ECONOMIC

GEOLOGY
AND

BULLETIN

VOL. 89,

OF THE

SOCIETY

THE

OF ECONOMIC

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER,

GEOLOGISTS

1987

NO. 6

Kuroko-TypeDepositsin the Middle Cretaceous

Marginal Basinof Central Peru
CISAR E. VIDAL C.*

Buenaventura
Ingenieros
S.A., Larraburey Unanue146, Lima 1, Perth,andDepa-tamento
de Geolog[a,
Universidad
Nationalde b,geniea, TpacAmarus/n, Lima 31, Pert
Abstract

Barite, massivesulfide, and siliceousstockworkdepositsof Kuroko type in the Lima

region are associatedwith the CasmaGroup, a seqnenceof submarinevolcanicrocksof
Middle Cretaceousage. These depositswere formed in an ensialic marginal basin with
predominantlybasalticto andesiticfill. Volcanic-hosted
depositsoccuriu the entire region;
sediment-hosteddepositsare restrictedto the easternCasmavolcanicfacies,which intercalate with limestonesand shalesdepositedon a shelf platform adjacentto the marginal
basin. In most cases,mineralization is spatially associatedwith dacitic domes and tuff
brecciaswith zonesof quartz-serieitealteration;the latter havelocallybeen datedat 116 to
106 m.y. by the K/Ar method. Strata-bounddepositsof bedded barite, pyrite, sphalerite,
and pyrrhotite overlie the fbeder zones.
The mostimportantdepositsof this kind are Leonila-Gracielaand Juanira,with 4 million
tonsof producedbarite and 2.5 million tonsof productionplusreservesof massivesulfide
ore. They are located in a roof pendant of folded strataintrnded by two plutonsof the
Coastal batholith. Contact metamorphism of hornblende-hornfels facies affects both ore

depositsand wall rocks. K-Ar ages on hornblende-biotitepairs from the granitic rocks
indicate that they were eraplaced82 and 65 m.y. ago.Whole-rock ageson postmetamorphic dikes vary between 31 and 39 m.y.
P-T conditionsfor contact metamorphismof hornblende-hornfelsfaciesat Leonila-Graciela are estimatedat 2.1 to 2.6 kb and 300 to 500C on the basisof sphaleritegeobarometry, stratigraphicreconstruction,metamorphicmineralogy,and interpretation of discordant K/Ar agepatterns.Mole percent FeS in sphaleritesincreasesin a progradesensefrom
the actinolite zone at Juanirato the biotite-mnscovitezone at Gracicla. In massivesulfide
specimensit varies correspondinglyfrom 15.4 _0.2 to 17.6 _4-0.7. Sphaleritesfrom siliceous stockworksshow the sametrend with 14.7 _4-0.4 mole percent FeS and 17.6 1.1
mole percent FeS. Metmnorphic equilibration was reached only in the biotite-muscovite
zone at Graciela.This is demonstratedby the hmnogeneityof high molepercentFeS values
detectedin sphalerite,which coexistsin nmtual contactwith pyrite and hexagonalpyrrhotire.

Introduction

IN the southernpart of the coastalregion of Peru

Cu, Mo, Au, aud Fe have long been mined h'om
vein-, replacement- aud porphyry-type deposits
(Bellido and De Montreuil, 1972). In contrast,there
hasbeen little mining and explorationin the central
and northern coastalregions. Nevertheless, as a
consequenceof intensilzingpetroleumexploration,
barite depositswere discoveredduring the early

nientgeographical
locationnearthe Callaoport and
the Talara oil fields, respectively.Barite mining in
severalof the propertiessurroundingLima hasrevealed massivesulfide zoneswith Zn-(Pb-Ag) ores,
suchas in Leonila-Graciela(Fig. 1).
A cluster of barite +_massive sulfide deposits
occurs within

a semicircle

of a 50-km

radius cen-

tered on Liana, losted by submarine Cretaceous

wlc,anic rocks. It is the purpose of this paper to
1950s. Discoveries in the Lima and Piura areas
describethe geologic setting and nature of these
were givenspecialattentionbecauseof their conve- deposits.Their genesisand subsequentevolutionis
discussedin the light of recent geologic studies
* Presentaddress:Perubar S. A., Juande Arona 830 go, Lima
27, Perfl.
(Vidal, 1980), coupledwith K-At datingand micro0361-0128/87/717/1409-22 $2.50

1409

1410

CISARE. VIDAL C.
UITO

.* u

beenreportedfromTamboGrandeandthenearby

'

prospects
of Potrobayo,
Totoral,andMorrop6n
(Fig. 1). Thesegeologic
features
andthe vertical

LaPlata

zoningin the deposits

areverysimilarto thoseof

Macuchl
/.

the Japanese
Kurokodeposits.
The northernmost
regionwheredepositsof this

kind have been discoveredlies southwestof Quito

in Ecuador.Unpublished
informationfrom C. W.
Farrell(1978) wasavailableto the authorconcerningtheKuroko-type
deposits
at La PlataandMacuchi.TheLa Platadepositwasevaluated
in the 1950s
by Sotopaxi Exploration Company and in
1961-1965 by DuncanDerry Exploration.From

./'' I
/

.J
Grande

1975 to 1982, Cia. Minera Toachi S.A., a joint venture of Ecuadorianclaim ownerswith Outokumpu
D'/'/! Maozoic volcanic baaina

Oy, Metallgesellschaft
A.G., and Cia. de Minas

BuenaventuraS.A., operated the property on a

I-J"l
JOr&clpollta
Kuroko
type[Proapecta small scale.Reservestotaled 200,000 tons with 5.7

wt percentCu,4.8wt percentZn,3.6 ppmAu,and

44.8 ppm Ag. The depositis characterizedby
strata-bound lenticular orebodies of bedded mas-

Moro

sivesulfidesandbarite, with underlying,low-grade

disseminations.The former are located along the
contact between two distinct volcanic successions

of Cretaceous
age.The basalsequence
consists
of
variablysilicifiedpyroclastic
rocks;the overlying
sequence
consists
of basaltic
lavaswithminorhe-

Tlrola
i

urora Auguata
Leonila
LIMA

Gractela

Plima
laiducho

The regionalextentof volcanogenic

massive
sulfideandbaritedeposits
of Kurokotypehasnotbeen
recognized
previously
intheMesozoic
recordofthe

intera

Ical

SO0

matitebrecciaandtuffs.The sequence
is foldedand
faulted,makingthe orebodiesdiscontinuous.

km

central Andes. They represent an important group

of polymetallic
oredeposits
omittedin the mostrecent metallogenetic
synthesis
proposedfor the region (Clark et al., 1976; Ericksen,1976; Putzer,

1976; Sillitoe, 1976; Amstutz, 1978; Petersen,

1979; Frutos, 1982).
FIG. 1. Mineraldeposits
of Kurokotypein relationto basinal
volcanics
of predominantly
submarine
character
andCretaceous
agein PeruandEcuador(modified
fromPitcher,1985;Goosens,
1972). Inset shownin Figure 2.

probeanalyses
of sphalerites.
A second
clusterof
similar occurrenceseast of Piura is linked to Upper

Jurassic-Cretaceous
volcanicrocksin northern
Peru. The Tambo Grande depositis the most im-

Exploration and Mining History

Baritewasfirstexploredandminedin the coastal

region of centralPeru in 1948 by the Peruvian
ChemicalIndustry Company(later renamedthe
BarmineCompanyandMineraBarmineS.A.).Duringthe next20 yearsabout500,000tonsof barite
ore wasminedby undergroundmethodsfrom the

portant
representative
ofthisregion(Injoque
et al., Leonila-Graciela orebody (Fig. 1). The Graciela
1979; Llosa, 1979; Fig. 1). It was drilled out at a claimwascontrolledthroughoutthoseyearsby the
prefeasibility
stageby the Bureaude RecherchesInternational Petroleum Company and was later

G(ologiques
et MiniSresin 1978-1980. Drill-indicated reservesare 40 million tonsof pyritic massive

sold to National Lead Industries, Inc.

From 1968 through 1980, barite productionwas

increasedby meansof an open-pit

sulfide ore with high-grade concentrationsof progressively
operation.
From
1976 to 1979, it reacheda maxiCu-Zn-(Ag)ores.The near-surface,strata-bound
oneof the
characterandthe lensoidshapeof this sulfidemass mumof 1,000 tonsper day,representing
are its main structural features. Barite zones, sili- largest
producers
in theworld(Martino,1981).The
ceoussulfideore, and hematite chert bedshave also bariteore hada highspecificgravity(4.2-4.4 g/cc)

KUROKO-TYPE DEPOSITS, CENTRAL PERU

and barium sulfatecontentsof over 80 wt percent;

solublesaltsvaried from 60 ppm in Leonila to 300
ppm in Graciela.The prospectsof Balducho,Palma,
Mara Teresa, and Elenita were discoveredduring
this period (Fig. 2). In Graciela, massivesulfideores
with high-grade concentrationsof Zn were discovered and evaluatedby drilling. Similar discoveries
of massivesulfideswere madeat Juanitaby Perubar
S.A., a subsidiaryof National Lead Industries,Inc.
Geologicmappingof the region, the Graciela open
pit, and from the Elenita and Santa Cecilia mines
has been carried out by the author intermittently

1411

latitude of the Lurln River and from the Pucusana

and Mala areas (Rivera et al., 1975; Fig. 2).

Conformably overlying the Puente Piedra Formation are sandstones and shales of the Salto del

Fraile, Herradura,
More

than 500

and Marcavilca Formations.

m of deltaic

and fiuviatile

clastic

strataalternate from the predominantlyshalybase

to the quartzitetop of theseformations(Fern/mdez
Concha, 1948). Rosenzweig (1953) and Wilson
(1963) haveconcludedthat theseclasticstratawere
deposited within a closed basin isolated from the
oceanby positivelandsto the west, from which the
since 1975.
sedimentswere largely derived.
Flotation plants for Zn and Pb-Ag concentrates Pamplonaand AtocongoFormations:Thinly bed-

were put into operation in 1980 and 1983, coincid-

ded, fossiliferous marls and limestone beds, which

ing with a sharpdecline in the productionof barite.

