Abstract
M.Sc.
The Salt River deposit is a poly-metallic base metal deposit with a Zn-Cu-Pb metal
content that occurs southwest of the town of Kakamas within the Northern Cape
Province, South Africa. The Salt River deposit occurs within the Geelvloer Formation
of the Bushmanland Subprovince of the Proterozoic Namaqua Metamorphic Province
(NMP). This study constitutes the first detailed study of the host rock succession to
the Salt River deposit, by investigating the lithostratigraphy, petrography
geochemistry and geochronology. During the course of the study, various styles of
wall-rock alteration were identified and investigated to determine their effect on the
host rock succession. A further aim of this study was to classify the Salt River deposit
and compare it to neighboring deposits occurring in the NMP. Geochronological
studies were undertaken to define the age of mineralization.
Detailed logging of exploration diamond drill core combined with petrographic
investigation was used to define thirteen distinct lithotypes. The stratigraphy is
dominated by felsic grey gneisses and mafic amphibolites, minor calc-silicate rocks,
granitic augen gneisses, pegmatites and two lithologies that represent the
metamorphosed equivalents of hydrothermally-altered host rock. Lithostratigraphic
investigations yielded a rather uniform succession containing four distinct marker
beds defined by their common occurrence and ease of correlation across various
boreholes.