ECONOMIC GEOLOGY

AN'D THE

BULLETIN OF THE SOCIETY OF ECONOMIC GEOLOGISTS

Vo.. 65 JuNE-JuLY, 1970 No. 4

Lateral and Vertical Alteration-MineralizationZoning

in PorphyryOre Deposits
j. DAWDLOWELLAND JOHN M. GUmBERT
Abstract

The geologichistory of the San Manuel-Kalamazoodeposithas provided an oppor-

tunity for the examination of vertical and horizontal zoning relationships in a por-
phyry coppersystem. Precambrian Oracle "granite," a Laramide monzoniteporphyry,
and a Laramide dacite porphyry are hosts to zones of potassic,phyllic, argillic, and
propylitic assemblagesshown to be coaxially arranged outward from a potassiccore
through phyllic, argillic, and propylitic zones. Alteration zones at depth comprise an
outer chlorite-sericite-epidote-magnetiteassemblageyielding to an inner zone of
quartz-K4eldspar-sericite-chlorite. Mineralization zones are conformable to the
alterationzones,the ore zone (with a 0.5% Cu cutoff) overlappingthe potassicand
phyllic zones. Occurrenceof sulfideschangesupward and outward from dissemination
at the low-grade core of the deposit through microveinlet to veinlet and finally vein
occurrenceindicating the progressivelyincreasing effect of structural control.
Several aspectsof San Manuel-Kalamazoo geology suggestthat it is exemplary of
the porphyry copper depositgroup. To test that idea and to evolve three-dimensional
aspectsof these deposits,a table of geologiccharacteristicsof 27 major porphyry de-
posits is presented. Considerationof the table indicatesthat the "typical" porphyry
copper deposit is eraplaced in late Cretaceous sediments and metasedimentsand
is associatedwith a Laramide (65 m.y.) quartz monzonitestock. Its host intrusive
rock is elongate-irregular,
4,000X 6,000 feet in outcrop,and is progressivelydifferen-
tiated from quartz diorite to quartz monzonite in composition. The host is more like
a stockthan a dike and is controlledby regional-scale faulting. The orebodyis oval
to pipelike, with dimensionsof 3,500 X 6,000 feet and gradational boundaries.Seventy
percentof the 140 million tons of ore occursin the igneoushost rocks, 30 percent in
preore rocks. Metal values include0.45% hypogeneCu with 0.35% supergeneCu,
and 0.015% Mo. Alterationis zonedfrom potassicat the core (and earliest) outward
through phyllic (quartz-sericite-pyrite), argillic (quartz-kaolin-montmorillonite),and
propylitic (epidote--calcite-chlorite),the propylitic zone extending2,500 feet beyond
the copperore zone. Over the sameinterval, sulfidespeciesvary from chalcopyrite-
molybdenite-pyrite throughsuccessive assemblagesto an assemblage of galena-sphalerite
with minor gold and silver values in solid solution, as metals, and as sulfosalts.
Occurrencecharacteristics shift from disseminations through respectivezonesof micro-
veinlets (crackle fillings), veinlets,veins, and finally to individualstructureson the
peripherywhich may containhigh-grademineralization. Breccia pipes with attendant
crackle zones are common.
Expressionof zoning is affectedby exposure,structural and compositionalhomo-
geneity, and postore faulting or intrusive activity. Vertical dimensionscan reach
10,000feet, with the upperreachesof the porphyryenvironmentperhapsonly at sub-
volcanicdepthsof a few thousandfeet. The vertical and lateral zoning describedis
repeatedwith sufficientconstancythat depthsof exposureat many depositscan be cited
against the model of San Manuel-Kalamazoo.
373
374 .t. D. LOWELL AND J. M. GUILBERT

Severallines of evidencesuggestrelativelyshallowdepthsof formationand signifi-

cant variations in water contentin the porphyry environment. Shallow emplacement
is consistentwith the appearanceof brecciapipesassociated
with ring and radial diking
and with vertically telescopedzoning. Models of the sourceof altering-mineralizing
fluids are considered.

