The study consisted of examining six porphyry copper deposits (Ingerbelle, Copper Mountain, Afton, Lornex, Bethlehem and Brenda Mine), four Precambrian volcanogenic massive sulphide deposits (Millenbach, Mattabi, Geco and Winston Lake), and a syn-sedimentary deposit (Sullivan Mine).  The examinations included a petrographic study to determine the titanium minerals and alteration present, an analysis of whole rocks of altered and unaltered equivalents, to determine if titania content fluctuates with alteration, and a microprobe analysis of biotites, a mineral that can contain significant amounts of titanium in its structure.

The porphyry copper deposits related to calc-alkaline intrusions contained rutile produced from the alteration of primary, magmatic biotite.  The highly metamorphosed volcanogenic massive sulphide deposits contained ilmenite present in the altered mafic, volcanic flows of related rocks.  The ilmenite is formed due to the metamorphism of rutile plus magnetite with the rutile originally forming due to the alteration of titanomagnetites.  At the Sullivan mine, the syn-sedimentary deposit studied, rutile of detrital origin is found in the hanging wall sediments.  Sphene is present in the albitized hanging wall sediments.  The titanium minerals that are present in the different deposit types formed under different conditions and are therefore unrelated genetically.

The area of this study occupies a transitional terrane between the Quetico and the Wabigoon subprovince, near Geraldton, Ontario.

Rocks in the study area have been grouped into four categories including metasedimentary rocks, conglomerates, iron formations, and intrusive rocks.  The vast majority of outcrops visited were metasedimentary rocks.  All rocks in the study area have been metamorphosed to the lower Greenschist facies.

Detailed structural mapping has led to the establishment of major fold structures.  Evidence suggests that the rocks have been subjected to at least two episodes of folding.  Dominant folds have a consistent shallow plunge to the west.  A shear zone has affected the rocks and trends from east to west, roughly through the center of the study area.  The shear zone divides the area into two domains:  north of the shear zone folds face upward to the west; folds south of the shear zone face downward to the east.

The Coldwell Complex, of Neo-Helikian age intrudes Archean metasedimentary and metavolcanic rocks during three intrusive episodes.  The major rock units of two episodes, Center I and Center III, were studied in petrographic detail.  In addition, exotic and cognote xenoliths were examined.  An overview of mafic and felsic dikes and structural features completed the study.

Field mapping and microscopic examination were used to detail changes in lithologies.  Several x-ray diffraction determinations were made on opaque minerals.

The study defined textural changes across both the Center I border gabbro and ferro-augite syenite.  This will aid in the formulation of an evolutionary model for the western contact and perhaps the intrusion in general. 

Three textural and mineralogical variations were noted in Center III quartz-syenite and a porphyritic and contaminated porphyritic-porphyroblastic quartz-syenite were defined. 

Structural relationships indicated a correlation between joint forming episodes and dike forming episodes.

Studies of mafic and felsic dikes and correlation with structural data indicated some dike forming episodes were closely related to some joint forming episodes.

The Quetico Belt is an Archean metasedimentary unit, possibly an accretionary prism, over 800 km long within the Superior Province of the Canadian Shield.  It is bounded by the Wabigoon metavolcanic belt to the north and the Shebandowan - Wawa volcanic - plutonic belt to the south.  The sediments within the Quetico belt are primarily greywacke and mudstone turbidities which, toward the centre of the belt, have been folded, progressively metamorphosed, migmatized, and undergone local anatexis with increasing metamorphic grades.

The metamorphic grades observed within the Quetico belt range from lower greenschist facies at the margins to upper amphibolite with concomitant anatexis.  In the study area, the lower grade rocks are characterized by the presence of sericite and chlorite, with increasing grades resulting in the development of biotite, hornblende, garnet, cordierite and staurolite, and increasing calcium content of plagioclase.

The regional metamorphic conditions across the belt have been estimated to range from low greenschist facies conditions near the north and south boundaries through areas at 500°C, 3 kb pressure to 700°C, 4 kb pressure, up to a maximum of 720°C and 4.2 kb pressure.  The metamorphic conditions in this study area probably range form the same lower boundary conditions up to approximately 600°C at 3.5 kb.

