JOURNAL OF

GEOCHE#WGAl
EWPLOGATION
ELSEVIER Journal of Geochemical Exploration 52 ( 1995 ) 333-350

Lithogeochemistry of altered rocks at the New Insco

VMS deposit, Noranda, Quebec
Sassan Liaghat ‘, H. MacLean *
Depurtment of Eurth and Planetaryv Sciences, McGill Universi~. 3450 Universi& Street, Montreal. Quebec,.
H3A 2A7. Canadu

Received I6 June 1994: accepted after revision 16 November I994

Abstract

The New Insco Cu-bearing massive sulphide deposit is located in volcanic rocks of Archean age
of the Abitibi greenstone belt in the Noranda district. The conformable ore lens lies within a sequence
of talc-alkaline andesites (Zr/Y = 6.5; La,/Yb, = 5.3). Hydrothermal alteration has strongly affected
these rocks on either side of the ore, converting them to assemblages rich in chlorite near the ore and
in sericite k calcite at the margins. Immobile Ti, Zr and Al were used to calculate mass changes owing
to alteration. Net changes of + I1 wt% consist of large additions of Fe, Mg, K and S, and depletions
Na, Ca and Si. The light- and middle-REE were also mobile in a very regular fashion.
Normative alteration minerals, cation bulk compositions, and mobile element mass changes illus-
trate geochemical and mineralogical trends in the alteration zone. Rocks at the margin of the zone
were sericitized, carbonitized and locally silicified. Closer to the ore, Si, Na and Ca were leached, Fe
and Mg added, and the rocks were converted to quartzxhlorite and chloritite. These geochemical
trends can be used to distinguish hydrothermally altered rocks from other greenstones, and in evalu-
ating the potential for mineralization.

1. Introduction

The New Insco mine is located in the Noranda mining district, which is situated within
Precambrian rocks of the Canadian Shield in northwestern Quebec, Canada. It produced
Cu-rich ore from a small volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) deposit hosted in the
Archean Abitibi greenstone belt in the Superior craton (Fig. I ). Most other VMS deposits
in the Noranda district, which totalled - 140 Mt of ore, are 20 to 30 km to the south of New
Insco and the nearby Magusi deposit.

’ Present address: Department of Geology, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran.

* Corresponding author.

0375-6742/95/$09..50 0 1995 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved

SSDIO375-6742(94)00069-7
334 S. Liaghat, H. MacLean / Journal ofGeochemicn1 Exploration 52 (1995) 333-350

Andesitic (matic) Rocks

Archean sediments

Fig. 1. Location map and geology of the Noranda district

The mine geology and local greenstone stratigraphy are described by Meyers ( 1980),
Meyers and MacLean ( 1983) and Liaghat ( 1990). The greenstones are andesites and
rhyolites that are steeply dipping and metamorphosed to the lower greenschist facies. In the
vicinity of the ore, the host rocks are intensely hydrothermally altered, and the precursors
of some units are uncertain. At the surface, these are mostly altered andesites, but Meyers
and MacLean ( 1983) reported altered rhyolites at depth. Mobile components of these units
had been redistributed widely during alteration, but the extent of these changes was unknown
at that time.
Lithogeochemical techniques are now available to identify the precursors of certain
altered rock types and measure the changes in mobile components (MacLean and Krani-
diotis, 1987; MacLean and Barrett, 1993). Studies of this type have been used to interpret
stratigraphy and alteration around a number of VMS deposits at Noranda (e.g., Home:
MacLean and Hoy, I99 1; Norbec: Shriver and MacLean, 1993), and Matagami (Liaghat
and MacLean, 1992) _At New Insco we apply these techniques to verify mine stratigraphy,
and to measure element mass changes that took place during hydrothermal alteration and
related ore formation.

2. Mine geology and stratigraphy

The New Insco mine was operated between 1976 and 1977. Total contained ore was
about I million tonnes grading 2.5% Cu and 8 g/t Ag. The massive ore is composed of
 S. Liaghat. H. MacLean /Journal of Geochemical Exploration 52 ( 1995) 333-.?.50 33.5

S
d;

sericitized
chloritized s
siliceous ore 2
sulphide 8
3
chloritized $
sericitized 4
t

2 Overburden. n Massive sulphide

Fabie Bay Unit New Insco Unit
(chlorite alteration zone)
New Insco Unit
(sericite alteration zone) q Quartz feldspar porpyty
1 Siliceous ore q Hebecourt Diorite
Fig. 2. Geological cross-section for the New lnsco mine. The stratigraphy is overturned. FBU - Fabie Bay unit,
NIU - New lusco unit, QFP - quart-feldspar porphyry. HD - Hcbecourt diorite, SHR - South Hebecourt
rhyolite.