Contents acteristicswhich link Bingham Canyon and many

PAGE
otherdepositsto the generalporphyrycopperdeposit
Introduction ................................. 374 type. There appearsto have been little published
Genetic modelsof porphyry deposits........... 375 effort specificallyto compareand contrastthe por-
Geologyof the San Manuel-Kalamazoo deposit.. 376 phyry depositsas a group.
Fresh rocks ................................ 378
Alteration zones ........................... 381 The first portion of this paper describesboth
Mineralization zones ........................ 385 lateral and vertical alteration-mineralization relation-
Comparisonof porphyry deposits.............. 386 shipsat San Manuel-Kalamazoo. The exploration
Deposits (column 1) ....................... 386 model includedand substantiated approximately70
Preore host rock (column 2) ................ 386 degrees of postmineralizationtilting. Thus this
Igneoushost rock (columns3-11) ........... 386 geologic system provides information concerning
Orebody (columns12-19) .................. 399 both vertical and horizontalaxes of a porphyry de-
Hypogenealteration (columns20-27) ........ 400 posit. A three-dimensionalsynthesisis given of
Hypogenemineralization(columns28-35) .... 402 hydrothermalalterationmineralogyand assemblages,
Occurrenceof sulfides(columns36-42) ....... 403
Supergenesulfides(column43) .............. 403 of the distributionand quantitativeaspectsof sul-
Genesisof porphyry deposits .................. 403 fides, and of the structural occurrenceof sulfide and
Conclusions .................................. 404 oxide minerals. Vertical treatment of alteration and
Acknowledgments............................. 406 mineralizationgeometryis still tentative,but some
References ................................... 406 vertical zoning changescan be identified.
Comparisonof other major porphyrybase-metal
Introduction
depositsto San Manuel-Kalamazooby meansof pub-
Exv.o1,ToN of the Kalamazooportionof the San lisheddata assembled in Table 1 permitsdevelop-
Manuel-Kalamazoo district,Pinal County,Arizona, ment of a generalizedlateral and vertical zonation
has presentedan unparalleledopportunityfor the modelfor the depositgroup. Finally, that modelis
studyof a porphyrycopperdepositin three dimen- used to examine the genesisand environmentof
sions. The coaxialsymmetryof alterationand min- formationof the porphyrydeposits. The data sug-
eralizationzoneswhichwas the basisof the explora- gest that it is sometimespossibleto estimate the
tion model has been verified in the exploratory position of the present erosion surfacesof other
drilling(Lowell,1968) of the Kalamazoo portionof porphyrydepositswith respectto their originalcol-
the district and in exploitationof the San Manuel umns of mineralization. Depth parametershave
portion. As explorationproceeded,it becamein- beenassignedto nine deposits,and it is hopedthat
creasinglyapparent that many elementsof min- both scientificand explorationaluse can be made
eralog-y,occurrence,and geometryof otherporphyry of three-dimensional
alteration-mineralization
zoning.
copperdepositswere explicitly representedat San The porphyrycopperand molybdenum deposits,
Manuel-Kalamazoo. Zoning patternsthere can be hereaftercalled"porphyries,"must first be defined.
considered a refinedbasefor the studyof mineraliza- A necessarilyflexibledefinitionemergesfrom con-
tion and alterationrelationshipsin other porphyry siderationof many depositsand descriptions of a
copperdeposits,and this is the subjectof the study "typical" one.
reported here, with compilationof data from 27 A porphyrydepositis here definedas a copper
major porphyrycopperand molybdenum depositsin and/or molybdenumsulfidedepositconsistingof
North and SouthAmerica. Most significantis the disseminated and stockwork veinlet sulfide minerali-
emergencefrom the many descriptionsof a more zationemplacedin varioushost rocksthat have been
generally applicableunifying theme of large-scale alteredby hydrothermal solutions
into roughlycon-
alteration-mineralizationzoning in these large de- centric zonal patterns. The deposit is generally
positsthanhasgenerallybeenrecognized.Stringham large, on the scaleof several thousandsof feet, al-
(1953, p. 990) statedthat "a review of hydro- though smaller occurrencesare recognized. The
thermal studiesof porphyrycopperdepositsshows relativelyhomogeneous and commonlyroughlyequi-
as many dissimilaritiesas similaritiesto the hydro- dimensionaldeposit is associatedwith a complex,
thermal features at Bingham Canyon." We now passivelyemplacedstockof intermediatecomposition
take the oppositepositionthat there are many char- includingporphyry units. It containssignificant
 .4LTERATION-MINERALIZATION ZONING IN PORPHYRY ORE DEPOSITS 375

amountsof pyrite, chalcopyrite, molybdenite, quartz, to depthsapparentlyon the order of 3,000-5,000