In this paper, heterogeneous simple shear model kinematic indicators are used to determine the presence of a shearing event in Gorham Township of Thunder Bay.  Field observations combined with microscopic analysis reveal that highly complex shearing occurred in this area possibly as a result of transpressional effects.  Four exposures were studied and data collected from these support the view that mylonites are a common occurrence in shear zones and act as a method by which deformation of this nature can occur.

The study area lies within the Beardmore-Geraldton Greenstone Belt, a portion of the Wabigoon Subprovince.  This belt hosts one of the most famous gold camps in the Canadian Shield where production was realized from eighteen mines.  Gold mines and occurrences within the belt have been subdivided on the basis of location and host rock lithology.  The three sub-belts include: the southern mafic volcanic dominated belt, the southern sedimentary dominated belt, and the northern felsic volcanic dominated belt.

This study is concerned with mineralization in the Maki prospect which lies within the southern mafic volcanic dominated belt.  It is underlain by massive, pillowed, and tuffaceous intermediate to mafic metavolcanics.  Oxide-silicate-carbonate iron formation of regional extent as well as quartz-carbonate veins occur within the mafic to intermediate metavolcanic assemblage.  Gold, although erratic, is associated with sulphides within iron formation and quartz-carbonate veins.

The petrology of two trenched gold showings on the Maki prospect was examined.  This study entailed extensive use of thin sections and X-Ray diffraction techniques to determine mineralogy as well as relative timing of metamorphism and hydrothermal alteration.

It was determined from mineral crosscutting relationships that the hydrothermal alteration responsible for gold deposition, pre-dated greenschist to epidote-amphibolite facies metamorphism.

Extensive carbonate alteration of host rocks suggests that the fluid responsible for gold deposition were rich in CO₂.  Such fluids could be produced from dehydration and decarbonation of a deeply buried mafic volcanic sequence during upper amphibolite to granulite facies metamorphism.  Fluid access to the above rocks was probably provided by fracture zones and other conduits.  Gold deposition within vein systems is thought to be a result of fluid-wallrock interaction at temperatures and pressures of greenschist to lower amphibolite facies metamorphism.  Since metamorphism post dated infiltration of hydrothermal fluids within the Maki prospect, it is believed that the required temperature range of the metamorphic front had not yet reached the study area at the time of hydrothermal flooding.  If this fluid once carried significant amounts of gold, then most of it was probably deposited at greater temperatures and depths.  It is possible that small amounts of gold which did not precipitate as the preferred temperatures may have continued upward, forming low grad auriferous deposits within the study area.

The iron formations lack suitable structurally prepared sites, (i.e. minor folding) and thus, even if temperature conditions had been favourable, it is debatable whether viable gold deposition would have occurred.

The adsorption of Selenium by δ - MnO₂ was studied under varying pH conditions and amounts of adsorber.  The methods of analysis for trace amounts of selenium included those of colorimetry and gamma ray spectroscopy.  Of the two methods the latter proved to be the most effective in terms of precision, accuracy and conciseness.

The adsorption of selenium on δ - MnO₂ was adequately described through the use of the Langmuir isotherm equation.  The pH conditions varied from 2.0, 3.5, 5.0 to 8.0 with an increase of pH, the ability of the - MnO₂ to absorb selenium decreased.  It is proposed that this is primarily due to an increased electrostatic repulsion on - MnO₂ surface with increasing pH.

The surface area of δ - MnO₂ was determined using the BET - Kr method and was found to be 156 m²/gm. with increasing amounts of adsorber the ability to adsorb more selenium increased.  When the amount adsorbed per gram was calculated it was seen to decrease with an increase in the amount of adsorber.  This is probably due to an increase in the number of available sites with a greater amount of adsorber.  This trend was observed at pH levels of 2.0 and 8.0 and the acidic conditions showed the best results.  The ability of δ - MnO₂ to adsorb a certain amount of selenium regardless of pH conditions may infer the adsorption mechanism is a two-stage mechanism.  This would include an initial site filling and release of Mn²⁺ or H⁺ which would then result in a change of surface character.  The trends seen with selenium adsorption by δ - MnO₂ closely paralleled those of adsorption by ferrous hydroxide, montmorillonite and kaolinite.

Anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility in rocks has been previously demonstrated to be related to strain.  The magnitude ellipsoid of magnetic susceptibility in a rock generally has its principal axes coincident with the axes of the ellipsoid finite strain.

In this study, the development of magnetic fabric was observed in an easily deformable medium (plasticene) which may simulate the development of magnetic fabric rock.

