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Explor. Mining Geol., Vol. 10, Nos. 1 and 2, pp.

1934, 2001 2002 Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum. All rights reserved. Printed in Canada. 0964-1823/00 $17.00 + .00

The Geological Setting and Estimation of Gold Grade of the High-grade Zone, Red Lake Mine, Goldcorp Inc.
TIM TWOMEY and STEPHEN McGIBBON
Red Lake Mine, Goldcorp Inc. Balmertown, Ontario, Canada, P0V 1C0
Received April 15, 2002; accepted September 25, 2002.

Abstract The High-grade Zone (HGZ) was discovered 5000 ft (1520 m) below surface in the hangingwall of the existing orebody, 46 years after the Red Lake mine rst went into production. The very rich ore of the HGZ is characterized by a remarkably abundant distribution of visible native gold. The location of this discovery challenged conventional wisdom at the time and its genesis has yet to be fully understood. Textural observations of ore within carbonate veins as well as crosscutting relationships suggest peak-metamorphic emplacement for at least some of the gold. Post-lamprophyre dike remobilization of gold is locally observed in the HGZ. Structure and dilatancy were the key elements for localizing ore at the Red Lake mine. Ore occurs where a fault trend intersected folded ultramac volcanic rock that created a semi-permeable cap-rock to ore uids ascending the feeder structure. This was enhanced by strong competency contrasts between the eastern ultramac rocks, felsic volcanic rocks west of the HGZ, and the mac volcanic host to ore an exceptional environment for the development of protracted dilatant uid pathways for gold deposition. Development in the HGZ began in February 2000 and reached commercial production on January 1, 2001 at a capital cost of US $53 million. December 2001 reserves are 1.9 million short tons (1.73 Mt) at an average cut and diluted grade of 2.05 ounces per ton gold (70.5 g/t) containing 3.8 million ounces of gold. The extremely rich ore presented a unique challenge in grade estimation for the Geology Department at the mine. The historic cutting factor was replaced by a statistical method as more data were collected from mining and mill reconciliation. The mine produced 503 000 ounces of gold in 2001. Exploration at the mine is targeting HGZ-type ore formation within basalts associated with the intersections of uid pathways and folded ultramac rocks, as well as other targets. 2002 Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum. All rights reserved.

Introduction
The Red Lake mine is located in the historic Red Lake gold camp of northwestern Ontario. High grades and complex geometry characterize the ore that has been mined from this district. Approximately 20 million ounces of gold have been mined to the end of 2001 (http://www. mndm.gov.on.ca/MNDM/MINES/resgeol/redlkprode.htm), primarily from rocks within the upper stratigraphy of the Balmer assemblage. Gold was rst mined in the camp in 1930, and of the 18 historic producers, only two are operating today. Placer Domes Campbell mine and Goldcorps Red Lake mine are the top two producers in the camp both by number of ounces and average reserve grade. The two mine properties are contiguous and share a large hydrothermal system comprising a number of individual ore zones. The orebody at the Campbell mine and the Red Lake mine is prolic, having a combined total resource (i.e., ounces mined and ounces in reserves and resources) equaling 23.5 million ounces of gold at an average grade of 0.65 ounces per ton (oz/t) gold or 22.3 grams per tonne (g/t). The Red Lake mine property consists of 58 patented claims in Balmer Township. These include the claims origi19

nally held by Dickenson Mines (Goldcorps predecessor) as well as the claims obtained from Detta, Consolidated Brewis, and Robin Red Lake. Dickenson went into production in 1948, beginning on the same narrow veins that crossed the Campbell boundary to the west and averaged 0.50 oz/t (17.0 g/t) across a 5 ft (1.5 m) mining width. During the next 48 years, mining progressed to depth and to the southeast away from the Campbell mine. By 1970, the ore character underwent a transition to lower-grade disseminated sulde ore with a head grade of 0.30 oz/t (10 g/t). As mining progressed further away from No. 1 Shaft with depth, a winze called No. 2 Shaft was sunk in 1970 from the 23rd level at 3400 ft (1040 m) below surface. No. 2 Shaft extends to the 38th level at 5600 ft (1700 m) below surface. The 38 levels in the mine are roughly 150 ft (46 m) apart. Total production to 1996 at the Red Lake mine was 3.2 million ounces of gold. Mining was suspended in 1996 to 2000 as a result of a four-year labor dispute.

History of the HGZ Discovery and Development


The first drill hole to intersect the HGZ was a 150 ft long, flat hole drilled in 1987 from the 30th level, the bot-

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tom working level of the Red Lake mine at that time. Hole 30L387 was drilled into the hangingwall of the mine in the opposite direction from the known orebody at that time, the lower-grade sulfide ore. The hole intersected ore grading 1.71 oz/t (58.6 g/t) across 19.1 ft (5.8 m) and contained numerous flecks of visible gold in a quartz-carbonate vein structure. This was recognized as typical Campbell-type high-grade ore. A small cut-and-fill stope was developed and mined up only half a level until it was exhausted by the early 1990s. Systematic exploration below this elevation was delayed until 1991 due to a shortage of capital. Long, at exploration holes drilled from the 34th level shaft station, 5000 ft (1520 m) below surface, were completed in 1991. These results gave Goldcorp Inc. sufcient encouragement to nally embark on a follow-up program in late 1994. The program was successful and Goldcorp recognized the signicance of this distinctive ore as being similar to the ore intersected in hole 30L387. The 1994 drill campaign is considered to have been responsible for the discovery of the HGZ as its size was just beginning to be appreciated. In February 1995, Goldcorp announced a two-year exploration and development program for the Red Lake mine. The rst press release on the HGZ on March 29, 1995, stated that a signicant reserve expansion was suggested by exploration drilling on the 34th level in which the weighted average grade for nine reported drill intersections was 9.08 oz/t gold, uncut, over 7.6 ft or 311 g/t over 2.3 m. Goldcorp Inc.s stock doubled in price within weeks of that press release. Diamond drilling intensied on the discovery below the 30th level, within a block of ground extending to 6200 ft (1890 m) below surface. Delineation of the HGZ orebody identied a series of zones, one of which is part of the earlier mined-out stope on the 30th level. In all, 27 sub-zones make up the HGZ between Footwall 4 (FW4) in the footwall to the Hanging Wall 5 sub-zone (HW5), furthest into the hangingwall to the southwest. Audited reserves for the HGZ in 1999 reported 1.7 million tons at an average cut and diluted grade of 1.37 oz/t gold. Development was started in March 2000 and production began at the end of 2000 with a capital cost of US$56 million. Audited reserves to December 2001 on the HGZ have increased to 3.80 million ounces in 1.85 million tons at an average cut and diluted grade of 2.05 oz/t (70.3 g/t) gold (February 7, 2002, Goldcorp Inc. news release). The HGZ discovery took place 5000 ft (1530 m) below surface and in the hangingwall of the original ore zones 48 years after the mine rst came into production. A remarkable characteristic of this ore is the abundant distribution of visible native gold and the attendant high grades (Fig. 1). The location of this discovery challenged conventional wisdom at the time, which had suggested a limited potential for high-grade veins at depth to the east. Interestingly, the No. 2 Shaft was deepened in 1978 to the 38th level even though no ore was then outlined in the mine below the 28th level. This

Fig. 1. Photo of extreme high-grade gold specimen, taken from the Main zone of the HGZ, rst cut in 32-826-1 Stope, in December 2000. Central vertical band is composed of about 70% native gold, surrounded by disseminated akes of gold as well as at fractures plated with gold on left side of photo. This museum quality specimen contains approximately 300 oz of gold equivalent to 7284.0 oz per ton or 3.6 oz per pound. Hand lens is 2 in. (6 cm) long.

initial leap of faith is now hoisting better than 2.00 oz/t ore from the HGZ.

