Architecture and emplacement of the Nebo–Babel gabbronorite-hosted magmatic Ni–Cu–PGE sulphide deposit, West Musgrave, Western Australia

Seat, Zoran; Beresford, Steve; Grguric, Ben; Waugh, R.S.; Hronsky, Jon; Gee, Mary; Groves, David; Mathison, Charter

doi:10.1007/s00126-007-0123-9

Cited by 64 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…The mineralised intrusion was studied in great detail by Seat et al (2007), Seat et al (2009), Godel et al (2011) and Seat et al (2011). From 2004, the GSWA mapped the West Musgrave Province on a 1:100,000 scale (Howard et al 2011b).…”

Section: Previous Work In the Musgrave Provincementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The G1 intrusions account for most of the mafic-ultramafic magma volume produced during the Giles Event. However, the Alcurra Dolerite Suite hosts a number of recently discovered magmatic sulphide occurrences, such as Nebo-Babel (Seat et al 2007), Manchego (Karykowski et al 2015) and Halleys . Detailed reviews of the Musgrave Province including its mineral potential as well as its tectonic evolution are provided by Glikson et al (1996), Smithies et al (2008), Maier et al (2015) and Howard et al (2015).…”

Section: Geological Background Regional Geologymentioning

confidence: 99%

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New insights into the petrogenesis of the Jameson Range layered intrusion and associated Fe-Ti-P-V-PGE-Au mineralisation, West Musgrave Province, Western Australia

Karykowski

Polito²,

Gutzmer

et al. 2016

Miner Deposita

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The Mesoproterozoic Jameson Range intrusion forms part of the Giles Complex, Musgrave Province, Western Australia. It is predominantly mafic in composition comprising olivine-bearing gabbroic lithologies with variable amounts of magnetite and ilmenite. Lithologies containing more than 50 vol% magnetite and ilmenite are classified as magnetitites. The Jameson Range hosts several of these magnetitites forming laterally extensive layers, which can be traced for at least 19 km as continuous magnetic anomalies. Similar occurrences of magnetitites are known from the upper parts of other layered intrusions, such as the Bushveld Complex. In addition, the intrusion hosts several P-rich zones, one of which is at least 59 m in thickness containing 1.0 wt% P 2 O 5 . The P-rich zones are not directly associated with the magnetitites, but they mostly occur slightly above them. The mineral chemistry of the Jameson Range cumulates is relatively evolved with olivine compositions ranging from Fo 44 to Fo 60 and plagioclase compositions varying between An 56 and An 59 . The Mg# (100 × Mg / (Mg + Fe)) of ortho-and clinopyroxene ranges from 60 to 61 and from 70 to 75, respectively. Magnetite compositions are characterised by low TiO 2 concentrations varying from 0.39 to 3.04 wt% representing near end-member magnetite with up to 1.2 wt% Cr and 1.3 wt% V, respectively. The basal magnetite layer reaches up to 68.8 wt% Fe 2 O 3 (t) and 24.2 wt% TiO 2 , and it is also markedly enriched in Cu (up to 0.3 wt% Cu), V (up to 1.05 wt% V 2 O 5 ) and platinum-group elements (PGE) (up to 2 ppm Pt + Pd). Sulphide minerals comprising bornite, chalcopyrite and minor pentlandite occur finely disseminated in the magnetitite and account for the elevated base metal and PGE concentrations. Modelling indicates that the PGE mineralisation was formed at very high R factors of up to 100,000, which is typical for PGE reefs in layered intrusions. Whole rock geochemical and mineralogical data of the magnetite layers and their host rocks further allow for a refinement of current formation models of layered igneous sequences. Several lines of evidence suggest that the magnetite layers formed in response to primarily density-controlled mineral sorting within crystal slurries, although the grain size also affects the sorting process.

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Section: Previous Work In the Musgrave Provincementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Geological Background Regional Geologymentioning

confidence: 99%

New insights into the petrogenesis of the Jameson Range layered intrusion and associated Fe-Ti-P-V-PGE-Au mineralisation, West Musgrave Province, Western Australia

Karykowski

Polito²,

Gutzmer

et al. 2016

Miner Deposita

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“…The deposit is hosted within a concentrically zoned, olivine-free, tube-like (chonolithic), gabbronorite intrusion (Seat et al 2007). The Nebo and Babel occurrences are believed to have formed as one entity but faulting along the Jameson Fault has separated the two zones by approximately 1 km N-S and 800 m E-W.…”

