William Gerard Shaw

The Moose River and Lazy Head tungsten deposits represent two distinct types of mineralization in the Meguma zone of the Appalachian Orogen.

At Lazy Head, scheelite occurs with chalcopyrite and sphalerite in 2 to 5 cm. wide veins of quartz, microcline, chlorite and apatite. The veins have filled post-tectonic and post-intrusive extension joints that are restricted to a 1.5 metre wide, spessartine-quartz-chlorite horizon at the top of the Goldenville Formation. Geochemical studies suggest the ore and gangue minerals were derived from the metasedimentary host rocks rather than from a monzogranite intrusion that is exposed 250 meters to the south.

At Moose River scheelite occurs along the walls of 1 to 15 cm. wide veins of quartz, ankerite, arsenopyrite, rutile and muscovite which are restricted to slate units interbedded with quartzite in the lower part of the Goldenville Formation. The veins have been regionally deformed with the host rocks and the mineral constituents display deformational features. These veins were probably precipitated in pre- to early deformational joints formed by processes of hydraulic fracturing deep in the geosynclinal sediment prism. The vein constituents are believed to have been precipitated from pore fluids migrating into zones of reduced pressure.

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Supervisor: Marcos Zentilli