Khalid Yahia HBSc thesis abstract

Thesis Title: 
Tectonic Investigation on Mackenzie River granites
Khalid
Yahia
HBSc
2019

Mackenzie River granites (MRG), are Archean deformed granites exposed in many locations alongside Highway 11/17 east of Thunder Bay. Microcline and plagioclase are the dominant minerals with quartz that slightly varies in proportion from one location to another. The samples that were examined petrographically are classified as ten granite samples, two granodiorite, one tonalite, and one quartz monzonite. Greenish chlorite was observed in most of the fractures in the study area. Two main populations of fracture strike were recorded in the study area. A NE-SW strike of fractures and faults was the major and dominant strike direction. This direction of strike agrees perfectly with one arm of the Midcontinent Rift (MCR). The second major population of structures strikes NW-SE with fewer fractures compared to the NE-SW strike of structures. The deformation history of MRG is documented by four main deformational features: penetrative brittle-ductile deformation, brittle deformation including a cataclasite-filled fault, chlorite-filled fractures, and quartz-filled fractures. Subgrains, serrated grain-boundaries, and undulose extinction are the main dislocation-creep features in quartz besides the bent and deformed twins of plagioclase and microcline. These dislocation-creep features were observed as evidence of penetrative brittle-ductile deformation at a depth of more than 15km for MRG at the time of deformation. Brittle deformation is indicted by the fractures in MRG and cataclasite-filled fault. Cataclasite-filled fault is identified by its 0.2-0.5mm crushed angular mineral pieces that have the same mineralogy as MRG. Chlorite-filled fractures are Archean, supported by the cross-cutting relations in the field. Quartz-filled fractures are younger than Gunflint Formation (GF) as they are present in (GF).

 

Liam Fay Honours Thesis Abstract

Thesis Title: 
Mineral Chemistry of the Heron Bay Area, Northwestern Ontario
Liam
Fay
HBSc
2017

Heron Bay, Ontario comprises a predominantly calc-alkaline felsic to intermediate subduction-related arc setting of volcanic and plutonic rocks of mostly crystal tuff, tuff and granite. The rocks have undergone amphibolite facies metamorphism and are predominantly schists and gneisses. Trace element concentrations in pyrite, chlorite and epidote are variable. Highest values of Archean Au pathfinder elements, Au, Sb, W, Bi and As in pyrite are observed in pyrite associated with tourmaline in veins and disseminations. Highest concentrations of Au, Sb, W, Bi and As in chlorite and epidote are generally  associated with chlorite and epidote that occurs in veins rather than as major to minor constituents of rocks or as replacements. Trace element abundances in pyrite, chlorite and epidote are similar to Hemlo, the La Colosa Au-porphyry deposit and Gosowong, Toguraci and Penelope epithermal deposit pyrite, chlorite and epidote. Heron Bay chlorite is similar to metamorphic chlorite from Shebandowan and West Scotland and Heron Bay epidote is similar to metamorphic epidote from West Scotland.

No strong trace element trends towards the Heron Bay Au mine are apparent. The lack of strong vectoring trends may be attributed to metamorphic overprint, the small size of the Heron Bay Au system and variability in trace element concentrations among the differing occurrences of pyrite, chlorite and epidote.

Conway Brown HBSc thesis abstract

Thesis Title: 
A Microstructural Analysis of Alto Ventures’ Miner Lake Property
Conway
Brown
HBSc
2020

Alto Ventures’ Miner Lake property is located 55 kilometers northeast of Beardmore, Ontario.  Historically, this property has been prospected for gold, which is Alto’s current target.  For this study two trenches, Trench 35 and the Musketeer trench, were investigated.  The outcrops were divided into five lithozones based upon the intensity of alteration, noticeable fabric, grain-size, strain observable within mineral grains, and strain observable within porphyroclasts. The rock within both trenches is ultramylonitic quartzofeldspathic schist originating from deformation and metamorphism of a plutonic tonalitic protolith.  Ductile deformation is largely homogenous throughout every lithozone, and brittle deformation is only observed within lithozones three, four, and five.  Brittle deformation becomes more pronounced with each increasing lithozone and provides an important route for hydrous fluids to enter the system.  Increasing amounts of fluid are correlated to increasing amounts of alteration minerals, such as chlorite and white micas, and are also correlated to increasing amounts of ductilely deformed quartz veins.  Areas of the trenches that display a higher abundance of deformed quartz veins have typically returned higher gold assay values, providing a possible control on the gold mineralization within the study area.

