EXTECH IV ATHABASCA URANIUM DEPOSIT DATABASE
Geological Survey of Canada, Saskatchewan Industry and Resources, and Alberta Geological Survey


DEPNO COUNTRY LOCATION ALLNAMES COMMODITIES
100059 Australia (South Australia) 30.26.25 S -- 136.53.22 E Olympic Dam; Roxby Downs Cu; U; Au; Ag; REE; Fe

Database name: Uranium Deposits, Athabasca Basin
Custodial agency: Geological Survey of Canada
Compilers: Sunil S. Gandhi
Release date: 2007-03-02
   
Deposit name(s): Olympic Dam (mine name); Roxby Downs (occurrence name)
Political location(s): Australia; Province or state: South Australia; Nearest community: Adelaide (520 km NNW)
Deposit clan (type): Breccia Complex / Fe oxide-Cu-Au-U
Deposit (sub) types: Intrusion-hosted; Type deposit for the breccia-hosted iron oxide-rich polymetallic deposits in volcano-plutonic settings; the prime deposit that led to definition of a new deposit type; genetic link to Kiruna deposits; Reference: Hitzman, M. W.; Oreskes, N.; Einaudi, M. T., 1992: Geological Characteristics and Tectonic Setting of Proterozoic Iron Oxide (Cu-U-Au-REE) Deposits; Precambrian Research, Volume 58, p. 241 - 287
Multi-stage Breccia; continental volcano-plutonic setting, huge multistage near surface breccia complex and polymetallic mineralization; classic, based on extensive drilling and early underground work; Reference: Reeve, J. S.; Cross, K. C.; Smith, R. N.; Oreskes, N., 1990: Olympic Dam Copper-Uranium-Gold-Silver Deposit; In Geology of the Mineral Deposits of Australia and Papua New Guinea, Edited by Hughes, F. E., Monograph, The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, Melbourne, 14, 1828 p., p. 1009 - 1035
Deposit status: producer; Size category: giant; Status comments: giant deposit of 3.8 billion tonnes of ore; represents low grade source of uranium as by-product of copper, over a long life span of the mine
Geologic province: Gawler Craton
Geologic subprovince: Stuart Shelf
Geologic district: Olympic Domain
Deposit object located: headframe
Commodities: Cu; U; Au; Ag; REE; Fe
Mineralization styles: breccia - matrix (main mineralization zone); vein(s) (mineralization zone); disseminated (mineralization zone)
Geological ages: Early Mesoproterozoic (host rocks)
Early Mesoproterozoic (mineralization)
Early Mesoproterozoic (related igneous rocks)
Tectonic setting: continental craton-intracratonic; stable; Formal name: Gawler Craton (mineralization)
continental craton-intracratonic; stable; Formal name: Gawler Craton (host rocks)
Coincident features: multi-stage breccia zone (Long axis of the hematite-rich breccia is parallel to regional west-northwest photolineament corridor); Coincident feature name: Olympic Dam Breccia Complex
Regional tectonic structure: Large multi-stage breccia zone in Gawler Range volcano-plutonic complex (Brecciation and mineralization coevel with ca. 1600 Ma old volcano-plutonic complex) Tectonic structure name: Olympic Dam Breccia Complex
Host rocks: (1) intrusive; granite suite (Part of Burgoyne Batholith of Hiltaba supersuite); Host series: alkaline; Depositional setting: continental; Metamorphic grade: unmetamorphosed
External host rock forms:massive
Internal host rock structures:medium to coarse grained
Host rock stratigraphy:Roxby Downs Granite Igneous Suite
Related igneous rocks: (1) intrusive; granite suite (ca. 1600 Ma old pluton related to Gawler Range volcanics and Hiltaba intrusive supersuite); Initials: Burgoyne Batholith; Magma series: alkaline (A-type); Depositional setting: continental
Individual lithologies:syenogranite-quartz monzodiorite (low quartz content; batholith 50 x 35 km; includes Roxby Downs granite in the eastern part)
Country rocks: (1) granite; (predominant in the region); Country rock name: Hiltaba Suite; Metamorphic grade: unmetamorphosed
Country rock protoliths:granite-granodiorite (Gawler Range volcano-plutonic complex; ca. 1600 Ma old); Country rock protolith name: Hiltaba Suite
Individual lithologies:granite (continental, calc-alkaline granitoids; some plutons with high alkali contents)

