Potential for Volcanogenic Massive Sulfide Mineralization at the A6 Anomaly, North-West British Columbia, Canada: Stratigraphy, Lithogeochemistry, and Alteration Mineralogy and Chemistry
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Geological Setting
2.1. Regional Geological Setting
Deposit/Prospect | Age [Ma] | Lithology | Reference |
---|---|---|---|
KSM | 193.9 ± 0.5 to 190.3 ± 0.8 | Altered and mineralized diorite | [7,34,42] |
Snowfield | 189.6 ± 2.2 | Porphyry | [43] |
Brucejack | ≤184 | Porphyritic lava flow | [1,44] |
A6 Anomaly | 172.0 ± 1.7 | Felsic volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks (BR-65) | [45] |
176.4 ± 0.94 * | Heterolithic sandstone (BR-38) | ||
177.0 ± 1.2 * | Intermediate volcaniclastic rock (E flank from BR-69) | ||
Eskay Creek | 175.0 ± 2.0 | Eskay Rhyolite Member | [2] |
2.2. Stratigraphy of the A6 Anomaly
3. Materials and Methods
3.1. Whole Rock Lithogeochemistry
3.2. SEM
3.3. XRD
3.4. EMPA
3.5. SIMS
4. Results
4.1. Whole Rock Lithogeochemistry
Felsic Units | Group A Basalts | Group B Basalts | Group B Andesites | Dyke I-a | Dyke I-b | Dyke II | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Av ± Stdev | Av ± Stdev | Av ± Stdev | Av ± Stdev | Av ± Stdev | Av ± Stdev | Av ± Stdev | |
n | 43 | 38 | 38 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
SiO2 [wt%] | 69.9 ± 3.93 | 42.1 ± 4.14 | 49.2 ± 4.43 | 60.7 ± 4.56 | 40.9 ± 3.04 | 41.4 ± 3.84 | 39.0 ± 4.98 |
TiO2 | 0.21 ± 0.03 | 1.10 ± 0.18 | 1.23 ± 0.34 | 0.77 ± 0.2 | 0.77 ± 0.16 | 1.29 ± 0.17 | 1.87 ± 0.08 |
Al2O3 | 14.6 ± 2.23 | 16.3 ± 1.59 | 16.8 ± 1.67 | 17.6 ± 1.99 | 16.2 ± 1.78 | 16.4 ± 0.93 | 18.6 ± 0.72 |
Fe2O3(t) | 2.30 ± 1.45 | 11.7 ± 1.97 | 8.64 ± 1.67 | 4.19 ± 0.85 | 12.0 ± 0.48 | 14.3 ± 1.11 | 14.0 ± 1.94 |
MnO | 0.05 ± 0.03 | 0.18 ± 0.05 | 0.18 ± 0.08 | 0.12 ± 0.04 | 0.21 ± 0.01 | 0.20 ± 0.02 | 0.29 ± 0.09 |
MgO | 0.71 ± 0.37 | 7.01 ± 2.18 | 3.80 ± 1.39 | 1.01 ± 0.36 | 13.3 ± 4.03 | 5.17 ± 1.5 | 5.20 ± 2.51 |
CaO | 1.86 ± 1.07 | 9.68 ± 3.02 | 7.18 ± 3.72 | 3.23 ± 1.8 | 9.61 ± 0.51 | 8.40 ± 1.83 | 7.01 ± 4.86 |
Na2O | 1.80 ± 0.87 | 2.60 ± 1.43 | 3.77 ± 2.15 | 7.06 ± 1.4 | 0.92 ± 1.15 | 3.04 ± 1.74 | 2.52 ± 0.11 |
