Abstract Numerous orogenic gold deposits have been discovered within the Archean Abitibi greenstone belt of Canada. These include the Francoeur, Wasamac, Astoria, Zulapa, Goldex, Lamaque, Lac Herbin, and Beaufor deposits, all of which are located within the Cadillac–Larder Lake Fault Zone (CLLFZ). These gold deposits are hosted by various lithologies and vary in terms of style of mineralization, sulfide abundance, and hydrothermal alteration. These variations mean that exploration for new deposits has been difficult in this area using common exploration criteria. This study presents the results of a principal component analysis (PCA)-based approach, combining geochemical and mineralogical data to quickly identify different types of gold mineralization within the CLLFZ, including assessing the use of this approach in mineral exploration. The first principal components in both classification methods used during this study (PCE1 and PCM1, representing element geochemical and mineralogical classification respectively) can efficiently discriminate between mineralization and barren/altered rocks. The second principal components (PCE2 and PCM2) can be used to constrain the host rocks (altered vs. barren) and style of mineralization (disseminated vs. vein-hosted), respectively. Finally, PCE3 and PCM3 give more detailed information on the nature of the mineralization in an area, possible reflecting variations in the composition of ore-forming fluids. All of the above indicates that the two PCE and PCM classification methods are complementary, which means that using approaches that combine these methods will provide a comprehensive understanding of the nature of studied samples and/or deposits. Information extracted from the results of the PCA undertaken during this study may be beneficial for mineral exploration in unknown districts, such as glaciated areas, where traditional geological fieldwork is challenging. This study also defines element and mineral mineralization indices based on PCE1 and PCM1, which enables evaluation of the extent and style of gold mineralization in an area. This study indicates that PCA-based automated mineralogical and geochemical classification methods could be highly useful in exploration for gold deposits.

中文翻译：

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金矿石的地球化学和矿物学诊断：加拿大阿比蒂比凯迪拉克-拉德湖断层带的案例研究

摘要 在加拿大太古代阿比提比绿岩带内发现了大量造山型金矿床。其中包括 Francoeur、Wasamac、Astoria、Zulapa、Goldex、Lamaque、Lac Herbin 和 Beaufor 矿床，所有这些矿床都位于凯迪拉克-拉德湖断层带 (CLLFZ) 内。这些金矿床由各种岩性组成，在成矿方式、硫化物丰度和热液蚀变方面各不相同。这些变化意味着使用通用勘探标准很难在该地区勘探新矿床。本研究展示了基于主成分分析 (PCA) 的方法的结果，结合地球化学和矿物学数据以快速识别 CLLFZ 内不同类型的金矿化，包括评估该方法在矿产勘探中的使用。本研究中使用的两种分类方法中的第一主成分（PCE1 和 PCM1，分别代表元素地球化学和矿物学分类）可以有效地区分矿化和贫瘠/蚀变岩石。第二个主成分（PCE2 和 PCM2）可分别用于约束主岩（变质与贫瘠）和成矿类型（播散与脉状）。最后，PCE3 和 PCM3 提供了关于某个地区矿化性质的更详细信息，可能反映了成矿流体成分的变化。以上都说明PCE和PCM两种分类方法是互补的，这意味着使用结合这些方法的方法将提供对研究样品和/或沉积物性质的全面了解。从本研究期间进行的 PCA 结果中提取的信息可能有益于未知地区的矿产勘探，例如传统地质野外工作具有挑战性的冰川地区。本研究还定义了基于 PCE1 和 PCM1 的元素和矿物矿化指数，从而能够评估一个地区的金矿化程度和类型。这项研究表明，基于 PCA 的自动化矿物学和地球化学分类方法在金矿床勘探中非常有用。例如冰川地区，在那里传统的地质野外工作具有挑战性。本研究还定义了基于 PCE1 和 PCM1 的元素和矿物矿化指数，从而能够评估一个地区的金矿化程度和类型。这项研究表明，基于 PCA 的自动化矿物学和地球化学分类方法在金矿床勘探中非常有用。例如冰川地区，在那里传统的地质野外工作具有挑战性。本研究还定义了基于 PCE1 和 PCM1 的元素和矿物矿化指数，从而能够评估一个地区的金矿化程度和类型。这项研究表明，基于 PCA 的自动化矿物学和地球化学分类方法在金矿床勘探中非常有用。