Nature and timing of ore mineralization, alteration and basin configuration at the Lubambe-Konkola Cu-Co deposits

 

PhD Candidate: Victor Vincent                         

Supervisors: Dr Koen Torremans, Prof. Murray Hitzman

Funded by: UCD Ad Astra PhD Fellowship

Abstract:

The Lubambe-Konkola Cu-Co deposits, located in the Central African Copperbelt, are significant sources of copper and cobalt hosted in a mix of siliciclastic and carbonaceous rocks that formed during the Neoproterozoic (Hitzman et al., 2005). My PhD research investigates the nature and timing of ore mineralization, the role of later hydrothermal alteration processes in upgrading ore bodies in the Central African Copperbelt, and basin configuration that controlled the genesis of these deposits. Structural studies indicate that the basin configuration was critical in localizing ore deposits, with northward basin inversion and reactivation contributing to remobilization and upgrading of metal concentrations. Host rock alteration is marked by silicification, carbonate alteration, and potassic metasomatism, pointing to the influence of high-temperature fluids (Torremans et al., 2013). Important information about the nature of the mineralizing fluids and timing of fluid pulses can be gleaned from trace element and isotopic analysis of several gangue phases associated with sulfide mineralization. Understanding the interplay of early mineralization and later (re)mobilization phases is crucial for developing models to guide further exploration in the region.

References:

Hitzman, M. W., Broughton, D., Selley, D., Woodhead, J., Wood, D., & Bull, S. (2005). "Copper-cobalt deposits of the Central African Copperbelt." Society of Economic Geologists, 17, 96-117.

Torremans, K., Gauquie, J., Boyce, A. J., Barrie, C. D., Dewaele, S., Sikazwe, O., & Muchez, Ph. (2013). "Remobilisation features and structural control on ore grade distribution at the Konkola stratiform Cu–Co ore deposit, Zambia." Journal of African Earth Sciences, 81, 32-43