03-09 investigated rocks in two drill cores obtained from the region to the north- east of Olympic Dam. A tonalite was dated at c. 2530 Ma, and the Devil’s Playground Volcanics were also dated by SHRIMP to c. 2555 Ma, revealing the basement in this area to be predominantly Neoarchean in age. 40Ar/39Ar dating of mica and K-feldspar also gave interesting results, suggesting that sericite alteration in the tonalite occurred at c. 1590 Ma and that some K-feldspar veining in the area may be as young as c. 1200 Ma. Project PGC03-11 undertaken with Apollo Minerals dated sample of felsic granite and granite gneiss in the Commonwealth Hill region. Hiltaba Suite granite was identified for the first time in this region, along with other Paleoproterozoic granites. Project PGC03-12 investigated the timing of granite magmatism, metamorphism and hydrothermal alteration at the Cairn Hill mine of IMX Resources. The data suggest that the Fe-Cu mineralisation occurred after c. 1580 Ma but before c. 1515 Ma. Regional cooling was also investigated by 40Ar/39Ar dating which suggests that the mine sequence cooled rapidly, from ~500 °C to ~300 °C, by c. 1450 Ma.
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