(2) felsic volcanics; (subordinate to granites in the deposit area); Country rock name: Gawler Range Volcanics; Metamorphic grade: unmetamorphosed
Country rock protoliths:felsic volcanics (continental rhyolitic to dacitic volcanics related to ca. 1600 Ma granitic plutons); Country rock protolith name: Gawler Range Volcanics
Individual lithologies:rhyolite-dacite (calc-alkaline volcanics; aphanitic to porphyritic)

(3) sandstone; (unconformably overlies Gawler Range volcanic and plutonic rocks; eroded in deposit area); Country rock name: Pandurra Sandstone; Metamorphic grade: unmetamorphosed
Country rock protoliths:sandstone-siltstone-conglomerate (continental siliciclastic sediments of Late Mesoproterozoic age; little disturbed); Country rock protolith name: Pandurra Sandstone
Individual lithologies:sandstone-siltstone-conglomerate

(4) sandstone-siltstone-shale; (300 m thick flat-lying strata at the deposit); Country rock name: Paleozoic strata of Stuart Shelf; Metamorphic grade: unmetamorphosed
Country rock protoliths:platform-shelf sediments (west of Torrens hinge zone that marks the west boundary of Adelaidean fold belt); Country rock protolith name: Stuart Shelf sequence of Adelaidean orogen
Individual lithologies:sandstone-siltstone-shale (includes Tregalona shale; unconformity with Olympic Dam ore body exposed in mine workings)
Metallogenic signatures: Fe-Cu-U-Au-Ag-REE
Alteration signatures: silicification: quartz; What was altered: host granite
hematization: hematite; What was altered: granite and magnetite fragments
chlorite alteration: chlorite; What was altered: mafic minerals
sericitization: sericite; What was altered: feldspars
tourmalinization: tourmaline; What was altered: matrix of breccia
Mineralogy: (alteration / mineralization zone): barite, chlorite, fluorite, feldspar, sericite, siderite, xenotime
(alteration - undifferentiated / mineralization zone): hematite, plagioclase, tourmaline
(mineralization / mineralization zone): chalcocite, bornite, chalcopyrite, covellite, carrollite, roxbyite, copper, silver, argentite, gold, pyrite, pitchblende, uraninite, coffinite, brannerite, bastnaesite, florencite, apatite, monazite, magnetite, quartz
Radiometric ages: Object dated: Host Rocks; Age - Ma: 1,588; +4; -4; Dating method: U-Pb; Concentrate: zircon; Source rock: syenogranite; Formal name: Roxby Downs Granite; Event dated: host rock; Interpretive comment: Mineralization genetically related to the Roxby Downs granite and cogenetic Gawler Range volcanics; Reference: Creaser, R. A.; Cooper, J. A., 1993: U-Pb Geochronology of Middle Proterozoic Felsic Magmatism Surrounding the Olympic Dam Cu-U-Au-Ag and Moonta Cu-Au-Ag Deposits, South Australia; Economic Geology, Volume 88, p. 186 - 198

Object dated: Host Rocks; Age - Ma: 1,590; +5; -4; Dating method: U-Pb; Concentrate: zircon; Source rock: quartz monzodiorite; Formal name: Hiltaba intusive suite; Interpretive comment: Mafic phase of the Hiltaba granitic suite, which is the host of, and is coeval with, mineralization; Reference: Creaser, R. A.; Cooper, J. A., 1993: U-Pb Geochronology of Middle Proterozoic Felsic Magmatism Surrounding the Olympic Dam Cu-U-Au-Ag and Moonta Cu-Au-Ag Deposits, South Australia; Economic Geology, Volume 88, p. 186 - 198

Object dated: Related Magmatics; Age - Ma: 1,592; +8; -8; Dating method: U-Pb; Concentrate: zircon; Source rock: felsic peperite dyke; Formal name: Roxby Downs-Hiltaba volcano-plutonic complex; Event dated: mineralization; Interpretive comment: dyke cuts laminated hematite-quartz sandstone in maar lake facies; autobrecciated; Reference: Johnson, J. P.; Cross, K. C., 1995: U-Pb Geochronological Constraints on the Genesis of the Olympic Dam Cu-U-Au-Ag Deposit, South Australia; Economic Geology, Volume 90, p. 1046 - 1063

