The Paleoproterozoic Talbot volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) Cu-Zn occurrence is
located near Talbot Lake, Manitoba, about 80 km south of Snow Lake. The mineralised system is
unconformably overlain by more than 100 m of Paleozoic dolomite sequences and Quaternary
glacial till. The clay fraction of the till contains pronounced anomalies of Zn, Cu, Ag, Pb, Au,
Mn, Hg, Cd, Co, Bi and Se, which is ascribed to the formation of clay-humic complexes that
have carbon-isotopic compositions of δ13C < -20‰. A VMS origin of the near-surface anomaly
is confirmed by distinctly low 206Pb/204Pb ratios, compared to a more radiogenic till signature.
The overall low 206Pb/204Pb ratios in the organic surface media black spruce bark, moss and
humus also indicate input from a magmatic sulphide source, but likely reflect windblown material
from the Flin Flon smelter stack at 160 km to the northwest. Black spruce tree rings that pre-date
industrial sources of atmospheric metal input are used to measure historical element distributions
because they record the local geochemistry at the time of heartwood growth and their root
systems tap into large volumes of soil. At the Talbot prospect, the presence of secondary Zn from
the till in black spruce tree cores is reflected in the Zn/Ca ratio, which eliminates the effect of
dolomite-derived Zn. The process of element migration from buried mineralisation to the surface
is complex and includes oxidation of sulphides, mobilisation and complexation of metal ions,
physical upward transport, and deposition of indicator elements near the surface in accessible
sampling media. To account for a significant influx of indicator elements into the relatively
recently deposited till blanket, post-glacial groundwater upwelling is proposed to act as a major
mechanism driving upward element migration. / Thesis (Ph.D, Geological Sciences & Geological Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2011-05-14 04:38:36.886
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:OKQ.1974/6515 |
| Date | 16 May 2011 |
| Creators | van Geffen, Pim Wilhelmus Gerardus |
| Contributors | Queen's University (Kingston, Ont.). Theses (Queen's University (Kingston, Ont.)) |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Rights | This publication is made available by the authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research and may not be copied or reproduced except as permitted by the copyright laws without written authority from the copyright owner. |
| Relation | Canadian theses |
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