Therefore, it is suggested that rocks with greater abundances of alteration minerals and deformed quartz veins are better targets for gold mineralization.

Mitchell Marcelissen HBSc thesis abstract

Thesis Title: 
Mineral Chemistry of the Gaspé Porphyry, Gaspé, Québec
Mitchell
Marcelissen
HBSc
2020

The Mines Gaspé property hosts multiple Cu-Mo skarn and porphyry orebodies and is located adjacent to the town of Murdochville in the northeastern part of the Gaspé Peninsula, Québec. Both types of orebodies occur within the zoned Copper Brook and overlapping Porphyry Mountain alteration aureoles in calcareous Lower Devonian sedimentary rocks. The strata are intruded by numerous multiphase porphyry sills, dykes, and plugs of Devonian age. Underground and open pit mining at Mines Gaspé ceased in1999 after 141 Mt of 0.9% Cu-equivalent had been extracted from two open pits and eight underground mining areas within the Copper Mountain and Needle deposits. The Porphyry Mountain deposit is the most promising undeveloped resource on the property, containing 437 Mt of ore at 0.89% Cu-equivalent. The Porphyry Mountain intrusion and a sill in the Copper Mountain pit have been dated at 378.80 ± 0.57 Ma and 377.60 ± 0.62 Ma, which better constrains the timing of intrusions at Mines Gaspé than previous studies. Epidote UPb ages at Mines Gaspé overlap within error from 367–352 Ma. Epidote at Mines Gaspé is ~10 million years younger than the Porphyry Mountain intrusion. The time period between the Porphyry Mountain intrusion and epidote formation, as well as the range in epidote ages suggests that the Mines Gaspé system was active for a protracted period of time and more than one generation of epidote is likely, similar to the multiphase occurrence of intrusive units.

Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) analyses 
of epidote and chlorite from within and between the Copper Mountain and Porphyry Mountain deposits have identified major and trace element spatial variations in mineral chemistry. Epidote analyses show the highest values of Mg, U, Zr, Ti/Co, U/Co, Mg/Sb, and Mg/Zn proximal and As, Mn, Sr, Sr/U, As/U distal to the Porphyry Mountain deposit. Chlorite analyses show the highest values of Li, Ti, V, Ti/Co, Ti/Sb, V/Co, and Zn/Mg proximal and Mn, Zn, Zn/Li, and Zn/V distal to the Porphyry Mountain deposit.

Trace element concentrations in epidote and chlorite show a geochemical footprint surrounding the Porphyry Mountain deposit that allows for the use of mineral chemistry as a tool for vectoring towards porphyry-style mineralisation at Mines Gaspé.

Ethan Brand HBSc thesis abstract

Thesis Title: 
Was the Archean Ocean Stratified with Respect to Carbon Isotopes and Rare Earth Elements? A Comparison of Deep and Shallow Water Archean Carbonate
Ethan
Brand
HBSc
2020

The modern ocean is a complex system that is continually mixed by circulatory ocean currents that keep ocean water relatively homogeneous. This process means that both deep water and shallow water carbonates in today’s ocean have similar isotopic ratios of carbon, as they are direct chemical precipitates of sea water. This however is not true for Archean carbonates.

To explore this idea, deep water chemical sediments were collected from across the Archean Superior province from Red Lake, Schreiber, Beardmore, and Wawa. These samples were compared with shallow water chemical sediment. A total of 28 carbonate samples were gathered from the Uchi, Wabigoon, and Wawa sub-provinces and analyzed for their geochemical properties. The carbonate samples were processed via partial dissolution so as to only dissolve the chemical precipitate, thus assessing the water from which they formed. The samples went through ICP-MS and ICP-AES analysis and through carbon and oxygen isotope analysis in order to better understand their chemistry.

When comparing the REE geochemistry of deep vs shallow water chemical precipitate it was found that Schreiber, Beardmore, and Wawa localities were chemically distinct. These locations all showed a more positive Eu anomaly in deep water. Deep water Schreiber and Wawa had lower Y/Ho ratios than their shallow water counterparts. Heightened Eu values are indicative of greater hydrothermal leaching of basaltic oceanic crust. Lower Y/Ho ratios are due to more hydrothermally sourced Y/Ho ratios with more chondritic values of ~26. Additionally, Schreiber and Beardmore locations showed a greater degree of LREE depletion and heightened HREE enrichment. Red Lake samples however show that both deep and shallow samples had very similar positive Eu anomalies, and super chondritic Y/Ho ratios with some fluctuation.