K2O | 4.93 ± 1.57 | 0.62 ± 0.83 | 1.92 ± 1.36 | 1.54 ± 1.39 | 0.09 ± 0.09 | 0.63 ± 1.04 | 1.96 ± 1.61 |
P2O5 | 0.07 ± 0.01 | 0.15 ± 0.07 | 0.65 ± 0.29 | 0.42 ± 0.12 | 0.08 ± 0.03 | 0.10 ± 0.01 | 0.89 ± 0.03 |
LOI | 2.90 ± 1.14 | 7.74 ± 3.47 | 6.03 ± 2.76 | 2.97 ± 1.54 | 5.58 ± 1.76 | 7.94 ± 3.36 | 8.21 ± 2.84 |
Total | 100 ± 1.66 | 99.8 ± 0.48 | 100 ± 1.7 | 100 ± 0.32 | 100 ± 0.19 | 99.9 ± 0.42 | 101 ± 0.13 |
C | 0.41 ± 0.24 | 1.16 ± 1.02 | 0.94 ± 0.94 | 0.56 ± 0.43 | 0.06 ± 0 | 1.37 ± 0.88 | 1.27 ± 1.09 |
S | 0.47 ± 1.16 | 0.18 ± 0.27 | 0.37 ± 1.02 | 0.13 ± 0.07 | 0.08 ± 0.04 | 0.29 ± 0.2 | 0.29 ± 0.21 |
Ni [ppm] | 2.34 ± 1.43 | 106 ± 40 | 32.0 ± 24.2 | 2.00 ± 1.41 | 325 ± 159 | 113 ± 25.1 | 46.7 ± 10.3 |
V | 28.0 ± 9.94 | 280 ± 29.3 | 176 ± 61.5 | 18.4 ± 3.66 | 222 ± 51.1 | 284 ± 38.2 | 351 ± 41.9 |
Cu | 9.25 ± 24.3 | 67.6 ± 14.8 | 28.3 ± 23.5 | 2.00 ± 1.41 | 62.3 ± 47.7 | 67.7 ± 2.08 | 45.3 ± 37.9 |
Zn | 41.9 ± 37.5 | 92.1 ± 18.4 | 92.9 ± 30.1 | 103 ± 22.4 | 109 ± 14.4 | 118 ± 10.0 | 251 ± 108 |
Pb | 13.6 ± 12.0 | 5.50 ± 4.95 | 5.80 ± 8.05 | 7.50 ± 1.93 | 5.50 ± 0.71 | ||
Nb | 12.0 ± 2.26 | 2.03 ± 0.63 | 9.59 ± 2.73 | 17.4 ± 2.24 | 1.27 ± 0.42 | 1.10 ± 0.17 | 20.2 ± 1.98 |
Zr | 147 ± 19.5 | 50.8 ± 9.96 | 125 ± 27.6 | 227 ± 34.3 | 43.0 ± 10.1 | 32.0 ± 2.65 | 115 ± 9.54 |
Y | 18.2 ± 4.82 | 21.5 ± 2.48 | 26.9 ± 8.85 | 38.8 ± 4.99 | 17.5 ± 4.3 | 18.9 ± 2.37 | 23.1 ± 4.91 |
Ta | 0.97 ± 0.27 | 0.25 ± 0.17 | 0.58 ± 0.28 | 0.98 ± 0.14 | 0.13 ± 0.06 | 0.43 ± 0.32 | 1.10 ± 0.36 |
La | 29.7 ± 7.35 | 5.64 ± 1.96 | 21.8 ± 6.14 | 39.8 ± 6.56 | 3.77 ± 1.65 | 2.87 ± 0.45 | 39.1 ± 1.5 |
Ce | 53.6 ± 12.7 | 13.3 ± 3.44 | 47.1 ± 14.1 | 83.9 ± 15.5 | 8.37 ± 2.25 | 8.23 ± 0.99 | 79.1 ± 3.36 |
Pr | 5.87 ± 1.38 | 2.10 ± 0.48 | 6.30 ± 2.11 | 10.6 ± 1.67 | 1.32 ± 0.35 | 1.54 ± 0.18 | 9.25 ± 0.48 |
Nd | 21.0 ± 4.72 | 10.4 ± 2.2 | 27.7 ± 9.19 | 42.6 ± 5.87 | 6.73 ± 2.03 | 9.00 ± 0.66 | 37.3 ± 1.85 |
Sm | 3.95 ± 0.79 | 3.12 ± 0.47 | 6.19 ± 2.17 | 8.56 ± 1.06 | 2.12 ± 0.41 | 2.92 ± 0.42 | 7.43 ± 0.57 |
Eu | 0.70 ± 0.19 | 1.05 ± 0.18 | 1.81 ± 0.6 | 2.17 ± 0.29 | 0.81 ± 0.42 | 0.90 ± 0.44 | 1.96 ± 0.29 |
