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Geochemistry of host rocks in the Howards Pass district, Yukon-Northwest Territories, Canada: implications for sedimentary environments of Zn-Pb and phosphate mineralization

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Abstract

Detailed lithogeochemical data are reported here on early Paleozoic sedimentary rocks that host the large Howards Pass stratiform Zn-Pb deposits in Yukon-Northwest Territories. Redox-sensitive trace elements (Mo, Re, V, U) and Ce anomalies in members of the Duo Lake Formation record significant environmental changes. During the deposition of lower footwall units (Pyritic siliceous and Calcareous mudstone members), bottom waters were anoxic and sulphidic, respectively; these members formed in a marginal basin that may have become increasingly restricted with time. Relative to lower members, a major environmental change is proposed for deposition of the overlying Lower cherty mudstone member, which contains phosphorite beds up to ∼0.8 m thick in the upper part, near the base of the Zn-Pb deposits. The presence of these beds, together with models for modern phosphorite formation, suggests P input from an upwelling system and phosphorite deposition in an upper slope or outer shelf setting. The overlying Active mudstone member contains stratabound to stratiform Zn-Pb deposits within black mudstone and gray calcareous mudstone. Data for unmineralized black mudstone in this member indicate deposition under diverse redox conditions from suboxic to sulphidic. Especially distinctive in this member are uniformly low ratios of light to heavy rare earth elements that are unique within the Duo Lake Formation, attributed here to the dissolution of sedimentary apatite by downward-percolating acidic metalliferous brines. Strata that overlie the Active member (Upper siliceous mudstone member) consist mainly of black mudstone with thin (0.5–1.5 cm) laminae of fine-grained apatite, recording continued deposition on an upper slope or outer shelf under predominantly suboxic bottom waters. Results of this study suggest that exploration for similar stratiform sediment-hosted Zn-Pb deposits should include the outer parts of ancient continental margins, especially at and near stratigraphic transitions from marginal basin facies to overlying slope or shelf facies.

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Acknowledgements

This study was made possible through generous access to properties, drill cores, and exploration reports by Jason Dunning and the staffs of Selwyn Resources Ltd. and Selwyn Chihong Mining Ltd. Bob Hodder, Duncan Bain, and Edith Martel are thanked for geological guidance and David Legault and Matt Jodrey for help during core sampling. Suzanne Paradis supplied phosphorite-bearing drill cores for this study. Appreciation is also extended to USGS colleagues John Jackson for XRD data, Garth Graham for EMP analyses of apatite, and Harvey Belkin and Brett Valentine for SEM images; Julie Dumoulin provided petrographic data on limestones. Karl Föllmi supplied important field photographs of phosphatic strata in the Monterey Formation. Discussions with Craig Johnson and Julie Dumoulin have been helpful. The manuscript has been greatly improved by the comments and suggestions of USGS colleagues Clint Scott and Kate Whidden and by the detailed and constructive journal reviews of Mike Gadd, Thomas Monecke, and Elizabeth Turner.

Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. U.S. Geological Survey, National Center, MS 954, Reston, VA, 20192, USA

    John F . Slack

  2. NWT Geoscience Office, P.O. Box 1320, Yellowknife, NWT, X1A 2L9, Canada

    Hendrik Falck

  3. U.S. Geological Survey, Denver Federal Center, MS 973, Denver, CO, 80225, USA

    Karen D. Kelley

  4. Selwyn Chihong Mining Ltd., 2701-1055 West Georgia St, Vancouver, BC, V6E 0B6, Canada

    Gabriel G. Xue

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  1. John F . Slack
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  2. Hendrik Falck
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Correspondence to John F . Slack.

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Editorial handling: B. Lehmann

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Supplementary Data Table 1

Whole-rock analyses of mudstone and related lithologies from drill holes XYC-116 and DON-111 in Howards Pass district. (XLSX 50 kb)

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Slack, J.F..., Falck, H., Kelley, K.D. et al. Geochemistry of host rocks in the Howards Pass district, Yukon-Northwest Territories, Canada: implications for sedimentary environments of Zn-Pb and phosphate mineralization. Miner Deposita 52, 565–593 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00126-016-0680-x

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