Development and Mining Development within the HGZ began in February 2000 and by year-end, approximately 92 800 tons of ore had been mined. Some 35% more ounces were mined than predicted by the ore reserve. Commercial production began January 1, 2001 and for the year ending December 31, 2001 (see Fig. 2), a total of 246 618 tons of ore was processed at a grade of 2.26 oz/t (77.5 g/t) for a total gold content of 535 000 ounces excluding concentrates (February 7, 2002, Goldcorp Inc. news release). The tons of ore extracted were also slightly higher as compared to ore reserves as some material at the margins of stopes often proved to be economic. Total dilution of 33% was comparable to the ore reserve estimate. Part of the Red Lake mine ore is refractory due to the presence of gold-bearing arsenopyrite. The conventional mill (gravity and cyanide) liberates 88% of the gold and produces a sulfide concentrate currently being

The Geological Setting and Estimation of Gold Grade of the High-grade Zone, Red Lake Mine T. TWOMEY AND S. MCGIBBON

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Fig. 2. A 3D view of HGZ reserves and resources and mine workings, looking north. Red areas show where mining of HGZ ore has taken place to the end of 2001.

trucked to an outside facility for further processing. Overall gold recovery is approaching 96%.

Regional Geology
The Red Lake greenstone belt is situated in the western portion of the Uchi Subprovince, a typical Archean granitegreenstone terrain consisting of volcanic and sedimentary assemblages and synvolcanic intrusions (Fig. 3). These rep-

resent magmatic and erosional events that occurred over a period of approximately 290 million years (Stott and Corfu, 1991; Sanborn-Barrie et al., 2000, 2001). The belt is subdivided into several distinct assemblages. The Balmer assemblage, which hosts the Red Lake mine, is part of the oldest Lower Mac Sequence that constitutes 50% of the Red Lake greenstone belt and forms its central core. The assemblage consists primarily of basaltic tholeiite and komatiite lava ows, ranging in age from 2992 Ma to 2958 Ma (Stott and Corfu, 1991). Gold in the Red Lake belt is predominantly associated with the upper part of the Balmer assemblage. Interestingly, almost all the gold production (98%) in the Red Lake greenstone belt has come from the southeastern half of the belt, even though favorable rocks, alteration, and structure are found throughout the entire belt. The Balmer assemblage is unconformably overlain by the Bruce Channel assemblage, which is dominated by metasedimentary rocks and is folded around the Balmer assemblage to the southeast of the Red Lake mine. Some of these rocks are re-interpreted as the new Huston assemblage (Sanborn-Barrie et al., 2001). The unconformity with the underlying Balmer assemblage is exposed on Highway 125 near the Balmertown cemetery (ODea, 1999). Other assemblages are discussed in more detail in Sanborn-Barrie et al. (2000, 2001). The supracrustal rocks have undergone greenschist metamorphism, and an amphibolite facies isograd occurs as a contact aureole around the belt-edge batholiths and bisects the

Fig. 3. Geology of the Red Lake greenstone belt (modied from Sanborn-Barrie et al., 2001).

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Fig. 4. Simplied geology plan of the 21st level at Red Lake mine and Campbell mine, showing three major structural trends parallel to regional foliation: the Campbell Fault Trend, the Dickenson Fault Trend and the New Mine Fault Trend.

Red Lake mine property (Andrews et al., 1986). Rocks of the region have been subjected to at least two phases of deformation (Sanborn-Barrie et al., 2001). The rst episode, (D1), was responsible for the development of large-scale, northeasttrending folds. For example, northeast-trending synclines and anticlines occur northeast of McKenzie Island to the west of East Bay. On the eastern side of East Bay, a major fold with a northwest-trending fold axis occurs in Bateman and Balmer townships. The second episode, (D2), corresponds to a northeast-southwest compression responsible for the development of a penetrative, southeast-trending schistosity, (S2), that is axial planar to steeply east-plunging F2 folds. Gold deposits in Red Lake are hosted within strongly altered and variably deformed rocks that are arranged along regional trends (Andrews et al., 1986). Rocks from the Campbell and Red Lake mines occur within a 34 mile-wide geochemical anomaly whose presence is based on elevated peraluminosity index, and arsenic and CO2 contents (MacGeehan et al., 1982). This is part of an alteration/deformation trend that extends to the northwest of the Red Lake mine and encompasses the past producing CochenourWillans mine (1.2 million oz) and the past producing

McKenzie mine (650 000 oz). This corridor has been called the Cochenour-Gullrock Deformation-Alteration Zone and its formation remains unresolved (Durocher, 1983; Andrews et al., 1986; Zhang, et al., 1997). The four largest mines in the Red Lake camp including the Campbell, Red Lake, Madsen and Cochenour-Willans mines, display an unusual type of alteration that is found in Balmer assemblage basalts consisting of so-called aluminous bleaching. This distinctive, buff-colored silicication represents the product of intense cation leaching of K, Na, Ca, Fe, Mn, and Mg that has resulted in the residual enrichment of Al and Si in the altered rock. This pre-ore alteration is spatially associated with gold on a mine scale, but not on an ore-zone scale, and the genetic relationship of this alteration to gold remains unresolved (Penczak and Mason, 1999; Dub et al., 2000; Parker, 2000).

Mine Geological Setting


The dominant rock type in the mine consists of variably altered Fe-tholeiite ows, which have previously been

The Geological Setting and Estimation of Gold Grade of the High-grade Zone, Red Lake Mine T. TWOMEY AND S. MCGIBBON

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Fig. 5. Carbonate veins replacing pillow margins in BK altered ultramac rock at entrance to fth cut in 32-806-1 Stope. Carbonate vein cuts an amphibole-carbonate veinlet suggesting replacement at peak metamorphism.

termed andesite. These rocks are pillowed, amygdaloidal or massive, dark green to black, and aphanitic to negrained in texture. They are the main host for ore at the Red Lake mine as well as the Campbell mine (e.g., see Fig. 4; 21st level geology). About 85% of HGZ reserves are within mac volcanic rocks while the remaining 15% occur within the adjacent altered ultramac rocks. The mineral assemblage of the mac volcanics is principally one of plagioclase, quartz, brous amphiboles, biotite, minor chlorite, carbonate, hornblende, and talc. Bleached andesite (previous mine terminology) is not a separate primary rock type but represents Fe-tholeiitic basalt that has been affected by pre-ore alteration (i.e., aluminous bleaching) typied by intense cation leaching of K, Na, Ca, Fe, Mn, and Mg (Penczak and Mason, 1999). Intercalated with the mac volcanic rocks are highly carbonatized and altered ultramac rocks, of probable volcanic origin. Two texturally and geochemically distinct varieties of ultramac rocks are found within the mine. Altered ultramac rock (mine terminology) is chemically equivalent to a basaltic komatiite, (BK), on a Jensen Plot, and may represent a more fractionated extrusive version of peridotitic komatiite, (PK), which was locally called chickenfeed or carbonate-eyeschist. Although spinifex textures have not been recognized on the macroscopic scale at the Red Lake mine, other textural evidence for an extrusive origin for the BK unit has been recognized in the form of carbonate veining that denes pillow margins (Fig. 5). Conclusive evidence for the extrusive origin of the BK unit is critical in unravelling the tectonic history of the supracrustal rocks at the mine as it is used as a strati-

