The Temporal Distribution of the Host Rocks to Gold, the Archean Witwatersrand Basin, South Africa

被引:1
|
作者
Phillips, Neil [1 ,2 ]
Vearncombe, Julian [1 ,3 ]
Craw, Dave [4 ]
Day, Arthur [5 ]
机构
[1] Stellenbosch Univ, Earth Sci, ZA-7602 Stellenbosch, South Africa
[2] Univ Melbourne, Sch Geog Earth & Atmospher Sci, POB 3,Cent Pk, Melbourne, Vic 3145, Australia
[3] Effect Investments Pty Ltd, POB 675, South Perth, WA 6951, Australia
[4] Univ Otago, Geol Dept, Dunedin 9010, New Zealand
[5] Independent Consultant, POB 533, Corrimal, NSW 2518, Australia
关键词
gold; Witwatersrand; unconformity; basin scale; Archean; alteration; SUPERGROUP; KAAPVAAL; METAMORPHISM; TRANSVAAL; EVOLUTION; ORIGIN; AGE;
D O I
10.3390/min14020199
中图分类号
P3 [地球物理学]; P59 [地球化学];
学科分类号
0708 ; 070902 ;
摘要
The hosts to gold around the Witwatersrand Basin span over 400 my, through 14 km of stratigraphy in a variety of host rocks and in tectonic settings that include periods of rifting, thermal subsidence, foreland basin, flood basalt outpouring, graben development, and further thermal subsidence. A geological model that assumes placer processes to explain this diversity implies a super-long-lived and special source of the detrital gold, transport, and highly effective sorting processes over a time span of 400 my. There is no evidence of a special source and sorting over such a long time period. In the Phanerozoic, this would be equivalent to the special source and sorting processes operating continually over an equivalent period of geological time spanning from the Devonian up until the present day; this is as yet recognised nowhere else on the planet. With regard to the geological model that assumes a placer process, this is untenable because of these scientific shortcomings and its lack of success in exploration. A better use of funds may be to consider alternative approaches and epigenetic models in exploration.
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页数:20
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