Structural evolution of the Agnew–Wiluna greenstone belt, Eastern Yilgarn Craton and implications for komatiite-hosted Ni sulfide exploration

Abstract

The Agnew–Wiluna greenstone belt in the Yilgarn Craton of Western Australia is a narrow package of complexly deformed Archean supracrustal rocks that hosts two of the world's largest komatiite-hosted nickel sulfide deposits, the Mt Keith and Perseverance deposits. These deposits and several others in the belt are centred on thick lenses of adcumulate-textured komatiite interpreted to represent areas of channelised magma flow. The large nickel sulfide deposits are located in parts of the belt associated with ca 2720 to 2700 Ma felsic volcanism (e.g. the Leinster and Mt Keith nickel camps). In these areas, felsic to intermediate volcanic rocks are intercalated with syn-volcanic massive sulfides of inferred exhalative origin. While these primary magmatic features are clearly first-order controls on the distribution of Ni sulfide deposits in the belt, several regional-scale deformation events have significantly complicated the interpretation of primary stratigraphic relationships. The earliest recorded deformation events (D_1,2,3) resulted in an east–west trending greenstone belt with recumbent isoclinal folds and ductile shear zones. Subsequent west-southwest–east-southeast shortening during the D₄ event at ca 2666 Ma involved the refolding of the tectono-stratigraphy to produce belt-scale, north- to north-northwest-trending upright folds, a pervasive axial planar schistosity in all rocks, and the present-day steeply dipping, overturned supracrustal sequences, and emplacement of granitoids in major antiformal fold hinges. Polyphase folding of supracrustal rocks produced Type 2 fold interference patterns with multiple facing reversals at various scales across the belt. West-southwest–east-southeast extension during the D₅ event at ca 2665 Ma triggered the development of terrestrial basins (i.e. Scotty Creek and Jones Creek) in areas flanking major antiforms, resulting in the deposition of the Jones Creek Conglomerate. Subsequent west-southwest–east-southeast shortening during the D₆ event resulted in the folding of the Jones Creek Conglomerate and formation of gold-bearing veins in the Agnew gold camp. Belt-wide relaxation in east–west shortening during the D₇ event caused open, recumbent F₇ folding of the steeply dipping stratigraphy. Broadly east–west shortening during the D₈ to D₁₀ events resulted in the tightening of existing fold hinges, the dismemberment and displacement of panels of supracrustal rocks by sinistral (e.g. Perseverance shear zone) and then dextral (Waroonga) shear zones. The Agnew–Wiluna belt displays (para)autochthonous associations within the belt, with district-scale heterogeneities caused by primary volcano-sedimentary facies changes combined with polyphase deformation. Importantly, nickel sulfide-bearing sequences identified in nickel camps can potentially be traced to different parts of the belt by unravelling the effects of polyphase deformation.

KEY WORDS:

• Agnew–Wiluna greenstone belt
• nickel
• komatiite
• Perseverance
• Mt Keith
• Honeymoon Well
• exploration

Acknowledgments

This study was financially supported by WMC Resources Ltd., MPI Mines Ltd., Lion Ore Australia Ltd., and INCO Ltd. through an AMIRA International research project (P710). We would like to acknowledge Mark Tait who compiled the geological maps in Figures 2, 6, 9, and 11; and Nicolas Thebaud for reviewing an earlier version of the manuscript. Kevin Cassidy, Karol Czarnota, and Tim Ivanic are thanked for their careful reviews.