graphic marker horizon. The PK unit may represent a synvolcanic sill, or alternatively, a coarse-grained lava ow. Minor, Balmer assemblage, sulde-facies banded iron formation is intercalated with the mac volcanic rocks. This unit is generally discontinuous and has not been used to trace stratigraphy at the mine. Diorite and Campbell diorite (mine terminology) may be classied as Fe-tholeiitic mac intrusions or alternatively as thick mac ows. Campbell diorite may be slightly fractionated relative to Fe-tholeiitic basalt. Peridotite (mine terminology) represents Mg-tholeiitic mac intrusions. There are two types of rhyolite present at the CampbellRed Lake mines. Rhyolite units in the Balmer assemblage at the Red Lake mine are similar to rhyolite at the Campbell mine. They are generally aphanitic in texture with a waxy lustre, and are transitional tholeiitic to calc-alkaline in composition. A Balmer assemblage rhyolitic pyroclastic breccia, which hosts the H-zone sulde ore around the 16th level of the Red Lake mine, contains quartz-eyes. Lying stratigraphically above the mac rocks of the Balmer assemblage are felsic ows, as well as pyroclastic, clastic, and chemical sedimentary rocks of the Bruce Channel assemblage. Some development has cut the unconformity and exposed these rocks underground. Graywacke and chert occur interbedded in variable thickness, and felsic volcanic breccias found on the 35th level shaft station appear to grade into lapilli-tuff on surface. Rhyolite in the sedimentary sequence contains quartz-eyes and is calc-alkaline in composition (Sanborn-Barrie et al., 2001). To date, no ore has been found in Bruce Channel rocks that occur within the Red Lake mine. The volcanic and sedimentary rocks, and ore zones, at the Red Lake mine have been intruded by post-mineralization feldspar ( quartz) porphyry (FP), metadiabase, peridotite, and lamprophyre dikes. Two varieties of calc-alkaline feldspar ( quartz) porphyry dikes have been identied. They have distinct textural, and slight geochemical differences, and have different orientations. QFP is conformable to the regional fabric, whereas, the FP is oriented east-west and dips sub-vertically. Both of these dikes may be compositionally classied as being the equivalent of medium-K granodiorite. The lamprophyre dikes are massive, have chilled margins and post-date the gold ore, the FP dikes, and most of the faults in the environs of the mine. Two varieties of lamprophyre have been identied. The more common melanocratic variety, which is tentatively classied as spessartite, is black, negrained, and calc-alkaline in composition. This variety occurs as 5 ft to 10 ft (1.5 m to 3 m) wide, east-west steeply dipping dikes that are commonly oriented parallel to the regional fabric. A less common mesocratic variety of lamprophyre, tentatively classied as kerstantite, is alkaline in composition and contains medium-grained hornblende crystals set in a graygreen ne-grained matrix. Dikes of the latter variety of lamprophyre are typically 20 ft to 35 ft (6 m to 9 m) horizontal width, strike south, and dip 20 to 40 to the west.

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Peridotite occurs in the footwall of the Red Lake mine, where it was intruded along the unconformity between the Balmer and Bruce Channel assemblages. Serpentine with minor biotite and carbonate alteration have been noted in this unit on strike to the E Zone. It is not known if this intrusion postdates the formation of the gold ore. Structurally, the unit is massive (although locally it possesses a well-developed S2 fabric) and hosts minor, shallow, north-trending carbonate veins.

Structure at the Red Lake Mine Different sets of fold axes that trend northwest, or north to northeast, indicate the existence of at least two directions of principal stress during the deformation of the Red Lake belt (ODea, 1999; Sanborn-Barrie et al., 2001). The overall structure of the mine area consists of a shallow to steep, eastplunging, syncline-anticline-syncline fold repetition, dened largely by the distribution of ultramac marker horizons. The dominant structure is a northwest-trending, steeply southwest-dipping, S2 foliation dened by carbonate veinlets, narrow zones of silicication, pillow attening, sulde streaks, and biotite-altered areas with well-developed schistosity. This S2 foliation is axial planar to the F2 folds described above. An L2 lineation, dened by the elongation of varioles within the bleached pillowed basalt, is observed and plunges moderately to the west (e.g., Dub et al., 2002). Ore structures within the HGZ occur in three trends: (1) southeast, (2) north-south, and (3) east-west and are similar to those found elsewhere in the mine (Rogers, 1992). The southeast-trending structures strike about 135, dip southward at 60 to 70, and are the most common. They are subparallel to the regional foliation and are termed conformable structures. So-called north-south structures, which host ore that is generally wider and has a shorter strike length than ore associated with the other two directions, typically strike 340 and dip 45 to 50 west. The east-west structures strike approximately 100, dip 80 south, and have interacted with the other directions in many stopes to produce complex structural patterns (Fig. 6). The intersection of these structures denes a lineation which is sub-parallel to the L2 stretching lineation. The ore systems are parallel to these structures and the intersection lineation denes west-plunging ore shoots. Complex vein arrays are those that include the north-south and east-west trends. The complex arrays are most common near high-angle, macultramac contacts (Rogers, 1992). Much of the HGZ ore occurs in this environment, possibly due to the occurrence of zones of enhanced dilatancy within F2 fold hinges (e.g., Dub et al., 2001, 2002). It is characterized by both conformable (to regional fabric) and complex vein arrays overprinted by replacement mineralization (Fig. 7). As evidenced by stope mapping, much of the gold mineralization resulted from repeated episodes of brecciation and resealing of the structure before, and during, orebody formation.

Fig. 6. Simplied geology plan of 34 level, showing folded altered ultramac rocks, felsic volcanic rocks, shear zones and ore zones.

Fig. 7. Simplied geology plan of the HGZ, 34 level.

The Geological Setting and Estimation of Gold Grade of the High-grade Zone, Red Lake Mine T. TWOMEY AND S. MCGIBBON

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Structure of the HGZ It has long been recognized at both the Red Lake mine and the Campbell mine that ore zones are spatially associated with known trends (such as the Dickenson and Campbell faults shown in Fig. 4), and that the intensity of alteration increases toward these trends (Rogers, 1992; Penczak and Mason, 1999). This indicates that these features are structures that acted as feeders for mineralizing uids rising from depth. Data from the HGZ indicate a similar relationship. In analyzing the individual sub-zones of the HGZ, a number of features are observed. The Main to HW5 sub-zones, which are the most dilatant and highest grade in the HGZ, are located closest to the axis of the F2 antiform that is composed predominantly of altered ultramac rocks (see Fig. 7). The ore within these sub-zones consists of quartz-carbonate veins and replacement-type associated with visible gold. Those sub-zones that are in the footwall part of the HGZ, located along the north ank of the BK ultramac unit (i.e., FW2, FW3, and FW4), appear to be transitional in their style of mineralization and gold grade, between HGZ subzones in their hangingwall and ESC sulde ore in their footwall. That is, the FW2, FW3, and FW4 sub-zones of the HGZ are transitional from multi-ounce per ton gold quartzcarbonate vein ore of the HGZ sub-zones in the hangingwall to lower-grade 0.30 oz/t (10.3 g/t) gold, disseminated sulde zones deeper into the footwall. Therefore, it appears that the mineralizing events that affected these structures were focussed centrally near the folded contact with the altered BK ultramac unit and that they were spatially associated with the Hanging Wall Shear (HW Shear, Fig. 8).

