The Geological Setting, Mineralogy, and Paragenesis of Gold-Bearing Polymetallic (Cu+Co+Ag+Au+Bi Pb Ni U) Veins of the Merico-Ethel Property, Elk Lake, Northeastern Ontario, Canada

Research Article| July 01, 2010 The Geological Setting, Mineralogy, and Paragenesis of Gold-Bearing Polymetallic (Cu+Co+Ag+Au+Bi±Pb±Ni±U) Veins of the Merico-Ethel Property, Elk Lake, Northeastern Ontario, Canada E.G. Potter; E.G. Potter † 1Department of Earth Sciences, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, Ontario K1S 5B6 †Corresponding Author: E-mail: Eric.Potter@NRCan.gc.ca Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar R.P. Taylor; R.P. Taylor 1Department of Earth Sciences, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, Ontario K1S 5B6 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar P.C. Jones; P.C. Jones 1Department of Earth Sciences, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, Ontario K1S 5B6 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar K. Rees; K. Rees 3Temex Resources Corp., 141 Adelaide Street West, Suite 1660, Toronto, Ontario M5H 3L5 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar I. Campbell I. Campbell 3Temex Resources Corp., 141 Adelaide Street West, Suite 1660, Toronto, Ontario M5H 3L5 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Exploration and Mining Geology (2010) 19 (3-4): 81–98. https://doi.org/10.2113/gsemg.19.3-4.81 Article history received: 17 Jul 2009 accepted: 09 Oct 2010 first online: 29 Sep 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Twitter LinkedIn Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation E.G. Potter, R.P. Taylor, P.C. Jones, K. Rees, I. Campbell; The Geological Setting, Mineralogy, and Paragenesis of Gold-Bearing Polymetallic (Cu+Co+Ag+Au+Bi±Pb±Ni±U) Veins of the Merico-Ethel Property, Elk Lake, Northeastern Ontario, Canada. Exploration and Mining Geology 2010;; 19 (3-4): 81–98. doi: https://doi.org/10.2113/gsemg.19.3-4.81 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyExploration and Mining Geology Search Advanced Search Abstract The Cobalt embayment is a large domain of Paleoproterozoic clastic sedimentary rocks that unconformably overlies the Archean Abitibi greenstone belt. Regionally extensive sills and dikes of Nipissing diabase, emplaced circa 2219 Ma, occur throughout the embayment and are the preferential host to gold-bearing polymetallic vein systems on the Merico-Ethel property, near the northeastern margin of the Cobalt embayment. These gold-bearing, polymetallic veins are predominantly east–west-trending, steeply dipping, discordant calcite-quartz vein systems that formed close to the time of crystallization (within ~15 m.y., based on Pb-Pb ages) of the Nipissing diabase. The ore mineralogy is complex in character, typically comprising sulfides, arsenides, native metals (gold and silver), and specular hematite, preferentially concentrated along the interface between silicate and calcite gangue. A simplified sequence of mineral deposition in the veins is: (1) “Early-stage” pyrite ± chalcopyrite hosted in quartz ± chlorite gangue; (2) “Main-stage” polymetallic (Cu + Co + As + Ag + Au + Bi ± Pb ± Ni ± U) sulfides, arsenides, and native metals hosted in calcite gangue; and (3) “Late-stage” calcite flooding ± galena. Wall-rock alteration in Nipissing diabase is restricted to narrow (<5 cm) haloes of calcite-chlorite-epidote-bearing assemblages, whereas a weak alteration halo of specular hematite, calcite, and allanite-epidote has been observed in the surrounding sedimentary rocks. In terms of their age, geology, mineralogy, paragenesis, and morphology, the gold-bearing vein systems at Merico-Ethel closely resemble the silver-sulfarsenide vein deposits of the historic Cobalt and Gowganda mining camps. These observations indicate that the Au-bearing veins are variants of the Ag-vein systems and as such, have a common genesis belt. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.