Structure of the highly mineralised late-Archaean granitoid- greenstone terrain and the underlying crust in the Kambalda- Widgiemooltha area, Western Australia, from the integration of geophysical datasets.

Michael House; Mike Dentith; Allan Trench; David Groves; David Miller

doi:10.1071/EG999050

ISSN: 0812-3985
E-ISSN: 1834-7533

Structure of the highly mineralised late-Archaean granitoid- greenstone terrain and the underlying crust in the Kambalda- Widgiemooltha area, Western Australia, from the integration of geophysical datasets.
Authors Michael House^a, Mike Dentith^b, Allan Trench^c, David Groves^d and David Miller^e
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^a Goldfields Exploration Pty Ltd, , PO Box 862 Kalgoorlie, WA, 6430, (Previously at the Centre for Strategic Mineral Deposits, Department of Geology and Geophysics, The University of Western Australia) Phone: 08 9080 6524, Fax: 08 9080 6555, Email: [email protected] ^b Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA, 6009, Phone: 08 9380 2666, Fax: 08 9380 1178, Email: [email protected] ^c Mt. Kersey Mining NL, , 67-71 Dugan Street Kalgoorlie (Previously of WMC, KNO, Kambalda WA) WA, 6430, Phone: 08 9091 2095, Fax: 08 9021 8274, Email: [email protected] ^d Centre For Strategic Mineral Deposits, Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA, 6009, Phone: 08 9380 2667, Fax: 08 9380 1178, Email: [email protected] ^e WMC, , PO Box 91, Belmont, WA, 6104, Phone: 08 9479 8400, Fax: 08 9479 8496
Publisher: Australian Society of Exploration Geophysicists
Source: Exploration Geophysics, Volume 30, Issue 1-2, Mar 1999, p. 50 - 67
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1071/EG999050
- Published online: 01 Mar 1999

Abstract

The highly mineralised (Au, Ni) Kambaida-Widgie- mooltha area comprises typical late-Archaean granitoid- greenstone sequences, and is situated within the Kalgoorlie Terrane of the southern Norseman-Wiluna Belt in the Yilgarn Craton of Western Australia. In the Kambalda- Widgiemooltha area, high-resolution aeromagnetic data, two deep seismic reflection profiles and gravity data are available to examine the geophysical signature and three- dimensional structure of this important region of the Kalgoorlie Terrane.

The Kambaida-Widgiemooltha area has previously been divided, from west to east, into three fault-bounded tectono-stratigraphic domains, the Coolgardie, Kambaida and Parker Domains. Lithological associations and structural features defined by the aeromagnetic data substantiate the division of the study area into these three north-northwesttrending domains, and indicate that each domain consists of two, approximately equal-width, sub-domains. A four-stage deformation sequence, which is recognised from the aeromagnetic data, includes early south-to-north directed recumbent folding and thrust repetition (Dl), regional north-northwest folding and imbrication (D2), transcurrent movement on major north-northwest shear zones (D3), and the formation of late north-northeast and northwest-trending lineaments (D4).

Two deep (20s TWT) seismic reflection profiles across the Coolgardie and Kambaida Domains reveal a threelayered crust beneath the study area. The upper layer (0-10 km), which includes the greenstone belt, is generally unreflective in the upper 5 km. The lower part of this layer (7.5 to 10 km) is more reflective and comprises a felsic unit which could be a continuation of the greenstone belt stratigraphy, attenuated basement, or rift-related sedimentary rocks. Domain-bounding faults are interpreted as listric structures, which have allowed the partial imbrication of the domains during regional deformation.

The middle layer (10-27 km) is characterised by moderate to strong, variably dipping reflections. It is interpreted as an imbricate sequence of granitoids and gneisses. A more homogeneous, but weakly reflective, character is indicative of the lower crustal layer (27 - 35 km). East-dipping truncating reflectors at the western margin of the study area suggest that this layer is younger than the upper and middle layers and may, therefore, represent the late-tectonic external granitoids. The Moho is not imaged, but a general decrease in the number of reflections indicates that the crust is about 35 km thick.

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Article Type: Research Article

Keyword(s): aeromagnetics; Archaean; gravity; greenstone-belts; seismic reflection

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Structure of the highly mineralised late-Archaean granitoid- greenstone terrain and the underlying crust in the Kambalda- Widgiemooltha area, Western Australia, from the integration of geophysical datasets.

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