HGZ Structural Analysis According to ODea (1999) and Dub et al. (2001, 2002), HGZ ore is spatially and genetically associated with reverse, left lateral, shear zones, and peak metamorphic, (D2), events. Underground observations indicate that there is denitely an increase in the intensity of metamorphic

deformational fabrics in most of the HGZ ore sub-zones, as well as the occurrence of boudinage in the carbonate veins. Two differing explanations for these observed features are that post-ore regional attening has preferentially overprinted pre-metamorphic ore in shear zones or that the ore was emplaced at peak metamorphism, and is genetically associated with the shear zones. Therefore, the relative timing of fabric intensity to ore formation is critical to understanding the genesis of the HGZ, as is indicated by Dub et al. (2001). Ore is associated with large-scale folding of the altered ultramac rock, considered to be an F2 antiform which plunges southeast at 55 (ODea, 1999; Dub et al., 2001). However, most HGZ sub-zones are elongated down a plunge almost due west between 45 and 55. This is parallel to the stretching and intersection lineations and continuity of gold grades is greatest down-plunge. On longitudinal section, the altered ultramac antiform rakes in the opposite direction to most of the ore shoots (Fig. 9). However, some parts of Main and Main A sub-zones rake sub-parallel to the ultramac antiform, opposite to all the other shoots. Elongation lineations within these zones plunge due west, as do all the other zones. It is apparent from diamond drilling that there are large-magnitude changes in plunge or rolls within the altered ultramac rocks. This all may be due to pre-existing F1 folding perpendicular to F2, or alternatively, this could be caused by intersections of faults whose offsets created apparent rolls or changes in plunge. A number of observations can be made about the geometry of the structures hosting the HGZ. The HGZ comprises 15 separate sub-zones in terms of the known ore reserves. The HW5 sub-zone is the furthest in the hangingwall of the HGZ, is pipe-like in shape, and is longer and deeper than all the other zones (Fig. 10). Its down-plunge length is over 1500 ft (460 m) and it remains open below 6800 ft (2070 m)

Fig. 8. Part of HW Shear in 34-876-1 South Cross-cut, 300 ft on strike to the northwest of HW zone ore. Numerous carbonate veins are barren. Hammer (1 ft or 0.3 m long) is located in a magnetitesilica-pyrrhotite zone, which returned 0.08 oz/t gold across 2.5 ft.

Fig. 9. Generalized vertical longitudinal section of the Campbell mine and Red Lake mine looking northeast, showing components of two different ore trends. The major trend is a rst-order ore trend raking to the lower right at 45 and the second-order trend of individual ore zones raking oppositely to the lower left at 45. Four exploration targets shown here are being diamond-drilled in 2002.

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Fig. 10. Vertical longitudinal section of HW5 sub-zone of the HGZ, showing contoured diamond drill results. Section is in the plane of the regional fabric at azimuth 135 looking northeast.

depth (May 29, 2002, Goldcorp Inc. news release). This zone has a north-south orientation that is oblique to regional foliation and is a multi-stage tension gash. Its north end is bounded by the EW sub-zone and the intersection of these two zones plunges sub-parallel to most of the other plunges, nearly due west at 50. In plan view, the south end of the HW5 sub-zone thins 100 ft to 200 ft south of the EW subzone to a narrow area of barren carbonate veinlets. This indicates that the HW5 sub-zone was formed from movement along the EW sub-zone or else that the HW5 may be a linking dilational jog that joins another shear in its south end down-plunge. The HW sub-zone of the HGZ is constrained within the HW shear and strikes sub-parallel to the regional S2 foliation at approximately 135. It is located south of the axial trace of the F2 antiform. It dips 72 south, more steeply than the general fabric dip of 60 south in the No. 2 Shaft area, and is 10 ft to 20 ft (3 m to 6 m) wide. The HW sub-zone has the highest ratio of drill-hole intervals of pre-ore carbonate veins and magnetite bands in comparison to typical HGZ quartz vein/replacement ore type. Generally, it contains an erratic distribution of silicication of pre-existing carbonate veins associated with lower gold grades in comparison to other zones of the HGZ. A strong planar fabric, abundant carbonate stringers, boudins and veins and numerous strong shears and fault zones characterize the sub-zone (see Fig. 8). Asymmetry of folded carbonate veins and

boudins suggests a reverse component of motion along the sub-zone (e.g., Dub et al., 2001, 2002). The HW sub-zone also has the highest abundance and strength of shears and faults in drill core of all the HGZ sub-zones suggesting that it represents a long-lived structure. This shear contains a large area of ore in longitudinal section, compared to the other HGZ sub-zones, and the structure that hosts the ore appears to be traceable for thousands of feet vertically as well as horizontally, from observations made in diamond drill core and cross-cuts. Therefore, it is a possible feeder structure for ore-forming uids to the HGZ. The best developed shear zone in the Red Lake mine below the 30th level is called the FW shear and is located in the footwall to the Main sub-zone of the HGZ. The FW shear is similar to the HW shear except that it contains no ore reserves. It contains a strong fabric over a width of 10 ft to 20 ft (3 m to 6 m) with abundant pulled apart carbonate veins, some of which display back-rotated boudins. The spatial relationship of these bounding shears to the north-south zones of the HGZ indicates that movement along the shears may have created the dilatancy to form the north-south ore structures. The FW shear is the same structure as the Red Lake Mine Fault (RLMF) in Fractal Graphics-Taylor Wall Associates winning submission in the Goldcorp Challenge contest (Vic Wall, pers. comm., 2001). These authors interpreted the RLMF to have 2500 ft (760 m) sinistral offset based on apparent offsets of altered ultramac units in plan view (see Fig. 4). Fractal Graphics-Taylor Wall Associates (Archibald and Taylor, 2000) interprets the RLMF to surface from airborne magnetics surveys to represent a regional surface magnetic break that extends to the Cochenour-Willans mine. This hypothesis remains to be tested but the FW shear or RLMF appears to be too weak and narrow to represent the rst-order regional structure common to most Archean gold camps (Nick Archibald, pers. comm., 2001). Such a structure seems to be missing from the Red Lake belt. Minor, post-ore, black line faults less than an inch in width offset HGZ ore, up to 50 ft (15 m) both sinistrally and dextrally. These are the same thin faults found elsewhere in the mine as well as at Campbell mine and the past-producing Cochenour-Willans mine (see Rogers, 1992). Minor post-ore gouge faults also less than an inch thick, commonly appear bleached or healed by silica, occur within the HGZ and juxtapose the ore in a similar manner as the black-line faults.

