The Giant Kidd Creek Volcanogenic Massive Sulfide Deposit, Western Abitibi Subprovince, Canada

Abstract THE PAPERS contained this volume are the first published contributions on the geology and genesis of the Kidd Creek deposit since the early work of Walker and Mannard (1974) and Walker et al. (1975). In the course of this research, many outstanding questions have been answered and many new questions raised. Although there is general agreement among the authors concerning the setting of the deposit and its long-lived hydrothermal system, a number of possible interpretations of the origins of the ore-forming fluids, the source of the metals, and the heat necessary to drive hydrothermal circulation have been proposed. The different interpretations highlight key areas for future research at Kidd Creek. Notwithstanding this diversity, it is encouraging that such a large group of investigators, working independently on many separate aspects of the deposit, should arrive at a positive consensus on its overall geology and genesis. Many of the papers in the volume will be important benchmarks for additional studies at the mine. With development now extending below 6,800 ft and a substantial resource defined as far as 9,800 ft below surface, research at Kidd Creek can be expected to continue long into the future. The improved understanding of the deposit and the region will also provide an important framework for future geologic investigations of volcanogenic massive sulfides elsewhere in the Abitibi and in other parts of the world.