δ 18O‰ analysis and comparison of deep water samples to shallow water samples found that in Schreiber, Red Lake, and Wawa there was no variation with depth. This proved that δ 18O‰ was unaffected by depth in the water column. δ 13C‰ analysis showed that in Schreiber and Wawa deep water carbonate there is more δ 13C‰ depletion than in shallow water carbonate. The δ 13C‰ of the Red Lake samples did not vary with depth.

Throughout this study the Red Lake samples have been an outlier, with no evidence of stratification, whereas the three other locations did have evidence of Archean ocean stratification. The hydrodynamic system at the Red Lake site may have been governed more by upwelling of deeper water onto the shallow shelf than at the other sites. Due to this unique scenario, it is fair to conclude that the Red Lake locality does not accurately represent typical shallow water in the Archean ocean. This leaves the conclusion that, for the cases of Schreiber, Beardmore, and Wawa, the formative water that precipitated carbonate minerals in these locations varied from depths below storm wave base to the shallow shelf. This is compatible with a greater hydrothermal influence in deep water than in shallow, and more negative δ 13C‰ values in deeper water, suggesting Archean ocean stratification with respect to REE and δ 13C‰.

Maddison Hodder HBSc thesis abstract

Thesis Title: 
A mineralogical and geochemical study of granitoids from the Northern Revell Batholith, Ignace, Ontario
Maddison
Hodder
HBSc
2020

The Revell Batholith is located in the Western Wabigoon subprovince, near Ignace, Ontario. The batholith was emplaced at 2737 Ma and intrudes the Bending Lake greenstone belt. The purpose of this study was to mineralogically and geochemically classify the Revell North granitoid rocks and provide insight into the petrogenesis of the Revell Batholith.

The Revell North granitoid rocks were identified as three mineralogically distinct lithologies: 1) quartz-rich granitoid (that typically consists of a higher quartz content than the rest of the samples with a groundmass of fine-grained plagioclase feldspar, potassium feldspar and quartz); 2) granodiorite (composed of medium-grained quartz and feldspar phenocrysts with a groundmass of medium-fine grained quartz and plagioclase with minor sericite alteration); 3) monzogranite (consisting of medium-fine grained quartz making up the matrix with medium-fine grained plagioclase with a higher modal abundance of potassium feldspar). Three types of alteration are present in the Revell North: chlorite, epidote and sericite. Both chlorite and epidote alteration are minor, however, sericite alteration is present throughout the Revell North.

The Revell North granitoid rocks display a homogeneous calc-alkaline signature, showing minimal geochemical changes between lithologies. The Revell North is a calc-alkaline granite that is classified as an I-type granitoid with slight S-type characteristics. The Revell North granitoid rocks are considered to be pre-tectonic as the ages that are associated with the Revell are contemporaneous with volcanism in the Western Wabigoon Subprovince, and elsewhere for granitoid rocks of the Superior province. The emplacement of the Revell Batholith is suggested to be via multiple injections from a single magmatic source. The Revell North granitoids underwent fractional crystallization, creating some subtle mineralogical lithologies with little to no geochemical differences.

Chanelle Boucher MSc thesis abstract

Thesis Title: 
Geology and Geochemistry of Ultramafic Rocks in the Lake of the Woods Greenstone Belt
Chanelle
Boucher
MSc
2019

The Archean komatiites of the Lake of the Woods greenstone belt, Kenora, Ontario formed on the western extension of the Superior Province southern margin and have not been studied using modern analytical methods. Although Archean plate tectonic processes have been the subject of decades of research, the nature of these processes remains the subject of considerable debate. Recent work has investigated the link between komatiites and Archean subduction zones. Komatiites are widespread in Archean terranes and together with spatially associated tholeiitic basalts form an important part of many Late Archean greenstone belts, therefore a better understanding of Archean geodynamic processes and comparison to modern day processes is required.   

