Tungsten systems. The Watershed Scheelite Deposit, Far North Queensland. Location. Local Geology

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Britton Clarke
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The Watershed Deposit, Far North Queensland QLD: ~ 0.

production) Tungsten systems Dahutang deposit, China: ~ 1.

, 2013) Jaime blete Zhaoshan Chang, Yanbo Cheng EGRU, JCU

au Mt Carbine open pit; note sheeted veins Mao et al.

14% WO 3; 70,400 t WO 3 ; Top 10 largest undeveloped W

Supersuite anites: Watershed 1 Cannibal Creek; 2 Kelly St

Windsor and Whypalla; 6 Curraghmore; 7 McLeod; 8 Mt

Vital Metals 300 360 anite zircon U-Pb SHRIMP/LA-ICP-MS

1 The Watershed Deposit, Far North Queensland QLD: ~ 0.15 Mt WO 3 (summarized from GSQ database; Resources + production) Tungsten systems Dahutang deposit, China: ~ 1.1 Mt WO 3 (Mao et al., 2013) Jaime blete Zhaoshan Chang, Yanbo Cheng EGRU, JCU *Jaime.bleteAlvarado@my.jcu.edu.au Mt Carbine open pit; note sheeted veins Mao et al., 2013 Location % WO 3; 70,400 t WO 3 ; Top 10 largest undeveloped W deposit outside of China Local Geology Whypalla Supersuite anites: Watershed 1 Cannibal Creek; 2 Kelly St George; 3 Desailly; 4 Koobaba; 5 Mt. Windsor and Whypalla; 6 Curraghmore; 7 McLeod; 8 Mt Carbine; 9- Northedge; 10 Mareeba; 11 Bullhead and Mt. Pike MA Mt. Alto From Vital Metals anite zircon U-Pb SHRIMP/LA-ICP-MS Youngest detrital zircon U-Pb LA-ICP-MS N / W Looking NE Modified from Champion and Bultitude, 2013 Ages from Adams et al 2013; Murgulov et al 2013; Davis et al 2002; Zuccheto et al 1999; Davis et al 1998; Bultitude and Champion 1992;

2 Deposit Geology Mareeba anite Ma Deposit Geology anitic dyke ca. 300 Ma anitic dyke ca. 300 Ma Slate Breccia Psammite Slate Breccia Psammite Slate Volcanic rocks Base map from Skzreczynsky, 1983 Base map from Skzreczynsky, 1983 Long Section Protolith MWD MWD NNE SSW 2cm 2cm Slate / Slate breccia Presence of andalusite Quartzite 2cm MWD cm $ MWD How close are we from the fluid source? From Vital Metals Psammite Psammite breccia Metric Tonne Unit (mtu): ten kilograms per metric tone Average price at January 30 th 2015: 290 USD/mtu

5 Sch1 Late rims Inter mineral event 600 Early rims 400 CL image Paragenesis table Pre skarn s 40 75 s 66 87

3 Long section: Protolith Mineralization: only NNE SSW is mostly hosted in quartz veins; also in vein halos and minor disseminated in skarns replacing Hodgkinson psammite breccia 800 CaWO 4 MWD Sch1 Late rims Inter mineral event 600 Early rims 400 CL image Paragenesis table Pre skarn s s Czo XFe 3+ < 0.38 s s Czo XFe 3+ < 0.38 : mostly grossular-spessartine-almandine; almost no andradite Ar-Ar age: ca. 253 Ma

4 Pre skarn Pre skarn Metamorphic core MWD C-P3 MWD A-P1 1 cm 1 cm Hydrothermal overgrowth 1 cm Prograde stage Prograde Skarn Alteration Pink and green consisting of grossular-spessartine-almandine garnet and hedenbergite-diopside pyroxene, and minor titanite s s Czo XFe 3+ < cm 1 cm 1 cm Ar-Ar age: ca. 253 Ma

~ 15-20 ~ 150 m from causative intrusion (Newberry 1983) Paragenesis table Paragenesis table s 40 75 s 66 87 Czo XFe

