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Faro - Anvil, Vangorda, Grum, DY, Swim
Yukon Territory, Canada
Main commodities: Zn Pb Ag


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The Faro - Anvil district deposits are located in central Yukon, 200 km northeast of Whitehorse in north-western Canada.

The deposits are located along the western margin of Selwyn Basin, occurring within a thick prism of complexly deformed and variably metamorphosed, late Proterozoic to Silurian metasediments and lesser mafic volcanic/plutonic rocks along the southern flank of the mid-Cretaceous granitic plutonic Anvil Batholith.

Click here for a regional setting image.

The host sequence comprises the lower monotonous, 5000 m thick Neoproterozoic to Lower Cambrian Mt Mye Formation (correlated with the Gull Lake Formation in the main Selwyn Basin), and the overlying, 1000 m thick Cambrian to Ordovician Vangorda Formation (Rabbitkettle Formation equivalent).

The Mt Mye Formation is composed of non-calcareous amphibolite and greenschist facies schists, with lesser, but important carbonaceous phyllite, limestone, marble, thinly banded calc-silicates and amphibolites. Rocks types vary from non-calcareous muscovite, chlorite, quartz and plagioclase phyllite at low metamorphic grade to non-calcareous biotite, muscovite, quartz, plagioclase (garnet, staurolite, andalusite, fibrolite) schist in areas of amphibolite-grade metamorphism, with minor marble and calc-silicate schist. Metabasic sills occur mostly in the uppermost part of the formation.

The Vangorda Formation comprises a thick sequence of recessive, generally calcareous, phyllitic, probable meta-turbidites (locally metamorphosed to resistant calc-silicate rock), intercalated with lesser mafic meta-igneous (basaltic extrusive and intrusive) rocks, which are represented by calc-silicates around the orebodies, with an important basal carbonaceous phyllite member.

The Anvil Range district contains a string of 7 deposits distributed over a strike interval of 35 km, roughly parallel to, and 3 to 6 km to the north-east of the major Vangorda fault zone.

The massive sulphide deposits are stratabound, distributed over a 150 m stratigraphic interval straddling the Mt Mye and Vangorda Formation boundary, and are associated with a regionally distributed, but laterally discontinuous graphitic phyllite unit.  The galena and sphalerite bearing massive sulphide ore includes pyritic, barytic, carbonatic and pyrrhotitic variants, with common post depositional breccia textures.  The massive sulphides are fringed laterally and below by quartzose and graphitic disseminated sulphide mineralisation, which may be banded and/or spectacularly brecciated.  The ore lenses are typically elongated.

The combined pre-mining mineral resource of the main deposits Faro, Vangorda, Grum, Dy (Grizzly) and Swim has been quoted at: 120 Mt @ 3.7% Pb, 5.6% Zn, 45-50 g/t Ag (Yukon Geol. Surv. Minfile)

The original resources at the principal members of the Faro Group of deposits were:
  Faro - 63 Mt @ 5.5% Zn, 5.5% Pb, 41 g/t Ag.
  Vangorda - 6 Mt @ 4.6% Zn, 3.5% Pb, 50 g/t Ag.
  Grum - 30 Mt @ 5% Zn, 3.5% Pb, 50 g/t Ag.
  DY - 21 Mt @ 6.7% Zn, 5.5% Pb, 48 g/t Ag.
  Swim - 4.5 Mt @ 5.5% Zn, 4% Pb, 51 g/t Ag, 0.27% Cu, 0.7 g/t Au.

The most recent source geological information used to prepare this decription was dated: 1997.    
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.


    Selected References
Brown D and McClay K  1994 - Structural geology of the Vangorda Pb-Zn-Ag orebody, Yukon, Canada: in    Ore Geology Reviews   v9 pp 61-78
Carne R C, Cathro R J  1982 - Sedimentary exhalative (sedex) zinc-lead-silver deposits, northern Canadian Cordillera: in    CIM Bull   v75, no. 840 pp 99-113
Jennings D S, Jilson G A  1986 - Geology and sulphide deposits of Anvil Range: in Morin J A (Ed.),  Mineral Deposits of Northern Cordillera The Canadian Institute of Mining & Metallurgy   Special Volume 37 pp 319-361
Pigage, L.C.,  1990 - Field guide Anvil Pb-Zn-Ag District, Yukon Territory, Canada: in Abbott, J.G. and Turne,r R.J.W. (Eds.),  8th IAGOD Symposium, Field Trip Guidebook 14, Mineral Deposits of the Northern Canadian Cordillera, Yukon - Northeastern British Columbia Geol. Surv. of Canada   Open File 2169, pp. 283-308.
Shanks W C, Woodruff L G, Jilson G A, Jennings D S, Modene J S, Ryan B D  1987 - Sulfur and Lead isotope studies of stratiform Zn-Pb-Ag deposits, Anvil Range, Yukon: basinal brine exhalation and anoxic bottom-water mixing: in    Econ. Geol.   v82 pp 600-634


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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