and sericiteassociated feet. The modeldependson a melt derivedat some
with other alteration,gangue,
and ore mineralsand metals includingminor lead, greaterdepth,probablynear the mantle-crustboun-
zinc, gold, and silver. Mineralizationand alteration
dary, which becomessaturatedwith water as it ap-
suggesta late magrnatic-mesothermal proachesthe upper surface. Releaseof that water
temperature
range. The deposit is generally associatedwith may occur when internal vapor pressuredeveloped
brecciapipes,usually with a large cracklebreccia-by supersaturation exceedsthe lithostaticload pres-
tion zone,and is surrounded sureor whenthe intrusivesystemis rent by external
by peripheralmineral
depositssuggestive of lowertemperature mineraliza-
stresses. Crystallizationthen proceedspresumably
tion. alongthe linesof Emmons'(1933) cupolaor R. H.
in typical Sales'ssub-hoodcupoladevelopment.
The grade of primary mineralization
porphyrycopperdepositsrangesup to 0.8% Cu and As describedby Nielsen (1968), the sequence of
0.02% Mo, andporphyrydeposits in whichmolyb- events can be paraphrased as intrusion, early mar-
deniteis the chief economicmineralhave grades ginalcrystallization whichproduces a solidshell,and
rangingup to 0.6% Mo and 0.05% Cu. All por- ruptureof that shellto produceporphyritic-aphanitic
phyry copper depositscontain at least traces of texturesin subsequently crystallizedrocks. Volatiles
molybdenite,
andall porphyrymolybdenum deposits releasedby the quenchingmigrateoutwardthrough
containsomechalcopyrite.Many depositscontain crackle, stockwork,and brecciatedzonesin the cooler
recoverablequantities of both minerals, either in marginswhere,augmentedby diffusioneffects,alter-
separateorebodiesor in ore with approximatelyation and mineralizationoccurin responseto gradi-
equal copperand molybdenumdollar values. Al- ents"from near magmatictemperaturesat the center
thoughtypicalporphyrycopperdeposits differfrom of the stock to relatively cool temperaturesin the
typicalmolybdenum deposits
in somerespects, the wall rocks" (p. 37). Silicate sulfide reactionsof
existenceof gradationalcharacteristicsin metalliza- the typedescribed by HemleyandJones(1964) pre-
tion suggests a commonorigin. vail. Other authorswould not necessarily limit the
This definitionis somewhatgeneralized because it separationof volatiles to the period of quenching,
mustpermitconsideration of manydepositswhose but rather would considerevolutionof the hydro-
localgeologic circumstancesvary as expressed by thermal fraction a quasi-continuous separationof
their geometries and physicalcharacteristics.We volatilesin response to the many variablesrelated
believethe porphyrydeposits to be a petrological-to temperatureand pressure. The loss of volatiles
mineralizational porphyryde- from near-surface
class,andindividual portionsof a melt may permitthe
positsare bestinterpretedas greateror lesserde- upward and outward replenishmentof mineralizers
partures from the unifying model of the above from greaterdepths.
definition
as elaborated
uponbelow. Fournier (1968) suggeststhat the initial deep
porphyry copper melt was unsaturatedwith water
Genetic Models of Porphyry Deposits at one to three percent, that it was intruded to
depthsof lessthan about4,500 feet, and that rup-
Severalgeneticmodelshavebeenproposed to re- ture by faultingwouldcausesudden,evenexplosive
late the characteristics
of porphyrycopperand loss of water and supercooling of the silicatemelt.
molybdenum deposits.All of the modelsrecognizeCrystallizationwould then abruptlyhalt the upward
the importantinvolvement of porphyriticintrusive progressof the now dry melt. Subsequent"exten-
rockswithoredeposition, andall arefundamentallysiveargillicalterationshownby mostporphyrycop-
magmatic-hydrothermal, differingin the sequencesper depositsis probablydue to a superimposed cir-
of events,depthsof intrusion,the timingof deriva- culatinghot-springsystem,fed mainly by meteoric
tion of fluids, and the sourceof fluids. The models and cormatewater" (p. 101).
consideredhere are the orthomagmatic
model, White (1968) in a particularlystimulatingpaper
Fournier's model of intrusion of a water under- suggeststhat circulationof sulfur-deficientNa-Ca-C1
saturated melt, and the White model of multilevel brines, with salt contentsgenerally equivalentto
circulationof brinesadjacentto a heat source. 5%-to 40% NaC1, are responsible for many base-
The orthomagrnatic modelhasbeenbestdescribed metal deposits. Such brines may be producedin
in therecentwritingsof Burnham(1967) andNiel- porphyry systemsby deuteric reactionof residual
sen(1968). It is the geneticmodeltacitlyadopted liquids with earlier formed plagioclaseand ferro-
in mostdepositdescriptions,as for example,those magnesianmineralsto achievehigh contentsof cal-
describedin TitleyandHicks(1966). It sometimesciumandbasemetals. AlthoughWhite in his paper
involvespenetrationof the sourceto levelsas shallow doesnot developa specificspace-time
modelfor the
at 1,500feet (Nielsen,1968),but morecommonlyporphyry deposits,he implicitly developsa model
376 .r. D. LOWELL AND J. M. GUILBERT

