Chlorite Compositional Changes in

Response to Mineralisation
Examples from the Nymagee Mine and
Great Cobar deposit, NSW

The 3rd National Virtual Core library Symposium, AESC 2014 Dr David Tilley, GSNSW 8 July 2014

Contributors
David Tilley & Meagan Clissold, Geological Survey of NSW
Jon Huntington & Monica LeGras, CSIRO Mineral
Resources Flagship
Ivana David, School of Geosciences, University of Sydney
Barry Taylor, Peak Gold Mines, New Gold Inc.
Ian Cooper, Aurelia Metals Ltd.

Study Aims
1. Identify mineralogical vectors to mineralisation in
HyLogging data
of value to NSW mineral explorers
2. Test the spatial association of alteration with
mineralisation
3. Validate chlorite geochemistry

Alteration Systems Mapping

Proximal alteration

HyLogger spectral data can be

used to map:

Mineralisation
Distal alteration

Host rock 1

Host rock 2

alteration zonation around

mineral deposits

background metamorphic
response of host rocks

Workflow

Spectral Features
1st stretching
overtone region
structurally
bound water (SBW)

stretching

Stretch/bend
combination region

bending
stretching
Al, Fe, Mg

Reflectance

1300 1400 1500 1600 1700 1800 1900 2000 2100 2200 2300 2400 2500
Wavelength (nm)

Spectral feature
Al-OH
Fe-OH
Mg-OH
OH & H2O
Structurally bound water (SBW)

Wavelength (nm)
2180 - 2220
2230 - 2295
2320 - 2360
~1400
~1900

Location of study area

Cobar Superbasin Silurian/Devonian
Great Cobar

Richest polymetallic basin in the Lachlan

Orogen

Nymagee Mine

Pre-mining metal inventory consist of:

>2.2 Mt copper (Cu)
>7.0 Moz of gold (Au)
>4.7 Mt of zinc (Zn)
>2.8 Mt of lead (Pb)
145 Moz of silver (Ag)
Source: http://www.peelmining.com.au

Nymagee Mine

Nymagee Mine Drillholes

NMD047

NMD053W1

Nymagee Mine NMD047

Fe-chlorite to Mg-chlorite occurs over 25m

Chlorite composition - Wavelength of the Fe-OH

(2250-2263nm) absorption feature

Fe-chlorite abundance Intensity (depth) of the

Fe-OH absorption feature

Enhanced core colour iron oxide (red) and

chlorite abundance (green)

Aspectral sulfide-rich zones

TIR sulfide proxy shows zones which dissipate

thermal energy, i.e. sulfide-rich zones

Nymagee Mine NMD053W1

Fe-chlorite to Mg-chlorite occurs over 10m

Chlorite composition - Wavelength of the Fe-OH

(2250-2263nm) absorption feature

Fe-chlorite abundance Intensity (depth) of the FeOH absorption feature

Enhanced core colour iron oxide (red) and

chlorite abundance (green)

Aspectral sulfide-rich zones

White Mica Intensity proxy for white mica

crystallinity and content

Nymagee Mine NMD053W1

Copper (Cu)

Nymagee Mine NMD053W1

Gold (Au)

Great Cobar Drillholes

DH 7

DH 7A
DH 7B

Mineral Validation XRD

Mineral
Quartz
Chlorite
Mica
Chalcopyrite
Sphalerite
Galena
Pyrrhotite
Magnetite
Unknown
TOTAL

DD1
54
34
12

DD3
49
50

DD7
42
6
3
16

DD11
71
27

DD12
34
13

DD14
48
39

DD16
52
47

DD18
49
51

DD19
53
30

100

100

32
100

90%

100

2
100

7
3
100

100

100

10
8
100

Unknown

80%

Magnetite

70%

Pyrrhotite

60%

Not HyLogging detectable

Galena

50%

Sphalerite

40%

Chalcopyrite

30%

Mica

20%

Chlorite

10%

Quartz

0%
DD3

DD21
1
80
11

DD22
2
84

13
2

7
1

10
2

100

100

3
100

45
1

100%

DD1

DD20
4
68
13

DD7 DD11 DD12 DD14 DD16 DD18 DD19 DD20 DD21 DD22

Sample numbers

HyLogging detectable

Mineral Validation Electron Microprobe

y = -0.033X + 75.41
2
r = 0.604

Mg / (Fe+Mg)

1.0

DD21

0.8
0.6

DD22

Walwa, Mt Dore, Dead

Bullock Soak, Las Cruces,
Klondyke and Kalgoorlie

0.4
0.2
0.0
2240

Mg/(Fe+Mg) and FeOH

wavelength of chlorites for
various deposit types

DD11
2250

2245

2255

2260

DD1,DD3
2265

Great Cobar (this study) in

yellow

FeOH wavelength (nm)

volcaniclastic-hosted Pb-Zn
(meta)sediments-hosted Au,
Cu or Sn-Ta
volcanic-hosted Au-Ag

felsic rocks-hosted Au or Cu-Au

museum samples (pure chlorites)
mafic rocks-hosted Au

(Reference AMIRA Project P435-A)

Summary
Mineralogical vectors to mineralisation exist:
Fe-chlorite Mg-chlorite towards mineralisation
Chlorite composition changes over 10-25m interval
Chlorite alteration of original mudstone over 85-130m
Abrupt (5m) increase in muscovite content adjacent to mineralised
zone
Chlorite geochemistry validated by XRD & electron microprobe