Geochemistry and petrography of the volcanic strata hosting the Flambeau Cu-Zn-Au Deposit in Rusk County, WI : A Re-Examination of Wisconsin's Only Past-Producing Volcanogenic Massive Sulfide Mine

Abstract

This project aims to understand the stratigraphy, geochemistry, petrography, and alteration of the poorly understood Cu-Zn-Au Flambeau volcanogenic massive sulfide deposit. The Flambeau deposit is hosted by the Wisconsin Magmatic Terrane of the Penokean Orogen, which is a 1.8-1.9 billion year old volcanic arc sequence consisting of volcanic and sedimentary rocks, and associated mafic and felsic plutonic rocks (DeMatties, 1994; Schulz and Cannon,2007). The Wisconsin Magmatic Terrane hosts many Cu-Zn-Au deposits, but their geological and economic significance has not been examined in any detail.