Intrusions are

among the
greatest
Intrusion-Related Gold Systems contributors and
hosts for gold in
–with emphasis on Yukon and Alaska the upper crust

Fort Knox, Alaska

7 million ounces of
gold
Craig J.R. Hart
Mineral Deposit Research Unit
University of British Columbia Boddington,
Boddington, WA
Vancouver, Canada
chart@eos.ubc.ca
23 million ounces of
gold

1 2

Pataz-Porcoy
x
Districts
x x
x
x • Are these
x intrusion-related
gold deposits?

10 km

3 4
 Historical Development of Distinguishing Intrusion-
Intrusion-related Gold Models Related Gold Deposits
and Classifications
• USGS Deposit Models, Cox and Singer • Murutau, UZB
• GAC Ore Deposit Models volumes • Pogo, AK US
• BCGS Mineral Deposit Models • Donlin Creek, AK US
• Economic Geology 75th Anniversary Volume • Otago, NZ
• Victoria AUS (Stawell)
• Gold-rich porphyries & gold-only skarns What exploration model is most appropriate??
but NO intrusion-related gold models or veins
• cf: greenstone-gold, Archean-gold, turbidite-gold, shear-zone
gold • Historical Development of Classifications
• Do they exist? Why has it taken so long to recognize? Are
• Characteristics vs Distinguishing Features
their characteristics just too variable?

5 6

Intrusion-Related Gold Deposits Gold-Rich Porphyries

• First suggested by Sillitoe (1991) • Sillitoe (1993)
• 6 sub-classes, first indication of system • Many were gold-rich, but still copper-
– porphyry, intrusion-hosted, skarn, carb- bearing
replacement, non-carb replacement, breccia,
vein • Also included lithocaps or epithermally
• Of 25 examples, most are associated with modified (e.g. Marte)
Cu, most are I-type, metaluminous,
oxidized…..most are arcy
• Included Muruntau

7 8
 Gold (-only) Porphyries Plutonic-Related Gold
• Long-used, general term for any low-grade, • Newberry et al. (1995) and McCoy (1997),
intrusion-hosted gold-only (copper-poor) mostly using Alaskan examples
mineralization • Included a wide-range of gold deposit types
• Used in CIM Porphyry volume, and by from numerous districts throughout Alaska
Hollister (1991), Bakke (1995) for Fort that were lumped into a single genetic
Knox model

9 10

Plutonic Related Gold

Intrusion-Related Gold Veins

• Thompson & Sillitoe (1998)

• Identified numerous gold veins that were
thought to have been genetically associated
with a proximal pluton
• Included Shandong, Dongping, Ryan
Lode….
• Would probably include Pogo (AK),
Stawell (Vic)

11 12
Intrusion-Related Gold with Sn-W Intrusion-Related Gold Systems
• Lang et al. (2000)
• Thompson, Sillitoe et al. (1999) SEG Newsletter
• Recognized gold-mineralization associated • Benefit of field
with more reduced, more felsic, more work in Yukon and
peraluminous (S-typey), more lithophile- Alaska
rich plutons • Emphasis on
• No associated copper system

13 14

Tintina Gold Province

Tintina Gold Belt
• TGB entrenched in
exploration lexicon
• Round Up conference ALAS KA
TIN YU KO N
volume 2000 AG FB
CL TI N
A
KALT Fairbanks
EG
RP A RS GP
I N G O
• Included papers on I
N
T
KT BO
L
D
40
60 Dawson

KD TB
P R Mayo
TG
T
Pogo and Donlin, and EL
L
CH DE
NA
LI DR
O
V I N C
EW F
E
deposits with KK FA
R
Anchorage FA
U
AU
LT TY
LT
questionable plutonic Whitehorse

associations
160°

500 km

15 16
 Reduced
Thermal Aureole Gold
Intrusion-related Gold Systems
• Vic Wall (2000) • Thompson and Newberry (2000) “SEG
• Proximity, or above plutons are good places Gold in 2000” volume
to explore • Emphasized low-oxidation state of
• No obvious genetic connotations, but heat, associated plutons and fluids to differentiate
permeability, fluid mobility, gradients from IRGDeposits of Sillitoe (1991)
• Included a wide range of deposit types