Object dated: Related Magmatics; Age - Ma: 1,597; +8; -8; Dating method: U-Pb; Concentrate: zircon; Source rock: diatreme-lapilli tuff; Formal name: diatreme related to Gawer Range volcanics; Event dated: post-mineralization diatreme; Interpretive comment: juvenile lapilli tuff in diatreme cutting mineralized breccia provides minimum age of mineralization; Reference: Johnson, J. P.; Cross, K. C., 1995: U-Pb Geochronological Constraints on the Genesis of the Olympic Dam Cu-U-Au-Ag Deposit, South Australia; Economic Geology, Volume 90, p. 1046 - 1063

Object dated: Related Magmatics; Age - Ma: 1,584; +20; -20; Dating method: U-Pb; Concentrate: zircon; Source rock: felsic peperite dyke; Formal name: dyke related to Gawer Range volcanics; Event dated: post-ore dyke; Interpretive comment: dyke intrusive into mineralized hematitic breccia; autobrecciated; provides minimum age of ore; Reference: Johnson, J. P.; Cross, K. C., 1995: U-Pb Geochronological Constraints on the Genesis of the Olympic Dam Cu-U-Au-Ag Deposit, South Australia; Economic Geology, Volume 90, p. 1046 - 1063
Deposit shape: irregular
Deposit dimensions:length: 3.5 kilometre
width: 3 kilometre
height: 0.7 kilometre
Qualified comments: (Applies to: discovery and development) Discovered in 1975 beneath 300 m thick flat-lying Paeozoic strata at coincident magnetic and gravity anomalies. By 1982, the deposit had been deleated by drilling and the Whenan shaft was sunk to 500 m. Production started in 1988, with measured and indicated resources of 420 Mt averaging 2.5 % Cu, 0.07 % U, 0.6 g/t Au and 6 g/t Ag; associated metals: 35 % Fe, light rare earths: 0.2 % La and 0.3 % Ce. Resources as of 1999: 500 Mt measured, 1150 Mt indicated and 670 Mt inferred; total resources of 2320 Mt averaging 1.3 % Cu, 0.03 % U, 0.5 g/t Au and 2.9 g/t Ag. The total increased to 2880 Mt by 2002.
References:
Anonymous, 1997
Ozmin
Australian Geological Surveys Organization, CD-ROM

Anonymous Editor(s)), 2002
Uranium 2001: Resources, Production and Demand
Joint Report by the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency and the International Atomic Energy Agency, OECD Nuclear Energy Agency and International Atomic Energy Agency, International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, Red Book, 348 p..

Anonymous, 2003
WMC Resources Ltd.: 2002 Annual Report
Annual Report, WMC Resources Ltd. (Western Mining Corporation), Southbank Vic. 3006, Australia, 68 p..

Battey, G. C.; Miezitis, Y.; McKay, A. D., 1987
Australian Uranium Resources
Resource Report, Bureau of Mineral Resources, Geology and Geophysics, Canberra, Australia, Publication code 1, 69 p..

Creaser, R. A.; Cooper, J. A., 1993
U-Pb Geochronology of Middle Proterozoic Felsic Magmatism Surrounding the Olympic Dam Cu-U-Au-Ag and Moonta Cu-Au-Ag Deposits, South Australia
Economic Geology, Volume 88, p. 186 - 198

Dunn, P. R.; Battey, G. C.; Miezitis, Y.; McKay, A. D., 1990
The Uranium Deposits of Northern Territory
In Geological Aspects of the Discovery of Some Important Mineral Deposits of Australia, Edited by Glasson, K. R.; Rattigan, J. H., Monograph, Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, 17, p. 455 - 476

Ferris, G. M.; Schwarz, M. P.; Heithersay, P., 2002
The Geological Framework, Distribution and Controls of Fe-Oxide Cu-Au Mineralisation in the Gawler Craton, South Australia: Part I - Geological and Tectonic Framework
Section Australasia, In Hydrothermal Iron Oxide Copper-Gold and Related Deposits: A Global Perspective, Volume 2, Edited by Porter, T. M., Australian Mineral Foundation, Adelaide, Australia, 377 p., p. 9 - 32

Gandhi, S. S.; Bell, R. T., 1993
Metallogenic Concepts to Aid Exploration for the Giant Olympic Dam-Type Deposits and their Derivatives
In Proceedings, Eighth Quadrennial IAGOD Symposium, Ottawa, Canada, August 12-18, 1990, Edited by Maurice, Y. T., IAGOD Proceedings, International Association on the Genesis of Ore Deposits, E. Schweizerbart'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, Stuttgart, 900 p., p. 787 - 802