pyrrhotite (60%), pyrite (20%), chalcopyrite (8%), sphalerite and galena ( I%), and
silicates ( 11%) (Myers and MacLean, 1983). The ore occurs in a conformable synvolcanic
massive sulphide body containing siliceous lenses that strikes east-west and dips -50
degrees to the south (Fig. 2). Volcanic structures in the andesites indicate the stratigraphy
is overturned to the north. Late-volcanic diorite sills and Proterozoic diabase dykes occur
in the mine area. The host rocks have been metamorphosed to the lower greenschist facies,
but the earlier formed hydrothermal alteration minerals have not been noticably recrystal-
lized.
The volcanic rocks in the Noranda district belong to the Blake River Group (Gunning
and Ambrose, 1939; Spence and De Rosen-Spence, 1975; Gelinas et al., 1977, 1984).
Volcanic formations within the Group commonly form bimodal suites of rhyolite and basic
rocks ranging from basalt to andesite. There is a general lack of rocks of dacite composition.
The New Insco mine rocks comprise a series of pillowed andesitic lava and subordinate
rhyolitic flows that form part of the Reneault Formation (Gelinas et al., 1977, 1984). In
this paper, these andesites and rhyolites are referred to as units of the Reneault Formation.
U-PI, isotopic dating of zircons from the Blake River Group yielded ages that range from
2703 to 2698 Ma (Mortensen, 1993).

2.1. Stratigraphic units

The New Insco unit is host to the New InscoVMS orebody (Fig. 2). Extensive overburden
limits its outcrop to the mine site, where it consists of severely altered basaltic-andesite,
andesite and minor rhyolite (Meyers, 1980). To the south of the mine, the unit is cut by a
336 S. Liaghat, H. MacLean /Journal of’Geochemical Exploration 52 (1995) 333-350

late-volcanic unaltered diorite sill and a narrow quartz-feldspar porphyry dyke (gabbro-
diorite intrusions form about 15% of the rocks in the Noranda district), The South Hebecourt
rhyolite, lying below these intrusions (Fig. 2)) is a massive and relatively unaltered quartz-
albite porphyry.
Pillowed Fabie Bay andesite stratigraphically overlies the altered New Insco lithologies.
In the mine area the two units are in fault contact, but probably belong to a single episode
of andesitic volcanism. The metamorphic assemblage of the Fabie Bay lava consists of
albite, epidote, actinolite, quartz, calcite and leucoxene.

2.2. Alteration

The New Insco unit is strongly chlorititized near the orebody, but outward it becomes
sericitic and, in places, contains considerable calcite. In this alteration zone, the primary
andesitic lithologies are completely converted to chlorite, sericite, quartz, calcite and pyrite.
In the footwall of the orebody, beds of laminated crystal tuff and breccia are recognized,
although heavily altered. The immobile element lithogeochemical study outlined below
indicates that this part of the New Insco unit contains less rhyolite than estimated earlier by
Meyers and MacLean ( 1983).

3. Lithogeochemistry

3.1. Analytical methods

Samples were analysed for major elements and a selection of trace elements by X-ray
fluorescence methods using a Philips Model 1240 spectrometer at the Department of Earth
and Planetary Sciences, McGill University. Sample powders fused with Li-tetraborate were
used for the major elements, and pressed powder pellets for Sr, Y, Zr, and Nb. Sulphur was
analysed by the Leco method at McGill University. The rare earth elements (REE) were
analysed by neutron activation methods at Activation Laboratories Ltd., Ancaster, Ontario.

3.2. Least altered rocks

The volcanic units in the mine stratigraphy were initially classified using a K,O-SiO,
diagram (Fig. 3) which divides unaltered samples into rock types and low-, medium- and
high-K suites (Peccerillo and Taylor, 1976). The chemical data (Table 1) for least-altered
samples define a mafic suite of basaltic-andesites and andesites and a felsic suite mainly of
rhyolites, that plot in the low-K field which, in modern volcanic suites, is confined largely
to those of tholeiitic affinity. Plots of high field strength elements (HFSE), which are
commonly immobile during hydrothermal alteration, were used to sort rock types and
affinities in the altered as well as the least-altered samples.
The Zr/TiO,-Nb/Y (Fig. 4a) plot (Winchester and Floyd ( 1977) confirms the general
andesite-rhyolite bimodal nature of the strata, but it does not distinguish between tholeiite
and talc-alkaline affinities. The magmatic affinities were determined from a Y-Zr plot (Fig.
4b), and values for La,/Yb, in Table 2, using the intervals suggested by MacLean and
 S. Liaghat, H. MucLean /Journal of Geochemicnl Explorution 52 (1995) 333-350 337

High-K (Alkaline) Series

0
45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80
SiO,
Fabie Bay Unit A Unit 0
,Newlnsco ,Quartz feldspar porphyry 0 J-tebecoul Diorite n .Hebecourt Rhyolite+

Fig. 3. Plot of least-altered rocks on the K,O-Si02 diagram (after Peccerillo and Taylor. 1976).

