Wednesday, 29th  October

12 — 1 pm

Rm 312.222

Andrea Agangi

Applied Geology, Curtin University

Gold deposition and remobilisation in the Archaean Witwatersrand basin, South Africa – A pyrite perspective

Abstract

The origin of Au-U deposits in the Archaean Witwatersrand basin of South Africa is the subject of longstanding discussion. The two main models, the ‘modified placer’ and the ‘hydrothermal model’ imply opposite views on the formation of gold and pyrite in the metaconglomerates that host mineralisation. These two models have far reaching implications on the palaeoenvironmental conditions in the Archaean. New results presented in this talk provide evidence for the contemporaneous formation of sedimentary pyrite and gold deposition, and suggest a possible link between biogenic activity and gold accumulation in the Witwatersrand basin.

Biographical Details

Andrea Agangi has a background in igneous petrology and ore deposits geology. He received a PhD from CODES – University of Tasmania and then moved to the University of Johannesburg, South Africa, to study Archaean gold deposition and felsic magmatism in the Barberton Greenstone Belt and the Witwatersrand basin. He has recently joined Curtin University as a Post-Doctoral Fellow to work on the Proterozoic Capricorn Orogen.