ABSTRACT
Geological mapping, combined with geophysical and geochemical exploration, strongly suggest that structurally-emplaced Cambrian basement rocks exposed in the Mt Wellington Fault Zone of eastern Victoria, Australia, have significant gold and base metal potential. Although the mineralised zones identified to date in the Barkly River Greenstones display characteristics of epithermal and porphyry intrusive associations, the findings of detailed petrological and geochemical studies are consistent with the formation of the Cu-Au (±Pb-Zn) anomalies within a deep-seated, high-temperature volcanic-hosted massive sulphide (VHMS) setting. Moreover, the volcanogenic rocks identified in the Mt Wellington Fault Zone display strong petrographical and geochemical affinities to the economically significant Mt Read Volcanics in western Tasmania, which host several world-class massive sulphide deposits. These findings suggest that the Mt Wellington Fault Zone represents a new and potentially significant mineral province for VHMS and gold mineralisation in south-eastern Australia.