Barrett ( 1993). These data point to a tholeiitic affinity for the South Hebecourt rhyolite and
a transitional to talc-alkaline affinity for the New Insco and Fabie Bay andesites (Table 3).
Since the andesites lie close to and overlap into the talc-alkaline field, we retain the calc-
alkaline designation suggested by Gelinas et al. ( 1984). The two andesite units have similar
Zr/Y and La,/Yb, values, and both are employed to establish fractionation lines for mass
change calculations in the altered rocks.
Low-K basalt to rhyolite volcanic rocks are common in Archean greenstone belts, and
they range from tholeiitic to talc-alkaline. Only a few Archean talc-alkaline sequences are
medium- and high-K suites (cf. Ichang’i and MacLean, 1991) , although essentially all

Table I
Chemical analyses of least-altered rock units in the New Insco mine stratigraphy. Data calculated to LOI-free
basis

Fabie Bay Andesite New Insco South HCbCcourt HtbCcourt Quartz-Feldspar

Andesite Rhyolite Diorite Porphyry
Samples ( 13) (6) (4) (3) (2)

SiOz 56.74 56.36 17.16 55.15 12.86

TiOL 0.8 I 0.96 0.24 0.68 0.16
AlzOi Il.62 17.40 12.54 20.28 15.12
Fe203 8.34 8.84 3.06 5.89 1.78
MnO 0.02 0.15 0.01 0.00 0.00
MgO 6.02 4.73 1.34 4.16 0.61
CaO 6.16 6.91 0.56 7.86 2.OO
NazO 3.76 3.79 4.52 5.09 6.02
K,O 0.23 0.30 0.66 0.70 I .47
P,O, 0.1 I 0.15 0.04 0.1 I 0.09
S 0.00 0.02 0.00 0.00 0.00
Sum 99.81 99.67 100.13 100.52 100.1 I
LO1 3.86 2.50 I .07 I .84 I .72
Sr 196 I82 67 221 150
Y I9 20 84 I4 I9
Zr 124 132 288 96 II8
Nb 9 IO I9 7 12
 S. L&hat, H. MacLean /Journal of Geochemical Exploration 52 (I 995) 333-350

‘O”- b
60-
,’
,,*’
60- ,,,’
+$/
.
Y fi x1’
9 ,’ ,6%
,’
40- ,/ u+
___.

20-
CALC-ALKALINE
,<I’
__.e
o ‘,b
0.1
I I I I I I
Nb/Y ’ 0 100 200 300
Zr
1.2
30- d
25.

N 0.e
0
I-

0.4

_,
O4, Zr
160 0 6.2 0:4 is
T i0,
d.8 i 1:2 1’.4

Fig. 4. Determination of rock types, magmatic affinity, and a test for immobility of elements. (a) Original rock
type discrimination on an immobile element diagram after Winchester and Floyd ( 1977) (b) Y-Zr plot to
determine the magmatic affinity of the fresh and altered rocks. The South HCbCcourt rhyolite plots as tholeiitic
(Zr/Y = 3.5), and other units are transitional to talc-alkaline (ave. Zr/Y = 6.2) Dispersion in the NIU data is
probably due to partial mobility of yttrium in the altered samples. (c) Test of element immobility using the TiOZ-
Zr diagram on samples of a single pillow lava flow of the New lnsco andesite in the stratigraphic hangingwall of
the ore. The high value of the regression coefficient (R) indicates high immobility. (d) The Al@-Ti02 plot
shows the range in composition of the andesites when many flow units are sampled. Alteration lines are projected
from the origin through each sample and to the fractionation line to obtain the correct precursors. The data includes
underground mine samples from Meyers ( 1980). Symbols as in Fig. 2.

younger (including modem) sequences are of these types. VMS deposits in Precambrian
greenstone belts occur most commonly in low-K tholeiitic sequences, but some are also
found in low- and medium-K talc-alkaline rocks.

4. Alteration geochemistry

4.1. Nature of the alteration

Hydrothermal alteration is confined to the lithologies of the New Insco unit, and has
affected both the stratigraphic hangingwall and footwall rocks to the massive ore (Fig. 2).
 S. L&hat, H. h4acLean /Journal of Geochernical Exploration 82 (IYYS) 333-350 339

Table 2
Rare-earth element analyses of rock samples at the New Insco Mine

Unit Fabie Bay South HCbCcourt New lnsco

HW FW HW FW
Fresh Fresh Altered Altered

Sample NI-50 * NI-55 ’ 89- 1 89-5 89-7 89-10 X9-12

La 19 32 37 Il.7 12.5 8.1 8.9

Ce 38 51 82 26 27 19 I9
Nd 24 23 41 14 14 II 9.0
Sm 4.8 II.6 9.0 3.2 3.3 2.8 I .9
Eu 2.0 1.9 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.7
Tb 1.1 0.6 0.6 1.3 0.4
DY 5.0 17
Yb 2.5 11 2.4 1.8 1.8 3.7 2.0
Lu 0.4 1.7 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.5 0.3
La,/Yb, 5.1 1.9 10.4 4.4 4.7 1.5 3.0

HW = hangingwall, FW = footwall.
a Samples from Meyers and MacLean ( 1983).