Gd | 3.28 ± 0.76 | 3.63 ± 0.44 | 6.06 ± 2.22 | 7.46 ± 1.01 | 2.59 ± 0.73 | 3.89 ± 0.65 | 6.21 ± 0.87 |
Tb | 0.48 ± 0.13 | 0.61 ± 0.07 | 0.84 ± 0.29 | 1.14 ± 0.16 | 0.47 ± 0.09 | 0.56 ± 0.06 | 0.79 ± 0.12 |
Dy | 3.04 ± 0.89 | 3.79 ± 0.43 | 5.12 ± 1.82 | 6.98 ± 1.13 | 2.94 ± 0.89 | 3.90 ± 0.44 | 4.28 ± 0.84 |
Ho | 0.64 ± 0.17 | 0.83 ± 0.09 | 1.04 ± 0.34 | 1.41 ± 0.19 | 0.68 ± 0.15 | 0.79 ± 0.09 | 0.85 ± 0.16 |
Er | 2.05 ± 0.54 | 2.46 ± 0.26 | 3.06 ± 1.05 | 4.38 ± 0.48 | 2.03 ± 0.54 | 2.23 ± 0.31 | 2.44 ± 0.31 |
Tm | 0.31 ± 0.08 | 0.35 ± 0.04 | 0.43 ± 0.13 | 0.64 ± 0.06 | 0.29 ± 0.1 | 0.30 ± 0.03 | 0.29 ± 0.04 |
Yb | 2.35 ± 0.59 | 2.33 ± 0.23 | 2.94 ± 0.89 | 4.30 ± 0.49 | 1.81 ± 0.52 | 2.20 ± 0.23 | 2.15 ± 0.13 |
Lu | 0.36 ± 0.09 | 0.35 ± 0.04 | 0.43 ± 0.12 | 0.66 ± 0.08 | 0.29 ± 0.09 | 0.31 ± 0.04 | 0.29 ± 0.02 |
ΣREE | 127 ± 28.5 | 50.0 ± 9.32 | 131 ± 40.2 | 215 ± 31.7 | 34.2 ± 10.1 | 39.7 ± 3.68 | 192 ± 9.74 |
Zr/Y | 8.41 ± 1.61 | 2.38 ± 0.46 | 4.87 ± 1.04 | 5.90 ± 0.88 | 2.46 ± 0.21 | 1.70 ± 0.08 | 5.16 ± 1.45 |
Zr/Ti | 0.12 ± 0.01 | 0.01 ± 0 | 0.02 ± 0 | 0.05 ± 0.01 | 0.01 ± 0 | 0.00 ± 0 | 0.01 ± 0 |
Nb/Yb | 5.37 ± 1.53 | 0.88 ± 0.27 | 3.32 ± 0.62 | 4.05 ± 0.43 | 0.70 ± 0.18 | 0.50 ± 0.03 | 9.49 ± 1.5 |
Mg# 1 | 38.6 ± 11.6 | 53.3 ± 9.57 | 45.5 ± 7.32 | 31.8 ± 6.65 | 67.6 ± 6.9 | 41.3 ± 7.9 | 40.8 ± 8.83 |
La/Sm | 7.52 ± 1.01 | 1.80 ± 0.45 | 3.64 ± 0.61 | 4.64 ± 0.44 | 1.73 ± 0.42 | 0.99 ± 0.18 | 5.27 ± 0.22 |
Ce/Ce* 2 | 0.97 ± 0.02 | 0.93 ± 0.06 | 0.95 ± 0.04 | 0.98 ± 0.04 | 0.90 ± 0.11 | 0.94 ± 0.02 | 0.98 ± 0.02 |
Eu/Eu* 3 | 0.59 ± 0.08 | 0.95 ± 0.11 | 0.93 ± 0.19 | 0.83 ± 0.08 | 1.01 ± 0.27 | 0.81 ± 0.37 | 0.89 ± 0.15 |
Ybn 4 | 10.7 ± 2.68 | 10.6 ± 1.07 | 13.4 ± 4.06 | 19.5 ± 2.24 | 8.24 ± 2.36 | 10.0 ± 1.06 | 9.76 ± 0.61 |
(La/Yb)n 5 | 8.9 ± 3.16 | 1.62 ± 0.52 | 5.09 ± 1.20 | 6.26 ± 1.21 | 1.35 ± 0.24 | 0.87 ± 0.15 | 12.2 ± 0.41 |
(La/Sm)n 6 | 4.73 ± 0.63 | 1.13 ± 0.28 | 2.29 ± 0.38 | 2.92 ± 0.28 | 1.09 ± 0.27 | 0.62 ± 0.11 | 3.32 ± 0.14 |
(Gd/Yb)n 7 | 1.16 ± 0.27 | 1.26 ± 0.11 | 1.65 ± 0.25 | 1.40 ± 0.09 | 1.15 ± 0.02 | 1.42 ± 0.11 | 2.33 ± 0.24 |
4.2. Alteration Mineralogy
4.2.1. SEM
4.2.2. XRD
4.3. EMPA
Element | Average | Stddev | Min | Max |
---|---|---|---|---|
