Project Information
- Ore Deposit: SHMS Zn-Pb-Ag
- Commodity: Germanium, Indium, Lead, Silver, Zinc
- Research Themes: Critical Metals
- Location: Canadian cordillera in BC, Yukon and the NWT
- Project Status: Active
- Researchers: Ken Hickey, Shaun Barker, Joel Saylor, Dominique Weis
The research project will establish basin–deposit–mineral scale controls on critical metal distribution in sediment-hosted massive sulfide Zn-Pb-Ag deposits in passive margin sediments of the Canadian cordillera in BC, Yukon and the NWT. The knowledge gained will generate new genetic models for critical metal enrichment within sedimentary basins and will lead to the development of new exploration models that can be used to guide future exploration for SHMS critical mineral deposits in Canada.
- A number of critical metals listed in Canada’s critical mineral strategy, including zinc, gallium, germanium, indium, uranium, cobalt, and vanadium are enriched in sedimentary rocks. The western cordillera of Canada and Alaska contain several sedimentary basins that contain significant sediment-hosted massive sulfide (SHMS) deposits of Pb, Zn and Ag, containing several critical metal byproducts including Ga, Ge, In, and potentially Co. The tonnage, grade and ratios of byproduct critical metals to main commodity metals (e.g. Pb, Zn, Ag) vary significantly, which impacts the economic and strategic significance of these critical metal resources. Despite recent advances in improvements in our understanding of the genesis of SHMS deposits, we have little understanding of what controls enrichment of critical metals within SHMS deposits, or what determines their mineral deportment.
- The current project will address this knowledge gap by establishing the basin-deposit-mineral scale controls on critical metal distribution in SHMS deposits. The outcomes of this research will assess the distribution of critical metals within minerals, within individual mineral deposits, and within sedimentary basins. The knowledge gained will generate new genetic models for critical metal enrichment within sedimentary basins and will lead to the development of new exploration models that can be used to guide future exploration for SHMS critical mineral deposits in Canada.
- The project has three research themes: (1) Controls on timing and locus of sedimentation and SHMS Zn mineralization in the Selwyn basin region of eastern Yukon and far-western NWT. (2) Metal source rock controls on critical metal endowment of SHMS deposits in the Selwyn basin. (3) Controls on critical metal distribution and mineral deportment at the deposit to property scale to better forecast byproduct production, mineral exploration and environmental impact using samples from a range of exploration plays (Macmillan Pass, Cirque), and current and past producing mines (Red Dog, Sullivan).
- The research project is a partnership between MDRU, Fireweed Metals and Teck Resources, and the provincial geological surveys of British Columbia, Yukon and the Northwest Territories.