Table 3
HFSE data and affinities of the New Insco mine units

Unit Rock type La,/Yb, Z/Y Affinity

Fabie Bay andesite 5.1 6.7 Calc-alkaline

New Insco andesite 5.3 6.5 Calc-alkaline
S. HCbCcourt rhyolite 1.9 3.5 Tholeiitic

Hangingwall pillowed andesites in surface outcrops along the margin of the mine open pit
are largely converted to chlorite-quartz-pyrite-leucoxene and chlorite-pyrite-leucoxene
assemblages over a distance of N 20 m above the ore. In underground workings, andesite
breccia in this part of the unit are similarly altered (Meyers and MacLean, 1983). This
changes sharply upward into a 5-10 m thick zone of sericite-chlorite-quartz-leucoxene-
calcite alteration that abuts pillowed andesite of the overlying Fabie Bay unit along a fault
contact.
The footwall rocks are composed of andesite lava, breccia and tuff. Alteration consists
of a chlorite-quartz-pyrite-leucoxene mineral assemblage (chlorite zone) that changes
outward into a sericitequartz-chlorite~alcite-pyrite-leucoxene assemblage (sericite
zone). These alteration facies are surrounded by spilitized andesite composed of albite-
epidote-quartz-chlorite-leucoxenef sericite. The alteration occurs on either side of the
orebody, and was interpreted by Meyers and MacLean ( 1983) as having formed by hydro-
thermal fluid flow that continued after deposition of the ore and parts of the overlying
andesite.

4.2. Immobile elements and mass changes

Most major (K, Na, Ca, Si, Fe, Mg, Mn, P) and many trace elements (Rb, St-, Cs, Ba,
etc.) are mobile during hydrothermal alteration associated with the generation of VMS
340 S. Liaghat, H. MacLean /Journal ofGeochemical Exploration 52 (1995) 333-350

deposits (MacLean and Barrett, 1993), and cannot be used to identify and classify the
igneous precursors of altered rocks. Al, Ti and the HFSE, including the REE’s, are relatively
immobile (inert) during alteration ( Gresens, 1967; Winchester and Floyd, 1977; MacLean
and Kranidiotis, 1987), and are now widely used for precursor and affinity identification,
and calculation of mass and volume changes.
The immobility of the suspected elements should be tested where possible, as parameters
(e.g., E,,, pH, temperature, salinity) of the hydrothermal fluid may differ between deposits.
A simple and convenient test utilizes binary plots of chemical data from a chemically
homogeneous rock unit such as a single lava flow that can be traced through the alteration
zone. With mass changes, immobile element pair data will spread along a linear alteration
line and pass close to or through the origin. Other methods to test for immobility are
presented by Gresens ( 1967), Grant ( 1986) and Bernier ( 1992). Mass changes are pro-
portional to the shift of the altered samples relative to the precursor along the alteration line.

4.3. New Insco samples

Samples collected from a single flow of altered pillowed andesite in the stratigraphic
hangingwall of the New Insco orebody (Table 4, 89- 1 to 89-8), exposed at the margin of
the open pit mine, produce a linear alteration line (r = 0.98) on a plot of TiO,-Zr (Fig.
4~). This is proof that both elements were immobile. Plots of HFSE pairs, and those
involving Al, are similar except that magmatic accumulation of plagioclase has affected Al
in one sample.
When samples from the footwall alteration zone are added, scatter in the TiO*--Zr data is
apparent. The footwall andesites (Table 5) are of the same affinity (Fig. 4b), but have

Table 4
Chemical analyses of hangingwall altered rocks at the New Insco mine. Major elements normalized to 100 % for
mass change calculations

Hangingwall rocks
Sericite zone Chlorite zone

Sample E9121 E9147 E9135 NI-I 89-l 89-2 89-3 89-4 89-5 89-6 89-7 89-8

SiOz 5 I .72 45.61 37.72 29.01 52.00 42.83 20.64 22.58 53.38 49.94 55.06 56.27
TiO, 0.81 0.74 1.35 0.53 0.68 0.85 0.93 0.95 0.69 0.75 0.57 0.64
Al,% 15.16 14.13 27.29 22.79 14.14 16.72 19.22 20.54 14.04 15.07 13.03 13.80
Fe,@ 9.09 14.62 19.29 38.19 27.09 29.82 42.91 43.82 26.32 28.19 24.21 23.81
MnO 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.15 0.11 0.30 0.20 0.08 0.09 0.09 0.05
MgO 6.79 9.10 6.82 9.38 4.20 6.20 7.68 7.07 4.59 4.82 5.09 4.83
CaO 14.28 12.85 0.32 0.05 0.71 0.41 2.27 0.65 0.38 0.30 0.1 I 0.09
Na10 0.16 0.12 0.76 0.04 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.07 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
I&O 1.88 2.73 6.33 0.01 0.00 0.12 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
p*os 0.11 0.04 0.10 0.01 0.1 I 0.14 0.16 0.06 0.10 0.09 0.08 0.07
s _ _ - _ 0.90 2.71 5.87 4.03 0.39 0.72 1.75 0.41
Sr 90 61 33 16 17 18 22 17 17 17 18 18
Y 14 II 21 18 29 23 35 27 19 22 22 18
Zr 93 57 131 92 119 138 155 152 121 118 99 106
Nb 7 4 4 4 6 9 7 6 8 7 6 7
 S. Liaghat, H. MacLean /Journal of Geochemical Exploration 52 (1995) 333-350 741

