Breccias in Porphyry Copper and

Epithe mal Gold Environments

Epithermal
En i onments

Definitions
Hydrothermal breccia:
Clastic, coarse-grained aggregate
generated by the interaction of
hydrothermal fluid with magma and/or
wallrocks

Infill:

David R
R. Cooke
Andrew G.S. Davies
Kirstie A. Simpson
J. Bruce Gemmell
Jacqueline L. Blackwell

Material that has filled the space between

clasts in breccias
p

Breccias can have two infill components

crystalline cement or clastic matrix

Quartz-roscoeliteQuartzroscoelite-pyritepyrite-gold cemented
mudstone clast breccia, Porgera Gold Mine, PNG

2 cm

Breccia Description

Breccia Description

Ideal combination:
5

+4

+3

+2

+1

Alteration

Internal
organisation

Components
A+B+C+D

Grainsize

Geometry

Minimum Combination: 4 + 3 + 2

1) Geometry
pipe, cone, dyke, vein,
bed, irregular, tabular...
Contact relationships:
sharp
sharp, gradational,
gradational
faulted, irregular, planar,
concordant, discordant
Bat Cave breccia pipe, Northern
Arizona. (Wenrich, 1985)

+4

+3

+2

+1

Alteration

Internal
organisation

Components
A+B+C+D

Grainsize

Geometry

2) Grainsize
breccia (> 2mm), sandstone (1/16 2 mm)
or mudstone (< 1/16 mm)
The term breccia is derived from
sedimentology, where it refers to clastic
rocks composed of large angular clasts
(granules, cobbles and boulders) with or
without a sandy or muddy matrix

Monomictic sericite-altered diorite clast breccia with

roscoelite-quartz cement, Porgera, PNG

Breccia Description

Breccia Description

+4

+3

+2

+1

+4

+3

+2

+1

Alteration

Internal
organisation

Components
A+B+C+D

Grainsize

Geometry

Alteration

Internal
organisation

Components
A+B+C+D

Grainsize

Geometry

3) Components

3)) Components
p
((cont.):
) INFILL

A: clasts

B: matrix
Mud to sand to breccia-sized particles
p
Crystal fragments, lithic fragments,
vein fragments

monomict or polymict
Composition: lithic, vein, breccia, juvenile
g
, accretionary
y lapilli,
p ,
magmatic,
mineralised, altered

T t
Textures:
bedded
laminated
banded
foliated
massive

Morphology: angular, subangular,

subround round,
subround,
round faceted
faceted, tabular
tabular,
equant

Polymictic trachyandesite clast-rich

sand matrix breccia, Cowal, NSW

Polymictic diorite clast breccia with pyrite-quartz-roscoelite

cement and roscoelite-altered mud matrix, Porgera, PNG

Breccia Description

Breccia Description

+4

+3

+2

+1

+4

+3

+2

+1

Alteration

Internal
organisation

Components
A+B+C+D

Grainsize

Geometry

Alteration

Internal
organisation

Components
A+B+C+D

Grainsize

Geometry

3) Components (cont.):
(cont ): INFILL
C: cement
Ore
O & gangue mineralogy
i
l
Grainsize

4) Internal Organisation
Clast distribution:
In
In-situ
situ (jigsaw
(jigsaw-fit)
fit)
Rotated

Alteration

Chaotic

textures:

5) Alteration

cockade,, massive,, drusy,

y, etc.

Clasts,
Clasts matrix or cement

D: open space (vugs)

Alteration paragenesis (pre-, syn- and

post-brecciation)

Rhodochrosite-kaolinite cemented
mudstone-clast breccia Kelian, Indonesia

Sericite-altered polymictic sand-matrix

breccia, Braden Pipe, El Teniente, Chile

Breccia Description and

Interpretation
Breccias should be described in terms
of their components, texture,
morphology and contact relationships
The next step is genetic interpretation,
which can be difficult

Breccia Genesis

More than one

process can be
involved in
breccia
formation

The processes that redistribute the

components and modify the
fragments?
The likely location of high-grade ore?

