Oya Ak, PhD
O. Ak1, D. Gregory1
1Department of Earth Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
The Young-Davidson (YD) Mine is located within the Cadillac–Larder Lake deformation zone (CLLDZ) near Matachewan, Ontario, and represents a syenite-hosted orogenic gold deposit characterized by extensive hydrothermal alteration. The main host of mineralization is sulphidized syenite associated with strong hematite alteration and quartz veins cutting syenite intrusions. This study aims to identify controls on the formation and evolution of the YD gold deposit. To do this we performed a detailed investigation of pyrite textures (reflected light microscopy), in situ trace element composition and in situ sulfur isotopes analyses.
Here we highlight preliminary findings these analyses of the pyrite grains. 600 spots from 62 samples were analyzed for sulfur isotope analysis by Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS). The first results show that δ33S anomalies changes between -0.2 and 0.3 ‰ while δ34S values are between -11.5 and 5.9 ‰. Furthermore, to find the trace element content on these different pyrites, LA-ICP-MS was conducted on the same spots. These data are then used to identify the source of the gold and determine which pyrite generations are linked to gold mineralization.
The next steps will involve conducting fluid inclusion to investigate gold carrying fluids conditions and analyzing Fe isotopes by using fs-LA-MC-ICP-MS to obtain additional insights into fluid evolution. These investigations aim to enhance the understanding of gold precipitation from hydrothermal fluids in the region.