Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

This paper presents a first summary of results of an ongoing study, started some two years ago, of high-grade iron ore deposits in South Africa, India and Brazil, including a comparison with the rather well-studied deposits of the Hamersley Province in Australia. Large, high-grade hematite iron ore bodies hosted by Precambrian banded iron formations are the world's most important source of iron ore. Despite their great economic importance, the origin of these deposits has remained rather enigmatic. Results of preliminary investigations into the geological setting, petrography and geochemistry of BIF-hosted high-grade hematite iron ore deposits in South Africa, India, Western Australia and Brazil reveal distinct similarities, suggest ing a very similar mode of hydrothermal and supergene-modified hydrothermal origin for most BIF-hosted highgrade hematite ore deposits. Differences between the deposits of this type are largely the result of varying intensities of supergene modification in Late Cretaceous to Tertiary times. Notable exceptions are the deposits in the Griqualand West region of South Africa, including the giant Sishen deposit, that are regarded to be of ancient supergene origin.

Keywords

HIGH-GRADE IRON ORE DEPOSITS BIF METALLOGENESIS GEOLOGICAL SETTING

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

ALKMIM

E. E.

and MARSHAK

: Transamazonian orogeny in the Southern Sao Francisco Craton Region, Minas Gerais, Brazil: evidence for Paleoproterozoic collision and collapse in the Quadrilkero Ferrifero', Precambrian Res., 1998, 90, 29–58.

BARLEY

M. E.

, PICKARD

A. L.

, HAGEMANN

S. G.

and FOLKERT

S. L.

: ‘Hydrothermal origin for the 2 billion year old Mount Tom Price giant iron ore deposit, Hamersley Province, Western Australia', Mineralium Deposita, 1999, 34, 784–789.

BEUKES

N. J.

, DORLAND

, GUTZMER

, NEDACHI

and OHMOTO

: ‘Tropical laterites, life on land, and the history of atmospheric oxygen in the Paleoproterozoic'. Geology, 2002, 30, 491–494.

DARDENNE

M. A.

and ScHoBBENHAus

: ‘The metal-logenesis of the South American platform'. In (ed.U.G. Cordani, E.J. Milani, A. Thomaz Filho and D.A. Campos), ‘Tectonic evolution of South America’, 755–850; 2000, Rio de Janeiro, Diogenes de Akneida Campos.

EVANS

D. A. D.

, BEUKES

N. J.

, and KiRsaiviNic

J. L.

Taleomagnetism of a lateritic paleoweathering horizon and overlying Paleoproterozoic redbeds from South Africa: Implications for the Kaapvaal apparent polar wander path and a confirmation of atmospheric oxygen enrichment‘, J Geophys. Res., 2002, 107, DOT: 10.1029/20011B000432.

GUTZMER

and BEUKES

N. J.

: ‘Earliest laterites and possible evidence for terrestrial vegetation in the Early Proterozoic', Geology, 1998, 26, 263–266.

GUTZMER

, NETSHIOZWI

and BEUKES

N. J.

: ‘Hydro-thermal origin of high-grade iron ore bodies hosted by the Paleoproterozoic Penge Iron Formation, Thabazimbi, South Africa‘, 2002, 16th International Sedimentological Congress Abstracts.

HARMSWORTH

R. A.

, KNEESHAW

, MORIUS

R. C.

, ROBINSON

C. J.

and SHRivAsTAvA

P. K.

: ‘BIE-derived iron ores of the Hamersley province'. In ‘Geology of the mineral deposits of Australia and Papua New Guinea‘, Vol. 1, Monograph 14, 617–642; 1990, Melbourne, AusIMM.

HOLLAND

H. D.

and BEUKES

N. J.

: ‘A paleoweathering profile from Griqualand West, South Africa: evidence for a dramatic rise in atmospheric oxygen between 2.2 and 1.9 by BP', Am. J Sc L, 1990, 290A, 1–34.

10.

KING

H. E.

: ‘The rocks speak’, Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, Monograph 15, 1–316; 1989, Melbourne, AusIMM.

11.

MACLEOD

W. N.

: ‘The geology and iron deposits of the Hamersley Range area, Western Australia', Geol. Surv. Western Aust. Bull., 1966, 117, 1–170.

12.

MORRIS

R. C.

: ‘A textural and mineralogical study of the relationship of iron ore to banded iron-formation in the Hamersley iron province of Western Australia', Econ. Geol., 1980, 75, 184–209.

13.

MORRIS

R. C.

: ‘Genesis of iron ore in banded iron-formation by supergene and supergene-metamorphic processes — a conceptual model'. In (ed. Wolf

K. H.

) ‘Handbook of strata-bound and stratiform ore deposits', Vol. 13, 73–235; 1985, Amsterdam, Elsevier.

14.

MUKHOPADHYAY

, BEUKES

N. J.

and GUTZMER

: ‘Petrographic evidence for the hydrothermal origin of BIE-hosted high-grade iron ores from eastern and central India', 271–272; 2002, 16th Int. Sedimentological Congress, abstract volume.

15.

NETSHIOZWI

S. T.

: ‘Origin of high-grade hematite ores at Thabazimbi Mine, Limpopo Province, South Africa', MSc thesis (unpublished), Rand Afrikaans University, Auckland Park.

16.

NETSHIOZWI

S. T.

, BEUKES

N. J.

and GUTZMER

: ‘Petrographic constraints on the transformation of the Penge Iron Formation into high-grade hematite ores at Thabazimbi Mine, Limpopo Province, South Africa', 275–276; 2002, 16th Int. Sedimentological Congress, abstract volume.

17.

POWELL

C. McA.

, OLIVER

N. H. S.

, LI

Z. X.

, MARTIN

D. McB.

and RONASZECKI

: Synorgenic hydrothermal origin for giant Hamersley iron oxide ore bodies', Geology, 1999, 27, 175–178.

18.

TAYLOR

, DALSTRA

H. J.

, HARDING

A. E.

, BROADBENT

G. C.

and BARLEY

M. E.

: ‘Genesis of high-grade hematite orebodies of the Hamersley Province, Western Australia'. Econ. Geol., 2001, 96, 837–878.

19.

VAN SCHALKWYK

J. F.

and Beuxes

N. J.

: ‘The Sishen iron ore deposit'. In (ed. Annhaeusser

C. R.

and Maske

S. S.

) ‘Mineral deposits of southern Africa', 157–182; 1986, Johannesburg, Geological Society of South Africa.

The geology and genesis of high-grade hematite iron ore deposits

Abstract

Keywords

Get full access to this article

References