This overlap
means that
genetic
terminology is
generally
applied
li d
inconsistently

Permeability enhancement
through the formation of a
subsurface breccia body
allows for focussed fluid
flow
fl

Igneous-Igneous
cemented
breccias

Structural control
on breccia
location
Fault breccias
& brecciated veins

Angular
g
clasts -implies
p
limited clast transport
& abrasion

Volatile-saturated
Volatile
saturated intrusion
undergoes catastrophic brittle
failure due to hydrostatic
pressure exceeding
di
lith
lithostatic
t ti
load and the tensile strength of
the wallrocks

Containment and focussing

of volatiles birth of a
magmatic-hydrothermal
ore deposit

Magmatic
Breccias

Characteristic
Features

Juvenile clasts (?)

Variable amounts of
clastic matrix

Can precipitate abundant,

well mineralised cement
well-mineralised
which contains hypersaline
& vapour-rich fluid
i l i
inclusions
Clastic matrix and clasts
may be altered to high
temperature mineral
assemblages (e.g. biotite)

Hydraulic
Breccias

Tectonic Breccias

Breccias in Hydrothermal Systems

1 - Magmatichydrothermal breccias

Magmatic-hydrothermal
breccias
Stoc
ckwork vein
ns

The processes that trigger

fragmentation?

Sub--surface
Sub

Phreatomagmatic
breccias

Phreatic
breccias

Surface

Magma intrusion
into hydrothermal
system

HYDROTHERMAL
BRECCIAS

Many hybrid
breccias

What are we interested in?

Volcanic Breccias

High temperature
alteration rinds
(clasts) and altered
matrix
Tourmaline-Tourmaline
chalcopyrite cement,
Rio Blanco

O
Open space fill
textures

Polymict tourmaline
breccia, Sierra Gorda, Chile

MagmaticMagmaticHydrothermal
y
Breccias
Can form monogenetic pipes

Breccia-Enhanced Permeability
Farellones Fm

~2 km paleodepth

D
Drawdown
d
off
meteoric water?

In-situ breccia textures are

common on the pipe
margins
Appreciable vertical
transport uncommon
Evidence for minor
downward and upward
transport of clasts

Buoyant
magmatic gas
streams up
through bx
column

Cause for brecciation?:

explosive
e lo i e volatile
ol tile release
ele e

Upwelling magmatichydrothermal brines

precipitate ore

San Francisco
Batholith

magma withdrawal
vapour bubble collapse
Sierra Gorda tourmaline
breccia, Chile

hydrothermal corrosion

~5 km paleodepth

Breccias in Hydrothermal Systems

Strongly mineralised magmatichydrothermal breccias probably

dont vent to the surface

Diatremes - Volcanological Model

wet pyroclastic eruptions

2 Volcanic-hydrothermal
Volcanic hydrothermal
breccias

Surficial and subsurface

breccia deposits
Bedded and massive
breccia facies
Venting of volatiles to
the surface

Late intrusion
into active
hydrothermal
system

Modified after Lorenz, 1973

2 - 5 km
paleod
odepth

Cl
Clastic
ti matrix
t i & milled
ill d
clasts abundant

Maardiatreme
breccia
complex

0m
Water
Table
d
depressed
d

> 2500
2 00 m

Increasing
eruption
depth

death of a porphyry

deposit
p

shortcut to the

epithermal environment

No direct link to mineralisation - this model fails to account

for common association of diatremes and magmatichydrothermal ore deposits

Phreatomagmatic breccia
juvenile quartzquartz-phyric
rhyolite clasts, Kelian,
Indonesia

Characteristics of VolcanicHydrothermal Breccias

Braden Pipe surficial? bedded
facies (courtesy Francisco Camus)

Characteristic features
Juvenile clasts
Mineralised and altered clasts
Surficial-derived clasts (e.g., logs,

Abundant fine grained altered

clastic matrix (massive to

stratified)

charcoal,
h
l etc.)
t )