Table 5
Chemical analyses of footwall altered rocks at the New Insco mine. Major elements normalized to 100 % for mass
change calculations

Footwall alteration
Chlorite zone Sericite zone

Sample 89-9 89-10 89-l 1 89.12b 89-12a 89-17 NI-17 E9120 E9116 NI-23

SiO’ 61.74 55.57 39.05 57.31 58.88 61.97 57.42 61.77 65.25 61.61
TiOz 0.50 0.52 0.7 1 0.62 0.89 0.56 0.59 0.99 1.01 I .04
AlzO, 10.47 14.05 20.04 13.93 14.31 12.59 15.90 19.84 19.97 22.45
FeZ07 21.41 23.49 29.70 21.84 19.60 18.87 22.25 8.39 6.54 6.85
MnO 0.30 0.09 0.14 0.08 0.07 0.09 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
M@ 3.54 5.40 9.82 6.08 5.74 5.46 3.42 4.09 I .67 2.29
CaO 0.16 0.28 0.36 0.07 0.04 0.23 0.28 0.62 0.27 0.27
NazO 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.05 0.49 0.25 0.25
K,O 0.04 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.4 1 0.03 0.04 3.67 4.97 5.12
PZO, 0.05 0.03 0.05 0.05 0.04 0.06 0.06 0.09 0.10 0. I 1
S 1.80 0.55 0.10 0.00 0.00 0.13 0.00 - 4.82 5.76
St 17 18 19 17 17 17 17 44 26 31
Y 16 53 19 16 24 13 15 17 20 13
Zr 93 94 113 104 134 97 97 135 126 139
Nb 5 4 4 9 7 5 8 4 5

apparently undergone different of magmatic fractionation. Since the Fabie Bay and
degrees
New Insco andesites are of the same affinity group (Table 3; Fig. 4b), they have common
fractionation lines, for example, A1,03-Ti02 (Fig. 4d). These two major elements are used
as well as the HFSE to monitor fractionation and alteration. They are particularly useful in
talc-alkaline rocks where the HFSE are commonly compatible and will not produce reliable
magmatic trends. When sample data are spread along a fractionation line as in Fig. 4d, the
mass changes are calculated using the multiple precursor method (MacLean, 1990).

5. Mass changes

Mass changes were calculated for altered samples using TiO, data and the multiple
precursor calcuation method. Precursor compositions, reconstructed compositions (RC)
and mass changes were computed for each sample:

RC = TiO, precursor/Ti02 altered X % componentaltered

Mass Change = RC - precursor composition

The multiple precursor method yields very close precursor values for the hangingwall
andesite flow (Fig. 4c) and different ones for the footwall samples. Average mass changes
for the mobile components in the sericite and chlorite alteration zones at the mine are listed
in Table 6. All zones have gained Fe, Mg and S, and all have lost Na. The sericite zones
are characterized by relatively large additions of K. The chlorite zones are enriched in Fe
and Mg, and they have higher Fe/Fe+Mg ratios than the sericite zones. Si is depleted
342 S. Liaghut, H. MacLean / Journal of Geochemical Exploration 52 (1995) 333-350

Table 6
Average mass changes in weight percent (equivalent to grams per 100 grams of precursor) for the sericite and
chlorite alteration zones in the stratigraphic hangingwall and footwall of the New Insco orebody. The bulk Fe/
Fe + Mg data are cation ratios

Hangingwall Footwall

Sericite zone Chlorite zone Chlorite zone Sericite zone

3 samples 9 samples 7 samples 3 samples

SiO, - 11.5 -11.2 + 10.4 -6.2

Fe0 +4.9 + 25.3 + 19.7 - 2.4
MnO -0.14 +0.01 + 0.03 -0.14
MgO +4.3 +3.2 + 3.8 - 1.1
CaO +4.4 -4.4 -4.7 - 4.6
Na,O -3.6 -3.8 -3.8 -3.5
K,O +3.1 -0.1 0.0 +3.s
S + 1.2 + 1.2 +0.5 +2.g
Sum +2.8 + 10.2 + 25.9 - 11.3
Fe/Fe+Mg 0.49 0.73 0.67 0.58

