Orogenic architecture and structurally controlled mineral systems - Some insights from seismic surveys and numerical modeling

We use inferences from deep seismic surveys and numerical simulations to consider how certain combinations of crustal architectures and orogenic processes may combine to promote efficient fluid migration and entrapment, while also ensuring preservation of mineralization. We illustrate these concepts in particular with reference to recent seismic surveys of the Yilgam craton and numerical models of coupled fluid flow and deformation that demonstrate the potential for creating fault-bounded domains of differential uplift and fluid flow associated with large-scale tectonic wedging, the formation of popup structures, and the associated release of volatiles accompanying exhumation of the mid-upper crust. It is emphasized that even though the structural architecture is inherently favourable for fluid migration, an efficient mineralizing system obviously requires an additional coincidence of fluid supply and appropriate thermal regimes for metal extraction and precipitation.