Saman Tavakoli

Potential Field, Geoelectrical and Reflection Seismic Investigations for Massive Sulphide Exploration in the Skellefte Mining District, Northern Sweden

Multi-scale geophysical studies were conducted in the central Skellefte district (CSD) in order to delineate the geometry of the upper crust (down to maximum ∼ 4.5 km depth) for prospecting volcanic massive sulphide (VMS) mineralization. These geophysical investigations include potential field, resistivity/induced polarization (IP), reflection seismic and magnetotelluric (MT) data which were collected between 2009 and 2010. The interpretations were divided in two scales: (i) shallow (∼ 1.5 km) and (ii) deep (∼4.5 km). Physical properties of the rocks, including density, magnetic susceptibility, resistivity and chargeability, were also used to improve interpretations. The study result delineates the geometry of the upper crust in the CSD and new models were suggested based on new and joint geophysical interpretation which can benefit VMS prospecting in the area. The result also indicates that a strongly conductive zone detected by resistivity/IP data may have been missed using other geophysical data.

The Skellefte District

Four-dimensional geological modelling has been conducted in the Palaeoproterozoic Skellefte mining district. 3D-modelling of volcanic-hosted massive sulphide deposits and associated host-rocks has been carried out in multiple scales from deposit to regional scale and is based on a combination of geological and geophysical investigations. A conceptual model founded on unravelling the structural control on sedimentation, volcanism and mineralization and the subsequent deformation patterns, acts as a base for geological modelling. The final 3D-model provides a structural framework in which the mineralizations can be studied by improved understanding of the structural evolution in the mine areas, and by comparing the regional structural patterns versus the form and attitude of ore deposits. Additionally, uncertainty and prospectivity models were constructed showing the distribution of data and the potential of discovering new ore deposits. Subsequent 4D-modelling adds the time aspect to the 3D-models and aims at visualizing and understanding the geological history in the district and as a support for ore targeting. Moreover, adding geological time to the modelling helps gaining confidence about both the conceptual models and the 3D-models. The final 3D- and 4D-models provide a regional three-dimensional context for both industrial and academic activities in the Skellefte district, and aid the understanding of large-scale tectonic processes.