Base Metals - Vital Commodities for the Global Economy (Archive)

Base Metals Webinar Series

Zinc - Galvanized by Growth

Thursday, June 29, 2023
1:00pm - 2:30pm MDT (UTC-6)
Webinar

Series Sponsor

Thank you to Maptek for sponsoring the SEG 2023 Base Metals Webinar Series.

Description

Zinc – Galvanized by Growth

The second installment in the SEG 2023 Base Metals Webinar Series will provide geoscientists with an open forum for interaction with industry and academic experts as they discuss the significance of zinc exploration and the critical role that it will play during the energy transition. With forecasts suggesting that increased production of zinc will be necessary to meet global demand over the coming decade, there's a need for the next generation of geologists to better understand the full scope of the metal's value chain and exploration potential.

This webinar of focused mini-lectures will allow experts to share their knowledge on a variety of relevant themes, such as investigating zinc with regards to the latest regional and global market trends, modern exploration highlights and frontiers, and significant advances coming from within academia. Following the lectures, a panel discussion will offer conversations on a wide range of key concepts and allow the panelists to bring their unique perspectives to the table.

Mini-Lecture Abstracts

"Pyrite as a chemical archive in high value Zn mineralized systems"

Sarah Gleeson, GFZ - Helmholtz Centre Potsdam

Pyrite can form at every stage in the evolution of a sedimentary basin. In particular, pyrite is commonly observed in the hanging wall of high value Zn deposits; sometimes as minor disseminations but more often as massive, stratabound, units. Detailed petrography and in-situ S isotope analyses suggest that this hanging wall pyrite commonly has a diagenetic rather than hydrothermal origin. Trace element concentrations from samples from the Teena and George Fisher Deposits in the Carpentaria Province, Australia, show that pre-ore pyrite is compositionally distinct from hydrothermal pyrite. Furthermore, at George Fisher, different generations of pyrite associated with Zn mineralization have distinctive compositions that differentiate early diagenetic Zn mineralization from the volumetrically more significant, later mineralization associated with deformation processes. Overall, pyrite can provide an important chemical archive in these systems, but to maximise value in practical applications it is necessary to produce microscale analyses that can resolve complex paragenetic relationships.

"The Blind Cinco de Mayo Discovery-successful integration of modern geological, geochemical and geophysical exploration thinking"

Peter Megaw, IMDEX

Cinco de Mayo "CDM" is a Ag-Pb-Zn Carbonate Replacement Deposit "CRD" project located in north-central Chihuahua along the eastern flank of a range composed of Mesozoic carbonates, shales and sandstones in stacked thrust sheets. Despite near total cover of the major mineralized zones, three significant discoveries were made over 15 years though systematic application of geological interpretation, iterative 3D drillhole modeling and IP, Magnetics, VTEM and ZTEM geophysics plugged into a proprietary CRD model.

The thickest intercept grades 89 g/t silver, 0.78 g/t gold, 2.1% lead, 7.3% zinc and 0.25% Cu. Significantly, no intrusive rocks were intersected, but well-developed coarse marble and pervasive tungsten-bearing garnet skarn envelop the massive sulphides, providing strong indications that the igneous source of the CRD system lies nearby. Several features indicate that Cinco de Mayo hosts a mega-system: The combined manto is one of the largest mantos ever found; a distinctive Mo-Au jasperoid is 100 times larger than similar mineralization known from other CRDs; most of the 437 holes drilled on the project have hit at least trace mineralization, and large untested geophysical anomalies underlie the mineralized zones.

This webinar will consist of an introduction to concept, two 20-minute mini-lectures, and a 30-minute panel discussion and Q&A with the audience. Students and early career professionals are highly encouraged to join the discussion!

The motivation for both this series and webinar is to provide the space for attendees to develop a better overall understanding of the full base metals value chain, including modern approaches to exploration methodology and the latest developments in academic thinking. The panelists have been chosen for their expertise and for their diverse range of personal and professional experiences, as well as their passion for developing the skillsets of the next generation of geoscientists.