Seismic structure and crustal architecture of the Fe oxide Cu-Au (IOCG) minerals system of the eastern Gawler Craton

Abstract

Deep seismic reflection data acquired in the eastern Gawler Craton show the crustal architecture and Palaeoproterozoic crustal-scale thrusts controlling the locus of fluid-flow leading to Fe oxide Cu-Au mineralisation. They define a northwest-trending exploration fairway. The thrusts are temporally related to the 1.6 Ga Olarian Orogeny of the adjacent Curnamona Province, but a causal link is yet to be established. The crust below the Adelaide Rift System, at the northern end of the north-south seismic line, may be allochthonous; docking with the proto-Gawler Craton, as a separate terrane prior to final amalgamation of the craton, or it could be part of the Curnamona Province.