Average head grades in 1985 vary from 10 to 14
wt percent Zn, 0.5 to 1 wt percent Pb, and 15 to 45
ppm Ag. The existing mills at Graciela and Santa
Cecilia canproduceabout 150 tons/dayof Zn concentrate (Fig. 3A). Metal productionand reservesof
high-grade sulfides are estimated at 2.5 million
tons.Lower gradestockworkzonesare not included

become progressivelythicker higher up in the sequence, characterizethe 1,200-m-thick lithologic

succession
of the Pamplonaand AtocongoFormations.The basalcontactwith the Marcavilcaquartzites is transitionaland consistsof sandylimestone
beds. These formationsrepresent a transgressive
sequenceof carbonate strata underlying the volcanicrocksof the CasmaGroup. Their fossilassemin the latter estimate.
blagesare devoid of Tethyan key fossils.Both the
Morro Solar clasticsand the Pamplona-Atocongo
RegionalGeologyand Tectonic Setting
carbonatesare characterizedby provincialfaunasof
Valanginianto Aptian age (Rivera et al., 1975). The
In the centralcoastof Peru marinesedimentary peculiar fauna is a further indicationof the isolated
and volcanicstrataof predominantlyLower Creta- character of the basin.
ceousage were intruded during Upper Cretaceous
Casma Group: On a regional scale, the Casma
to Paleocene
timesby the Coastalbatholith(Fig.2). Group, asoriginallyproposedby Myers (1974), enFollowingthe main stagesof batholithiceraplace- compasses6,000 to 9,000 m of submarinevolcanic
mentthe regionwasuplifted,peneplained,andcovand interbedded sedimentaryrocks that have loered by a thick sequenceof subaerialvolcanicrocks
cally been subdivided into several formations. In
known as the Calipuy Group. Deposition of the
the coastalregion of central Peru, Albian ammonmarine sedimentaryand volcanicrockstook place
ites have been found at the base of the sequence
within the eugeosynclinalzone of the West Peru(Wilson, 1963) and Cenomanianfossilshave tentavian trough(Wilson,1963; Cobbing,1976), which tively been identifiedfrom higherup in the succeshas been recently interpreted as an ensialic marsion (Guevara, 1978). Two individual basinshave
ginalbasin(Athertonet al., 1983). Three maintecbeen delineatedalongthe entire 1,000-km length
tono-stratigraphicunits have been recognized in
of thisvolcanicbelt;thesearethe HuarmeyandRio
the latter sequence:the Morro Solar Group, the
Caete basinsof Cobbing(1978), which had their
Pamplonaand AtocongoFormations,and the Casma
mainperiodsof subsidence
duringAlbian andNeoGroup. A brief accountof this stratigraphicsuccescomian
to
Albian
times,
respectively
(Fig. 1). The
sion follows.

regionbetweenthe RhnacandLurnvalleysis sup-

Stratigraphy

Morro Solar Group: The Puente Piedra Formation, consistingof 2,000 m of basalticpillow lavas
and water-lain tuffs intercalated with fossiliferous

posedto represent the area of interconnectionbetween the two basins(Fig. 2); however,no detailed
account of the transition is available.

A well-definedwestto eastfacieschangecharacterizes the Casma Group in the central coast of

marlyshales
andlimestone
lensesof Berriasian
age, Peru. The western facies consists of basaltic to anformsthelowermost
partoftheMorroSolarGroup. desitic lavas, tuffs, and hyaloclasticbrecciasplus
Thinning of individual lava flows toward the east sporadicsedimentaryintercalationswith measured
indicatesthat their feederslay to the west (Rivera, thicknesseson the order of 2,500 m. The eastern
1951). The main outcropof theseunits lies in the facies,asexposedin severalroof pendantsand valChil16nRiver area alongthe coastto the north of leys east of the batholith, is characterizedby a
Lima; correlatable sequencesare known from the mixed successionof andesiticto dacitic lavas,tuffs,

1412

SARE. VIDALC.

7'7W
+

MARIA TERESA

.,,

.+ +
+

UAOAA

AUGUSTA

+
,

LEONILA

Cho.c.

't'

't'

. :::

::::

Idl

tuclnl

GRAClELA

't'

CiIIii

LIMA

+ +

+ +

......

TERTIARY

CRETACEOUS

PuCUIlfil

r] calipuy Group

Coastal Batholith

:AN'TERA 'F

CasmaGroup
= Pamplona
& AtocongoFormations
r]TmMorro Solar Group

Major fault

Mine, prospect

( K/Ar
sample
location
0

km
I

50
I

FIO. 2. Begionalgeologyof the coastin centralPeru(afterPitcheret al., 1985)showing

the
distribution
of mainKuroko-type
occurrences
andlocalitiessampled
for K-Ar dating.

KUROKO-TYPE DEPOSITS, CENTRAL PERU

and volcaniclastic

sandstones

intercalated

with

1413

Post-Incaicvolcanismwas subaerialand gave rise

to the daciticand rhyoliticignimbritesof the Caliandlapure limestone.The volcanicrocks of the Casma puy Group.Felsiclavaflows,agglomerates,
Group are coeval with a sequenceof shelf lime- pilli tuffsarepresenttowardthe baseof this2,000stonesthat crop out to the eastof the area shownin m-thickvolcanicpile in the Rmacand LurChsecFigure 2; this lithologicalpolarity hasbeen inter- tions. Minor intercalations of basaltic flows and
sedimentsalsooccur.The baseof the
preted as representinga classicpair of eugeosyn- subaqueous
CalipuyGroup in the regionhasbeen datedat 41
clinal and miogeosynclinaltroughs.
m.y. by Noble et al. (1979).
lenses of dark calcareous mudstone, shale, and im-

Structural and igneoushistory

Tectonic setting

The Morro Solar Group cropsout in the core of

northwest-southwest-trending open anticlines to

The paleontology and sedimentology of the

Lower Cretaceous sequenceshow that the basins
Mala areas (Fig. 2). Open anticlines with tighter were developedwithin an isolatedinland seaalong
upright synclinesand subhorizontalfold axesare the continental margin. The source areas of the
also known farther north in the Huarmey region shallow-watersedimentaryand volcanicrockswere
(Myers, 1974; Webb, 1976). These foldsare trun- located predominantly to the west. Myers (1975)
catedby the batholithof which the earliestunitsare suggestedthat the Precambrianto PaleozoicAreAlbian, indicating that folding occurred during quipamassifhasa northwardextensionthat wasrelMiddle Cretaceoustimes.This foldingevent corre- atively uplifted during this time.
In contrast, during Albian to Cenomaniantimes
lateswith the sub-Hercynianphaseof deformations
defined in northern Chile and is currently referred the Casma volcanics were extruded into rapidly
subsidingbasins. Volcanism consisted of fissure
to as the Mochica phase(Cobbing, 1985).
Belts of tighter folds and overall strongerdefor- eruptionsof basaltin the westernbasin(Athertonet
mation occurimmediatelyto the eastof the batho- al., 1985; Pitcher and Bussell, 1985). To the east,
lith in the Rimac,Lurln, andMala valleys.Boththe the Casma volcanics interdigitate with progreslithologicalspectrumand the deformationstyle of sively increasing amountsof sedimentaryrocks.
the eastern Casma Group facies are similar to the Volcanic centers in the form of felsic lava domes and
HuayllapampaGroup of Myers (1974). These fea- tuffbrecciashavebeen recognizedboth in the westtures can be explained in terms of sedimentation, ern and easternfacies(Vidal, 1980). The entire setvolcanism,and folding, both during Middle Creta- ting is one of a marginalbasin,in which a belt of
ceous and Paleocene Incaic phases, being con- new crustwasgeneratedby submarinebasalticvoltrolled by a hinge line. In fact, regionalAndeanand canismpresumablyduring a period of crustal exAndean-normal
faults to the east of the Coastal
tensionand low ratesof sea-floorspreading.Confirbatholith (Fig. 2) were probably generated along mation for this tectonic regime comes from the
such a deep basement structure. Major northeast- studiesof burial metamorphism,which indicate the
southwest-trending dextral wrench faults are presenceof high geothermalgradients(Aguirreand
known from the eastern sections of the Rimac and
Offier, 1985).
Omas valleys. An important vertical reactivation of
Furthermore, the gravimetric and seismicproTertiary age hasbeen recordedfor the Agua Salada files presented by Jones (1981), Couch et al.
faultin the Rimacvalley(Fig. 4); thisfaultdropsthe (1981), and Busselland Wilson (198.5) showa mass
Casma-Calipuyunconformitya minimumof 800 m of high densityand low velocity rocksbeneaththe
to the east.
volcanicbasins.This arclike crustalanomalydisapThe Coastalbatholith is a multiple and composite pearsnorth of the Huarmey basinand southof the
belt of plutons with an overall trend from gabbro Rio Cafiete basin. It is interpreted to consistof
and diorite to tonalitc and granodiorite.Figure 2 mafic rocksin the form of upthrustedoceaniccrust
depicts only the general outcrop pattern of this or basic intrusion complexes(Wilson, 1985). The
complex batholith which has been subdividedinto latter interpretation is favored considering the
the Lima and Arequipa segmentsto the north and abundanceof gabbroputohsalong the entire belt,
south of the Lurln River, respectively (Pitcher, which are partly coeval with the Casma volcanics
1978; Pitcher et al., 1985). Radiometricdating of (Regan, 1985). Isotopic signaturesof the gabbros
variousplutonsin the region hasgiven an age spec- and later granitic rocksof the Coastalbatholith are
trum of 104 to 62 m.y. (Beckinsaleet al., 1985; this indicative of a mantle provenancewith contaminapaper). Plutons of the batholith contact metamor- tion by Precambriancrust only southof the LurCh
phose the deposits at Leonila-Graciela, Cantera, River (Mukasaand Tilton, 1985; Fig. 2).
Vertical block tectonics and ensialic character are
and Balducho(Fig. 2).
the west of the Coastal batholith

in the Lima and

1414

CSARE. VIDAL C.

..

