The (U-Th)/He Chronology and Geochemistry of Ferruginous Nodules and Pisoliths Formed in the Paleochannel Environments at the Garden Well Gold Deposit, Yilgarn Craton of Western Australia: Implications for Landscape Evolution and Geochemical Exploration

Abstract

Ferruginous nodules and pisoliths that cap deeply weathered profiles and transported cover are characteristic of the Yilgarn Craton, Western Australia. Here we show how ferruginous nodules and pisoliths formed in the paleochannel sediments during Miocene can be used to locate buried Au mineralization. Three types of ferruginous nodules and pisoliths were identified in paleochannel sediments and saprolite, representing different parent materials and environments covering the Garden Well Au deposit: (i) ferruginous nodules formed in saprolite on the flanks of the paleochannel (NSP), (ii) ferruginous pisoliths formed in the Perkolilli Shale in the middle of the paleochannel (PPS) and (iii) ferruginous nodules formed in the Wollubar Sandstone at the bottom of the paleochannel (NWS). The appearance, mineralogy and geochemistry of ferruginous nodules and pisoliths vary according to their origin. The PPS and NWS are goethite-rich whereas NSP is a mixture of goethite and hematite which make them all suitable for (U–Th)/He dating. The average age of goethite in the NSP is 14.8 Ma, in the NWS is 11.2 Ma and in the PPS is 18.6 and 14 Ma. The goethite ages in ferruginous nodules and pisoliths are thought to be younger than the underlying saprolite (Paleocene-Eocene) and were formed in different environmental conditions than the underlying saprolite. Anomalous concentrations of Au, As, Cu, Sb, In, Se, Bi, and S in the cores and cortices of the NWS and the PPS reflect the underlying Au mineralization, and thus these nodules and pisoliths are useful sample media for geochemical exploration in this area. These elements originating in mineralized saprolite have migrated both upwards and laterally into the NWS and the PPS, to form spatially large targets for mineral exploration.