Eruptive environments and inferred exploration potential of metabasalts from New South Wales

The Honeysuckle Beds, Jindalee Beds, Woolomin Beds and Nambucca Beds all contain metavolcanic units of dismembered ophiolite suites in the Palaeozoic of New South Wales. It is assumed that no major changes in the distribution of stable trace elements have taken place during metamorphism. Geological evidence and stable trace element data indicate that the Honeysuckle and Jindalee Beds may contain metabasalts of marginal basin origin whereas the Woolomin and Nambucca Beds may contain metabasalts erupted during the opening phase of a major ocean. Comparison with massive sulphide-bearing metabasalts elsewhere suggests that the Honeysuckle Beds and Jindalee Beds, which chemically resemble metabasalts from the Troödos Massif of Cyprus, have the greatest exploration potential.