except in the footwall chlorite zone. Ca is fully leached in all but the hangingwall sericite
zone, where calcite is abundant.
The average net mass change for the entire alteration zone is + 11.2 wt%. This is
equivalent to a net addition of 11.2 grams of mobile mass for each 100 grams of precursor
rock. The large losses of Na and Ca, major movements in Si, and increases in Fe, Mg and
the Fe/Fe + Mg, are typical of VMS alteration in greenstone terranes (Barrett et al., 1991)
The net depletion of Si represents silica leached along permeable and reactive zones, such
as glassy pillow rims.
Mass changes can be evaluated on a number of geochemical diagrams. A plot of
A ( MgO + FeO) against ASiO, (Fig. Sa) illustrates the relation between the main chlorite-
forming components and quartz during alteration. A majority of samples have gained Mg
and Fe, and these changes correlate well with modal amounts of chlorite and pyrite. Some
chloritized samples also have had quartz added (silicification), while in others quartz was
leached and the chlorite residually concentrated. Where all the quartz has been leached, and
only chlorite and accessory minerals remain, the rock is called a chloritite.
Mass changes have also been plotted on a cross-section through the deposit (Fig. 6a).
The change in each major mobile component is apparent and can readily be correlated with
amounts of normative alteration minerals (Fig. 6b). Leaching of Na except at the edge of
the alteration zone is seen in the distribution of albite. K, as sericite, is abundant only at the
margins of the alteration zone. Large amounts of Fe and Mg have been added as chlorite
and pyrite to most of the alteration zone.

5.1. Normative mineralogy

It is commonly difficult to make accurate modal estimates of alteration minerals in altered

fine grained volcanic rocks. An alternative is to make normative estimates. We have cal-
culated the normative cation percents of quartz, albite, chlorite, sericite, epidote, kaolinite,
 S. Liaghat, H. MacLean /Journal of Geochemical Exploration 52 (1995) 333-350 343

a b
1

\
Silicification

-50 -30 -10 0 10

A wt%SiO 2

* Chloritized x Silicified + Sericitized

‘*.
-.,
*,.
----.....::foCh,

O-0 Fe + Mg Cation %

Fig. 5. Hydrothermal alteration of the New Insco unit. (a) Mass changes in MgO + Fe0 and SiOZ. (b) Cation %
of normative alteration minerals on a quartz-sericite-chlorite plot. (c) Al-Si cation plot of altered samples:
chlorite (Chl), sericite (Ser) and quartz (Qz) are plotted according to the cation % of elements in their formulae.
(d) Si-( Fe + Mg) cation plot. The quartzxhlorite and chloritite alteration is formed by additions of Fe + Mg
until samples lie on the quartz-chlorite tieline; leaching of silica moves the samples towards the chlorite apex of
the quartzxhlorite-sericite triangle. Sericitite and sericite-chlorite rocks are formed in the same manner. The
shaded area is freshest andesite.

calcite, apatite, rutile and sulphides using a spreadsheet program on a personal computer.
The data for quartz, sericite and chlorite (Fig. 5b) are particularly instructive, as these three
minerals account for more than 95% of the alteration products at the New Insco mine.
General trends in alteration can readily be followed when using these plots in mineral
exploration.

5.2. Cation alteration diagrams

Plots of bulk rock chemical analyses in cation percent (Figs. 5c, d) are also useful in
understanding alteration processes. These are produced without calculating mass changes
344 S. Linghat, H. MacLean / Journal qf Geochemical Exploration 52 (1995) 333-350

Sericite
+ Zone ~-Chlorite Zone-Sericite Zone9

Si02

Fe203
+5
MO +4
K20
Ns20
-4

CaO

Sample locations
Fig. 6. Illustrations of mass changes and normative mineral contents in the alteration zone. (a) Mass changes in
components vs sample positions. (b) Normative minerals vs. sample positions.

or normative minerals, and yet they provide a wealth of information about mineralogical
changes in the alteration zone. Mineral formulae, already in cations, can be converted to
cation percent and plotted as guides for alteration trends.
Plots of Al-Si (Fig. 5c) and Si-( Fe + Mg) (Fig. 5d) are illustrated for the New Insco
alteration zone. In both plots, a quartz addition (silicification) trend is produced by some
samples, and a quartz depletion (leaching) trend is readily apparent in others. The amounts
of chlorite and sericite that can form during alteration is dependent on the amount of the
immobile element Al in the precursor rocks. Hence, production of these minerals is restricted
to replacement of the initial feldspar component in the rock. Al in the low-K andesites at
the mine was converted largely to chlorite, using Fe + Mg in the initial rock and that brought
in by the altering fluid. Such replacement shifts samples from the fresh rock field laterally
to the quartzxhlorite or quartz-sericite tielines. Only with subsequent leaching of silica are
samples moved towards the sericitexhlorite tieline. The removal of all quartz in the sample
leaves a residuum of sericite and chlorite at this tieline.
 S. Liqhat, H. MucLean /Journal qf Geochemical Exploration 52 (1995) 333-350 345