17 18

Tintina Gold Province

Reduced Porphyry Cu-Au Mineralization Styles EPIZONAL
Donlin Creek
Hart et al (2002) True North
Brewery Creek

• Rowins (2000) Geology INTRUSION-RELATED

?
• Moderate gold, but low copper contents Sheeted Veins
Fort Knox ?
• Due to poor mobilization/enrichment of Cu Dublin Gulch
in reduced systems Skarns
Marn, Gil ?
• Suggested same as IRGS Stepovich Dolphin
Replacements/Breccias Pogo
Scheelite Dome
Bear Paw Ryan Lode
SHEAR-RELATED
HiYu,Tolvana
Christina, Longline

19 20
 Models, Classification, Mess…
• Gold-rich Porphyries A Redox Regime for IRGS
• Gold –only Porphyries
• Intrusion-related Gold Deposits
Gold-only
• Plutonic Gold 1 km Porphyry
Reduced Alkalic
• Intrusion-related Gold Veins Reduced Porphyry
Copper
Oxidized Porphyry
• Intrusion-related Gold in Sn-W districts IRGS Copper Gold-rich
IRGD Copper-Gold
Porphyry
• Intrusion-related Gold Systems
3 km Copper
• Tintina Gold Belt
• Reduced Cu-Au Porphyries
• Thermal Aureole Gold 5 km
• Reduced Intrusion-related Gold Systems
• Alkalic Gold-rich Porphyries 8 km
• Alkalic Gold Intrusive Complexes REDUCED OXIDIZED

21 22

Reduced Intrusion-Related Gold

Reduced Intrusion-related Gold Systems
Systems
contact skarns
Au-W - calc-alk
NOT gold porphyries!!!
Au-Cu - alkalic Au-As veins
Sb±Au, As veins •economic base metals
small elongate pluton sheeted veins Ag-Pb-Zn •widespread alteration
aplite & pegmatite dikes veins
distal
horn fe ls

skarns •concentric shells of alteration

tensional zones,
replacement & veins & lamprophyres •multi-directional stockworks
disseminations
low-angle faults
•meteoric fluid contribution
li
m

structurally prepared •oxidized magmas or fluids

it

roof zone thermal aureole hanging wall

hydrothermal above pluton
breccia

23 24
 Reduced Intrusion-related Gold Systems
Tectonic Setting
•Intrusion-centred &
•small high-level pluton
Granite Series Metallogeny
•Assoc’d skarns
•Distal Pb-Ag-Zn veins
•Possible epizonal ores

25 26

Where else in the world … Global Examples of RIRGS

TGP TGP
Abitibi
NB Mokrsko Vasilkovskoe Mokrsko Vasilkovskoe
Salave Salave
Rio Narcea Niuxinshan Rio Narcea Niuxinshan
Dongping Dongping
Jiaodong

La Colosa

Kori Kollo Kori Kollo

Telfer Timbarra Telfer Lachlan
Boddington Kidston Boddington New Englan

27 28
 Tectonic
Setting of
Intrusion-
related ores

29 30

Alaska/Yukon Redox State

110 Ma

Co
120 Ma
Pe 95 Ma nti
ri craW-Sn ne
ton nta
ic l
Ma
Te rg Reduced
rr an in
W-Sn
es Ilmenite-
Ilmenite-series
Ac c Cu-Fe-Au
rete
d
Ter
ran Oxidized
e s
Magnetite-
Magnetite-series
Alaska-Yukon Mid-Cretaceous Plutonic Suites

31 32
 Granite Series & Metallogeny Across-orogen Metallogeny
Oxidized
Accreted Terranes Continental Margin

s
lum nou
-post-accretionary -post-compression, weak ext’n

us
i
um

ino
Cu-Au

al
• Peraluminous, bio-musc

et
• Metaluminous, hb-

ra
Cu-Mo granites

pe
Fe2O3 granodiorites
FeO Mo • Ilmenite series, S-type
• Magnetite series, I-type
eries • Oxidized and primitive • Reduced and radiogenic
etite s
Magn W • Chalcophile dominated
ite ser
ies • Lithophile dominated
Ilmen metallogeny (Cu-Au±Mo)
Sn metallogeny (W-Sn±Mo)
• Subduction-related
mantle-derived arc • Crustal source +
Reduced
mafic felsic source lamprophyres

