Gravity data acquisition and potential-field data modelling along Metal Earth's Chibougamau transect using geophysical and geological constraints

Abstract

The Metal Earth (ME) project aims to understand the underlying geological mechanisms that differentiate mineral endowments in Precambrian greenstone belts of the Canadian Shield. The ME project acquires and collates various geological and geophysical data along 13 transects to create valid models of subsurface features in order to identify components that contribute to the mineralization processes that result in mineral endowment. In this thesis, gravity observation along ~128 line kilometers in the Chibougamau transect is considered. The acquired data were checked for quality, processed to calculate the complete Bouguer anomaly and combined with existing gravity data provided by the Geological Survey of Canada. Gravity and compiled magnetic data were forward modelled along four sections and constrained by surficial geological observations, seismic sections, and petrophysical properties to estimate and improve the geometry and depth of plutonic bodies, and identifying the subsurface features such as dykes and faults. These improvements will help others to identify components that contribute to mineralising processes.