6. Mobility of the REE

Chondrite-normalized profiles of the REE from the altered andesite are plotted with the
freshest andesite in Fig. 7a. The altered samples exhibit considerable vertical spread and
change in profile slope. Part of the vertical spread is caused by mass changes of mobile
components, which residually concentrated or diluted the REE, so that they plot higher or
lower than the freshest sample. This component of spread is eliminated by normalizing each
profile to Lu, the most immobile of the REE (MacLean, 1988), in the freshest andesite
sample (Fig. 7b). It is now apparent that the middle- and light-REE had been mobilized,
with the degree of mobility increasing regularly from Lu to La. Relative to the freshest
andesite (La,/Yb, 5.5), the profiles for altered samples are either steeper (maximum La,/
YbN = 13), or flatter (minimum La,/YbN = 1.7). The large negative Eu-anomalies are
attributed to alteration.
The uniformity in changes in individual REE resulting from alteration is illustrated in
Fig. 7c. The changes, relative to La, are very regular and include both REE enrichments
and depletions. The linearity of the regression lines, which contain the most enriched and
most depleted samples, indicates an alteration process that was pervasive but uneven in
intensity in different parts of the alteration zone. Loss of light- and middle-REE from rock
to altering fluid appears to occur in the hottest parts of alteration zones, which are usually
centers of pipes and close to ore (Campbell et al., 1984; MacLean, 1988). Enriched areas,
where the leached REE are precipitated, are commonly in the lower temperature outer
alteration zones, the quartz-sericite zone at New Insco. The values of the slopes (AREEI
ALa) of the regression lines for New Insco (Fig. 7c) are close to those calculated for VMS
alteration at Phelps Dodge and Kidd Creek (MacLean, 1988).

7. Discussion

7.1. Stratigraphic position

The small New Insco VMS deposit is on the north side of the Noranda volcanic belt,
about 20 km north of the the main clusters of VMS deposits in the district. The somewhat
larger Magusi mine is the only nearby VMS deposit (Fig. 1). The stratigraphic position of
the talc-alkaline andesite and tholeiitic rhyolite units at the mine is poorly understood.
Cielinas et al. ( 1984) include them in a mixed group comprising the Destor, Reneault and
Dufault talc-alkaline formations, but these are less talc-alkaline (Zr/Y -5, La,/Yb, = 2-
4 in the south (Pan, 1993) ) than are the New Insco mine units (Zr/Y = 6.6, LaN/YbN - 5,
Table 3). The interlayered talc-alkaline and tholeiitic units probably indicate separate
magma sources and different volcanic centers.
The VMS ore lens lies conformably within the New Insco andesite in the overturned
stratigraphy. Although Meyers and MacLean ( 1983) thought some of the altered rocks
might have been rhyolite, our immobile element study shows they were mostly andesite;
only one altered sample was a rhyolite. The New Insco and Fabie Bay andesites are
geochemically identical, and probably have a common volcanic source. The intrusion of
the large diorite body into the footwall obscures stratigraphic relations with underlying
346 S. Liaghat, H. MacLean /Journal ofGeochemical Exploratiotn52 (1995) 333-350

y ‘J .z
SE
“x22
fb g
2zz
o-c

31lKlNOH3 I Y3otl
 S. Liaghat. H. MacLean /Journal ofGeochemica1 Exploration 52 (I 995) 333-350 341

units. Occurrences of andesite forming the footwall to VMS ores are exceptions in green-
stone belts; usually rhyolite forms the footwall, and is heavily altered. The Corbet deposit
(Fig. 2) in the southern part of the district also has andesite footwall rocks, a mixture of
tholeiitic and transitional varieties (Barrett et al., 1993; Gibson et al., 1993).

7.2. Alteration process

Chloritization is the most widespread alteration in the walls of the New Insco orebody.
The intense alteration of the hangingwall pillowed andesite involved chloritization of pla-
gioclase components, forming an essentially quartz-chlorite rock. The content of Al, which
was immobile, in the unaltered precursor rocks put limits on the amount of chlorite that was
produced. This growth of chlorite was followed by extensive leaching of silica, and locally
chlorite was residually concentrated to chloritite. Sericitization evolved in a similar fashion
at the margins of the alteration zone, also with leaching of silica. Both alteration processes
are illustrated in Fig. 5. The end product of chloritic alteration is a dense, green-black, fine
grained rock with an appearance not unlike serpentine.
Hangingwall alteration is also present at the Ansil (Riverin et al., 1990; Barrett et al.,
1991) and Corbet mines in the southern part of the district (Barrett et al., 1993; Gibson et
al., 1993). It apparently formed during continued hydrothermal fluid exhalation after
emplacement of andesite flows above the VMS deposit. Geochemical data do not readily
distinguish between hangingwall and footwall alteration. In both walls the chlorite is Fe-
rich, pyrite is common, and leaching of silica is widespread. Severely chloritized footwall
rocks, however, commonly carry copper stringer and disseminated mineralization, but in
our experience this is not common in altered hangingwall rocks.