33 34

Granite Series & Metallogeny

Oxidized

s
lum nou
110 Ma

us
i
um

ino
Cu-Au

al
et
m

ra
Cu-Mo

pe
120 Ma 95 Ma Fe2O3
W-Sn Tombstone Gold Belt FeO Mo
eries
etite s
W-Sn Magn Au
W
Ac c Cu-Fe-Au es
rete ite seri
Ilmen
d Sn
Ter
ran
e s Reduced
mafic felsic

35 36
 Styles of Mineralization
Tectonic Setting associated with
• Setting: Inboard continental margin arc to Intrusion-related
far back-arc Gold Systems
• Timing: Post-deformation to post-collision (IRGS)
• Result: Crustal melting and continental
margin extension=lamprophyres

• Metallogeny: Au in a W district

37 38

Tintina Gold Province

Placer Gold
30 Moz placer production, >40 Moz lode reserves

ALAS KA
Fairbanks
TIN
TI N
YU KO N
CL A
AG FB
KALT
RP A
Fairbanks
RS GP EG Tombstone
T I N G O 40 Dawson
N KT BO
L 60
TB
I D KD
P R Mayo
TG
T CH DE
NA O
EL
L LI DR V I N C
EW F
E
KK R AU TY
FA LT
Anchorage FA
U LT
Whitehorse
160°

500 km

39 40
 Cantung-9Mt of 1.6% WO3
Placer Scheelite Paleozoic
carbonate

Cretaceous granite

41 42

Silver Veins
Keno Hill, Yukon

43 44
Styles of Mineralization-Diversity Zoned RIRGS Model
Intrusion-hosted Proximal Distal
Au-Bi-Te±W, Mo, As Au-As±W,Sn,Sb Au-As-Sb-Hg±Ag,Pb,Zn

contact skarns
Au-W - calc-alk Au-As veins
Au-Cu - alkalic
Sb±Au, As veins

small elongate pluton sheeted veins Ag-Pb-Zn

aplite & pegmatite dikes veins
distal

horn fe ls
skarns
tensional zones,
replacement & veins & lamprophyres
disseminations
low-angle faults

li
m
structurally prepared

it
roof zone thermal aureole hanging wall
hydrothermal above pluton
breccia

45 46

Intrusion-hosted Intrusion-hosted
Dublin Gulch, Yukon Fort Knox, Alaska
granodiorite
Monte Cristo

147°22’00
qtz-bio hornfels Creek Melba
Creek
pyroxene skarn
qtzite, phyllite, schist
h Olive
Tin Gulc
Dome lin
ubD 64°59’30”
k
Cree

Ray Gulch
tungsten skarn
Ra
y

Steiner
Gu
lch
Haggart

150 meters
Eagle Zone
Coarse-grained granite Mafic hybrid Pegmatite
64°01’ Medium-grained granite Schist/Quartzite Shear zone
0 1 Fine-grained granite
Peso-Rex Ag-Pb Keno Hill Ag-Pb
km

47 48
 Intrusion-hosted
186 Mt of 0.93 gpt Au , 7Moz Sheeted Veins

49 50

Reduced
Sheeted Veins Au Skarns
Horn, Yukon

51 52
 Reduced Skarns – Scheelite Dome Hornfels Aureole — Stockworks,
ELEMENT FA-4
Mo
Cu
4
3927
breccias, replacements
Pb 7
Zn
Ag
52
5
• Scheelite Dome
As 3367
Sb 36
Bi 426 auriferous approx. limit of
W 161 sheeted veins contact metamorphism
Au 17
Te 12
Scheelite Dome 0 1
quartz-monzonite
Diopside-plagioclase gangue stock km

