Link of Mineralization to Tectonic Structure Implied from the Earth’s Crust and Upper Mantle Electrical Resistivity Image of the Northwestern Ukrainian Shield

Abstract

The Precambrian Ukrainian Shield is known for its enormous mineral endowment. Mineral deposits are a part of the overall geological and tectonic setting, including the deep energy source, the mineral source, the fluid channels, and the deposition mechanisms. All these aspects can be accompanied by associated geological and geophysical manifestations from the surface to the mid-lower crust. The network of 279 long-period magnetovariational data within the periods 100–900 s allowed us to investigate the geoelectrical structure in the northwestern Ukrainian Shield, bounded by coordinates 48.5°–51.7° N and 26°–30° E. 3D inversion of magnetic components of the natural electromagnetic field led to the construction of regional-scale spatial geoelectric models of the area. The character and position of the conductors indicate their link to recently active faults, their intersections, and to mineralization. The Precambrian history of crystalline rocks primarily suggests a sulphite-graphite origin of the conductivity anomalies, but their depth, vertical extent and association with reactivated fault systems may indicate the origin of mineral deposits in fluid upwelling from depth. The obtained results in correlation with geothermal models contribute to the idea of the depth structure, tectonic processes and the link between geoelectrical characteristics of the Earth’s crust and upper mantle with fault systems and mineralization.

Keywords

Earth’s crust and upper mantle structure / western part of the Ukrainian Shield / magnetic variation sounding / 3D inverse modeling / mineral deposits

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