Iron Oxide Copper-Gold (IOCG) Deposits through Earth History.pdf

©2010 Society of Economic Geologists, Inc. Economic Geology, v. 105, pp. 641–654 Iron Oxide Copper-Gold (IOCG) Deposits through Earth History: Implications for Origin, Lithospheric Setting, and Distinction from Other Epigenetic Iron Oxide Deposits DAVID I. GROVES,1,† FRANK P. BIERLEIN,1,2 LAWRENCE D. MEINERT,3 AND MURRAY W. HITZMAN4 1 Centre for Exploration Targeting, School of Earth and Environment, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia 2 AREVA NC Australia Ltd, 80 Leader St., Forrestville, Southern Australia 5035, Australia 3 Department of Geosciences, Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts 01063 4 Department of Geology and Geological Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado 80401 Abstract The iron oxide copper-gold (IOCG) group of deposits, initially defined following discovery of the giant Olympic Dam Cu-U-Au deposit, has progressively become too-embracing when associated deposits and potential end members or analogs are included. The broader group includes several low Ti iron oxide- associated deposits that include iron oxide (P-rich), iron oxide (F- and REE-rich), Fe or Cu-Au skarn, high- grade iron oxide-hosted Au ± Cu, carbonatite-hosted (Cu-, REE-, and F-rich), and IOCG sensu stricto deposits. Consideration of this broad group as a whole obscures the critical features of the IOCG sensu stricto depos