Cassandra Ouellette, BSc
C. Ouellette1, S. Brueckner1, P. Trudel2
1Harquail School of Earth Sciences, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
2Exploration Geology, Glencore, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
The Tuscan ore body is located in the East range of the Sudbury Basin near the Capre 3000 Ni-Cu deposit and on the western side of the Amy Lake fault. The ore body was found in 2008 and composes of sharp, narrow footwall veins of 20-40cm thickness. Initial sampling and assay results of the target revealed enrichment of platinum group elements (PGE) ~180g/t Pt+Pd+Au+Ag within the copper sulphide vein with low sulphide platinum group element (LSPGE) mineralization ~17.7g/t Pt+Pd+Au+Ag hosted in Sudbury breccia about 100m beneath mineralized sulphide vein. No further research has been conducted on Tuscan since its initial exploration in 2008 and therefore lacks a detailed characterization of its ore assemblage, occurrence of PGE minerals with their relation to sulfide mineralization, and the occurrence of alteration. The goal of this study is to identify the mineralization styles in which sulfides and PGE minerals occur, to characterize if hydrothermal alteration is present and to constrain the potential relation between alteration and mineralization. The study will focus on five drill holes intersecting the Tuscan ore body and combining petrography and geochemistry. Characterization is obtained from macroscopic observations (historic and recent core logs) and detailed thin section petrography using both standard reflected and transmitted light microscopy and scanned electron microscopy. The geochemical composition of the studied drill holes will focus on metal composition including PGE on samples collected over the summer. The results of this study will provide mineralogical context for ore sulfide and PGE mineralization and will compare the data with other PGE-hosting deposits within the SIC to draw conclusions regarding their formation at Tuscan.