Section: Nebo Babel Deposit Western Australiamentioning

confidence: 99%

An assessment of ZTEM and time domain EM results over three mineral deposits

Witherly¹,

Sattel²

2013

ASEG Extended Abstracts

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“…A large multidisciplinary study of the Musgrave Province beginning in the late 1980s (Australian Geological Survey Organisation, now Geoscience Australia: Glikson, 1995;Glikson et al, 1996) also focused mainly on the Giles intrusions Glikson, 1989, 1995;Ballhaus and Berry, 1991;Clarke et al, 1995a,b;Glikson, 1995;Sheraton and Sun, 1995;Stewart, 1995). Recent work includes studies by Seat et al (2007Seat et al ( , 2009 and Godel et al (2011), on the Nebo-Babel Ni-Cu ore deposit, and by Evins et al (2010a,b) and Aitken et al (2013), on the structural evolution during the Giles Event.…”

Section: Past Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This is considered to be favourable for the formation of magmatic and hydrothermal ore deposits. Two world-class deposits have been discovered so far, namely the Nebo-Babel magmatic Ni-Cu deposit (Seat et al, 2007(Seat et al, , 2009) and the Wingellina Ni laterite deposit (Metals X Ltd, 2013). In the present paper we review the ore potential of the Giles intrusions and related mafic intrusive rocks of the Warakurna Supersuite.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Magmatic ore deposits in mafic–ultramafic intrusions of the Giles Event, Western Australia

Maier

Howard

Smithies

et al. 2015

Ore Geology Reviews

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More than 20 layered intrusions were emplaced at c. 1075 Ma across N100 000 km 2 in the Mesoproterozoic Over a time span of N200 my, the Musgrave Province was affected by near continuous high-temperature reworking under a primarily extensional regime. This began with the 1220-1150 Ma intracratonic Musgrave Orogeny, characterized by ponding of basalt at the base of the lithosphere, melting of lower crust, voluminous granite magmatism, and widespread and near-continuous, mid-crustal ultra-high-temperature (UHT) metamorphism. Direct ascent of basic magmas into the upper crust was inhibited by the ductile nature of the lower crust and the development of substantial crystal-rich magma storage chambers. In the period between c. 1150 and 1090 Ma magmatism ceased, possibly because the lower crust had become too refractory, but mid-crustal reworking was continuously recorded in the crystallization of zircon in anatectic melts. Renewed magmatism in the form of the Giles Event of the Warakurna LIP began at around 1090 Ma and was characterized by voluminous basic and felsic volcanic and intrusive rocks grouped into the Warakurna Supersuite. Of particular interest in the context of the present study are the Giles layered intrusions which were emplaced into localized extensional zones. Rifting, emplacement of the layered intrusions, and significant uplift all occurred between 1078 and 1075 Ma, but mantle-derived magmatism lasted for N50 m.y., with no time progressive geographical trend, suggesting that magmatism was unrelated to a deep mantle plume, but instead controlled by plate architecture. The Giles layered intrusions and their immediate host rocks are considered to be prospective for (i) platinum-group element (PGE) reefs in the ultramafic-mafic transition zones of the intrusions, and in magnetite layers of their upper portions, (ii) Cu-Ni sulfide deposits hosted within magma feeder conduits of late basaltic pulses, (iii) vanadium in the lowermost magnetite layers of the most fractionated intrusions, (iv) apatite in unexposed magnetite layers towards the evolved top of some layered intrusions, (v) ilmenite as granular disseminated grains within the upper portions of the intrusions, (vi) iron in tectonically thickened magnetite layers or magnetite pipes of the upper portions of intrusions, (vii) gold and copper in the roof rocks and contact aureoles of the large intrusions, and (viii) lateritic nickel in weathered portions of olivine-rich ultramafic intrusions.

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Architecture and emplacement of the Nebo–Babel gabbronorite-hosted magmatic Ni–Cu–PGE sulphide deposit, West Musgrave, Western Australia

Cited by 64 publications

References 36 publications

New insights into the petrogenesis of the Jameson Range layered intrusion and associated Fe-Ti-P-V-PGE-Au mineralisation, West Musgrave Province, Western Australia

New insights into the petrogenesis of the Jameson Range layered intrusion and associated Fe-Ti-P-V-PGE-Au mineralisation, West Musgrave Province, Western Australia

An assessment of ZTEM and time domain EM results over three mineral deposits

Magmatic ore deposits in mafic–ultramafic intrusions of the Giles Event, Western Australia

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