ELEMENT TZL-1
Mo 6
b
Cu 72 100 ppb 40 pp
Pb 85

10
Zn 37 Au in soil

0
pp
Ag 11 anomaly

b
100
As 99999 ppb
40 pp b
Sb 208
Bi 3961

136°00’
W 4153
Au 152
Te 110
63°45’ mineralized faults

Phlogopite gangue

53 54

Hornfels Aureole — Stockworks, RIRGS Model

breccias, replacements Intrusion-hosted Proximal
Au-Bi-Te±W, Mo, As Au-As±W,Sn,Sb
Distal
Au-As-Sb-Hg±Ag,Pb,Zn
• Scheelite Dome
contact skarns
Au-W - calc-alk Au-As veins
Au-Cu - alkalic
• Sulphide-rich Sb±Au, As veins

• pyrrhotite>
small elongate pluton sheeted veins Ag-Pb-Zn
pyrite aplite & pegmatite dikes veins
distal

horn fe ls
skarns
• Arsenopyrite- tensional zones,
rich replacement & veins & lamprophyres
disseminations
low-angle faults
li
m

structurally prepared
it

roof zone thermal aureole hanging wall

hydrothermal above pluton
breccia

55 56
 RIRGS Model Mineralization
EPIZONAL
Styles & Deposits Donlin Creek
True North
• Mineralization style and metallogeny are Brewery Creek
zoned outward from a central pluton in a
predictable fashion
INTRUSION-RELATED
?
?
Sheeted Veins
• No single feature defines this model (e.g. Fort Knox
Dublin Gulch
Bi), but a suite of characteristics are
required Skarns
Marn, Gil ?
Stepovich Dolphin
Replacements/Breccias Pogo
Scheelite Dome
Bear Paw Ryan Lode
SHEAR-RELATED
HiYu,Tolvana
Christina, Longline

57 58

Epizonal Gold – Brewery Creek

68 34

30
30

30
24

29

1 km 38

59 60
 Grade and Tonnage
(note log-
log-log scale)
100

Nixon Fork
Cleary Summit

10
Horn Honker

00
to
Longline

10
Pogo

nn
0
10

es
to

A
to

nn
grams per tonne Au

u
nn
10

es
es
Marn

Au
A
Illinois Creek

u
Vinisale

1
Liberty Bell Golden Zone

to
n
Ryan Lode Donlin Creek

ne
A
Brewery Creek

u
True North
Gil Dublin Gulch
1 Shotgun Fort Knox
veins Dolphin
epizonal
replacement, other
skarns
intrusion-hosted
0.1
0.0 0.1 1.0 10.0 100.0 1000.0
millions of tonnes

61 62

Characteristics of
IRGS Characteristics
• Interior parts of orogenic belt
Intrusion-Related Gold Systems
• Wide variation in styles of mineralization
• Variation results from differences in host
rocks, distance from pluton, and depth of
emplacement Igneous rocks vary, but are
reduced
• Sedimentary or metasedimentary host rocks
• Structure, structure, structure
• Either Au-
Au-Bi-
Bi-W-As or Au-
Au-As-
As-Sb-
Sb-Hg assoc’
assoc’n
• Intrusion-
Intrusion-hosted sheeted veins are most
characteristic mineralization Craig J. R. Hart
Mineral Deposit Research Unit
University of British Columbia

63 64
 Location in Pluton
Cupola
Carapace

Hard shell at top

Pluton shape

65 66

Metallogenic Zonation - vertical

Level of erosion
• Emplacement Depth and Erosional Level
Carapace
0 Brewery Creek

volatiles metals Cupola

Epizonal Red Mountain/Len
Au-Sb-As-Hg Dublin Gulch/
3 Brewery Creek Scheelite Dome/
kilometres

Clear Ck./
Fort Knox
5
Mesozonal
Au-Bi-Te-W
Dublin Gulch Roop Lakes

7 Plutonic
W

67 68
 Plutonic Features of IRGS Plutonic Characteristics-
Fractionation
• Lithologically variable, felsic>mafic, associated lamprophyres, Rb
homogeneous or zoned plutons
• Evidence of fractionation and fluid exsolution - pegmatites,
pegmatites,
aplites,
aplites, UST, miarolites,
miarolites, tourmaline
• S-type character, I-
I-type chemistry
metaluminous>peraluminous, sub-
sub-alkalic>alkalic
TUNGSTEN
• High SIR (0.71), low eNd (-15), heavy 18O (10-
(10-15‰
15‰)
• Low primary oxidation state
• Fe2O3/FeO~0.3, ilmenite> magnetite, low mag susc GOLD

