A comparative study of mineralization and unmineralized breccias along the Whistle offset dyke in the North Range of the Sudbury impact structure

Geology M.Sc. & Ph.D. Coordinator Structural Geology, Laurentian University

Professor, Laurentian University

Sudbury breccia and its metamorphosed equivalent, metabreccia are preferred hosts to Cu-Ni-PGE mineralization in footwall country rocks and offset dykes of the Sudbury Igneous Complex. As most occurrences of breccia are unmineralized, the main objective of the research project is to develop criteria for discriminating between unmineralized and mineralized metabreccia along offset dykes. This would benefit mineral exploration by providing tools helpful in focusing exploration efforts and dollars on the recognition of mineralization-favourable breccia.