KUROKO-TYPEDEPOSITS,CENTRALPERU

ooo

1415

//

km
Ilmll

of conlicl

lUtlolll

Alluvlum
L
Coaatal

Bathollth

c
b

Callpu
yGroup
Calma
Groupil

K/Ar aaml=l
location ()

1800"1

. _

Rar{:1o
Palma Dlulon

Chamocla(l&syncIdle

1000

FIG. 4. Geologyand structuralprofile AA' from the Cocachacraroof pendantwith K-Ar sample
location and mineral deposits of Kuroko type: Leonila-Graciela (1), Juanita (2), Santa Cecilia (3),
Chamodada(4) and Elenita (5). Lithologicalunits shownare the RicardoPalmatonalitc (a), the Canchacayllamonzogranite(b), unassignedminor stocks(c), submarinevolcaniclastics
and lavas(d), lime-

stone key bed (e), tuff breccias(f), subaerialtuffs and agglomerates(g), and recent fluvio-aluvial
deposits(h). Central inset shownin Figure 7.

the main regional featuresthat dominatedsedimen- this Lower Cretaceousstage, batholithic emplacetation, faunaldevelopments,and volcanismwithin a ment, deformation, uplift and subaerialvolcanism
submarinetrough of extensionalnature. Following were controlled by major Andean trending faults

FIG. 3.

Field and hand specimen views from the Leonila-Graciela deposit. A. Graciela open pit

lookingsouthfrom 1320 NE bench;in the background,SantaCecilia mine and mill. B. Concordant

contactbetween metavolcanicfootwall and barite zone, 1260 bench lookingnorth (at the bottom of
hammer handle). C. Hand specimenshowingbanded barite with pyrite intercalatlons.D. Massive
sulfide zone with near-vertical beds in the southwestside of the Graciela open pit, 1220 level. E.
Massivesulfidesfrom samelocality asin D, showinglensesand delicateintercalationof barite (white).
F. Hand specimenfrom massivesulfides.Note coarse-grained
natureandbandedbarite. Sulfidesshown
are sphalerite(black) and pyrrhotite (gray). G. Bandedhand specimenfrom massivesulfides,Palma
prospect.Note delicate compositionalbanding,barite load cast, and fine grain. Sulfidespresentare
sphalerite,pyrite, and pyrrhotite.

1416

CSAR E. VIDAL C.

and lineamentsas discussedby Myers (1974) and

Pitcher and Cobbing (1985).

The volcanicsequencethat overliesthe mineralized zoneconsists

of amygdaloidal
basalticlavasand

hyaloclastic
breccias.
Slightmetamorphic
recrystallizationhastakenplace,asindicatedby patchesof
biotite and quartz-epidoteveinlets.Regionalpat-

Mineral Deposits

Theregionshownin Figure2 ischaracterized

by terns of burial metamorphism might have con-

three differenttypesof metallicmineraldeposits. curred with contact aureole effects related to

type(Pitcher
These are: (1) the granite-hosted Cu veins at youngergraniticplutonsoftheJecu/m
tonalitesare knownfromkm
Cumiasand BosaMaria minesdirectlynorth of the et al., 1985). JecuSn

OmasBiver,(2) the volcanic-andsediment-hostedto the northwest of the mining area.

amphibolitic
Cu mantosandveinsof the Bafiland
Condestable
deposits
eastof Mala,and(3) volcanic- Aurora Augusta
hosted,strata-bound
barite and Zn-Fe-(Pb-Ag)sulfidedeposits
of Kurokotype(Vidal,1980).Deposits The AuroraAugustadepositis located1.5 km
of the latter groupare presentthroughthe entire westof Jicamarcagorge,about20 km northwestof
region;theirmainrepresentatives
are the Leonila- its confluencewith the Rmacvalley.From 1975, at
Graeielaand Juaniradeposits50 km eastof Lima. least 150,000 tonsof barite ore hasbeen produced;
Takenas a group,they havemostof the geologic polymetallicsulfidezonesare currentlyunder exelements that characterize the JapaneseKuroko- ploration.Both ore typesare found in irregularly
typedeposits
aswill be described
anddiscussed
in shapedupright bodieswithin a stronglysilicified
funnel in volcanic rocks of the Casma Group. The

subsequentpartsof this paper.

nearestgraniticrocksare 2 km to the northwestand

to the eastof the deposit,respectively;they belong
to the Santa Rosa superunitof the batholith and

Mar(a Teresa

Thisdepositis located6 km westof Huaral(Fig. intrude unaltered and unmineralized Casma vol2). It hasbeen exploredintermittentlyand mined canicrocks(Fig. 2).
Andesitic volcaniclastic rocks interbedded with
for barite and Pb-Ag ores on a small scale since
1973. Two inclined adits, surfacetrenches,and dia- vesicularlavasdippingmoderatelyto the southwest
mond drill coreswere availablefor study. Several form the hanging wall of the mineralized zone.
strata-bound barite lenses as much as 12 m thick

crop out for a distanceof 250 m within bedsof

variablyalteredfelsictuff.Thesetuffsareunderlain
and partly disruptedby irregularlyshapedandlocallybrecciatedbodiesof silicifiedrock.Abundant
pyrite andtracesof galena,sphalerite,andchalcopyrite are present.Primarysulfidebodies,on the
order of 35,000 tons, average 10 ppm Ag, 2.2 wt

percentPb, 0.1 wt percentZn, and 0.03 wt percent Cu.

Barite occursas monomineraliclensesand pods

Finely beddedtuffsand limy shalesoccursporadically.Calc-silicatemineralsare foundin someof the

latter limy horizons. The contact between the
hanging-wallvolcanicsand the mineralizedzoneis
controlledby bedding;it is grosslyconcordantand
abrupt.Quartz-epidoteveinletsandvug fillingsare
found directly above the silicifiedbody, which is
cut by postoreandesitcdikes.
The mineralizedcomplexis subcircularin plan,
withanexposed
diameterof about80 m. Awayfrom
its roughlystrata-bound
andconcordant
roof,clear

withinargillicallyalteredandpartlysilicifiedtuffs. intrusive features are found toward the eastern side

They are typicallymassiveor bandedon a centime- of the steepmargin.Interlockingblocksof volcanic
ter scale. Banding reflects contrastsin grain size, countryrocksdefinebrecciazones,within which
pebble-breccia
dikesarefoundlorecrystallizationfabric, and featuresinducedby postsilicification
of
weathering such as porosity or oxidation stains. cally(Fig. 5G andH). The matrixis composed
volcanicmaterialwith irregular
Lenses of pyrite boxwork locally parallel the finelycomminuted
zones of intense silicification where tabular bodies

banded barite.

of barite and/or sulfidesappear. Tabular barite

along their sidesand base; however, their tops bodiesoccurthroughoutthe complexbut are conoccur almostparallel to beddingand directly un- centrated toward its top. Here, the largest ones
Zones of silicification

are fracture

controlled

derneaththe barite horizon. In placesinterlocking reach 8 m acrossand 70 m along strike and have a
blocksof volcaniccountryrockscanbe recognized; known vertical extent on the order of 50 m. Barite
suchbreccia zonesare conspicuously
silicifiedby ore is fine grained,equigranular,and essentially

equigranularquartz with sericiteand stockwork monomineralic; large megacrysts are present in

onlya few places.The transitionto the zoneof sisericite,pyrite,jarosite,andchloriteare exposedin licification is marked by increasing amountsof
quartz,jarosite,andpyrite(Fig. 5F).
the undergroundworkings.
sulfides.Late swarmsof veinlets of chalcedonywith

KUROKO-TYPE DEPOSITS, CENTRAL PERU

1417

Embayed aggregatesand singlephenocrystsof

plagioclasewith recrystallized marginsare commonlyobservedin thin sectionsin the zoneof silicification. Phenocrystsand volcanic clasts are enclosedin a granoblasticpolygonalgroundmassof
quartz and are partly replacedby sericite.Sericite

extruded; it overlies discordantlythe Casma vol-

and chlorite are also found in the siliceousgroundmasswith sulfideminerals(Fig. 6G and H). Sulfiderich zonesare invariablyassociatedwith intensesilicification. An early generation of sphalerite and
pyrite is veined and partly replacedby chalcopyrite-quartz-sericiteassemblages
(Fig. 6F, G, andH).

Gracielaopenpit andin the undergroundworkings

at Juanitaand SantaCecilia (Fig. 7). Their internal
structureis banded, showingsphaleriteand pyrite
as the main hypogeneconstituents.Minor phases
are galena, tetrahedrite, chalcopyrite, pyrrhotite,
and barite; tracesof jamesonitc,bornitc, mackinawitc, molybdenite,and magnetitehave alsobeen

Leonila-Graciela

canic rocks and the Coastal batholith. In the Coca-

chacraarea, the Calipuy Group is barren and consistsof a monotonoussequenceof agglomerateand

ash-flow tuff about 1,200 m thick.
Massive sulfide zones have been found in the

observed. Grain size is coarse and textures are me-

Leonila-Graciela,by far the mostimportant mining districtof its kind, is located50 km to the eastof
Lima in the Rmacvalley (Figs.3 and 4). A detailed
accountof the geologyand mineralogyof thesedepositshas been given by Vidal (1980). Individual
orebodiesconsistof bedded barite, massivesulfide,
and siliceous stockwork zones. Folded and stratabound lenses of barite overlie massive sulfide zones

tamorphic(Fig. 6). granoblastic

to lepidoblastic
intergrowthsof sulfidesandbarite are common.Pyrrhotite is markedlymore abundantin the LeonilaGracieladeposit;X-ray diffractogramsgive single
but moderatelyasymmetric(102) peaks,indicating
its hexagonalcharacter.Microprobe analysisand
etching with saturatedchromic acid confirmthis

finding (Fig. 6A and B).

in the Leonila-Gracielasynclineand the recumbent
Althoughobscuredby metamorphicrecrystallianticline of Juanita. Past production and reserves zation, the paragenetic sequenceinvolves early
are on the order of 4 million tons of barite and 2.5

million tonsof high-gradeZn-(Pb-Ag)ore. Sporadic

enrichmentsof Cu-(Au) have been detected in the
so-farundevelopedstockworkzones.The eastward
continuationof the Juanitaorebody has been tectonically offset and disrupted along the dextral
Corte de Ladronesfault; it is mined separatelyand
referred to as the Santa Cecilia orebody (Fig. 7).
Siliceous

stockwork

and breccia

zones are also

known from the Chamodadaand Elenita mines(Fig.

