Some conceptual models for geochemistry in areas of preglacial deep weathering

In some glaciated regions, weathered mantles, formed under previous climatic regimes, were not always eroded bare by glacial activity, but instead lie buried beneath the glacial overburden. It is obviously important that geochemical exploration programs in such terrain should take into account some of the known regolith features seen in deeply weathered regions. The effects of glacial action upon deeply weathered terrain are considered in three conceptual models. The critical factor in each is the depth of truncation of the preglacial weathering profile. All three proposed models are dynamic systems and a wide range of intermediate situations must be expected.In Model 1 a complete, largely undisturbed, weathering profile is preserved beneath till. The key characteristic is preservation of a lateritic duricrust which may contain areally large (up to 200 km²) geochemical anomalies. It would be critical, firstly, that the duricrust be sufficiently continuous to allow a reasonable success rate in its being sampled, and secondly that the duricrust be recognizable in drill spoil. The most efficient geochemical exploration could be based upon wide-spaced overburden drilling directed at sampling the duricrust. For reconnaissance, holes could be based upon a 1-km grid where stratabound massive polymetallic sulphide or stratabound gold deposits are sought. Even wider spacing could be tried where larger-sized ore deposits are expected.Model 2 is characterized by a weathered profile that was partly stripped prior to glaciation. The essential feature is a vertically zoned weathering profile in the basement rock in which the upper levels of the weathering profile have undergone leaching of certain elements and lower levels contain enrichments of these elements. Any gossans present would show strong vertical zonation. Relatively strong sources for dispersion in till are likely to be enriched gossans where erosion has cut deep into the profile, zones of supergene enrichment of ore deposits, and supergene ore deposits themselves. In many situations, saprolite under glacial drift would be too soft to provide boulders so important in conventional till prospecting.The essential ingredient in hypothetical Model 3 involves progressive planing away of the weathering profile by glacial action. Thus any halo in duricrust is initially dispersed, followed by dispersion of progressively deeper levels of saprolite. If taken deep enough the supergene enriched zone of a mineral deposit could add to the glacial dispersion. A broadly zoned anomaly would be expected; a till anomaly would be characterized distally by elements from the former duricrust anomaly, with elements more characteristic of supergene zones closer to the source.