Gandhi, S. S.; Bell, R. T., 1996
Kiruna/Olympic Dam Iron-Copper-Uranium-Gold
In Geology of Canadian Mineral Deposit Types, Edited by Eckstrand, O. R.; Sinclair, W. D.; Thorpe, R. I., Geology of Canada, Decade of North American Geology (DNAG), Geological Survey of Canada, Geological Society of America, Geological Survey of Canada, Geological Society of America, Volume 8, 640 p., p. 513 - 522

Geological Survey of South Australia, 2001
Stuart Shelf: Geoscientific GIS Dataset
Primary Industries and Resources SA: Mineral Resources, Mineral Exploration and Data Packages, 8., CD-ROM

Giles, C. W., 1988
Petrogenesis of the Proterozoic Gawler Range Volcanics, South Australia
Precambrian Research, Volume 40/41, p. 407 - 427

Gow, P. A.; Wall, V. J.; Oliver, N. H. S.; Valenta, R. K., 1994
Proterozoic Iron Oxide (Cu-U-Au-REE) Deposits: Further Evidence of Hydrothermal Origins
Geology, Volume 22, p. 633 - 636

Gow, P. J.; Wall, V. J.; Valenta, R. K., 1993
The Regional Geophysical Response of the Stuart Shelf, South Australia
Exploration Geophysics, Volume 24, p. 513 - 520

Haynes, D. W.; Cross, K. C.; Bills, R. T.; Reed, M. H., 1995
Olympic Dam Ore Genesis: a Fluid Mixing Model
Economic Geology, Volume 90, p. 281 - 307

Hitzman, M. W.; Oreskes, N.; Einaudi, M. T., 1992
Geological Characteristics and Tectonic Setting of Proterozoic Iron Oxide (Cu-U-Au-REE) Deposits
Precambrian Research, Volume 58, p. 241 - 287

Hitzman, M. W., 2001
Iron Oxide-Cu-Au Deposits: What, Where, When and Why
In Hydrothermal Iron Oxide Copper-Gold and Related Deposits: A Global Perspective, Volume 1, Edited by Porter, T. M., Australian Mineral Foundation, Adelaide, Australia, 349 p., p. 9 - 25

Johnson, J. P.; Cross, K. C., 1991
Geochronological and Sm-Nd Isotopic Constraints on the Genesis of the Olympic Dam Cu-U-Au-Ag Deposit, South Australia
In Source, Transport, and Deposition of Metals, Edited by Pagel, M.; Leroy, J. L., Proceedings of the 25th Anniversary Meeting, Society for Geology Applied to Mineral Deposits, Balkema, Rotterdam, 841 p., p. 395 - 400

Johnson, J. P.; Cross, K. C., 1995
U-Pb Geochronological Constraints on the Genesis of the Olympic Dam Cu-U-Au-Ag Deposit, South Australia
Economic Geology, Volume 90, p. 1046 - 1063

McKay, A. D.; Miezitis, Y., 2001
Australia's Uranium Resources, Geology and Development of Deposits
AGSO-Geoscience Australia, Canberra, Australia Mineral Resource Report 1, Internet

Mortimer, G. E.; Cooper, J. A.; Paterson, H. L.; Cross, K., 1988
Zircon U-Pb Dating in the Vicinity of the Olympic Dam Cu-U-Au Deposit, Roxby Downs, South Australia
Economic Geology, Volume 83, p. 694 - 709

O'Driscoll, E. S. T., 1985
The Application of Lineament Tectonics in the Discovery of the Olympic Dam Cu-Au-U Deposit at Roxby Downs, South Australia
Global Tectonics and Metallogeny, Volume 3, p. 43 - 57

Oreskes, N.; Einaudi, M. T., 1990
Origin of Rare Earth Element-Enriched Hematite Breccias at the Olympic Dam Cu-U-Au-Ag Deposit, Roxby Downs, South Australia
Economic Geology, Volume 85, p. 1 - 28

Oreskes, N.; Hitzman, M. V., 1993
A Model for the Origin of Olympic Dam Deposits
In Mineral Deposit Modeling, Edited by Kirkham, R. V.; Sinclair, W. D.; Thorpe, R. I.; Duke, J. M., Special Paper, Geological Association of Canada, Geological Association of Canada, 40, 798 p., p. 615 - 633

Pickers, N., 2004
Mineral Resources (as at 31 October 2004) - Olympic Dam Operations (Olympic Dam Mineral Resource up almost 30%)
Company Announcements (web release), WMC Resources Ltd., 1 p..