SiO2 [wt%] | 50.02 | 1.52 | 45.78 | 54.16 |
Al2O3 | 29.36 | 1.06 | 26.42 | 32.33 |
FeO(t) | 2.04 | 0.41 | 1.32 | 4.09 |
MgO | 1.72 | 0.30 | 1.05 | 2.58 |
CaO | 0.08 | 0.07 | 0.00 | 0.64 |
Na2O | 0.26 | 0.40 | 0.00 | 2.09 |
K2O | 8.93 | 0.59 | 6.82 | 9.85 |
Cr2O3 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.04 |
SO3 | 0.02 | 0.06 | 0.00 | 0.63 |
CuO | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.00 | 0.11 |
Total | 92.45 | 1.11 | 90.09 | 95.56 |
H2O_calc | 7.55 | 1.11 | 4.44 | 9.91 |
Na2O + K2O | 9.19 | 0.54 | 8.00 | 10.54 |
Based on 11 oxygen atoms | ||||
Si [apfu] | 2.94 | 0.10 | 2.67 | 3.17 |
ivAl * | 0.65 | 0.00 | 0.65 | 0.65 |
Subtotal | 3.59 | 0.10 | 3.32 | 3.82 |
viAl | 1.38 | 0.08 | 1.17 | 1.56 |
Fe2+ ** | 0.10 | 0.02 | 0.06 | 0.20 |
Mg | 0.15 | 0.03 | 0.09 | 0.23 |
Sum Octahedral | 1.63 | 0.08 | 1.36 | 1.74 |
R2+ = Fe + Mg | 0.25 | 0.04 | 0.17 | 0.35 |
viR2+/(viR2+ + viR3+) ≤ 0.25 | 0.15 | 0.02 | 0.10 | 0.23 |
Ca | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.04 |
Na | 0.03 | 0.05 | 0.00 | 0.24 |
K | 0.67 | 0.05 | 0.50 | 0.75 |
Sum Interlayer | 0.70 | 0.05 | 0.60 | 0.84 |
Total_no water | 5.92 | 0.13 | 5.65 | 6.26 |
OH | 1.48 | 0.20 | 0.89 | 1.90 |
Al_total | 2.03 | 0.08 | 1.82 | 2.21 |
Cr | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
S | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.03 |
Cu | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
x = K + |Fe-Mg| | 0.72 | 0.06 | 0.53 | 0.83 |
T[°C] = 267.95x + 31.50 | 225 | 16 | 173 | 253 |
4.4. SIMS
5. Discussion
5.1. Potential for a VMS System
5.2. Comparison to Eskay Creek VMS Deposit and Tectonic Setting of A6 Anomaly
5.3. Alteration
5.3.1. Isocon and Mass Balance Calculations
5.3.2. Alteration Geochemistry and Geothermometry
6. Conclusions
- Stratigraphy at the A6 Anomaly is comprised of altered felsic rhyodacites to trachytes that are overlain by a fining upward volcano-sedimentary sequence consisting of heterogeneous turbiditic sequence and mafic to intermediate volcanic rocks. This stratigraphy has late-Early to Middle Jurassic age (177–172.7 Ma) and is assigned here to the Iskut River Formation of the Upper Hazelton Group.