Detailed mapping in the Upper Keewatin Assemblage identified komatiites on the southern margin of the Long Bay Group. The komatiites are typically metamorphosed to upper greenschist facies and include a variety of schists that do not show any preserved primary textures or mineralogy. Polyhedrally jointed flow tops were observed in rare locations. Mineral assemblages include dominantly anthophyllite-tremolite-chlorite and serpentine-tremolite-chlorite schists, as well as lesser talc-tremolite-chlorite schists. These units are moderately to intensely foliated with chlorite and lesser amphibole defining the foliation and also include randomly oriented bladed amphibole grains that typically have tremolite cores and anthophyllite rims. The amphiboles show a chemical transition from core to rim with a loss in Ca as anthophyllite appears. Accessory phases include chromite, magnetite, ilmenite and apatite. Ultramafic rocks are very fine-grained and mineralogy has been described using a compilation of petrography, x-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope analysis. 

Whole-rock  geochemical  analyses  were  conducted  on  110  samples.  The  Upper Keewatin Assemblage is composed of dominantly mafic to intermediate volcanic rocks that are typically of tholeiitic affinity with rare calc-alkalic units. A total of 41 samples were determined to be ultramafic in which the komatiite units are Al-undepleted komatiites that display major and trace element concentrations consistent with melts derived from above the garnet stability zone. They can be subdivided into three suites with primitive mantle patterns that display strong Th and Nb depletions with flat HREEs (heavy rare earth elements), weak Th and Nb depletions with flat HREEs and enriched Th with moderate Nb depletions and flat HREEs. Neodymium isotope analyses, in conjunction with trace element geochemistry, suggests that some units have been weakly to moderately contaminated. Mafic tholeiitic units have low- and high-Ti varieties, in which most units are dark grey to black amphibolites   and   rare   chlorite-tremolite   schists.   The   mafic   units   shows   similar contamination trends to the ultramafic units.

The  tectonic  setting  of  the  Upper  Keewatin  Assemblage  requires  voluminous  mafic magmatism  with  relatively  sporadic  ultramafic  magmatism  in  a  subaqueous  setting  giventhe widespread pillow basalts. The belt evolution is interpreted to represent an initial primitive oceanic arc with subaqueous tholeiitic magmatism followed by calc-alkalic dominant magmatism following arc evolution. Tholeiites originating from the primitive arc display weak Nb depletions, and through geochemical modelling it is possible that they are the contaminant that produced Th-enriched komatiites. Although a hydrous source could not be confirmed for the Nb-depleted komatiites, contamination cannot account for the variation in trace elements. It is likely that plume-arc interactions have occurred, similar to scenarios documented in the Superior Province; however, the mechanisms cannot be determined. Deep-penetrating fractures can accommodate along-strike variations in the dip of subduction zones, which typically segment island arcs into various belts. Large-scale crustal weaknesses would act as potential magma conduits for ascending plumes, resulting in a chemical and isotopic difference between the upwelling asthenosphere and arc magmatism. This  would  result  in  likely  interaction  between  the  rising  plume  and  subduction-derived fluids, producing the Nb-depletions present in komatiite samples within the assemblage.

Tommy Clark HBSc thesis abstract

Thesis Title: 
An Investigation of the Hintikka Breccia Occurrence Related to the Greenwater-Shebandowan Assemblage Unconformity
Tommy
Clark
HBSc
2019

The Hintikka breccia occurrence is hosted within the Shebandowan Greenstone Belt. The Hintikka breccia is classified based on the key characteristics, most likely as a volcanic breccia, which has been further brecciated by a local fault. The breccia occurrence is very close to the boundary between the Shebandowan intermediate volcanics and the Greenwater mafic volcanics, with a local fault interpreted to be related to the Mokomon fault. The northern and southern areas within the Hintikka property show two different composition breccias. The northern breccia shows characteristics of a mafic flow breccia. The southern breccia has an intermediate composition with randomly oriented felsic and jasper clasts present. It is proposed that the north and south breccias are volcanic flow breccias, which have been potentially further brecciated by the faulting event.

The supracrustal rocks of the Shebandowan Greenstone belt have been subdivided into three main assemblages that have differing ages and distinct lithologic associations. The breccia within the Hintikka property could be associated with either the Greenwater or the Shebandowan assemblage. The Shebandowan has large, unsorted massive volcanic breccias, and is associated with faulting from the D2 event, which likely explains the presence of the fault breccia and the intermediate breccia in the southern part of the property. The northern breccia with more mafic composition can also be associated with the massive unsorted breccia, but with more flow breccia characteristics, which were subsequently influenced by a faulting event. The felsic clasts may be related to the felsic intrusions (such as the Tower Mountain stock) associated with the Shebandowan assemblage. The Kashabowie assemblage cannot be entirely ruled out, as the entire extent of the assemblage is unknown, and it is interleaved with the Greenwater assemblage.