5 Prograde Skarn Alteration Prograde skarn alteration: garnet & pyroxene, minor titanite Long section: skarn distribution NNE SSW Pyroxene x x Hydrothermal Spessartine + Almandine Sps + Alm ~ ~ 150 m from causative intrusion (Newberry 1983) Paragenesis table Paragenesis table s s Czo XFe 3+ < 0.38 s s Czo XFe 3+ < 0.38 MWD cm MWD cm s 83 Di 44 Czo overprint s 83 Di 44 Czo overprint

Long section: Mineralization and retrograde alteration

<50 cm wide quartz oligoclase (An 3-55 ) scheelite - sulphide

MWD-107-259 f 2 cm 2 cm 600 400 (a) early quartz + oligoclase

quartz, locally with up to 3 cm scheelite, occupying the centre

$minor siderite center line (f) fracture-filling pyrrhotite and$ /or arsenopyrite c 2 cm 2 cm b b c a MWD-107-256 Ab 7 Or 93 Ab 6

by oligoclase then by albite : vein Retrograde 1 and 2: Late

6 Long section: Mineralization and retrograde alteration distribution NNE SSW Retrograde veining stages Planar to sinuous <50 cm wide quartz oligoclase (An 3-55 ) scheelite - sulphide veins 800 R1:An R2:An 3-33 c d b a MWD Sch MWD f 2 cm 2 cm (a) early quartz + oligoclase scheelite assemblage as margins of veins (<3 cm wide) (b) grey quartz, locally with up to 3 cm scheelite, occupying the centre of the veins (c) white quartz veinlets cut across grey quartz (d) calcite stringers cut white qtz veinlets (e) muscovite veins with minor siderite center line (f) fracture-filling pyrrhotite and /or arsenopyrite c 2 cm 2 cm b b c a MWD Ab 7 Or 93 Ab 6 Or 94 An 3 Ab 97 Retrograde 1 and 2 in veins: Orthoclase replaced by oligoclase then by albite : vein Retrograde 1 and 2: Late albitization related to scheelite mineralization MWD B MP P2 An 15 Ab 84 BSE: MWD A-P3

in vein, biotite, calcite in veins plus phlogopite, chlorite,

Paragenesis table s 40 75 s 66 87 Czo XFe 3+ < 0.

253 Ma center line cutting white quartz event 1cm MWD101 159

psammite and psammite breccia Act In a ~2 km NS orientation

7 in vein, biotite, calcite in veins plus phlogopite, chlorite, muscovite, calcite and minor fluorite in host rock MWD Paragenesis table s s Czo XFe 3+ < cm Ar-Ar age: ca. 253 Ma center line cutting white quartz event 1cm MWD Ar-Ar age: 253 ± 3 Ma s 83 Di 44 Czo overprint 5 cm Clinozoisite XFe 3+ = 0.25 ossular MWD A P4 Far Field Signals 16 samples from psammite and psammite breccia Act In a ~2 km NS orientation survey Act Clinozoisite XFe 3+ = ossular Fac ossular ossular Host rock: clinozoisite from retrograde 1 replaced by actinolite from retrograde 2 event Base map from Skzreczynsky, 1983

Strong structural and protolith control (psammite vs.

8 PCA: W related elements Ratios W closely related to Be, Zn W related to P, Mn, Fe, Ge, Sn, F, Mo, Ca Inversely related to Pb, Na, K, Ba, Rb, Si, LREE Be / Pb Modified from Skzreczynsky, 1983 Concluding remarks anitic dyke (300 Ma): Kanimblan orogeny and muscovite in vein (253 Ma): Hunter-Bowen orogeny THANK YOU! Strong structural and protolith control (psammite vs. slate) Alteration and mineralization occurred in at least five main stages : hydrothermal & metamorphic The presence of hydrothermal prograde skarn indicates high formation temperature (>500C); causative intrusion may not be far away Ratios of W directly and inversely related elements helpful for vectoring towards mineralization From Watershed Looking NNW

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