Ba Sr

69 70

Alkalic Association Lamprophyres

71 72
 Smoking Gun Pluton

Features indicative of high fluid/

volatile contents and exsolution

73 74

How Reduced? Magnetic

• Intrusions are ilmenite NOT magnetite series
Susceptibility
• Low Fe203/FeO ratios (0.1-0.3)
• Granites have low magnetic susc (0-0.5 x .001 SI)
• Flat aeromagnetic signatures
• Fluids locally have CH4
• Pyrrhotite-lollengite-arsenopyrite-pyrite
• fO2 -14 to -17, NNO-QFM

Ilmenite Magnetite
series series

75 76
Ferric:Ferrous Ratios

77 78

Bismuthite Crystals
from miarolitic cavities

Metal Associations

Scheelite, Bi-Te-Au
NO copper

79 80
 Reduced Skarns – Scheelite Dome
ELEMENT FA-4
Mo 4
Cu 3927
Pb 7
Zn 52
Ag 5
As 3367
Sb 36
Bi 426
W 161 Au
Au 17
Te 12

Diopside-plagioclase gangue

ELEMENT TZL-1
Mo 6 Au
Cu 72
Pb 85
Zn 37
Ag 11
As
Sb
99999
208
Au
Bi 3961
W 4153
Au 152
Te 110

Phlogopite gangue

81 82

Metal Associations
Intrusion-hosted ores Au-Bi-Te (W)

Au:Bi
1:20

Bismuthinite
in reduced,
pyrrhotite-rich
skarn
Au:Te
Au:W
1:0.8

83 84
 Bi:Au
• High correlation
for intrusion-
hosted
• Poor correlation
Metal Zoning for country-rock
hosted

•Au-Bi-Te (W) intrusion-hosted

•Au-As (±Sb) country-rock (aureole)
hosted
•Pb-Zn-Ag distal
Flanigan et al., 2000

85 86

As:Au Regional Silt Geochemistry - As

High
correlation
for
country-
rock
hosted Dawson
deposits Mayo

50 km

87 88
 Silt Geochemistry
Dublin Gulch Metallogenic Zonation - lateral
21
Au/As/W
4 contact skarns
6 bd Au-W - calc-alk Au-As veins
10 Au-Cu - alkalic
Sb±Au, As veins
4
9 Au-
Au-As
34/551/50 small elongate pluton sheeted veins Ag-Pb-Zn
Au-
Au-Bi-Bi-Te-
Te-W Sb-
Sb-As
aplite & pegmatite dikes veins
distal Ag-
Ag-Pb-
Pb-Zn

horn fe ls
7 31/320/40 17/639/250 skarns
299/576/250 tensional zones,
replacement & veins & lamprophyres
120/1340/250 12/147/40 disseminations
30/526/60 low-angle faults

li
Eagle Zone

m
structurally prepared

it
bd roof zone thermal aureole hanging wall
11 hydrothermal above pluton
breccia

1 km
16/98/60 bd

89 90

Paragenesis Metals & Zoning

550° • Intrusion-hosted deposits Au-Bi-Te (W)
Anhydrous
W skarn
QFP, aplite, pegs, lamprophyre dykes

• Country-rock hosted deposits Au-As-S-Sb

Temperature °C

450° Hydrous
Au skarn
Qtz-ksp-scheelite veins • Distal deposits are Ag-Pb-Zn
W
Qtz-py±po, aspy veins
• Epizonal deposits are Au-As-Sb-Hg
350° Au-Bi-Te
Qtz-aspy
As Qtz-stibnite • Property to district-scale
Sb
250° Carbonate-base metal veins Pb-Zn-Ag
T im e

