The Telfer Gold Deposits, Western Australia: Stratigraphy, Sedimentology and Gold Mineralisation of the Proterozoic Yeneena Group

Abstract

The discovery of a major gold deposit in the early 1970's, in a remote area of Western Australia that was very poorly known geologically, has led to the establishment of the Telfer Gold Mine and to geological mapping and exploration in the region by the State geological survey and by mining companies. The economic importance and geological significance of the gold deposits prompted Newmont Pty. Ltd. and Dampier Mining Co. Ltd. (the developers of the mine) to instigate a Ph.D. research programme through the University of New England. This thesis represents the first detailed account of both the gold deposits and their host Precambrian sedimentary rocks. Due to the relative lack of previous geological data, and the importance of understanding the regional geological setting of any major ore deposit, the study had two main objectives; firstly, to provide comprehensive descriptions and interpretations of the stratigraphy, sedimentology and basin development of the Precambrian sedimentary sequence; and secondly, to study and interpret the textures, mineralogy and geochemistry of the ores themselves, and relate ore genesis to the interpreted geological evolution of the region. The thesis is therefore divided into two major parts, entitled the Yeneena Group, and Mineralisation, which are preceded by a comprehensive summary.