Ruth Orlóci-Goodison HBSc thesis abstract

Thesis Title: 
Stabilization of mineral-bound soil organic carbon in disturbed Boreal forest soil profiles
Ruth A.
Orlóci-Goodison
HBSc
2019

Boreal forest soils represent globally significant stores of carbon, much of which is stabilized in the mineral fraction.  Until recently, carbon stored in the mineral fraction was considered highly stable, cycling on millennial timescales.  Recent research has shown that carbon stored in the mineral fraction is stabilized by a variety of mechanisms with varying strengths.  Despite the frequency of forest disturbance in the Boreal region, relatively few studies have examined  the impacts of wildfire, harvest, and salvage logging on soil organic carbon (SOC) in mineral soils.  Fewer still have focused on the response of stabilization mechanisms therein.  This study examines the effects of wildfire, whole-tree harvest and post-fire salvage logging on mineral-bound SOC and its stabilization mechanisms.  A sequential selective chemical dissolution approach was used to isolate pools of SOC on the basis of stabilization mechanisms.  This study shows the majority of mineral-bound carbon to be stabilized by its interaction with free, polyvalent, metallic cations (the organic non-crystalline colloidal, ONC, pool).  Additionally, a substantial amount of carbon was stabilized in the poorly-understood residual pool. It was found that forest disturbance has a significant effect on SOC stabilized in the ONC pool and the residual pool.  Post-harvest, soils showed a significant increase in both SOC concentration and storage.  Fire appeared to reduce SOC stabilization in the ONC pool at surface, but concentration and storage both recovered with depth. Salvage logging markedly reduced SOC concentration and storage associated with the ONC and residual pools, suggesting that it is highly disruptive to SOC stored in the mineral fraction and may not be in best management practice. SOC concentration associated with secondary crystalline Fe and Al minerals is shown to be constant through the whole profile and across all disturbance types.  This is consistent with the notion of C saturation.  This investigation shows that SOC stabilized in the mineral fraction is not as stable as previously thought and may cycle on much shorter timescales.  Additionally, this research suggests that mineral-stabilized SOC may not be robust to the physiochemical changes in soil wrought by disturbance.  These results demonstrate the need for further research concerning the stabilization mechanisms operating in the mineral fraction and their responses to common disturbances in the Boreal region.

Mateo Dorado-Troughton HBSc thesis abstract

Thesis Title: 
The Mineralogy and Geochemistry of the Nagagami River Alkalic Complex in the Vicinity of the Albany Graphite Deposit
Mateo
Dorado-Troughton
HBSc
2019

The Albany deposit is an igneous-hosted, fluid-derived, graphite deposit hosted within two intrusive vertical pipe structures, known as the East and West pipes, and is located near Hearst, Ontario.  The deposit is estimated to contain 24 million tonnes of ore with an average grade of 3.98% graphite.  The deposit is found near the southern margin of the Nagagami River Alkalic Complex (NRAC), but the precise location of the NRAC’s contact with the surrounding country rock is difficult to establish based on geophysics.  Therefore, it was previously unknown whether the deposit was hosted within the NRAC, another alkalic complex, or within the country rock of the Marmion/Eastern Wabigoon terrane.

This study focuses on characterising the rocks of the NRAC and the host rocks to the Albany deposit.  The NRAC is comprised dominantly of amphibole-pyroxene syenites, while the host rocks contain syenites, monzonites, granites, diorites, and granodiorites. Geochemical analysis shows that the host rocks to the Albany deposit are comprised of two geochemically distinct groups.  The igneous rocks that comprise the matrix of the East and West pipes that are coeval and post-date mineralization, show a particular similarity to the syenites of the Nagagami River Alkalic Complex, while the second group displays a distinct geochemistry and tectonic signature.

The distinction between these two groups suggests that the Albany graphite deposit is hosted directly on the Nagagami River Alkalic Complex’s southern margin, the pipes themselves are formed from the NRAC’s parent magma, and the host rocks represent a portion of the NRAC as well as the country rock of the Marmion/Eastern Wabigoon terrane.

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