Alteration The Geology Department conducted a preliminary alteration geochemistry program in 1999 (Penczak, 1999) to characterize the various alteration facies present in the main host rocks and to characterize alteration zonation around mineralized high-grade ore structures. Hydrothermal alteration at the Campbell-Red Lake deposit is complex, consisting of several superimposed, zoned, alteration events (see

The Geological Setting and Estimation of Gold Grade of the High-grade Zone, Red Lake Mine T. TWOMEY AND S. MCGIBBON

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MacGeehan et al., 1982; Christie, 1986; Penczak and Mason, 1999; Damer, 1997). The geochemical patterns around the HGZ zones are complex and reect successively superimposed alteration events, which culminated in the mineralization stage. Alteration associated with mineralization is localized compared to early alteration, which is much more widespread. Early alteration consists of pervasive carbonatization, together with some biotitic and chloritic alteration. Also, some early silicication and alkali depletion appears to have been controlled by zones of primary permeability such as inter-pillow margins. Mineralization-related alteration consists of quartz-sericite, biotite, and tourmaline-bearing assemblages. It is superimposed upon early alteration and is localized within portions of fault structures which were dilatant and active during the mineralization event. From an exploration viewpoint, the most important alteration that is directly associated with ore mineralization is the biotite type. Here, distinctive reddish-brown biotite ( disseminated pyrite or pyrrhotite, with anomalous gold values) has formed alteration halos around mineralized structures: alteration haloes that are typically narrow (<1 ft to 2 feet) in basaltic host rocks, but which widen considerably (up to 100 ft) where the structures cross-cut ultramac rocks. As a guide to exploration, the biotite alteration can be traced along structures for distances of 50 ft to 400 ft along strike beyond the limits of ore grade mineralization (Fig. 11). From the Geology Departments preliminary program, alteration associated with mineralization is typied by the addition of Si, K, S, CO2, As, Sb, Tl, Te, Se, and Rb and by the loss of P. Potassium seems to be especially enriched in mineralized zones compared to other K-mica-bearing alteration zones (i.e., biotite-carbonate). Boron is likely to be

anomalous in mineralized zones since tourmaline commonly occurs in mineralized structures (see also Damer, 1997). The primary composition of rock types has inuenced ore deposition at the Red Lake mine. High-grade Zone ore is predominantly hosted by basalt and some of the sub-zones penetrate the BK ultramac unit. Sulde-type ore is hosted by basalt spatially associated with the PK ultramac unit. Replacement type ore occurs in BK and basalt, whereas, it is generally absent in the PK unit. This variation clearly emphasizes the importance in distinguishing ultramac units at the Red Lake mine on the basis of their primary composition.

Mineralization The ore in the HGZ is generally characterized by relatively abundant distribution of both coarse and ne ecks of native gold, with up to 40 vol.% ne acicular arsenopyrite and 1 to 2 vol.% disseminated pyrrhotite and/or pyrite. Accessory minerals include trace amounts of ne-grained chalcopyrite and sphalerite. Two types of sphalerite are observed. Red sphalerite occurs in veinlets and seams and is associated with faults and barren carbonate veins. Yellow sphalerite occurs as negrained disseminations in quartzcarbonate ore. Stibnite and complex assemblages of sulfosalt minerals, such as berthierite, have been noted locally in HGZ ore, generally near the contact with the BK ultramac unit. Historically, four types of ore mineralization have been recognized at the Red Lake mine and all are encountered in the HGZ. These are found in complex combinations within all three of the ore trends described above. The four types include vein-type ore, disseminated sulde ore, replacement ore, and magnetite ore. Replacement of barren carbonate veins with silica, arsenopyrite, and gold is a common texture observed in the so-called quartz-carbonate vein-type ore. Therefore, the silica does not display any open-space textures and cuts the carbonate crystals in an irregular manner. Sulde ore contains 2 to 7 vol.% disseminated, negrained, gold-bearing pyrrhotite and pyrite mineralization, sometimes found in combination with replacement type ore within sulde zones and HGZ of No. 2 Shaft. The host rock is generally basalt and it is always biotite altered where mineralized with gold-bearing suldes. This is a minor ore type in the HGZ and it usually occurs as a halo around other ore types. There appears to be no zonation between pyrite versus pyrrhotite with depth in the mine below the 30th level. Replacement ore refers to host rocks that have been pervasively replaced or flooded with gold-bearing silica arsenopyrite rather than ore occurring in veins, which in reality is a sub-type of the same process. Arsenopyrite is usually ne-grained and acicular in character and present in amounts from a trace, up to 40 vol.%, of the host rock. Magnetite ore is locally an important ore type in the HGZ, especially in the HW sub-zone and the EW sub-zone.

Fig. 11. Folded carbonate veins in 34-876-1 South Cross-cut, 400 ft on strike to the northwest of Main B sub-zone HGZ ore reserves. Folded carbonate vein on right has a biotite selvedge. Thinner folded carbonate vein on left is inlled with amphiboles in interboudin necks. This shows deformation of veins during F2 shortening rst by folding then by reverse faulting as seen on vein offset in lower right part of photo. Hammer in center is 1 ft (0.3 m) long.

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It is characterized by massive ne-grained magnetite, which is variably brecciated and inlled with minor quartz or replacement ore or visible gold in fractures. Magnetite ore is found in basalt as well as the BK ultramac unit.

began, sampling reverted to one row for each blast. These samples are collected at the mid-lift elevation. The production geologist plots the location of each chip string at the face underground by tying it into a surveyed location using a pocket laser protractor and a pocket laser distance meter.

Gold Grade Estimation


Muck Sampling Grade estimation of the extremely rich ore of the HGZ presented a unique challenge for the Geology Department (visible gold is a mappable unit). Prior to mining, over 85% of HGZ intercepts from denition diamond drilling displayed visible gold, which was unprecedented. The main issues were how much cutting of high-grade assays would be appropriate to estimate the true metal content of the HGZ ore and how continuous was the complexly shaped ore between drill holes. Accuracy of grade estimation starts with the collection of high-quality data, and clearly only the production data could in fact verify that the correct cutting procedure was used. Muck (blasted rock) samples have been collected from virtually all of the ore blasts during the silling and subsequent mining. In addition, muck samples are collected daily from cars tramming between No. 2 and No. 1 shaft on the 23rd level, and on surface as material goes to stockpile. Generally, four to eight muck samples are collected per blast (average 100-ton blasts), with sample numbers varying with tons blasted. One sample was collected for every three cars trammed on the 23rd level, for an average of 1 sample per 12 tons (10.9 t). On surface, one muck sample was collected for every 9 tons (8.2 t) brought to stockpile. Uncut muck samples provided a reasonable estimate of the ore grade on a per level basis and on a global basis but not always on a stope basis. Thus, given an adequate sample population, uncut muck samples accurately reect the overall grade of the broken ore.

Analysis of Grade Estimation for the HGZ Data Control and Collection Production geologists and samplers at the mine provide underground coverage on both day shift and night shift, 365 days a year. Large amounts of data are collected from chip samples, muck samples, and test holes for virtually every blast in ore. For example, approximately 37 000 assay determinations were made for chips, mucks, and test holes during the year 2000 development of the HGZ. The chip sample, test hole, and muck sample data are entered twice daily, into the ORE2B database, which is used as a monitoring center for ongoing grade and dilution control progress as well as dilution assessment and the creation of ore outline grades. The database is summarized in an elaborate set of pivot tables that attribute various cut gold grades, tonnage, location, geology, and internal and external dilution to every single blast of ore in the mine. It is also used to alert production geologists to excessive dilution that may have occurred on the previous shift so that it can be immediately addressed. Linking the mapping with assay plans is also used to analyze trends.

Drill Core Sampling and Assaying In drill core, all identied mineralized structures are whole core-sampled or else half-core sampled using a diamond saw. The remaining half core is saved for future reference, some for metallurgical testing. Sample lengths are typically two to three feet or shorter in the higher-grade sections. Since 1998, an effort has been made to standardize sample lengths at 2 ft (0.6 m) intervals in mineralized zones.