7.3. Major element mobility

Sample coverage at New Insco was not sufficient for quantitative weighted averaging of
mass changes. Nevertheless, the unweighted averages (Table 6) are similar in magnitude
to those for the Ansil, Corbet and Norbec deposits in the central Noranda district (Barrett
et al., 199 1, 1993; Shriver and MacLean, 1993). Similar to other VMS deposits, Na and Ca
were fully leached from the alteration zone, except for a small build-up of Ca as calcite in
the hangingwall sericite zone. There is also a net depletion of Si, confined largely to the
hangingwall alteration (Fig. 6). Fe and Mg, in contrast, were added to both walls to form
chlorite and pyrite. Fe additions are the largest and concentrated in the chlorite zone, whereas
Mg was added more evenly in the chlorite and sericite zones. These additions increased the
average bulk Fe/Fe + Mg ratio of the rocks (and also of chlorite) from 0.42 (cation) in the
freshest andesite, to 0.54 in the sericite zone, and 0.70 in the chlorite zone. This represents
a range of birefringent colours in chlorite from brown to burgundy and Berlin blue.

7.4. REE mobility

Along with many major elements, the light- and middle-REE were also mobile, and the
slopes of chondrite-normalized profiles were significantly changed (Fig. 7). The degree of
REE mobility was variable, and decreased from La to Lu. Two samples from the footwall
348 S. Liaghar. H. MacLean /Journal ofGeochemical Exploration 52 (1995) 333-350

Table 7
Comparison of AREE/ALa slope values for VMS alteration zones

New lnsco Phelp Dodge Kidd Creek Home Ansil

Cc 0.88 0.79 1.00 0.70 0.87

Nd 0.59 0.57 0.79 0.47 0.69
Sm 0.40 0.49 0.34 0.31 0.39
Yb 0.02 - - 0.04 0.03

Sources of data: Phelps Dodge and Kidd Creek: MacLean ( 1988); Home: MacLean and Hay ( 1991); Ansil:
Barrett et al. (1991).

chlorite zone were depleted in the lighter REE, whereas two in the hangingwall chlorite
zone were unchanged. One sample in the hangingwall sericite zone, far from the ore, is
highly enriched in the light-REE with La,/Yb, = 10.4, an increase from _ 5.1 in the fresh
rock. La,/Yb, values for the footwall samples were reduced to 3 and 1.5. These slope
changes are large and probably mark a significant change in fluid temperature (MacLean,
1988). The REE appear to be leached by high temperature hydrothermal fluids, hence REE-
depleted zones probable represent proximity to the site of ore deposition; REE-enriched
zones suggests cooled fluids, spent of their ore-forming metals. The changes in La,/Yb,
may also lead to error in magmatic affinity determination.
The alteration has also produced large negative Eu-anomalies in most samples, regardless
of other REE gain or loss. Eu 2t is stable and soluble in reduced hydrothermal fluids, and
is leached from wallrocks during alteration. In mineral exploration, zones of REE leaching
may be indicators of hot parts of alteration pipes and proximity to ore; alternatively, REE
enrichment might be useful in detecting alteration on a broader exploration scale.
The regularity of the REE mobility changes in the New Insco samples is remarkable
(Fig. 7c), and slopes of the regression lines carry through the changeover from REE addition
to REE loss. The A REEI A La values do not change significantly between VMS deposits of
the Noranda type (Table 7). The differences that are documented are probably due to a
combination of temperature and fluid chemistry variations.

8. Summary

The New Insco VMS deposit occurs in Archean volcanic rocks of the Abitibi greenstone
belt in the northern part of the Noranda mining district. Reserves and mined ore total about
one million tonnes grading 2.5% Cu and 8 g/t Ag (Meyers, 1980). The ore lies conformably
within the New Insco talc-alkaline andesite. A massive tholeiitic rhyolite of unknown
thickness lies lower in the stratigraphy, below a thick diorite dyke.
Hydrothermal alteration has strongly affected the andesites on both sides of the orebody.
Pillowed lavas in the stratigraphic hangingwall, and lavas, breccias and tuffs in the footwall,
have been heavily chloritized close to the ore, and sericitized at the margins of alteration.
The elements Ti, Zr and Al were immobile during alteration, and this allowed calculation
of mass changes in mobile components. Net amounts of Fe, Mg, K and S were added to the
alteration zone, and Na, Ca and Si were leached. The Fe/Fe-t Mg ratio was significantly
increased from freshest wallrock to sericite and chlorite alteration zones.
 S. Liqhat, H. MacLean / Journul ofGeochetnicn1 Eqdorution 52 (1995) 333-350 349

Normative alteration mineral and bulk composition cation diagrams illustrate alteration
trends clearly. Some trends point to silicification, and others to massive leaching of quartz
and the residual concentration of chlorite and sericite. Both of these minerals contain the
immobile Al as a major component, and both then act as immobile minerals in VMS
alteration.
The heavy REE’s were immobile, but the middle- and lighttREE’s were mobile and
depleted in parts of the chlorite alteration zone and enriched in the sericite zone. The mobile
REE changes were remarkably constant in the altered samples.
Mineralogical trends, mobile mass changes, REE changes, and changes in Fe/Fe + Mg,
can be helpful parameters in mineral exploration. They distinguish ore-associated hydro-
thermally altered rocks from barren alteration zones.

Acknowledgements

We thank Noranda Mines Ltd. for access to the New Insco property. We are grateful to
Sergio Cattalani and Peter Bambic for assistance in the field work. The research was financed
in part by a NSERC grant to W.H.M.

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