Search Results (5)

This study investigates the geochemical characteristics and evolutionary implications of sediments at the confluence of the Xingu and Amazon Rivers. The main objective is to understand sediment mixing, mobility, and weathering processes through geochemical proxies. Samples were collected from various sections of the lower Xingu River, focusing on its interaction with the Amazon River. Analytical techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) were employed to analyze major and trace elements. The results reveal significant spatial variations in mineralogical and textural patterns, with sediments forming distinct groupings based on their location. The data suggest that the lower Xingu River is strongly influenced by sediment inputs from the Amazon River, particularly affecting sediment composition and chemical weathering processes. This research highlights the critical interactions between river systems and their implications for the evolution of the Amazon basin, especially regarding sediment contributions from various geological sources. Even though the Xingu River drains cratonic regions at higher elevations, the geochemistry of the bottom sediments confirms that the bedload is derived from heterogeneous sources with primarily intermediate igneous compositions and has undergone substantial recycling during river transport. Full article

Mineral exploration works conducted in the Alto Guaporé Gold Province (AGGP), situated in the southwest region of the Amazon Craton in Brazil, faces the challenges of many gold provinces around the world, i.e., declines in the discoveries of new economic deposits and increases in exploration costs. Ground geophysical methods, combined with structural analyses and geological mapping, are valuable tools that have potential to improve accuracy in selecting exploration targets and in determining drilling locations. AGGP deposits are primarily associated with regional N20°–W50° inverse faulting and sheared geologic contacts between Meso-Neoproterozoic siliciclastic metasedimentary rocks and Mesoproterozoic basement (granite and volcano–sedimentary sequences). Mining currently occurring in the central portion of the province drives exploration works towards the many existing targets at the area. Among them, the ABP target is one of the most promising for being located few kilometers north of the Pau-a-Pique mine. At the ABP target, gold is associated with hydrothermal alteration located in the sheared contacts and in the hinge zone of folded metasedimentary sequence. Hydrothermal phases include Fe-oxides, sulfide (py), muscovite and quartz veins. In this study, we use magnetic and geoelectric (induced polarization) surveys coupled with structural and geological mapping to identify potential footprints within the ABP target. The results from induced polarization (IP) profiles successfully mapped the shape and orientation of the main structures down to approximately 350 m at the ABP target, indicating potential locations for hydrothermal alteration hosting gold. Additionally, 3D magnetic data inversions illustrated the distribution of magnetic susceptibilities and magnetization vectors associated with shear zone structures and isolated magnetic bodies. Magnetic data highlighted fault zones along the contacts between metamorphic rocks and granites, while IP data identified areas with high chargeability, correlating with sulfidation zones mineralized with gold. These findings suggest a metallogenic model where gold deposits are transported through deep structures connected to regional faults, implying significant tectonic and structural control over gold deposition. The results underscore the potential of multiparameter geophysics in identifying and characterizing deposits in both deep and strike, thereby advancing our understanding of mineral occurrences in the region and enhancing the search for new mineralized zones. Full article

Exploring covered terrains is a challenge that requires the integration of multiple sources of knowledge, particularly in the initial stages of mineral exploration. The Apuí region, located in the Southwestern Amazon Craton, has a small and constant gold production, despite the deep cover and limited geological knowledge. The gold is mainly hosted in quartz veins and breccias that cut Paleoproterozoic volcano-sedimentary sequences. The occurrences have similar characteristics to magmatic–hydrothermal deposits, such as a lack of regional metamorphism and intense hydrothermalization. We undertook a multi-source prospective investigation on different scales using 2D and 3D techniques to translate the footprints of the mineral system into mappable criteria. Gold prospectivity maps for the Juma District and Guida Target were produced by integrating geological, geochemical, and geophysical datasets in knowledge-driven fuzzy systems. Regional airborne magnetization vector inversion (MVI) models were utilized. The correlation between the drill cores and the magnetic susceptibility models highlighted a potential surface for gold mineralization associated with the boundary between a granitic intrusion and volcano-sedimentary rocks. The prospectivity maps reduced the search area, and the regional susceptibility models allowed for the reconnaissance of structures and bodies that may be related to gold mineralization at depth. The results present new strategies for increasing discovery performance in the Southern Amazon Craton under cover. Full article

The Paraíba is an Au-Cu-Mo deposit located in the southern part of the Amazon Craton, in the Alta Floresta Mineral Province, Mato Grosso State, Brazil. It is composed of Au-Cu-bearing quartz veins and Cu-Mo-rich hydrothermal breccias and stockworks, both associated with several hydrothermal alteration zones. The integration of spectral (reflectance and imaging spectroscopy) and conventional techniques (core logging, petrography, mineral chemistry, and scanning electron microscopy) was applied to map alteration zones, identify mineral parageneses, and determine the evolution of the deposit to generate a solid proxy for mineralized zones. This study shows an overlapping of two different mineralization systems in the AFMP, referenced hereafter as alteration Groups 1 and 2. Group 1 is an Orogenic Gold system related to Au-Cu-rich quartz veins in phyllonites and mylonites. Group 2 is a Cu-Mo Porphyry system related to a syenogranite intrusion and the subsequent generation of several hydrothermal alteration zones, Cu and Mo hydrothermal breccias, and stockwork mineralization. This study reveals several alteration footprints, guides, and vectors for the mineral exploration of these deposits in the Alta Floresta Mineral Province. Full article

Rondônia intrusive suites represent the youngest A-type magmatism that occurred in the SW of the Amazon craton, with mineralizations in Sn, Nb, Ta, W, and topaz. Petrological and isotopic studies (U-Pb and Lu-Hf by LA-ICP-MS) allowed the Massangana granite to be subdivided into São Domingos facies (medium to fine biotite-granite), Bom Jardim facies (fine granite), Massangana facies (pyterlites and coarse granites) and Taboca facies (fine granites). The crystallization ages obtained were between 995.7 ± 9.5 Ma to 1026 ± 16 Ma, and the εHf values vary significantly between positive and negative, showing predominantly crustal sources for forming these rocks. Petrographic studies on ore samples indicate the action of co-magmatic hydrothermal fluids enriched in CO₂, H₂O, and F. These ores are characterized by endogreisens, exogreisens, pegmatites, and quartz veins that are explored in the São Domingos facies area. The endogreisens and exogreisens are formed by topaz-granites and zinnwaldite-granites; the pegmatites are formed by topaz-zinnwaldite-cassiterite-granites; and the veins by cassiterite-sulfides and quartz. The geometries of the mineralized bodies indicate a dome-shaped contact with the host rocks in the magma chamber and can be attributed to residual accumulation. In this sense, the origin of these ores is related to the evolution of intrusive granitic bodies where the terminal phases of the fluid-enriched magma are lodged in the apical portions, and the origin of the mineralized bodies present a biotite-granite, albite-granite, and endogreisens evolution (potassium series), or biotite-granite, alkali-granite and endogreisens (sodic series) and these rocks present TDM ages that indicate a concerning relation to the non-mineralized rocks of Massangana granite. Full article