Chip Sampling During the silling program on the 34th level and 32nd level in year 2000, two rows of chip samples were collected from the face or walls of each blast in ore (Fig. 12). Generally, the rows were three to four feet apart in elevation. A weighted average for grade was determined for each blast based on the assay results of those samples inuencing the grade of the volume blasted. Once mining above the sills

Fig. 12. Production geologist Nick Cianci at a mining face on a quartz-carbonate vein in the HGZ. Two vertical paint lines across face represent chip sample intervals.

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All samples from the HGZ have been assayed for gold using primarily 1 assay-ton re assay with a gravimetric nish. Metallic screen assay methods have been used for samples with visible gold or for samples where re assay results reported more than 20 oz/t (685.7 g/t). Routine assay checks with standards are conducted, two standards and three blanks inserted per 100 samples collected.

Basic Statistics Log Normal Probability plots were derived from over 7700 assays from 1542 drill hole intersections inside the resource outlines of the HGZ. Before cutting the high values, the data were normalized to equal lengths of two feet, as the high-grade assays tend to be shorter and the low-grade samples longer than average. Plots of normalized uncut samples for the entire HGZ, as well as individual sub-zones, are linear. No discontinuity is present to indicate the level of cutting that should be used (Fig. 13). This indicates that the HGZ has one population. Plots using non-normalized sample lengths as well as chip sample data display similar results. Typically, such as in lower-grade sulde ore at the mine, two populations of gold are recognized in the log normal curve, which is used to select the top cutting gure based on a change in slope in the upper range. The two gold populations found in sulde ore may represent gold emplaced with disseminated suldes in the wallrocks and gold in quartz veinlets. It is difcult to envision a single geological event for the emplacement of the HGZ ore and its single gold population. Underground observations of mutually cross-cutting ore textures, as well as late remobilization of gold in fractures, indicates a process that was repeated a number of times, which had added as well as homogenized the gold by redistributing it throughout the HGZ each time.

Fig. 13. Distribution of gold assays from the HGZ: a) log normal histogram; b) log normal probability plot.

Cutting Factor The historical cutting procedure was initially adopted to calculate gold grade in the HGZ when it was outlined by diamond drilling (see Fig. 14). The cutting procedure has been rened twice since then as more data were collected from mining and mill reconciliation. Prior to year 2000, the historical 2-5-10 cutting was used for the HGZ to reduce individual high grades, which were considered to have low probability for geological continuity. The 2-5-10 cutting factor means that all individual assays below 2 oz/t (68.6 g/t) are left uncut, assays between 2 oz/t (68.6 g/t) and 5 oz/t (171.4 g/t) are cut to 2, assays between 5 oz/t (171.4 g/t) and 10 oz/t (342.9 g/t) are cut to 10, and all individual assays above 10 oz/t are cut to 10. A revised cutting factor was used for the 2000 resource calculation on the HGZ due to reconciliation with production data. The one standard deviation cut closely approximated the esti-

Fig. 14. A 3D long section view of the Red Lake mine looking northeast, showing mine workings, reserves (some previously mined) and resources. Red dots represent drill hole intercepts grading more than 1 oz/t gold. Key trend is an east-west corridor.

mated 35% increase in ounces mined up to December 31, 2000 versus the 1999 ore reserve estimate using the histori-

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cal cutting procedure. This means that individual assays were cut using a mean plus one standard deviation cutting factor that reduces assays greater than 15 oz/t (514.3 g/t) to 15. It became apparent from reconciliation with mining data in 2001 that a cutting procedure of mean plus one standard deviation was still underestimating grades. The Geology Department analyzed the ore outlines and sample data with the ORE2B spreadsheet in monthly grade reconciliation with stope surveyed data and mill bullion data. This reconciliation process correlated with a cutting procedure of mean plus three standard deviations or a cutting factor of 39 oz/t (1337 g/t) gold for the HGZ. Therefore, the 3SD cut has been adopted for ore reserves. The largest increases of reconciled grades from the renement of the cutting factor came from Main, HW5, and EW sub-zone ore. There was very little effect in the FW2, FW3, and FW4 sub-zones from this change. A glance at a typical chip assay plan from a Main Zone stope illustrates the abundant distribution of high gold grades (Fig. 15). HGZ ore reserves calculated in July 2001 increased to 1.9 million tons (1.73 Mt) at a grade of 2.02 oz/t (69.3 g/t), for a total gold content of 3.02 million ounces. Renement of the cutting factor resulted in the ore reserve grade increasing by 20% from year-end 2000 (September 12, 2001 news release).

Discussion
It is beyond the scope of this paper to address the timing and genesis of ore formation as well as geological reasoning for the exceptionally high grades. These are controversial and are currently being investigated by Dub et al. (2001, 2002). However, some observations can be made here, recognizing the inherent risk that there is the possibility of too narrow a focus in the present study.

Fig. 15. A 3D view of a typical chip plan of HGZ ore from the Main Zone, fourth cut in 34-786-2 Stope. Individual chip samples are taken across the face and walls as two-foot lengths. Numbers are uncut ounces per ton gold (not grams!).

For example, prior to the discovery of the HGZ, it was generally thought that only lower-grade, disseminated-sulde-type ore would be found in the amphibolite facies metamorphic rocks, as mining progressed toward the deeper, eastern part of the Red Lake mine. The early mining took place in the upper west part of the mine where ore came from highgrade, carbonate-quartz veins within greenschist facies volcanic rocks characterized by chlorite-Fe-carbonate alteration (Damer, 1997). As mining progressed, this gradually gave way to lower grade ore dominated by disseminated suldes, where the volcanic wallrock alteration is largely actinolite and biotite. The discovery of the HGZ in the deep eastern portion of the mine has thus challenged the conventional dogma of that time, which inferred high-grade vein ore could not occur in amphibolite facies rocks because brittle fractures would not be open to gold emplacement in such a setting. Regardless of how the HGZ was deposited, it appears that the structures intersecting a folded contact of BK ultramac unit were a key factor in localizing the ore and that the recognition of similar environments elsewhere is critical in discovering more highgrade orebodies. Therefore, the greenschist/amphibolite isograd can be ignored for exploration purposes. Ore textures in carbonate veins and cross-cutting relationships indicate peak-metamorphic or D2 emplacement for at least some of the gold (see also ODea, 1999; Dub et al., 2001, 2002). Basalts adjacent to HGZ ore host barren carbonate veins, which exhibit open-space textures and contain no gold. The narrower carbonate veins adjacent to, and within ore, commonly exhibit boudinage as the ore zones are spatially associated with shear zones. The inter-boudin areas are usually infilled with amphiboles suggesting deformation at peak-metamorphic conditions (Fig. 16). High-grade Zone ore composed of silica, fine-grained arsenopyrite, and native gold that replaces carbonate veins has been observed cutting interboudin amphiboles as well as some of the amphiboles being emplaced along the silica-carbonate boundary (Fig. 17). This has been observed in two stopes on the 34th level, one stope on the 32nd level, and one on the 36th level. This indicates that this period of ore emplacement occurred at peak metamorphism. It is presently poorly understood how much earlier the ore-bearing structures were open to gold mineralization. Barren carbonate veins exhibiting open-space textures have been observed as occurring in both pre- and post-ore settings, which is consistent with observations elsewhere in the mine (Rogers, 1992). For example, ESC ore is cut by barren carbonate veining in one location in 16-017 Stope. High-grade Zone ore usually replaces barren carbonate veins, but has also been observed to contain post-ore barren late carbonate veining, which suggests that a complex multi-stage mineralizing process overlapped with a barren event many times (Fig. 18). Recent drill results on the 37th level suggest that abundant barren carbonate veining is spatially associated with ore rather than the contact with the ultramafic antiform there. Therefore, with depth, both the carbonate veining and the ore

The Geological Setting and Estimation of Gold Grade of the High-grade Zone, Red Lake Mine T. TWOMEY AND S. MCGIBBON

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Fig. 16. Boudinaged carbonate vein, from HW zone of the HGZ, rst cut in 34-806-2 Stope. Inter-boudin bands are composed of amphiboles which is consistent with formation at peak-metamorphic conditions. Pen at bottom for scale is 1 cm wide.