4); at Elenita, polymetallicsulfideore averages7.0
wt percent Zn, 1.5 to 3.0 wt percent Pb, and 100 to
130 ppm Ag.

All these mines and prospectsare located in the

Cocachacra roof pendant. Eastern Casma facies
have a minimumthicknessof 600 m; they consistof
submarine volcaniclastics,lava flows, and tuff brec-

barite, sphalerite,and pyrite which are embayed,

rimmed, and veined by quartz-chalcopyrite-galena
+_tetrahedrite (Fig. 6C and E). Most sphalerite
grainscontainblebsof chalcopyrite,andin the Graciela specimen,uncommonpyrrhotite. The Juanita
and SantaCecilia sphaleritescommonlylack exsolution textures. Pyrite is commonlyeven grained
and developsa granoblasticmozaic texture (Fig.
6D); inclusionsof chalcopyrite,galena,and sphalerite

are rare.

Massivesulfide zonesare underlain by irregular

massesof siliceousstockworkdevelopedmainly as
replacements
of daciticlavas.Suchisthe caseof the
stockwork zone southwest of Graciela and the zone

that rims the Juanitaorebodyin the 1,200-m level

(Fig. 7). Two different types of stockworkzones
have been recognized;the mostcommontype concias with an intercalation of limestone and marl. The
sistsof a quartz-sericite-chloritematrix with veinsequencehasbeen folded into relatively tight, An- lets anddisseminations
of pyrite, sphalerite,chalcodean-trending, and northwest-plunging anticlines pyrite, galena,tetrahedrite,andnativeAu (Fig. 6E).
and synclines.Structuralanalysisof the bandedores The secondtype consists
of pyrite-richtetrahedrite
demonstratesa locally disharmonicattitude with disseminations in siliceous microbreccias such as
overall congruenceat regional scale(Vidal, 1980). those found in the 1330 bench of the Leonila deRepeatedintrusionby at leasttwo separateunitsof posit.
the Upper CretaceousCoastal batholith has been
Barite beds typically overlie the massivesulfide
recorded. K-Ar dating indicates that the Ricardo zonesat Leonila-Gracielaand Juanita;the Graciela
Palma tonalitc was emplaced 82 m.y. ago and that barite zone also overlies metasedimentary and
the Canchacayllamonzograniteis 65 m.y. old (Fig. metavolcanicrocks (Fig. 3B). The barite beds, con4, Table 1). Contact metamorphic aureoles have taining more than 80 percent barite forming a
been developedadjacentto theseintrusionsand af- structurelessgranoblasticmozaic, are intercalated
fect some of the orebodies.Following the Paleo- with lensesof calciteand pyrite-sphalerite;the barcene Incaic stageof folding, uplift, and denudation, ite zone is bandedandhasverv abrupt contactswith
the Calipuy Group of subaerialvolcanicrocks was both the massivesulfidesand the metasedimentary

1418

cgsAa E. VIDAL C.

sp

*** ba

.,...,

4 cm

KUROKO-TYPEDEPOSITS,CENTRALPERU

footwall (Fig. 3C). Metamorphiceffectsare seenin

the latter interface where calc-silicate bands are in-

tercalatedwith porphyroblasticbarite (Fig. 5C and

D). The contact metamorphic overprinting of
Leonila-Graciela will be described and discussed in
more detail later.
Palma

1419

Barite texturesare granoblasticand locally cataclastic; the richest barite zone is located along the
northeastern

wall.

Local intrusivesof the Tiabayasuperunit(Pitcher

et al., 1985) are tonalitic to granodioriticin composition and are accompaniedby porphyritic felsic
dikes. Contact metamorphic effects include the
coarse granoblastic textures of the ores and the
hornfelsicnature of the countryrocks.

The prospectof Palma is located 3 km south of

the Lurn valley in the Palma gorge. It has never
been mined andis currentlyincompletelyexplored. Cantera
A thin andlayeredbarite sulfidelensis traceablefor
The prospectof Canterais located8 km northeast
more than 100 m, reachinga maximumthicknessof of Mala (Fig. 2). A small and stratiformbarite-py3 m. It is zoned northward from a barite zone into a
rite-(calcite)massis hostedby limy shalesand sandmassivesulfide bed (Fig. 3G). Preliminary assays stones that are intercalated within lava flows and
indicate an average of 13 wt percent Zn, 2.4 wt volcaniclastics
towardthe baseof the CasmaGroup.
percent Pb, and 45 ppm Ag. Black pyritic shales A zone of incipient silicificationis developed undirectly underlie the ore horizon. As in the Coca- derneaththe barite horizon. Barite is of very coarse
chacra roof-pendant,at Palma the easternfaciesof grain and exhibits replacement structures in the
the Casma Group consistsof limestone and shale surrounding shalesand limy sandstones.The ore
intercalations in volcaniclastic sandstones, lavas, and alteration showingsare relatively small and
and breccias.
have not encouragedfurther exploration.
Althoughthe foldsin the hostrockshavenot been
mapped, major NW-trending open folds are
K-Ar Determinations
present. The ore horizon is located in the axial
A K-Ar dating program was designedto unravel
hinge zone of an anticline. The anticline core exthe
time of formationof the AuroraAugustadeposit
posedconsistsof black shalewith framboidalpyrite
and the subsequentcontactmetamorphicoverprint
and delicate structures indicative of soft-sediment
deformations (Vidal, 1980). The western limb is recorded at the Leonila-Graciela deposits. By
made up of a bed with massivepyrite, sphalerite, means of thin section evaluation of supergeneefpyrrhotite and chalcopyrite,which in turn is over- fects,nine out of twelve samplescollectedwere delain by argillaceous limestones. Barite lenses in- termined to be suitablefor K-Ar dating.
SamplesAA2 and AA3 come from quartz-sericreasein size and number toward the hinge zone
and the eastern limb of the anticline. Disharmonic
contortions of the massive sulfide bed resemble
those at Graciela.

cite-chlorite

alteration

halos

that

surround

the

stockwork orebodies at Aurora Augusta (Fig. 2).

SamplesCHP, SRX, INC, and E2 represent fresh
holocrystalline plutonic rocks from two different
Balducho
intrusionsthat contact metamorphosedthe ores at
Leonila-Graciela
(Figs. 2 and 4). Three samples
The Balducho deposit is located in the headwaters of the Rio Chilca, 40 km NE of Pucusana from postmetamorphicdikes--J1238, G10, and G2

(Fig. 2). It hasbeen minedintermittentlyin the past

severalyears.Strata-boundlensesof barite and pyrite-sphalerite occur in upright position within a
contactmetamorphosedsepta of spotted slate and
hornfelsicgraywacke.Maximumwidth of the septa
is 300 m and, therefore,couldnot be shownin Figure 2. Siliceousstockworkzoneswith chalcopyrite
are adjacent to the strata-boundores on the east.

from Leonila-Graciela--were

also dated.

All the

age determinationswere carried out in the Isotope

Geology Unit of the British GeologicalSurvey in
London.

Analytical procedures

Sericite-quartzconcentrateswere prepared from

samplesAA2 and AA3 by heavy liquid and hand-

FIG.5. Microphotographs
fromthinsections:
Graciela(A,B, C, D, andE) andAuroraAugusta(F, G,
andH). A. Granoblastic
barite.Parallelnicois.B. Lepidoblastic
intergrowth
ofbarite(ba)andsphalerite
(sp). Crossednicols.C. Calc-silicateband (gray to black)intercalatedwith barite (ba) and pyrite
(opaquein barite). Parallelnicols.D. Enlargementof C showinggarnets(gt) and epidote-diopside
(shades
of gray)in bariteaggregate(ba).Crossednicols.E. Quartz-sericite
(qz-src)alterationin siliceousstockwork;
relic plagioclase
lath (pl). Parallelnicols.F. Barite(ba) zonewith pyrite (py) and
jarosite(jar), fine-grained
siliceous
matrix.Crossed
nicols.G. Pebblesof quartzaggregates
(qz) and
minor amountsof pyrite (py) in comminutedmatrixwith quartz-sericite(qz-src).Crossednicols.H.
Ptygmaticveinletsand pebblesof quartz-pyrite-(barite)in matrixasin G. Crossednicols.

1420

CSAR E. VIDAL C.

ba

sp

po

8mm

D
cpy

sP'

..

:
:.-

...

..

...

..

_I

0.2 mm

0.2 mm:

sp

,.0.2 mm

'0.2 mm

... t
qz

--
].

cpy
8 mm ----------

KUROKO-TYPE

DEPOSITS, CENTRAL PERU

pickingmethods.X-ray diffractograms
were usedto
confirmthe presenceof sericiteand to determine
its percentage.Peak-heightratios of sericite (002)
vs. quartz (100) reflectionswere 0.16 for sample
AA2 and 1.23 for sampleAA3.
High purity biotite and hornblendeconcentrates
were preparedfor samplesSRX, CHP, and INC by
standardelectromagneticand heavyliquid separation techniques.Analysesof the remainingsamples
were performedon -60 to +120 meshwhole-rock
powders.
Potassiumanalyseswere carried out on an Instrumentation Laboratories 543 flame photometer,
usingLi as an internal standard.Each samplewas
analyzedin duplicate;additionalanalyses
were carried out only for samplesthat gave results with
more than one percentdifference.Averageresults
were usedfor the agecalculations.
Argondeterminations were performed by the isotope dilution
techniqueon a Micromass1200 massspectrometer.
DuplicateAr analyseswere performedonly for the
sericite concentrates.The decay and abundance

1421

with sericitein sampleAA2 were responsiblefor

the anomalouslyhigh proportion of atmospheric

4Arandits spontaneous
evolutionprior to fusion.
However, Ar released from these fluid inclusions

could also be partly of either radiogenic nature,

formedfromK+ ionsin solution,or excessargon-thatis,4Arwithout36Arin atmospheric

proportion
--derived from older rocksthat were attackedby
the hydrothermal solutions (D.C. Noble, pers.
commun.).
SamplesCHP and SRX from the northeastern

marginandcore,respectively,of the RicardoPalma

tonalitcalsohave discordantages.Almostidentical
hornblendeagesof 82 4- 2 m.y. were obtainedon
both samples;
biotite agesof 61 4-2 and66 _ 2 m.y.
were clearly younger.Hornblende and biotite concentratesfrom the Canchacayllamonzogranite,
sampleINC, gaveconcordantagesof 67 4- 2 and 64
4- 2 m.y., respectively. Note that both the biotite

ages from the Ricardo Palma tonalitc and the

youngersericiteagesfrom the AuroraAugustadeposit are similar to the concordanthornblende-bio-

4K/KTotal
constants
recommended
by Steigerand tite ages obtained for the CanchacayllamonzoJSger(1977) were used.

granite.

