A New Fluid-Flow Model for the Genesis of Banded Iron Formation-Hosted Martite-Goethite Mineralization, with Special Reference to the North and South Flank Deposits of the Hamersley Province, Western Australia

摘要

The North and South Flank deposits are located on the flanks of the Weeli Wolli anticline at Mining Area C in the central Hamersley Province. Supergene martite-goethite mineralization is hosted within the Marra Mamba Iron Formation and is developed over a strike length of more than 60 km. This multibillion metric ton resource has been drilled out on a 150- x 50- to 50- x 50-m grid, thus providing us with an unprecedented data set for analysis. This study synthesizes the drill hole data and presents a physical process model that can account for the observed distribution of mineralization.