Rounded to angular heterolithic

clasts, typically matrixsupported
t d

Complex facies relationships

limited
li i d open space little
li l or no

hydrothermal cement

Generally significant clast

abrasion & transport (mixing of

wallrock clasts transport

upwards and downwards)

Surficial pyroclastic base surge

d
deposits
i
Subsurface polymictic sand
sand--matrix
breccia, Braden Pipe, El Teniente

Volcanic-Hydrothermal Breccias
Surface maars / tuff rings
g
have low aspect ratios, and
in many cases are not
preserved
d iin ffossil
il
hydrothermal systems
Surface blocks / tree
trunks etc. can be dragged
down to considerable
depths

Downward
transport in
pipes

Breccias in Hydrothermal Systems

3: Phreatic & hydraulic breccias

Block
subsidence

500

1000

Timing:
Ti i
pre-, syn- or postt

mineralisation (e.g.,

Grasberg, Cripple Creek, El

Teniente)

Diatreme formation model,

Kelian Au mine, Indonesia

Chalcopyrite clasts, Balatoc diatreme,

Acupan Au mine, Philippines

0.5 cm

1500

2000
m

Phreatic breccias: in
in-situ
situ
subsurface and surficial
brecciation matrix can be
abundant (jig-saw fit to

rotated to chaotic textures)

Hydraulic breccias: Vein

Vein- /
fault- / pipe-hosted, only
minor clast transport and
abrasion abundant
abrasion,
hydrothermal cement, little
or no matrix produced

(angular clasts common

jigsaw fit to rotated
textures)

Phreatic steam
explosions caused by
decompression of
hydrothermal fluid
No direct magmatic
involvement
epithermal gold
deposition

Mechanisms for Triggering Phreatic

Brecciation

Phreatic Breccias

Exte
ent of
Brec
cciation

Eruption Vent
Gas
Cap

Pressure (bars)
20
40

Hot Spring

Seismic rupture
O
Overpressuring
i
and
d ffailure
il
of hydrothermal seal

Silica
seal

Instantaneous unloading
(landslip, draining of lake)

200
Depth
(m)

Temperature increase
(magma-water interaction)

400

water

Gas cap in self-sealed geothermal

system (Hedenquist & Henley, 1985)

Boiling
water

0C
2 317 m
2,317

Steam and other gases accumulate beneath a

silica seal during upflow of boiling waters

Multi-stage vein
breccia, Palmerejo,
Mexico

Conclusions

Magmatic
Magmatic--hydrothermal breccias have high
temperature cements and alteration minerals
VolcanicVolcanic-hydrothermal breccia complexes have
bedded facies and juvenile magmatic clasts
Phreatic breccia complexes may contain bedded
facies but will always lack juvenile clasts
facies,
Anhydrite-cemented vein breccia, Acupan gold mine, Philippines

200C

Surface
S
f
off
glaciallydammed lake

2 256 m
2,256

Gas pressure build-up

build up can rupture the hydrothermal
seal, triggering a steam explosion & phreatic
brecciation
Depressurisation affects a significant vertical column
of rock (100s of metres) and can trigger ore
deposition

100C

H d th
Hydrothermal
l eruption
ti
crater,
t
Pocket
P k t Basin,
B i
Yellowstone. Fragments of lake sediments were
deposited in a low aspect ratio ejecta apron after
draining of glaciallyglacially-dammed lake 2020-25,000yr ago

2,195
,
m

Surface level
after
ft draining
d i i
of lake

2,134 m

Conclusions

Hydrothermal brecciation typically

involves several fragmentation processes
Genetic p
pigeonholing
g
g of breccias can be
difficult, and may not be particularly helpful
Facies and structure control fluid flow and
are the keys to understanding grade
distribution in hydrothermal breccias
Pyrite--roscoelite
Pyrite
roscoelite--gold cemented heterolithic breccia, Porgera Gold
Mine, Papua New Guinea (Sample courtesy of Standing, 2005)