A whole-rockageof 39 4- 1 m.y. wasobtainedfor

sampleE2 from an apophysis

of the Canchacaylla
monzogranitein the vicinity of the Leonila-Graciela
deposit.Similar Cenozoicagesof 39 4- 1, 37 _ 1,
The resultsof the K-Ar analyses
arepresente
d in and 31 4- 1 m.y. were obtainedfor the respective
Table 1. Discordantageswere obtainedon sericite postmetamorphicdikesJ1238, G10, and G2 in this
concentratesfrom the Aurora Augusta deposit, deposit.
namely 106 _ 39 and 116 4- 18 m.y. for sample Discordantage patterns such as those here reAA2, comparedto 68 4- 2 and 63 4- 2 m.y. for sam- portedfor the AuroraAugustasericitesand for the
ple AA3. SamplesAA2 andAA3 were foundto con- RicardoPalmaplutonhornblendeand biotite pairs
tain 2.93 wt percent and 5.77 wt percentK, respec- are commonin the study region. Snelling(1981)
tively, thus indicatingsericiteconcentrationsof at relates this resetting to thermal disturbancesinleast35 and 70 percent.Large analyticaluncertain- ducedby the CenteredComplexesof the Coastal
tiesin the agesfor sampleAA2 are due to the high batholith, which were emplaced about 68 to 62
proportionsof atmospheric4Ar.Spontaneous
Ar m.y. ago.The hornblendeagesof samplesCHP and
release was noted prior to fusion of this sample. SRX are in good agreementwith the regionalage
Mass spectrometric scansfound no indications of rangefor the emplacement
of the SantaRosasuperpossibleinterferencesfrom organicmatter.The ab- unit, to which the RicardoPalmapluton hasbeen
senceof zeolitesand/or additionalpotassium-bear-assigned
(Pitcheret al., 1985). In fact,a zirconU-Pb
ing phaseswhich could also have interfered with age of 86.4 m.y. hasrecentlybeen obtainedfor this
the emission of Ar from the sericites was confirmed
pluton(J.Cobbing,writ. commun.,1986). It is conby X-ray diffraction methods. It is believed that cludedthat the hornblendeagesof 82 m.y. reprefluid inclusionsobservedin the quartz intergrown sent the emplacementage of this pluton and that

Resultsand interpretation

FIG. 6. Microphotographs
frompolishedsections:
Graciela(A, B, C, D, andE) andAuroraAugusta
deposits
(F, G, andH). A. Iron sphalerite
(sp)in mutualcontactwithpyrite(py)andhexagonal
pyrrhotite (po)withbarite(ba)gangue.B. Hexagonal
pyrrhotitegrain(po)etchedwithchromicacidshowing
lamellaeof monoclinicpyrrhotite(darkergray). C. Iron sphalerite(sp) etchedwith chromicacid
showinggrainboundaries
outlinedby chalcopyrite,
twinning,and occasional
triple points.D. Equigranularintergrowth
of coarsepyriteshowing
triplepoints.E. Sphalerite
(sp)veinedby chalcopyrite
(cpy)andquartz(qz).F. Sphalerite
crystal(sp)outlinedandveinedby chalcopyrite
(white)andquartz
(qz).G. Sphalerite
(sp)withchalcopyrite
blebsandstringers
associated
withsericite(blackflakes).
H.
Interlocking
pyritecrystals(py)veinedby quartz(qz),chalcopyrite
(cpy),andsericite(blackflakes).

1422

C$Aa E. VIDAL C.

--

Leonila

-5000

Graciela

__

N--

Juanita

Post-metamorphic
dyke
Biotite-muscovite
hornfelses

Tremolite-actinolite hornfelses

--

:.:

Barite ore
Massivepyrite-sphalerite
ore
Siliceousstockworkzone

Banded

()

K/Ar sample location

rn

ore

anta
200

Cecilia

60

/
1400
m

'Central
Highway

-Juanita

-'
-

o
I

2oo.

200
I

FIG. 7. Simplifiedgeologicmapfrom level 1200 andstructuralprofileBB'from Leonila-Graciela,

Juanita,andSantaCeciliaorebodies.SeeTable 2 for mineralogicaldescriptionof individualsamplesin
the metamorphiccountryrocks.

K UROKO-TYPEDEPOSITS,CENTRALPERU

14 2 3

TABLE1. RadiometricK-Ar Data and Locationof AnalyzedSamples

Sample
no.

Material

analyzed

(%)

4ARraa
(nl/g)

4ARatmos Calculated
age
(%)

(m.y.___
2a)

Latitude
south

Longitude
west

Dikes (Leonila-Graciela)
G2
G10

Whole rock
Whole rock

0.92
4.82

1.11
6.93

62
24

30.9 ___ 1.1

36.6 __+ 1.0

11o54.5 '
1154.5 '

7634
7634

J1238

Wholerock

2.17

3.36

24

39.4 _ 1.1

1154.5

7634'

4.81
11.38

48
29

39.1 +_ 1.2
64.0 +_ 1.8

1154.4 '
1153.4 '

76034.2 '
76034.5 '

1154.9 '

76037 '

1154.1 '

7634.8

1159.5

76051 '

11059.5 '

76051 '

Granites(Leonila-Graciela)
E2
INC

SRX
CHP

Whole rock
Biotite

3.13
4.49

Hornblende

0.55

1.46

41

66.7 -

2.0

Biotite

6.12

15.98

65.9 -

1.8

Hornblende

0.72

2.33

27

81.8 ___ 2.3

Biotite

5.58

13.54

10

61.3 _

Hornblende

0.75

2.45

33

82.0 +_ 2.3

Sericite

5.77

14.32

62.8 +_ 1.8

Sericite

5.77

15.53

10

68.0 +_ 1.9

Sericite

2.93

12.43

93

105.9 ___
39.5

Sericite

2.93

13.62

84

115.8 _ 17.9

1.7

Tuff breccias(AuroraAugusta)
AA3
AA2

Decay constantsasin Steigerand Jiiger(1977)

Mine coordinates:
5230 N/10130 E (G2); 4895 N/10135 E (G10); 5265 N/10230 E (J1238);seeFigure7

the younger biotite ageswere reset below the

blockingtemperatureof hornblende.
The youngersericiteagesfrom the AuroraAugustadepositobtainedon sampleAA3, 63 and 68
TABLE2. Protolithsand MetamorphicAssemblages
of SamplesShownin Figure 7
Sample
coordinates

Protolith

Biotite-muscovite

5350
5330
5270
5240
5240
5220
5170
5125

N,
N,
N,
N,
N,
N,
N,
N,

Actinolite

10000
10150
10150
10250
10250
10200
10080
10225

zone

E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E

10040E

5190N

10050E

5140N

10230E

5050N
5025N
4990 N
4960N

10025E
9985E
10030 E
9980E

4940

10000

Dacitic lava
Mudstone

Noble, pers. commun.). However, it is tempting to

interpret the 106- and 116-m.y. agesfrom sample
AA2 as representingthe true age of hydrothermal
Qz-biot-(chl)
activity. Such an age range for the Kuroko-type
Biot-qz-(src-pl)
Gt-diop-ep-(calc-ba-chl) mineralizationat Aurora Augustafits in well with
the chronologyof regionalevents,namelythe MidGt-diop-(calc-qz)
Qz-src-(biot-pl)
dle Cretaceousage of the CasmaGroup and the
Gt-diop-ep-(calc-chl)
Upper Cretaceousage of the granitic rocksof the
Biot-src-qz
Qz-src-biot

zone

5260N

4890 N
4700N

Tuff
Tuff
Limestone
Limestone
Mudstone
Limestone

Metamorphic
assemblages

10035 E
10175E

Dacitic lava
Tuff
Tuff
Dacitic lava

Qz-act-(biot)
Act-(qz-ep-calc)
Qz-act-(biot)
Act-(chl-qz-biot)

Lava

Act

Dacitic lava
Dacitic lava
Tuff
Tuff
Tuff

Act-(chl-qz-biot)
Act-(ep-calc-qz)
Act-(biot)
Qz-act
Act-(biot)

Abbreviations:actinolite (act), biotite (biot), calcite (calc),

chlorite (chl), diopside(diop), epidote (ep), garnet (gt), plagioclase(pl), quartz (qz), sericite(src)
Minerals shown in parenthesesrepresent accessoryconstituents

m.y., conformto the above-mentioned

pattern of
thermal resetting. The high proportion of atmosphericargoncausesthe high degreeof uncertainty
of the agesof sampleAA2, which could then lie
anywherebetween66 and 146 m.y. or 98 and 134
m.y.The atmospheric
argonisthoughtto havebeen
derived mainly from fluid inclusionsin quartz and
not from the sericite, thus yielding ages that are
appreciablyolder than the age of trapping (D. C.

Coastal batholith.

