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Omai - Wernot Pit |
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Guyana |
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Au
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Super Porphyry Cu and Au
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IOCG Deposits - 70 papers
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The Omai gold deposit is one of the largest in South America. It is located within Palaeoproterozoic rocks of the Guiana Shield in Guyana, 160 km SSW of Georgetown (#Location: 5 ° 26' 12"N, 58° 45' 45"W).
The Guiana Shield is the northern half of Amazon Craton, which was continuous with the West African Craton until the Atlantic Ocean opened about 115 Ma ago. The Amazon Craton has been divided into provinces based on age, structural, lithological and geophysical trends. The Proterozoic greenstone areas of Guyana are in the 2.2 Ga to 1.95 Ga Pastora-Amapa Province, and consist of metavolcanic and metasedimentary rocks. The greenstone belts of the province are the equivalents of the Birimian System in Africa.
The Omai deposit is hosted by the Palaeoproterozoic Barama-Mazaruni Supergroup (2.25 to 19.0 Ga) in the greenstone belt of the same name. The supergroup is composed of alternating felsic, mafic and ultramafic volcanic flows interlayered with thick sedimentary units. The base is dominated by tholeiitic basalts with assocaited mafic and ultramafic bodies and sills. These are overlain by intermediate to felsic volcanics interlayered with immature clastic sediments. There are also extensive syn- to late-tectonic calc-alkaline felsic to intermediate intrusions, ranging from granite to granodiorite, diorite, tonalite and adamellite. One of these granites has been dated at 1945±45 Ma.
In the mine area the main hosts are mafic (massive to pillowed tholeiitic basalts) and intermediate (calc-alkaline andesites) volcanics, underlain by polygenic conglomerates (2 km thick sequence of poorly sorted cobble conglomerates with thin interlayered basalt flows) and overlain by finer grained sediments (siltstones, sandstones and greywackes). The volcanics are cut by 2120±2 Ma quartz-feldspar porphyry and rhyolite dykes and by the 2094±6 Ma Omai granitoid (quartz-monzodiotire, granodiorite and diorite) stock, which is in turn cut by a variety of 2001±4 Ma mafic dykes and sills.
Both ductile and brittle shear zones are recognised and are broadly contemporaneous. The former contain no mineralised veins, which are all developed within the competent rock of the mine area (eg. the Omai Stock, the porphyry and rhyolite dykes), although they may persist up to 10 m beyond the contact into the volcanics.
Six undeformed sub-vertical and sub-horizontal gold bearing vein sets have been delineated in two ore zones. These represent a series of broadly contemporaneous crack and seal, laminated, brecciated and open space filling veins. Veins range from a few mm's to 2 m in thickness and up to a maximum of 600 m in length, although the shallow veins may only be 10 m or less in extent.
The gangue is mainly quartz with subordinate carbonates, albite, sericite, chlorite, tourmaline, rutile and epidote, with a metallic paragenesis of Au-Ag-Te-W-Bi-Pb-Zn-Cu-Hg-Mo. Wall rocks are altered to an assemblage including carbonates, sericite, silica, chlorite, albite, epidote, argillic minerals, pyrite and pyrrhotite.
The total mineable reserve at Omai (production+reserves) is ~130 tonnes of gold.
For detail consult the reference(s) listed below.
The most recent source geological information used to prepare this decription was dated: 1999.
This description is a summary from published sources, the chief of which are listed below.
© Copyright Porter GeoConsultancy Pty Ltd. Unauthorised copying, reproduction, storage or dissemination prohibited.
Omai
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Selected References:
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Voicu G, Bardoux M, Jebrak M, Crepeau R 1999 - Structural, mineralogical and geochemical studies of the Paleoproterozoic Omai gold deposit, Guyana: in Econ. Geol. v94 pp 1277-1304
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Voicu G, Bardoux M, Stevenson R, Jebrak M 2000 - Nd and Sr isotope study of hydrothermal scheelite and host rocks at Omai, Guiana Shield: implications for ore fluid source and flow path during the formation of orogenic gold deposits: in Mineralium Deposita v35 pp 302-314
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Porter GeoConsultancy Pty Ltd (PorterGeo) provides access to this database at no charge. It is largely based on scientific papers and reports in the public domain, and was current when the sources consulted were published. While PorterGeo endeavour to ensure the information was accurate at the time of compilation and subsequent updating, PorterGeo, its employees and servants: i). do not warrant, or make any representation regarding the use, or results of the use of the information contained herein as to its correctness, accuracy, currency, or otherwise; and ii). expressly disclaim all liability or responsibility to any person using the information or conclusions contained herein.
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