Decoding the structural architecture of the northern copper belt (Carajás Province) and Bacajá domain using airborne geophysics (Brazil)

Abstract

Copper is a critical metal for the global energy transition. Yet, declining discovery rates and increasing demand necessitate more efficient mineral exploration strategies grounded in a mineral systems approach. The Carajás Province (Amazonian Craton, Brazil) is one of the world’s premier copper-producing regions, hosting several iron oxide–copper– gold (IOCG) and related deposits. The Northern Copper Belt (NCB), located near the boundary between the Carajás and Bacajá domains, records a multiphase deformational and metallogenetic evolution from the Neoarchaean to Paleoproterozoic. Despite extensive previous studies, uncertainties remain regarding the geometry, depth, and continuity of the regional structures that control copper mineralization, as well as the nature of the tectonic boundary between the Carajás and Bacajá domains. As a result, through an integration of airborne magnetic, gravity, gamma-ray spectrometry, morpholineament, and spatial analyses, we characterized the tectono-structural framework of the NCB and the southern Bacajá Domain. This will provide new constraints on the geodynamic evolution of this world-class copper metallogenic belt, elucidating crustal-scale structures and patterns of hydrothermal alteration and fluid pathways, and enhancing understanding of the potential for further discoveries.