Quartz-Sulphide Mineralization and Associated Spotted Alteration within the Powell Block, Rouyn- Noranda, Quebec

This report is a summary of the data collected during the second field season of a four-year Ph.D. research project conducted by the first author, focused on the metallogeny of the Powell Block (PB) located in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec. This research is part of the Metal Earth initiative, a seven-year project directed by the Mineral Exploration Research Centre at the Harquail School of Earth Sciences. The PB was chosen as it is a well-endowed part of the Abitibi greenstone belt, with uncertain stratigraphic correlations across adjacent fault blocks, and is considered a keystone for understanding the Auenrichment processes in the adjacent volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) deposits. The PB hosts the Au-rich Quemont VMS deposit (14 Mt at 5.5 g/t Au, 331 g/t Ag, 1.32% Cu and 2.44% Zn) and separates the Horne deposit, a world-class Au-rich VMS deposit (54 Mt at 6.1 g/t Au, 13 g/t Ag, and 2.2% Cu), from conventional VMS deposits (≤1 g/t Au) north of the Beauchastel fault. In addition, orogenic-style quartz-carbonate-Au–vein mineralization is found along the Horne Creek fault (HCF) and crosscutting the Powell intrusion (e.g., Silidor, New Marlon, Powell–Rouyn mines).