- Rhyodacites and trachytes have a calc-alkaline affinity and represent FII to minor FI rhyolites with Zr < 200 ppm, and a weakly decreasing REE pattern that has a weakly negative Eu anomaly. These units were formed by partial melting of an amphibole-plagioclase precursor at a melting depth of 10–15 km in an evolving back-basin.
- Mafic units, which are distinguished into Group A basalts (tholeiitic, Nb/Yb < 1.6; slightly decreasing REE pattern) and Group B basalts and andesites (transitional to calc-alkaline, Nb/Yb > 2.2; strongly decreasing REE pattern), represent MORB with varying degrees of crust assimilation. Group B basalts, which occur spatially in the hanging wall of altered felsic units, are formed in a similar back-arc setting to those of rhyodacites to trachytes. In contrast, Group A basalts which occur predominantly in the upper part of the stratigraphy formed when the evolving back arc basin thinned due to extension, resulting in less crustal contamination compared to Group B rocks; this indicates the presence of a rift basin east of the main Eskay rift.
- Felsic and mafic units at the A6 Anomaly are ambiguous in their potential to host an ore-bearing VMS deposit, since they have characteristics of both barren VMS systems (e.g., absence of subvolcanic intrusion that provide heat and metals; felsic units with geochemistry common in VMS barren systems and low metal content; lack of distinct sulfide stringers common in stockwork zones beneath massive sulfide lenses) and ore-bearing VMS systems (e.g., association with shallow melting mafic units such as Group A basalts; pre-dominant FII affinity; formation in evolving back-arc rift common for VMS formation). Hence, further exploration in the area should focus on identifying a shallow subvolcanic tholeiitic felsic intrusion that could have provided heat and base metals, and on further identifying the stratigraphy and geochemistry of igneous units.
- The alteration assemblage in the altered felsic units is laterally and vertically homogeneous, defined by phyllic alteration with quartz—illite–K-feldspar ± chlorite ± pyrite ± calcite ± barite ± rutile. Illite is of I/S and almost endmember illite composition and formed from feldspar (albite, plagioclase, K-feldspar) destruction by mildly acidic (pH = 4–5.5), oxidized fluids at temperatures of 200–250 °C. The alteration represents distal footwall alteration, presumably in a semiconformable alteration zone, and lacks significant sulfide stringers and metal enrichment. Hydrothermal fluids, despite favorable fluid conditions, in particular for Zn ± Pb ± Ag transport, were relatively metal barren.
Supplementary Materials
Author Contributions
Funding
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Illite | Quartz | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sample | Spot | 18O/16OMeas | δ18O (‰) | 1σ (‰) | Spot | 18O/16OMeas | δ18O (‰) | 1σ (‰) |
DDH BR-79 | ||||||||
S825792 | C2-01 | 1.90 × 10−3 | 8.3 | 0.8 | C2-b | 1.89 × 10−3 | 13.7 | 0.8 |
S825792 | C2-02 | 1.90 × 10−3 | 7.6 | 0.8 | C2-c | 1.89 × 10−3 | 14.6 | 0.8 |
S825792 | C2-03 | 1.90 × 10−3 | 8.6 | 0.8 | C-2c2 | 1.89 × 10−3 | 15.1 | 0.8 |
S825792 | C2-04 | 1.90 × 10−3 | 11.2 | 0.8 | C2-e | 1.89 × 10−3 | 12.4 | 0.8 |