Magnetite, chlorite, and quartz sand were added to the plasticene in a number of experiments to alter the susceptibility of the plasticene "matrix".

The principal axes of the susceptibility ellipsoid were related to experimental deformation conditions.  These experiments showed that anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility increases with strain and that the principal axes of susceptibility are approximately coincident with the principal axes of strain.

The susceptibility of the maximum and minimum axes for approximately homogeneously deformed plasticene were shown to increase linearly from a point of isotropic fabric with increasing magnetite content (Henry's relationship).

Addition of quartz sand to plasticene resulted in a decrease in susceptibility which may be a linear function of sand content.

Calcite petrofabrics align easily with weak strains, possibly being the most sensitive classical petrofabric indicator.  Thus, calcareous sediments may reveal stress trajectories in neotectonic environments.  Calcite aligns by crystal-plastic deformation and pressure solution to produce corresponding alignments in accessory clay minerals and magnetite (possibly fossil-bacterial).  Their alignments are rapidly and precisely detected by anisotropy of low field magnetic susceptibility (AMS).  These net magnetic fabrics blend diamagenetic contributions from matrix calcite (diamagnetic bulk susceptibility k ~ -14 mSI), accessory clay minerals (k = 100 to 500 mSI) and trace magnetite (k >2 SI).  Considering their relative abundances and different anisotropies, their orientation distributions of AMS axes are sensibly interpreted as paleostress trajectories in Neogene and Quaternary strata at the regional and sub-area level (each ~400km²  and ~30 km² respectively).  The AMS axes may be correlated with the orientation of faults, platemotion vectors and seismic solutions.  A large sample (1090 specimens from 419 sites) was treated by different statistical approaches ("standardization") to emphasize or suppress the contribution of sub-fabrics with anomalous mean susceptibility.  A sub-sample of 254 specimens from 219 sites, from different sub-areas was also investigated by anisotropy of anhysteretic remanence (AARM), which isolates the orientation distributions of magnetite.  AMS and AARM magnetic fabrics are mostly of the L-S kind with the magnetic lineations compatible with gravitational stretching of the sedimentary cover away from the Troodos massif and orthogonal to the strike of principal faults and graben.  The L-direction (k_MAX) shows a smooth variation in orientation, through the sub-areas, directed radially from the Troodos massif and the S-components of the magnetic fabrics are inclined gently to the bedding, compatible with vergence toward the Cyprean Arc that lies offshore to the South and South-West of Cyprus.

From the original set of 1090 specimens, two smaller sets of samples were further studied using different magnetic techniques to examine differences in magnetic mineralogy and granulometry in different lithologies and through time.

The first set of 100 specimens was divided into pelagic and non-pelagic sub-sets and microhysteresis showed that these samples contained magnetite in the appropriate size ranges for simply interpretable AMS fabrics ("normal fabrics") and also exhibited possible contributions from titanomagnetite (TM₆₀) in the non-pelagic samples.

A sub-set of 55 samples in stratigraphic sequence with approximately known age determinations (54-6 Ma) shows systematic variations in bulk susceptibility (k), anhysteretic susceptibility (kARM), saturation isothermal remanence (SIRM), and thermal demagnetization unblocking temperatures (T_UB).  Some combinations of these magnetic parameters have demonstrated that TM₆₀ is present in appreciable amounts in the youngest of the Cyprus limestones (due to uplift and early erosion of the Troodos massif), and in some of the oldest rocks (due to distal submarine volcanism).  Furthermore, the lack of TM₆₀ in the middle of the sequence and the magnetic granulometry shows that magnetotactic bacteria dominate the chalk units of Cyprus.

This thesis examines a small area of the Neohelikian Alkali Coldwell Complex.  The area is located on the west shore of the Coldwell Peninsula.  The Complex is composed of three intrusive events and is emplaced in an Archean metavolcanic belt.

The rocks of the thesis area, wholly contained in the second intrusive event, are divided into two types: biotite nepheline gabbro and alkali feldspar foid syenite.  The syenitic phase intrudes the gabbro and is either layered or massive.  The layered sections of the syenite contain numerous sedimentary-like structures (cross laminations, convoluted laminations, current troughs, flame structures, load pillows and slump structures).

Detailed mapping and petrologic examination lead to the hypothesis of surge-type density currents with minor gravity settling being the mode of formatin of the layers and sedimentary-like structures.