Deformation history and multiple gold mineralisation events within the Bardoc Tectonic Zone, Eastern Goldfields, Western Australia

This study focuses on three gold deposits within the late-Archaean Bardoc Tectonic Zone (BTZ) Western Australia, namely Paddington, New Boddington and Yunndaga. The styles, characteristics and relative timing of deformation and gold mineralisation have been constrained at each of these deposits. These local events have then been correlated to provide an understanding of regional controls of gold mineralisation within the BTZ.

Results imply that gold mineralisation chiefly occurred relatively early (D

2

) within the deformation history of the region. However at Paddington, there are two phases of gold mineralisation. One is associated with D

2

and the other is associated with a local NNW-SSE-directed shortening event (D

NS

) that has been interpreted to occur between D

2

and D

3

.

These findings are in contrast with other regional studies of gold endowment within the Eastern Goldfields, which have reported that gold mineralisation occurred late (D

3

-D

4

) within this terrane. Furthermore, no large-scale strike-slip faulting (D

3

) has been observed and late oblique faults (D

4

) are unmineralised. Associating gold mineralisation with relatively early D

2

and D

NS

deformation provides important relative timing constraints on gold mineralisation within the BTZ.