Geological setting, petrology, and 3D geochemical modeling of REE-Th-U mineralization in the Alces Lake area, Northern Saskatchewan, Canada

@inproceedings{POLIAKOVSKA_RM2021,
 abstract = { The Alces lake project is located within the Beaverlodge Domain (northern Saskatchewan), approximately 28 km north of the Athabasca Basin margin and is ranked as the highest-grade REE occurrence in Canada. The REE-Th-U mineralization at Alces Lake is hosted in monazite-rich granitic to residual melt/cumulate pegmatites, which are associated with biotite-rich (+/- sulfides) paragneisses. The mineralized pegmatites were emplaced within/near the Archean/Paleoproterozoic transition zone under middle crustal P-T conditions and form polyphase anatectic pods/boudins/zones along/near this transition. Emplacement of the pegmatites is interpreted to be deep-seated structurally controlled along ductile to ductile-brittle to brittle shear zones/faults associated spatially with regional polyphase fold structures. The petrogenesis (including timing and source) of the Alces Lake mineralization and its host rocks is being investigated using petrological software (e.g. IGPET and Petrogram). Various bivariate and trivariate plots and spider discrimination diagrams are created to establish and test different petrogenetic hypotheses. The mineralized pegmatites are very strongly enriched (>>10,000x chrondrites) in LREE with significant –‘ve Eu anomalies; with monazite as the main mineral hosting the REEs. A majority of pegmatite samples are peraluminous with a smaller number being metaluminous; representative of S-type and marginal I-type granitoids. Geochemical modeling in three-dimensions (3D) is carried out as well in this current study using SKUA-GOCAD modeling software to establish spatial patterns and correlations within and between surface outcrop zones and subsurface drill holes. Geochemical data from the drill-holes and surface outcrop/channel samples were analyzed geostatistically and visualized in 3D (SKUA-GOCAD and ANALYST Pro), in order to identify and document geochemical vectors for the mineralized zones with respect to identified geophysical targets, so to provide potential new exploration targets. },
 author = { Poliakovska, Kateryna AND Annesley Irvine, R. AND Ivanik, Olena AND Sykes, James AND Guest, Nicolas AND Otsuki, Akira },
 booktitle = { 2021 RING Meeting },
 publisher = { ASGA },
 title = { Geological setting, petrology, and 3D geochemical modeling of REE-Th-U mineralization in the Alces Lake area, Northern Saskatchewan, Canada },
 year = { 2021 }
}