Influence of volcano-sedimentary facies architecture on strain partitioning during the evolution of an orogenic-gold lode system, Stawell, western Victoria

Abstract

The localised distribution of gold in a series of ore shoots adjacent to the western flank of the Cambrian Magdala Basalt is controlled by formation and partial reactivation of faults and shear zones that closely follow the geometry of the basalt. The recognition of the controls on the geometry of the basalt and overlying metasedimentary units is therefore vital for exploration in the region. Detailed structural mapping around one of the steep, west-dipping basalt sheets that comprise the Magdala Basalt, as well as the overlying metasedimentary units, has been used to compare the recorded structural history in the basalt relative to that in the metasediments to determine how strain has parti..