Fortitude North dataset
Description
The research hypothesis discussed in this paper is that an integration of drill hole geochemistry with petrophysics and geological observations can allow for the identification of geological processes and lithological units in a gold mineralizing system located in the Archean Yilgarn Craton of Western Australia. The data presented in the paper includes whole-rock geochemical data, magnetic susceptibility, velocity, density and lithological logging gathered from drill hole samples. The data was gathered using various analytical techniques and was interpreted using cross plots and principal component analysis. The data shows that the dominant host rocks in the Yilgarn Craton underwent in situ magmatic fractionation, with trends consistent with this process being observed in the geochemical data. Specifically, Ti, Fe, and P were found to have a positive correlation with Zr, while Mg had a negative correlation, indicating magmatic fractionation. Additionally, high Ti and P zones were interpreted as the upper parts of dolerite sills that fractionated in place during crystallization, which corresponded to zones of high magnetic susceptibility and dominated the magnetic response of the Fortitude North system. Furthermore, multi-dimensional data analysis using principal component analysis indicated that the direction of the Au eigen vector corresponds with S, As, Sb, Cu, K, and Te, which are interpreted as pathfinder elements that can be used to delimit Au system targets. This suggests that hydrothermal processes related to Au mineralization are present in the Yilgarn Craton. Notable findings from the data include the identification of magmatic processes, alteration, and lithological insights that can be incorporated into multi-scale data integration workflows to inform exploration programs targeting orogenic gold in Archean greenstone belts similar to the Yilgarn granite-greenstone terranes. In summary, the data presented in this paper provides insights into the geological processes and lithological units present in a gold mineralizing system in the Yilgarn Craton of Western Australia, which can inform exploration programs targeting orogenic gold in similar geological settings.
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Steps to reproduce
The data used in this study was gathered from eight diamond drill holes, as well as geochemical and petrophysical data from three diamond drill holes at the Fortitude North prospect. The laboratory geochemical assays were obtained using CCP-PKG and and ME-MS61 Ultra Trace, pXRF and petrophysical data were gathered using handheld instruments (KT-10 for magnetic susceptibility and UK1401 for velocity). Matsa Resources Ltd provided the necessary information and data for this study, including access to the drill core samples, company geological logs, geochemical assays, and petrophysical measurements. The data was imported into ioGAS-64 and multiple cross plots and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) were undertaken on key geochemical elements including major, immobile, Au pathfinder elements and also on a combination of geochemical and petrophysical measurements to assess the relationship between the datasets.