Porter, T. M., 2001
Hydrothermal Iron-Oxide Copper-Gold and Related Ore Deposits
Section Preface, In Hydrothermal Iron Oxide Copper-Gold and Related Deposits: A Global Perspective, Volume 1, Edited by Porter, T. M., Australian Mineral Foundation, Adelaide, Australia, 349 p., p. 3 - 5

Reeve, J. S.; Cross, K. C.; Smith, R. N.; Oreskes, N., 1990
Olympic Dam Copper-Uranium-Gold-Silver Deposit
In Geology of the Mineral Deposits of Australia and Papua New Guinea, Edited by Hughes, F. E., Monograph, The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, Melbourne, 14, 1828 p., p. 1009 - 1035

Reynolds, L. J., 2001
Geology of the Olympic Dam Cu-U-Au-Ag-REE Deposit
Section Australasia, In Hydrothermal Iron Oxide Copper-Gold and Related Deposits: A Global Perspective, Volume 1, Edited by Porter, T. M., Australian Mineral Foundation, Adelaide, Australia, 349 p., p. 93 - 104

Roberts, D. E.; Hudson, G. R. T., 1983
The Olympic Dam Copper-Uranium-Gold Deposit, Roxby Downs, South Australia
Economic Geology, Volume 78, p. 799 - 822

Rutter, H.; Esdale, D. J., 1985
The Geophysics of the Olympic Dam Discovery
Bulletin of Australian Society of Exploration Geophysics, Volume 16, p. 273 - 276

Skirrow, R. G.; Bastrakov, E.; Davidson, G.; Raymond, O. L., 2002
The Geological Framework, Distribution and Controls of Fe-Oxide Cu-Au Mineralisation in the Gawler Craton, South Australia: Part II - Alteration and Mineralisation
Section Australasia, In Hydrothermal Iron Oxide Copper-Gold and Related Deposits: A Global Perspective, Volume 2, Edited by Porter, T. M., Australian Mineral Foundation, Adelaide, Australia, 377 p., p. 33 - 48

Youles, I. P., 1984
The Olympic Dam Copper-Uranium-Gold Deposit, Roxby Downs, South Australia - A Discussion
Economic Geology, Volume 79, p. 1941 - 1943

Production data: Report period: from 2002-01-01 until 2002-12-31; 8,874,600 metric ton ore; Provisional entry?: yes; Yearly or summary?: Y
Grade-commodity information:Cu: 2.57 percent
U: 0.06 percent
weight-commodity information:Cu: 469,216 metric ton
U: 2,451 metric ton
Reference: Anonymous, 2003: WMC Resources Ltd.: 2002 Annual Report; Annual Report, WMC Resources Ltd. (Western Mining Corporation), Southbank Vic. 3006, Australia, 68 p..
Resource data:
Disclaimer - Reserves/Resource Data

Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, represented by the Minister of Natural Resources (NRCan) does not warrant or guarantee the accuracy, completeness or fitness for any purpose of Reserve and Resource information (Data) contained in this database, including whether the Data is compliant with any securities regulations or standards, and NRCan does not assume any liability with respect to any damage or loss incurred as a result of the use made of the Data.

Resource and reserve figures are historical in nature. The Data source provided with each set of figures should be cited if the Data are re-reported.

Estimate date: 2004-10-31; 3,810 million metric tons ore; Combined with production?: no; Provisional entry?: no; Resource category: total resource
Grade-commodity information:Cu: 1.1 percent
U3O8: 0.4 kilograms/metric ton
Au: 0.5 grams/metric ton
Reference: Pickers, N., 2004: Mineral Resources (as at 31 October 2004) - Olympic Dam Operations (Olympic Dam Mineral Resource up almost 30%); Company Announcements (web release), WMC Resources Ltd., 1 p..

Generated 2007-03-02 2:35:30 PM with GQuery -- 3.7 ADO (3.19/3.20/3.21 -- 2006-02-24)
GlobalDB System, Geological Survey of Canada, Natural Resources Canada