Fig. 18. Ore specimen from HGZ Main Zone ore in sill cut, 34786-1 Stope. Carbonate vein exhibiting open space textures, cuts brecciated quartz containing visible gold that was recemented with arsenopyrite-silica. Pen at top for scale is 1 cm wide.

Fig. 17. Ore sample from the HW5 zone of the HGZ, sill cut in 36746-1 Stope. This shows silica containing ne arsenopyrite and native gold cutting an iron-carbonate vein with inter-boudin amphibole bands, indicating that this mineralizing event occurred at peak metamorphism. Scale is in inches.

move down-plunge away from the ultramafic antiform. This also indicates a genetic relationship between barren carbonate veining and ore and structure. Post-lamprophyre dike remobilization of gold has been observed in the HGZ. A lamprophyre dike exhibiting chilled margins, striking 100 and dipping 80 north, intruded Main sub-zone ore in 32-826-1 Stope and contains native gold plating a fracture cutting across ore and the dike (Fig. 19). Another lamprophyre dike with chilled margins, striking at 010 and dipping 25 east across HWA sub-zone ore in 37846-2 Stope, was also found to contain gold plating a fracture cutting across ore and the dike. Late gold remobilization plating sub-horizontal fractures has been observed in the Jewelry Box area of HW sub-zone ore in 34-806-2 Stope

Fig. 19. Lamprophyre dike (upper left) cutting HGZ Main subzone ore in rst cut, 32-826-1 Stope. Fracture containing native gold (bright patches) extends into the lamprophyre dike demonstrates that gold has been remobilized during post-dike time.

and Main sub-zone ore in 32-826-1 Stope (see Fig. 1). The timing of the at fracture gold remobilization is unknown but may be the same as that of the post-lamprophyre event.

Mine Scale Dilatant Corridors The rst-order trend (or the horizon trend of Rogers, 1992) of the gold generally follows contacts with ultramac

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units and rakes in a nearly opposite direction in longitudinal view as individual ore zones (see Fig. 9). From analyzing the rst-order ore trend and constructing a 3-D envelope, a southerly dilatant corridor is identied that trends 170 and plunges 48. This corridor is oblique to the regional fabric and is characterized by the en-echelon stope arrays that step to the south, as one observes their arrangement from surface to depth going southeast toward the HGZ. This indicates that with further depth to the south, the HW7 shear in the hangingwall to the HGZ may have high potential to host ore. Similarly, an East-West vertical dilatant corridor is indicated by the east boundary of almost all the HGZ ore reserves, which is typied by the HW5 sub-zone. This corridor is centered about engineering grid line, 0N (Fig. 20) oblique to regional foliation. New ESC mineralization from drill intercepts east of stopes around the 15th level lines up with this East-West dilatant corridor as well. This corridor has the same strike and dip as the EW sub-zone, as well as post-ore FP dikes and some lamprophyre dikes nearby to the HGZ. This suggests that the geological processes responsible for these features were either a long-lived event or a re-activation event. This corridor does not correlate very well with contacts of ultramac units and the process responsible for its creation is poorly understood.

An exploration target within the East-West corridor is apparent where the down-plunge line of the HW5 sub-zone ore intersects with HW7 shear. HW5 is a north-south trending multi-stage tension gash oblique to regional fabric, which is consistent with its propagation as a dilational jog between two bounding shears. HW7 shear on 34 level appears to have been too far away into the hangingwall from the intersection of HW5 and EW zones, so that in plan view the HW5 ore does not extend southward all the way to HW7. However, at depth the HW7 shear is possibly a dilatant target of intersection with the oblique HW5 Zone (see Fig. 20). Recent deep drill results have encountered four subzones of HGZ mineralization up to 3.53 oz/t gold over 58.0 ft, at a depth of 6850 ft below surface. One of the four zones intersected was the HW5 sub-zone which returned 4.40 oz/t gold over 4.4 ft and remains open at depth (May 29, 2002, Goldcorp news release).

Exploration
Historically in gold exploration, empirical models have been more successful than genetic models in nding orebodies (Thompson, 1993). The wide range of proposed genetic models reveals our poor understanding of the complex processes involved in the formation of gold deposits. The Red Lake camp is no exception as genetic models proposed for ore at the Campbell-Red Lake deposit range from epithermal to syn-metamorphic processes. Furthering our understanding of the genesis of the HGZ is critical in discovering more ore in a cost-effective and timely way. This is the reason for selected teams of experts who are collecting, measuring, and interpreting data as the HGZ is being opened up. However, as time is of the essence, the Red Lake mine geology team is using empirical observations to drive exploration as they strive to unravel the genetic complexities of the deposit. The risks in modelling are two-fold: a possible over-emphasis on local features that are not important at a larger scale or conversely a reliance on the attributes of a single process that may reduce a complex genesis to a simple panacea (Thompson, 1993). It is the recognition of key geological relationships at the Red Lake mine that is the basis for mine exploration. Three main structural zones or fault trends are known at the Campbell-Red Lake deposit, each consisting of anastomosing and/or intersecting subsidiary structures, which from the footwall in the northeast to the hangingwall in the southwest, as shown in Figure 4, are: 1. The Campbell Fault Trend hosts or is spatially associated with the G, B, (parts of) L, and NL zones at Campbell, and the F, D, and ESC4 zones at the Red Lake mine. 2. The Dickenson Fault Trend hosts or is spatially associated with the F, A, P, and AU zones at the Campbell mine, and the SC and ESC zones at the Red Lake mine. 3. The most poorly dened structural trend occurs in the hangingwall and appears to be associated with the S Zone as

Fig. 20. Simplied geology in east-west cross-section on engineering section 0N, from surface to the hypothetical 41st level. This is parallel to the plunge of HGZ ore and oblique to the regional fabric. Ore (in red) is localized beneath folded altered ultramac at the intersections of shear zones. Exploration targets shown are currently being diamond-drilled.