91 92
 The Role of Structure Favourable Structural Geometry
s3
contact skarns
Au-W - calc-alk Au-As veins
Au-Cu - alkalic
Sb±Au, As veins

small elongate pluton sheeted veins Ag-Pb-Zn

aplite & pegmatite dikes veins
distal
horn fe ls

skarns
tensional zones, s1
replacement & veins & lamprophyres
s1
disseminations
low-angle faults
li
m

structurally prepared
it

roof zone thermal aureole hanging wall

hydrothermal above pluton
breccia

s3

93 94

Soil Geochemistry
Soil Geochemistry
Brewery Creek
• Scheelite Dome
auriferous approx. limit of
sheeted veins contact metamorphism

Scheelite Dome 0 1
quartz-monzonite
stock km

b
100 ppb 40 pp
10

Au in soil
0
pp

anomaly
b

100
ppb
40 pp b
136°00’

63°45’ mineralized faults

95 96
Magnetic Doughnuts
Geophysics - Magnetics
Zeta 64°00’

E
Hobo N
O
E

Z
A I N
Lost Horses N S T R
O Pluton T O
T M B S
Clear Creek sten Antiform
cQu e
Rhosgobel
Bear Paw
M
To Dawson
Scheelite Dome

T
IN Hawthorne
T 63°45’
IN
A
F
A

136°30’
137°30’
U
LT
10km

Paleozoic Selwyn Tombstone Plutonic thrust fault

Basin strata Suite (92 Ma)
Proterozoic Selwyn McQuesten Plutonic mineral occurrences
Basin strata Suite (65 Ma)

97 98

Red Mountain Gold

Kgr

99 100
 Geochronology of Gold Mineralization

Coeval Timing

Duration of magma emplacement,

hydrothermal mineralization, less
than two million years Fort Knox

101 102

Fort Knox
95
96
Clear Creek
94
93.5 95
93
93.5-92.4 Ma
92.5 1.1 my 92.4
92.6 94
92 93.6 93.6 93.4
93 93.6 – 91.7 Ma
91 92.5 92.7
92.3 1.9 my co
92
90 91.7 oli
91.4 91.5 91.3 ng
89 91
88.9
88 88.1 87.9 90 90
87.4
87 86.8 89

86 88
on
n

ite
g
ite

ite

rk

on
on

on

on

in
hf
co

2
ite
pe

or

or

hf
ol

ol

ol
an

wo
rc

ve
an

rc
rc

rc

rc
kw

kw
zir

e
de

de

m
zi

tit
gr

e
ck

zi
zi

zi

zi

c
us

tit

tit
yb

yb

oc

oc

io
S

us
P

b
o

Pb

Pb

Pb

-O

-O

-O

io
e
rm
M

rb
Pb
IM

ol

ol

tit

st

st

st

-P

rm
rb
TI

Re

Re

Re
U-

U-

U-
m

io

-A
R

U
c

U-
-A

-A

-A
us

us

us
rb
SH
Pb

Ar
s

P
Ar

Ar
-O

-O

Ar
rm

rm

rm

M
-A
U-

Pb

RI
Re

Re

Ar

-A

-A

-A

SH
U-

Ar

Ar

Ar

103 104
 Thermal Modeling
Duration of IRGS 800C
of a Cooling Pluton

• 1.1 my (2.7 my) Fort Knox

• 1.1 my (2.5 my) Dublin Gulch 2 km

• 1.9 my (4.0 my) Clear Creek

• 1.9 my (5.2 my) Scheelite Dome 400C

• 2.0 my (3.7 my) Mactung

300C

1.1 to 2.0 million years 200C

105 106

IRGS Redox Regime

Oxidized IRGS Reduced IRGS
x x
• IA, CMA, subduction • Continental margins x
x
• Highly oxidized, hb qtz • Moderately reduced, x
diorite - granodiorite white monzonites x

•Ca>K+Na • Ca=K+Na
• Hypabysal porphyritic •Plutonic holocrystalline
• Large, concentric • Limited and weak
alteration halo, magnetite alteration, no magnetite
• Cu±Au±Mo • Au±Bi-Te±W
• Alkalic good • Alkalic good

107 108