The fundamental influence of tectonics and deformation in the emplacement and modification of komatiitic nickel sulphide deposits of the Eastern Goldfields province of the Archaean Yilgarn Craton

Abstract

This paper attempts to highlight the fundamental role played by tectonics and deformation in the formation and subsequent modification of many komatiite associated nickel sulphide deposits in the Eastern Goldfields province of the Archaean Yilgarn Craton of Western Australia. The influence of tectonics and deformation is manifest at a variety of scales, ranging from hand specimen to craton scale, and has a real impact on how these deposits are targeted, explored, delineated and mined. The influence of tectonics and deformation is as fundamental to the genesis of these deposits as are the well documented magmatic and volcanic processes generally considered to be crucial to their formation.