The concordantages of the hornblende-biotite

pair from sampleINC are interpreted asthe age of
emplacement of the Canchacayllamonzogranite.
Similar Rb-Sr whole-rock isochron and zircon U-Pb

ageshavebeen obtainedfor the nearbySantaEulalia pluton(Beckinsaleet al., 1985; MukasaandTilton, 1985). The Canchacayllapluton seemsto belongto the Puscaosuperunitof the batholithbased
on its monzograniticpetrographyand the ageshere
reported. It is envisagedthat the biotite resetting
advocatedfor samplesCHP and SRX wasproduced
by this intrusion.SampleE2 from an apophysisof
the Canchacayllapluton gave a whole-rockage of
39 ___
1 m.y.;thisageis spuriously
low, probablydue
to argon leakagefrom the potassiumfeldspars.It

1424

CISARE. VIDAL C.

couldbe indicatinga minimumestimatefor a Ceno- ping of the metamorphiczonation showsthat the

zoic resetting event.
distributionof the garnet-diopsidehornfelsescoinAges rangingfrom 31 to 39 m.y. were obtained cides with that of the biotite-muscovite zone.
Biotite-muscovite
hornfelses have formed from
on three samplesfrom the postmetamorphicdike
swarm at Leonila-Graeiela.The age of this event mudstones, voleanielastie tuffs, and daeitie lavas
correlatesfavorablywith the post-IneaieII onsetof surroundingthe Leonila-Graeieladeposit(Fig. 7).
subaerialvolcanismreferred to asCalipuy Group in In mudstonesand tuffs, biotite and muscovite zones
central Peru (Noble et al., 1979, 1985). Further- occur as laminations parallel to bedding; intermore, it providesa clue to the anomalouslyyoung growthswith granoblastiequartz and preferential
age recorded for sampleE2.
orientation of micas are widespread.Daeitie lava
protoliths preserve relict porphyritie texture and
Contact Metamorphism at Leonila-Graeiela
showreerystallizedphenoerystsof plagioelaseand
The time of granite emplaeementinto the Coea- K-feldspar.Granoblastiequartzassociated
with bioehacra roof pendant has been determined by the tite is abundantin the matrix. Biotite is commonly
K-Ar dating presented above. According to the found aspseudomorphiereplacementsof aetinolite
Cretaceoustime scaleof Harland et al. (1982), plu- and intimately associatedwith white micas;it actons of Campanianand Maestriehtianage cut the countsfor 10 to 40 percent of theserocks.Particuvolcano-sedimentaryeastern facies of the Casma larly relevant are the garnet-diopside-(epidote)
Group. Undated dioritie to monzogranitiestocksin hornfelses found at the footwall interface between
the region are thought to represent apophysesof the Graeiela barite ore and the underlyingrectaunderlyingplutons.Figure 4 showsthe locationof sedimentaryrocks. Granoblastielensesof eale-silithese intrusionsand the approximate limit of their cate minerals are found interealated with barite in a
compositecontact aureoles.Only the southeastern narrow zone at the contact(Fig. 5C and D). In some
corner of the Coeaehaeraroof pendanthasnot been eases,blastoporphyritiebarite crystalsengulf ealeaffected by contact metamorphism.The rest of it silicates. Accessoryminerals are calcite, quartz,
consistsof metamorphic rocks of the hornblende- sphene,mixedlayer clays,and pyrite.
hornfelsand albite-epidotefacies.
Hornfelsesof the aetinolite zone are developed
Two metamorphicprofiles were studied in pre- predominantlyin daeitielavasand tuffsof the Jualiminary fashionawayfrom the RicardoPalmatona- nita and Santa Cecilia deposits(Table 2; Fig. 7).
litc and the Canehaeaylla monzogranite. Garnet- Original texturesand premetamorphiemineralogy
diopside-(vesuvianite)marblesassociatedwith bio- are better preservedin this zone. Tremolite-aetinotite-muscovite
metavoleanie rocks define an 80- to
lite aggregatesoccurasmatrix constituents,in vein100-m-wide
aureole to the east of the Ricardo
lets, and as partial replacementsof ferromagnesian
Palma tonalitc; the same assemblageoccurs in a phenoerysts;they can make up 30 percent of these
wider zone, as much as 1,000 m southward from the rocks. Associated minerals are epidote, ehlorite,
Canehaeayllamonzogranite.Similar metamorphic calcite,sphene,and varioussulfideminerals.Marly
assemblages
were found in patehy zonesalong the limestonesin this zone consistof metamorphicascore and eastern limb of the Chamodadasyncline semblagesdominatedby garnet-calcite-quartzwith
(Fig. 4). This distribution of hornblende-hornfels little or no diopside.
faciesrocksindicatesthe presenceof buried graniThe metamorphic zonation described is coincitoidsbeneath the latter syncline.The anomalously dentwith the appearanceof hexagonalpyrrhotitein
wide zone south of the Canehaeayllapluton may the biotite-muscovite zone at Leonila-Graeiela and
alsoindicateburied apophysesand that at depth the with its absencefrom the aetinolite zone at Juanita
main intrusive contact dips to the south.
and SantaCecilia. It alsocoincideswell with a progradeincreasein mole percent FeS in sphalerite.
Metamorphicmineral assemblages
Marly limestonesand quartzofeldspathievoleani- Geothermometry
elastictuffs and lavaswere sampledto investigate
the contact metamorphiceffectsin the vicinity of
Evidencefor the thermal history of the ore dethe Leonila-Graeielaand Juanitadeposits.Figure 7 positsduring contact metamorphismderivesfrom:
showsthe location of these samplesand their dis- (1) the predominantlyhexagonalstructure of pyrtinction into biotite-muscovite
hornfelses and aetinrhotite, (2) the transition in the metavoleaniewall
olite hornfelses, both of the hornblende-hornfels rocksfrom aetinoliteto biotite, (3) the distancesto
facies. Most of the Leonila-Graeiela deposit lies intrusionsof known compositionand diameter, and
within the biotite-muscovite zone, whereas the (4) the discordantpatternsof K-Ar agesobtainedon
Juanitaand SantaCecilia depositslie within the ae- hornblende-biotite pairs.
tinolite zone. Table 2 summarizes the available inAs regardsthe distributionand nature of pyrrhoformation on the metamorphic mineralogy. Map- tire in the main ore deposits,it is importantto recall

KUROKO-TYPE DEPOSITS, CENTRAL PERU

1425

that only traces of this mineral are found in the dicates a metamorphic event above 300C, with
Juanita and Santa Cecilia deposits. In contrast, relatively rapid coolingto prevent reequilibration.
Actinolite
and biotite-muscovite
hornfelses are
pyrrhotite is a commonconstituentof both massive
sulfide ores and siliceous stockwork zones at Leothe mostcommonmetamorphicrocksin the vicinity
nila-Graciela;in a few localitiesit can composeas of the Leonila-Gracieladeposits(Fig. 7). The metamuch as 40 percent of the massivesulfides(Fig. morphic transitionfrom actinolite to biotite is ob3F). Pyrrhotiteconcentrates
from samplesG16 and servablein manythin sections,and asdiscussed
by
G7 from the Gracieladeposithavebeen studiedby Winkler (1979), indicates temperatures on the
meansof X-ray powderdiffractometry,observation order of 420C for pressuresof about 2.6 kb. Eviof polishedsectionsetchedwith saturatedchromic dencefor thispressureestimatewill be presentedin
acid, and microprobe methods (Table 3). It was the next section.
found that the (102) reflection was a single and
The Canchacayllamonzogranitewasemplacedas
well-definedpeakwith slightasymmetry,a pattern a graniticmagmaand defined a pluton with diameindicative of a pedominantly hexagonalstructure tersof 3 to 4 km. The Leonila-Gracieladepositsare
(Arnold, 1966). The relatively high atomicpercent located 1,500 to 2,000 m southof the Canchacaylla
Fe valuesobtainedby microprobeanalysesalsoin- pluton;consideringtheseparameters,it is possible
dicate the presenceof high-temperature,Fe-rich to infer that the mineral depositswere heated to
varieties (Table 3). Visual confirmationfor these temperatures on the order of 380 to 420C
findingswasobservedon polishedsections,etched (Winklet, 1979).
with chromic acid accordingto the procedureof
The concordantand discordantK-Ar age patterns
Arnold (1966), where grainsof hexagonalpyrrho- obtainedon hornblende-biotitepairsfrom the Ritite show5 to 10 percentof darker gray lamellaeof cardo Palma and the Canchacayllaintrusionsalso
monoclinicpyrrhotite (Fig. 6B).
enablegeothermometricparametersto be derived.
Inversiontemperaturesfor the monoclinicto hex- As discussed
above,the hornblendeagesfrom samagonaltransitionof pyrrhotitesin equilibrium with plesCHP and SRX reflect the time of emplacement,
pyrite are estimatedat 308C (Scott, 1974). The whereasthe correspondingbiotite ageswere reset
accessorynature of monoeliniepyrrhotite aslamel- at the time of the Canchacaylla intrusion. The
lae within hexagonalpyrrhotite at Gracielathus in- metamorphic peak recorded at Leonila-Graciela
TABLE3. SelectedMicroprobeAnalyses
of SphaleritesandPyrrhotites(in wt %)
Sample

no.

Mineral

assemblage

Analysis

no.

Zn

Fe

FeS

Mn

Cu

Total

(mole%)

(kb)

Sphalerite
G16

Sp-py-po
Sp-py-po
Sp-py-po

1-1
1-8
7-3

33.4
32.9
33.7

55.5
56.3
57.1

10.2
10.4
9.7

0.80
0.80
0.66

0.04
0.02
0.45

99.9
100.5
101.6

17.68
17.82
16.53

2.29
2.16
3.27

G7

Sp-py
Sp-py-po
Sp-po

7-18
7-26
7-28

32.5
32.0
33.2

55.7
56.5
56.2

10.8
10.7
9.6

0.12
0.11
0.11

0.08
0.02
0.02

99.2
99.4
99.2

18.51
18.09
16.73

1.59
1.94
3.10

j11

Sp-py
Sp-py
Sp-py

3
11
24

35.3
33.1
33.1

55.6
58.4
58.4

8,5
8.7
8.0

0.28
0.31
0.23

nd
nd
0.03

99.7
100.5
99.8

15.24
14.85
13.87

4.44
4.81
5.77

j1

Sp-py
Sp-py
Sp-py

2
10
21

32.7
32.6
33.1

57.6
58.2
57.8

9.1
9.0
9.1

0.16
0.17
0.19

0.05
nd
0.03

99.5
100.3
100.4

15.57
15.31
15.61

4.15
4.39
4.11

Pyrrhotite
G16

J1

2-1

37.2

59.5

96.8

2-2
2-5
2-6

36.6
37.3
37.5

58.9
58.3
57.8

95.5
95.7
95.5

25
27
28

36.9
37.2
38.2

58.0
60.9
60.4

96.2
98.7
99.6

Traceelements
measured
in sphalerite
andpyrrhotiteareomittedfromtheselistsbut includedin the totals;po = pyrrhotite,
py = pyrite, sp = sphalerite,nd = not detected

1426

CSAR E. VIDAL C.

was probably reached shortly after the emplacement of the Canchacaylla monzogranite; thus,
blocking temperaturesof hornblende and biotite
would represent maximumand minimum estimates
for temperature during metamorphism.Based on
the work of Hart et al. (1968) and Kistler (1974),
contactmetamorphismand Ar releasefrom the Ricardo Palma biotites occurred approximately be-

pyrite andhexagonalpyrrhotite, in four representative polished sectionsfrom Graciela and Juanita.