The Geological Setting and Estimation of Gold Grade of the High-grade Zone, Red Lake Mine T. TWOMEY AND S. MCGIBBON

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well as the newly discovered DC Zone at the Campbell mine and the HGZ, and PLM zones at the Red Lake mine. This structural trend is tentatively called the New Mine Fault Trend. The term fault means zone of structural anisotropy and does not imply either a brittle or ductile regime. The three structural zones are also associated with large deections and offsets of folded lithological units throughout the deposit. Therefore, competency contrasts between different lithological units within these trends have played a very important role in localizing ore as has been pointed out in the past. It is important to note that all three structural trends contain, or are spatially associated with, high-grade style mineralization and/or sulde mineralization. Along their strike length, all three may either be mineralized or contain slivers of faulted, highly altered, but unmineralized, wallrocks several hundreds of feet long. Dilatancies along major structural zones were the key elements for localizing ore at the Red Lake mine. The exploration strategy is to identify and delineate fault structures sub-parallel to the regional foliation and systematically dene them. These are the rst-order targets and easiest to identify because of their large extent. This often results in targets of projected intersections of faults. Other targets include folded BK ultramac rock contacts that are along strike with fault structures. Large sulde orebodies are targeted where fault zones intersect PK ultramac rock units. Lithological contacts that display offsets or deections are also targeted. On-strike projections of the major fault trends eastward into the high-angle folded contact with the Bruce Channel assemblage (re-interpreted as the new Huston assemblage by Sanborn-Barrie et al., 2001) are also exploration targets. It is important to note that exploration of one target type is not exclusive of any of the other types of targets they can be found near to each other as is clearly demonstrated by the history of discovery at the Red Lake mine. A highpriority exploration target at the Red Lake mine is to nd another HGZ or another Campbell mine L Zone, which are in a similar geological setting. In both the L Zone and the HGZ, ore formed where a fault trend in basalt intersected folded BK ultramac rock that created a semi-permeable caprock to ore uids ascending the feeder structure (see Fig. 20). This was enhanced by strong competency contrasts among the ultramacs, felsic volcanics west of the ore, and the mac volcanic host (see Fig. 6) an exceptional environment to develop protracted dilatant uid pathways for gold deposition.

Penna, Jim Bryce, Nick Cianci and Dayle Rusk. Other production geologists are also thanked for their input: Mark Epp, John Kovala and Mike Collins. The surface exploration geologists Kim DaPrado and Jenn MacLachlan, and corporate geologist Michael Dehn, are thanked. Gilles Filion, vicepresident of exploration, Goldcorp Inc., is also thanked. Arlene Connolly is thanked for her drafting. Constructive review by Benot Dub and Ken Williamson has helped to improve the manuscript. They are also thanked for their excellent professional interaction as well as numerous constructive discussions underground at the mining face. As iron sharpens iron, so we sharpen one another.

References
ANDREWS, A.J., HUGON, H., DUROCHER, M., CORFU, F. and LAVIGNE, M.J. 1986. The anatomy of a gold-bearing greenstone belt: Red Lake, northwestern Ontario, Canada. In Proceedings, Gold86, an international symposium on the geology of gold deposits. Edited by A.J. Macdonald. Konsult International Inc., Toronto, p. 3-22. ARCHIBALD, N. and TAYLOR, V. 2000. Goldcorp, Red Lake Riches. Re-submission for Goldcorps Challenge contest by Fractal Graphics-Taylor Wall Associates. Goldcorp Inc. Internal Report. CHRISTIE, B.J. 1986. Alteration and Gold Mineralization Associated with a Sheeted Veinlet Zone at the Campbell Red Lake Mine, Balmertown, Ontario. M.Sc. thesis, Queens University, Kingston, 334 p. DAMER, G.C., 1997. Metamorphism of Hydrothermal Alteration at the Red Lake Mine, Balmertown, Ontario. M.Sc. thesis, Queens University, Kingston, 195 p. DUB, B., BALMER, W., SANBORN-BARRIE, M., SKULSKI, T. and PARKER, J., 2000. A preliminary report on amphibolite-facies, disseminated-replacement-style mineralization at the Madsen gold mine, Red Lake, Ontario. Geological Survey of Canada, Current Research 2000C17, 12 p. DUB, B., WILLIAMSON, K. and MALO, M., 2001. Preliminary report on the geology and controlling parameters of the Goldcorp Inc. High-grade Zone, Red Lake mine, Ontario. Geological Survey of Canada, Current Research 2001-C18, 13 p. DUB, B., WILLIAMSON, K. and MALO, M., 2002. Geology of the Goldcorp High-grade Zone, Red Lake mine, Ontario: An update. Geological Survey of Canada, Current Research 2002-C26, 13 p. DUROCHER, M.E., 1983. The nature of hydrothermal alteration associated with the Madsen and Starratt-Olsen gold deposits, Red Lake area. In The Geology of Gold in Ontario. Edited by A.C. Colvine. Ontario Geological Survey, Miscellaneous Paper No. 110, p. 123-140. MacGEEHAN, P.J., SANDERS, T. and HODGSON, C.J., 1982. Meter-wide veins and a kilometre-wide anomaly: Wall-rock alteration at the Campbell Red Lake and Dickenson gold mines, Red Lake district, Ontario. CIM Bulletin, 841, p. 90-102.

Acknowledgments
Every geologist at the Red Lake mine contributed to this paper in one way or another. The exploration team of Rob Penczak, Mark Croteau and Matt Ball are thanked for their insightful input and review. Mine production geologists are thanked for their meticulous attention to geologic detail: Paul Barc, Ron Sinkiewicz, Steve Duenk, Rick Sproule, Dave

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ODEA, M., 1999. Goldcorp Inc. unpublished internal report, posted on www.goldcorp.com in \challenge\references\structure. PARKER, J.R., 2000. Gold mineralization and wall-rock alteration in the Red Lake greenstone belt: A regional perspective. In Summary of Field Work and Other Activities. Ontario Geological Survey, Open File Report 6032, p. 2228. PENCZAK, R. 1999. Geochemistry of alteration around some high-grade zones and geochemical characteristics of altered rocks at the Red Lake mine. Internal report posted on www.goldcorpchallenge.com/challenge1/usefulinfo/ geochem_alteration.pdf. PENCZAK, R. and MASON, R., 1997. Metamorphosed Archean epithermal Au-As-Sb-Zn-(Hg) vein mineralization at the Campbell Mine, northwestern Ontario. Economic Geology, 92, p. 696-719. PENCZAK, R.S. and MASON, R., 1999. Characteristics and origin of Archean premetamorphic hydrothermal alteration at the Campbell Mine, northwestern Ontario, Canada. Economic Geology, 94, p. 507-528. ROGERS, J.A., 1992. The Arthur W. White mine, Red Lake area, Ontario: Detailed structural interpretation the key to successful grade control and exploration. CIM Bulletin, 957, p. 37-44.

SANBORN-BARRIE, M., SKULSKI, T., PARKER, J. and DUB, B., 2000. Integrated regional analysis of the Red Lake belt and its mineral deposits, western Superior Province, Ontario. Geological Survey of Canada, Current Research 2000C-18, 19 p. SANBORN-BARRIE, M., SKULSKI, T. and PARKER, J., 2001. Three hundred million years of tectonic history recorded by the Red Lake greenstone belt, Ontario. Geological Survey of Canada, Current Research 2001-C19, 19 p. STOTT, G.M. and CORFU, F., 1991. Uchi Subprovince. In Geology of Ontario. Ontario Geological Survey Special Volume 4, Part 1, p. 145-236. THOMPSON, J.F.H., 1993. Application of deposit models to exploration. In Mineral Deposit Modeling. Edited by R.V. Kirkham, W.D. Sinclair, R.I. Thorpe and J.M. Duke. Geological Association of Canada, Special Paper 40, p. 51-67. ZHANG, G., HATTORI, K. and CRUDEN, A.R., 1997. Structural evolution of auriferous deformation zones at the Campbell mine, Red Lake greenstone belt, Superior Province of Canada. Precambrian Research, 84, p. 83-103.

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