S825792 | C1-01 | 1.90 × 10−3 | 8.8 | 0.8 | C-3g | 1.89 × 10−3 | 13.7 | 0.8 |
S825792 | C1-02 | 1.89 × 10−3 | 6.2 | 0.8 | C-3e | 1.89 × 10−3 | 13.9 | 0.8 |
S825792 | C1-03 | 1.90 × 10−3 | 10.2 | 0.8 | C1-a | 1.89 × 10−3 | 13.3 | 0.8 |
S825792 | C1-04 | 1.90 × 10−3 | 7.8 | 0.8 | C1-e | 1.89 × 10−3 | 13.7 | 0.8 |
DDH BR-65 | ||||||||
S826468 | C5-01 | 1.90 × 10−3 | 11.6 | 0.8 | C5-a | 1.88 × 10−3 | 11.7 | 0.8 |
S826468 | C5-02 | 1.90 × 10−3 | 14.3 | 0.8 | C5-e | 1.88 × 10−3 | 11.0 | 0.8 |
S826468 | C5-03 | 1.90 × 10−3 | 9.9 | 0.8 | C5-c | 1.88 × 10−3 | 12.1 | 0.8 |
S826468 | C5-04 | 1.90 × 10−3 | 10.3 | 0.8 | C5-f | 1.89 × 10−3 | 14.0 | 0.8 |
S826468 | C1-01 | 1.90 × 10−3 | 10.1 | 0.8 | C1-b | 1.89 × 10−3 | 14.9 | 0.8 |
S826468 | C1-02 | 1.90 × 10−3 | 10.2 | 0.8 | C1-c | 1.89 × 10−3 | 12.6 | 0.8 |
S826468 | C1-03 | 1.90 × 10−3 | 9.4 | 0.8 | C1-d | 1.89 × 10−3 | 13.7 | 0.8 |
S826468 | C1-04 | 1.90 × 10−3 | 10.1 | 0.8 | ||||
DDH BR-82 | ||||||||
S826793 | C3-01 | 1.90 × 10−3 | 11.8 | 0.8 | C3-d | 1.89 × 10−3 | 15.3 | 0.8 |
S826793 | C3-02 | 1.90 × 10−3 | 21.7 | 0.8 | C3-f | 1.88 × 10−3 | 14.1 | 0.8 |
S826793 | C3-03 | 1.90 × 10−3 | 12 | 0.8 | C3-g | 1.88 × 10−3 | 14.2 | 0.8 |
S826793 | C3-04 | 1.90 × 10−3 | 13.3 | 0.8 | ||||
S826793 | C5-01 | 1.90 × 10−3 | 13.1 | 0.8 | C5-a | 1.89 × 10−3 | 14.7 | 0.8 |
S826793 | C5-02 | 1.90 × 10−3 | 9.6 | 0.8 | C5-f | 1.88 × 10−3 | 11.7 | 0.8 |
S826793 | C5-03 | 1.90 × 10−3 | 11.4 | 0.8 | C5-g | 1.88 × 10−3 | 11.7 | 0.8 |
S826793 | C5-04 | 1.90 × 10−3 | 10.2 | 0.8 | ||||
Average | 10.7 | 13.4 | ||||||
Stdev | 3.0 | 1.3 | ||||||
Min | 6.2 | 11.0 | ||||||
Max | 21.7 | 15.3 |
Feature | A6 Anomaly | Eskay Creek VMS Deposit |
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Felsic units |
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Mafic volcanic units |
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Intrusions |
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Tectonic setting |
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Alteration |
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Mineralization |
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Brueckner, S.M.; Johnson, G.; Wafforn, S.; Gibson, H.; Sherlock, R.; Anstey, C.; McNaughton, K. Potential for Volcanogenic Massive Sulfide Mineralization at the A6 Anomaly, North-West British Columbia, Canada: Stratigraphy, Lithogeochemistry, and Alteration Mineralogy and Chemistry. Minerals 2021, 11, 867. https://doi.org/10.3390/min11080867
Brueckner SM, Johnson G, Wafforn S, Gibson H, Sherlock R, Anstey C, McNaughton K. Potential for Volcanogenic Massive Sulfide Mineralization at the A6 Anomaly, North-West British Columbia, Canada: Stratigraphy, Lithogeochemistry, and Alteration Mineralogy and Chemistry. Minerals. 2021; 11(8):867. https://doi.org/10.3390/min11080867
Chicago/Turabian StyleBrueckner, Stefanie M., Gregory Johnson, Stephanie Wafforn, Harold Gibson, Ross Sherlock, Christina Anstey, and Ken McNaughton. 2021. "Potential for Volcanogenic Massive Sulfide Mineralization at the A6 Anomaly, North-West British Columbia, Canada: Stratigraphy, Lithogeochemistry, and Alteration Mineralogy and Chemistry" Minerals 11, no. 8: 867. https://doi.org/10.3390/min11080867