Pyrrhotite is present only at trace levels in the
Juanita specimen. Equilibrium criteria for the
sphalerite-pyrite-pyrrhotiteassemblagein the Graciela specimen are the mutual contacts and the
coarse, polygonal-granoblastictextures of these
minerals (Fig. 6A, C, and D). Analyseswere pertween 300 and 500C.
formed on an ARL microprobeat 20 kV, using 10
sec and 4 sec countsfor peaks and adjacent backGeobarometry
grounds,respectively.Syntheticsulfide standards
Barometric indicators for the contact metamorwere used for calibration. Sphalerites were anaphismwhich affectedthe Leonila-Gracieladeposits lyzed for S, Zn, Fe, Mn, Cu, Cd, andHg (seeTable 3
are found from: (1) mole percent FeS contentsof for selectedmicroprobeanalyses).
sphaleritesin mutualcontactwith pyrite andhexagSphaleritesfrom samplesG16 and Jl--massive
onal pyrrhotite, (2) regional stratigraphicrecon- sulfide specimensfrom Graciela and Juanita, restruction, and (3) contact aureolesrelated to the spectively--havemeansand standarddeviationsof
Coastal batholith.
17.6 ___0.7 and 15.4 ___0.2 mole percent FeS. A
Figure 8 showsthe resultsof 80 high quality mi- similar trend of iron enrichment in the biotite-mucroprobe analysesof sphalerites,coexistingwith scovitezone wasalsofound for samplesG7 and J1l,
siliceousstockworkspecimens,with 17.6 ___
1.1 and
14.7 ___
0.4 mole percent FeS. Cu and Mn never
exceed 1 percent; these elements are slightly
enrichedin a metamorphicprogradesenseasis the
casefor FeS. Spreadof data is minimalfor sphalerites from massivesulfide zones, indicating better
sulfide
metamorphicequilibrationthansphaleritesfrom siliceousstockwork zones (Fig. 8).
Mole percentFeS data for sphaleritesin samples
17.e +0.7
wt %Mn 1
G16 and G7 have been plotted with mineralogical
discriminationon histograms(Fig. 9A). SampleG16
is a massivesulfidespecimenwith 40 percent pyrrhotite, 20 percent sphalerite, 15 percent pyrite,
tracesof chalcopyrite,and 25 percentbarite. G7 is
a sample from siliceousstockwork zone with 10
percent sphalerite,7 percent pyrrhotite, 5 percent

Massive

G
e:
40%
po []

pyrite, 2 percentchalcopyrite,and 75 percentof

quartz-sericitegangue.Usingequation(1) of Lusk

'mol % FeS

and Ford (1978), the mole percent FeS data has

been converted into pressureestimates(Table 3
and Fig. 9B). Estimatesobtainedfor the metamorphic assemblagesphalerite-pyrite-hexagonal
pyr-

Siliceous
stockwork
311: tr. po
14.7 + 0.4

wt

% Mn

1Z6_+
1.1

rhotite in massivesulfide sampleG16 are 2.6 ___

0.5
kb. This is a preferred pressureestimatefor contact
metamorphismat Leonila-Gracielaconsideringthat
the largerspreadof analyticaldataobtainedfor the
siliceousstockworkspecimenG7 makesless reliable results.As shownin Table 3, mole percent FeS
in sphaleritesfrom the Juanitaspecimengive anom-

alouslyhighpressureestimatesrangingfrom 4.1 to
'4

;e

'mol %FeS

5.8 kb. However, these estimateshave no real value

consideringthat pyrrhotite is presentonly as minute inclusionsin chalcopyrite.No evidenceof meFIG. 8. Mole percentFeS in sphaleritehistograms
and Cu-Mn tamorphicequilibrationsuchas major amountsof
abundances
in sphaleritesfrom the Graciela(samplesG16 and
G7) and Juanitadeposits(samplesJ1 and J11). Top. Massivesul- sphalerite,pyrite, and pyrrhotite, with abundant
fide ore zone.Bottom.Siliceousstockworkzone.Hatchuringasin
Figure 7. Means and standard deviations quoted.

mutual contacts could be observed.

Estimatesof lithostaticpressurecanbe calculated

KUROKO-TYPE DEPOSITS, CENTRAL PERU

1427

Discussion of Results
Most

G 16
Messis

sp- DO

Sl:)
-DY
-po
16

17

18

19

2O

sto(;kwork

G16

Ik

40 % po

ep-py-po

20 % ep

15 % y

sp-py

cpy

hosted.
breccia

characterize

Feeder zones of siliceous stockwork and

underlie strata-bound barite and massive

small-scale folds indicative

be

of soft sediment defor-

% py

mationasdescribedin analogousJapanesedeposits
(Ito et al., 1974; Hashiguchi,1983); incompetent
behavior during subsequentfolding enhancedthe
resultingdisharmonicstructures(Vidal, 1980).
The tectonic setting of a marginalbasin during

2 % cpy

Middle

G?
10 % sp

7 % DO

SD-DY-DO

sp-py

75% QZ
i

I
i

Kbars

FIG. 9. A. MolepercentFeSin sphaleritehistograms,

Graciela
deposit,with discrimination
for mineralassemblages:
sphalerite
(sp),pyrite(py),pyrrhotite(po),chalcopyrite
(cpy),barite(ba),
andquartz,biotite, sericite,etc. (qz). B. Mean and standarddeviation(starandbars,respectivelyof previousmolepercentFeS
populations
calculatedinto pressure(kb) accordingto equation
(1) of Lusk and Ford (1978). Sp-py-po:sphaleritesin mutual
contactwith pyrite andhexagonal
pyrrhotite.

alternativelyfor reconstructedstratigraphicpilesof
the CasmaGroup. Average densitiesof 2.87 and
2.78 g/cc have been reported for rocks from the
western and eastern Casma facies, respectively
(Bussell and Wilson, 1985). To account for the
averageestimateof 2.6 kb obtainedvia sphalerite
geobarometry,rock columnson the order of 9.2 to
9.5 km would be necessary.Thicknesseson the
order of 9 km are maximum estimates for the Casma

Group on a regional scale(Myers, 1974; Cobbing,

1978), therefore, the mean value of 2.6 kb obtained
from the sphalerite compositionsseemsto be a
maximum

that

sulfide zones at Leonila-Graciela,Juanita (Fig. 7),

and Mar{aTeresa.Feeder zoneswithout overlying
strata-bound ores are represented by the Aurora
Augustaand Elenita deposits,which bear closeresemblance to deposits like Uwamuki 2 and 4 in
Japan (Date and Tanimura, 1974; Bryndzia et al.,
1983). No feeder zones are known so far underneath the strata-bounddepositsat Palma (Fig. 2).
Massivesulfide beds are compositionallybanded
and locally exhibit clastic textures, compaction
structures, disruption of individual lenses, and

mole %

26 %

features

sulfidedepositsof the central coastof Peru. Maria

Teresa, Aurora Augusta, and Juanita are volcanichosted deposits;Elenita and Palma are sediment-

G7

tr

salient

Kuroko-type depositsin Japan (Horikoshi, 1969;

Sato, 1974; Ohmoto and Skinner, 1983) are also
present in the volcanogenicbarite and base metal

sulfide

--I sp-py

Siliceous

of the

estimate.

Mineralogical pressureindicatorsin contact au-

Cretaceous

times in Peru is similar

to the

one that characterizedthe Miocene Kurokostageof

Japan(Tanimuraet al., 1983). However, on palcogeographic terms, the submarine environment in
Peru waspredominantlyof shallow-watercharacter
throughout the Cretaceouswhereas deep environments are postulatedfor the formation of Kurokotype deposits(Guber and Merrill, 1983). The failed
rift hypothesisof Cathieset al. (1983) seemsto be
in agreement with the tectonic interpretation proposedfor the Middle Cretaceousmarginalbasinof
Peru by Atherton et al. (1983, 1985).
Differencesnotedbetween the PeruvianandJapaneseKuroko-typedepositsinvolve the virtual absenceof associated
gypsumandferruginouschertin
the former. Pyritic gypsummassesare known only
from the Chamodadaprospect(Fig. 4) where they
are rare and relatively small. Ferruginous chert
bedshavenot yet been founddirectlyoverlyingthe
ore deposits.Nevertheless, chert intercalationsare
present throughout the entire successionand are
especiallyabundantin the limestoneunit of Cocachacra (Fig. 4). Taken together with the common
presenceof calcite in tuff brecciasand in the barite
ore, these facts indicate partial development and
departurefrom the idealized Kuroko-typedeposit
of Japan(Eldridgeet al., 1983). This could be the
result of differences,at the time of ore deposition,
in seawaterand rock geochemistry(Ohmoto et al.,

reolessurroundingplutonsfrom the Coastalbatholith indicate typical pressuresbetween 1 and 2 kb

(Athertonand Brenchley,1972).
1983).

1428

Ct$ARE. VIDAL C.

