GLOBAL DATABASE FOR IRON-OXIDE(-COPPER-GOLD) DEPOSITS: INFORMATION FRAMEWORK OF CRITICAL GEOLOGICAL PARAMETERS

A database describing iron oxide (-copper-gold) deposits/occurrences is being compiled as part of the World Minerals Project. This database presently includes index level information on more than 500 examples from districts in Australia, Sweden, Finland, United States, Canada, Mexico, Chile, Brazil, Iran, and Turkey. They form a diverse group broadly subdivided into Kiruna (magnetite-apatite-actinolite veins), Olympic Dam (breccia-hosted), Cloncurry (hydrothermal imprint on iron oxide strata), and volcanic-associated stratiform deposits.

A standardized database framework is being developed for the project to accommodate the geological parameters that generically characterize mineral deposits. Economic geologists are steering development by determining which features should be described and supplying value lists for important parameters that can be used to filter the databases from widely ranging perspectives. The framework can now accommodate commodities, mineralization styles, tectonic settings, host rocks, related magmatic rocks, country rocks, ages, metallogenic signatures, controlling structures (sensu lato), mineralogy, radiometric dates, status, mines, production data, and resource data. Provision for unlimited referencing allows data sources to be fully acknowledged. Adoption of generalized terms to broadly categorize rock types and the breakup of parameters into independent elements (e.g., 'felsic volcanic rocks' and 'alkaline' under host rocks or 'continental' and 'arc' under tectonic setting) are essential for optimizing database query.

Significant parameters for iron oxide (-copper-gold) mineralization will likely be host rocks, related magmatic rocks, controlling structures, and aspects of country rock, with their associated tectonic settings and ages. Relationships between these criteria and commodity groupings, mineralogy, or tonnage and grade may provide global context for scientific research.