Contact metamorphismrecrystallizedthe Baldu- hypogene alteration zones in the Aurora Augusta

ores. Similar thermal efdeposit. The tectono-magmatic setting for the
fectshavebeen noted at AuroraAugustaandMaria Casmasequenceis one of a 1,000-km-longmarginal
Teresa, althoughno intrusionsare found in the im- basin with predominantlybasalticto andesiticfill.
mediate vicinity. Palma and Elenita are unmeta- The eastern facies of this volcanic belt is transitional
morphosed.At least two periods of contact meta- to a continental platform successionof limestones
morphismaffectedLeonila-Graciela.Dating of the and dolomites.
nearby plutonsdemonstratestheir Campanian(82
3. Felsic feeder complexesincludingdacitic lava
m.y.) and Maestrichtian (65 m.y.) ages. Most de- domes, tuff breccias, and zones of intense hydropositsare found in the zone of hornblende-hornfels thermal silicificationare present in the lower parts
facies, within biotite-muscovite or actinolite horn- of the depositsunder question.Low-grade stockfelses(Fig. 7). Severalgeothermometricparameters work zonesand high-gradestrata-boundbarite and
coincide to indicate peak metamorphic tempera- massivesulfidesare distinctly mappable ore types.
turesin the range300 and 500C. Pressureduring In accordwith the genesisproposedfor the Miometamorphism,asindicatedby sphaleritegeobaro- cene Kuroko depositsof Japan,it is concludedthat
metry, was 2.6 _+0.5 kb. However, this estimate the Peruvian ores were depositedboth on the sea
seemsto representonly a maximumvalue. Prograde floor and directly underneathit.
enrichment of iron in sphalerite coexisting with
4. Subsequentgeologic evolution for most of
pyrite and hexagonalpyrrhotite as here reported these depositsinvolved burial, uplift, folding, and
(Fig. 8; Table 3) has been describedfor Canadian contact metamorphism during Upper Cretaceous
andJapanesedepositsof Kurokotype (Urabe, 1974; time. Renewed folding, faulting, and dike intrusion
Scott, 1976).
followed in Paleoceneto Oligocenetimes.
At Leonila-Graciela, Juanita, and Santa Cecilia
5. The largest and best known depositsin the
(Fig. 7) mineral textures are clearly indicative of region are Leonila-Graciela,Juanita,and SantaCetwo main sulfide assemblages.
An early and domi- cilia; they are found 50 km eastof Lima in the Conant assemblageof pyrite-sphalerite,with pyrrho- cachacraroof pendant.Leonila-GracielaandJuanita
tire in the metamorphicbiotite-muscovitezone at representtwo discretecentersof explosivevolcanGraciela, is veined, rimmed, and partly replaced by ismand exhalativehydrothermalactivity;SantaCesubordinatechalcopyrite_+galena-tetrahedrite.As- cilia is a faulted portion of the eastern barite oresociatedgangueminerals are barite and quartz-ser- body at Juanita.Pastproductionand reservesfor all
icite in the early and late generations,respectively three depositsare estimated to be 4 million tons
(Fig. 7E-H). Evidently, contact metamorphismre- barite and 2.5 milliontonsof high-gradeZn-(Pb-Ag)
crystallized the Leonila-Graciela ores producing sulfides.
6. The Cocachacra ores were contact metamorhexagonal pyrrhotite and new metamorphic textures, such as porouspyrite crystals,inclusionsof phosedto hornblende-hornfelsfaciesby the Risphalerite-galena-chalcopyrite-pyrrhotite
in poikil- cardo Palma tonalite and the Canchacayllamonzolitic pyrite, and oriented chalcopyrite blebs in granite,which were emplacedabout82 and65 m.y.
sphalerite (Fig. 6A-D). However, the same para- ago.Estimatesof pressureand temperaturefor the
genetic positionof chalcopyritewas alsoobserved metamorphicpeak are 2.6 _+0.5 kb on the basisof
in a specimen from the unmetamorphosedPalma sphalerite geobarometryand 400 _+100C as inprospect.Thesefindingsare suggestiveof thermally dicatedby severallines of evidence.Postmetamorintensifyingregimeswith late generationsof chal- phic dikes were emplaced between 39 m.y. and
copyritereplacingearlier formedsphalerite,asde- 31 m.y.
7. Geobarometric estimates computed from
scribed in JapaneseKuroko deposits (Eldridge et
al., 1983).
mole percent FeS data in sphalerites intergrown
with hexagonalpyrrhotite and pyrite are relatively
Summary
high compared to estimatesderived from strati1. Kuroko-type depositswere generatedin asso- graphicreconstructionandto contactaureoleselseciationwith submarinevolcanismof Cretaceousage where in the region. Thus, pressurerangescalcuin Peru and Ecuador. The geologicrecord has pre- lated by sphaleritegeobarometryfor the Graciela
servedthree main clustersof depositsin the Lima, depositare quoted only as maximumvalues.
Piura, and Quito regions.
Acknowledgments
2. Ore depositsandprospectsof Kurokotype are
The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation profound in the Lima region associatedwith AlbianCenomanianvolcanismof the CasmaGroup. In ac- vided financial support for K-Ar dating in London
cord with this stratigraphicage span,K-At sericite and microprobeanalysisin Heidelberg. I would like
dates of 106 and 116 m.y. have been obtained for to thank ChristianAmstutzwho madeit possiblefor
cho and Leonila-Graciela

KUROKO-TYPE DEPOSITS, CENTRAL PERU

me to work during 1985 to 1986 at the Mineralogic

and PetrographicInstitute, Heidelberg University.
Norman Snelling,of the BritishGeologicalSurvey,
allowedme to usethe geochronological
facilities;I
am particularlygratefulto him and to Chris Rundle
for their time and effort in introducingme to the
methodsof K-Ar dating.
ColleaguesA. Wauschkuhn,K. and M. Gunnesch,
L. Fontbot6, S. Schmidt, and W. Zimmerninck at

Heidelberg helped and advisedin the mineral separation and microprobe analysisprocedures. The
presentinvestigationsare basedon researchcarried
out in the late 70s under a British Council scholar-

ship in the GeologyDepartment at Liverpool University.Wallace Pitcher deservesmany thanksand

credit for introducingme to the regionalsettingand
for his carefulsupervisionboth in the field andlaboratory stages.

1429

M.P., Cobbing,E. J., andBeckinsale,R. D., eds.,Magmatismat

a plate edge. The PeruvianAndes:Glasgow,Blackieand Son,
Ltd., p. 47-58.
Beckinsale,R. D., Sfinchez-Fernfindez,A. W., Brook, M., Cobbing, E. J., Taylor, W. J., and Moore, N. D., 1985, Rb-Sr
whole-rock isochron ad K-At age determinations for the
Coastal batholith of Peru, in Pitcher, W. S., Atherton, M.P.,
Cobbing,E. J., and Beckinsale,R. D., eds., Magmatismat a
plate edge. The Peruvian Andes: Glasgow,Blackie and Son,
Ltd., p. 177-202.
Bellido,E., andDe Montreuil, L., 1972, Aspectosgeneralesde la
metalogenia del Peril: Lima, Servico Geologa MinerVa,
GeologaEconomica1, Lima, 149 p.
Bryndzia,L. T., Scott,S. D., and Fart, J. E., 1983, Mineralogy,
geochemistry,and mineral chemistry of siliceousore and altered footwallrocksin the Uwamuki2 and 4 deposits,Kosaka
mine, Hokuroku district, Japan:ECON. GEOL. MON. 5, p.
507-522.

Bussell,M. A., and Wilson, C. D. V., 1985, A gravity traverse

acrossthe Coastalbatholith,Peru: Geol. Soc.LondonJour., v.
142, p. 633-641.

Cathies,L. M., Guber,A. L., Lenagh,T. C., andDud/s,F. 0.,

Minera Barmine S. A., Minera Cecibar S. A., and

1983, Kuroko-typemassivesulfidedepositsof JapamProducts

of an abortedisland-arcrift: ECON.GEOL.MON. 5, p. 96-114.

Perubar S. A. authorized visits to the pertinent
Clark, A. H., Farrat, E., Caelles,J. C., Haynes,S. J., Lottie, R. B.,
mines.Personalthanksare expressedto Baldomero McBride, S. L., Quirt, G. S., Robertson,R. C. R., and Zentilli,
Rodriguez,proxymanageranddirector,andMiguel
M., 1976, Longitudinalvariationsin the metallogeneticevolution of the centralAndes:A progressreport:Geol. Assoc.CanMontestruque,mining managerof the latter company, for arranginglogisticsupportand providing ada Spec.Paper 14, p. 23-58.

Cobbing, E. J., 1976, The geosynclinalpair at the continental

marginof Peru: Tectonophysics,
v. 36, p. 157-165.
-1978, The Andea geosynclinein Peru and its distinction
froin Alpine geosynclines:
Geol. Soc.LondonJour., v. 135, p.

information.

BuenaventuraIngenieros S. A. provided a year's

leave of absence.I particularly wish to thank Alberto BenavidesQ., who made the leave of absence 207-218.
possible,and who otherwisegreatly facilitated the -- 1985, The tectonicsettingof the PeruvianAndes,in Pitcher,
W. S., Atherton,M.P., Cobbing,E. J., and Beckinsale,R. D.,
study.Backat the UniversidadNacionalde Ingeneds.,Magmatismat a plate edge.The PeruvianAdes: Glasieria, Maria JesfsOjeda hascontinuallysupported gow,BlackieandSon,Ltd., p. 3-12.
my research activities. Finally, I thank my dear Couch,R., Whitsett,R., Huehn,B., andBricefio-Guarupe,
L.,
1981, Structuresof the continentalmarginin Peru andChile:
wife, NormaLuz, who throughthe yearshashad to
Geol. Soc.AmericaMem. 154, p. 703-726.
copewith our travelsand my enthusiasm
for geol- Date,
J., andTanimura,S., 1974, Dacite andrhyoliteassociated
ogy. Her moralsupportandgoodhumorwill always
with the Kurokomineralization:
Soc.MiningGeologists
Japan
provide comfortand inspiration.
Spec. Issue 6, p. 261-265.
May 21, 1986; January 12, 1987
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