involvingmultilevelcirculationof deutericallymetal- portions.TheupperKalamazoo portionmovedabout

enriched or cormate-meteoric sulfur-deficient metal- 8,000 feet in a down-dip,S55W direction.
lizing solutionsunderthe influenceof thermalgradi- Small,high-angle, northwest-trending normalfaults
ents establishedby an adjacent or subjacentmag- later displaced bothhalvesof the originalorebody,
matic heat source. The model differs importantly and erosionstrippedmostof the Gila Conglomerate
from the orthomagrnaticmodel in that the source from the east end of the presentSan Manuel ore-
of the solutions,and perhaps the metals, is almost body (Fig. lb).
completelyexternalto the magmaticsystem,with The original,unfaultedorebody,as definedby a
convective overturn of circulating solutions pro- 0.5% copperlimit, formeda slightlyflattenedor
ducingalteration-mineralizationenvelopes and zones. ellipticalcylinderwhichwasat least7,700feetlong
and from 2,500 to 5,000 feet in diameter. The top
Geology of the San Manuel-Kalamazoo Deposit of thecylinder,at the eastendaftertilting,mayhave
been rounded,with the bottom,at the west, having
The San Manuel-Kalamazoo deposit (Lowell, an irregularshape. The centerof the orebodyis
1968), located in Pinal County, Arizona, is here poorlymetallized, so that ore actuallyformsa hol-
acceptedas the type porphyrycopperdeposit,and low cylinderor cylindricalshell. The shell sur-
its geologyand other characteristics are presented rounding thelow-grade centervariesfromabout100
for comparisonand contrastwith others (Table 1). to 1,000 feet in thickness. Mineralizationand alter-
Precambrian quartz monzonite of the Oracle ation zonesare approximately coaxial.
Granite batholith in the San Manuel area was in-
The alterationassemblages in the San Manuel-
truded in Laramide time by swarmsof monzonite Kalamazoo deposit formregular,smoothly bounded
porphyry dikes and irregular massesof monzonite zones,which, as in most porphyries,are locally
porphyry, more properly termed biotite latite por- gradational anddifficultto placewithina hundred
phyries, althoughlong-established "monzonitepor- feet,although theyarewelldefinedon a broadscale.
phyry" terminologywill be followedhere. Closely The boundariesare more clearly definedthan they
related in time and spaceto the activity was a are in mostporphyrydeposits, presumably because
porphyrycoppermineralization eventthat produced the mineralizing fluidsaffectedintrusive,essentially
the San Manuel-Kalamazooorebodyand its associ- homogeneous, isotropic plutonicandhypabyssal host
ated concentricalterationzones. The hydrothermal rocksof intermediate composition.Theserocksre-
systemappearsto havebeencenteredin the middle sponded to the indicated alkalichemistry without
of the monzoniteporphyrydike swarm,and metal- important gainsor losses.No marginalsediments,
lization is almost equally distributedbetweenthe compositionally contrasting intrusiverocks,planar
monzoniteporphyry and the Oracle Granite host rock fabrics,or prominenttectonicelementspro-
rocks(Fig. 1). ducedsteepphysical or chemical gradientsto influ-
Followinghydrothermalmineralizationand alter- ence the uniform zoning and symmetry.
ation (Fig. la), the whole districtwas tilted to the Mineralogic zoningat Kalamazoo and elsewhere
northeast,and the block includingthe San Manuel- suggests thatat leastfouralteration assemblages are
Kalamazooorebodywasprobablyrelativelyelevated. easilydiscernible in theporphyry copper andmolyb-
Erosion of this block exposedthe top of the ore- denumdeposits.The termspotassic, phyllic,argil-
body, and supergeneactivity formed a thin chal- lic, and propylitic havebeenadapted or adopted
cocite enrichmentblanket. At this time, the long fromthe literature(Burnham,1962;Creasey,1966;
axis of the orebodymay have plunged at about Meyer and Hemley, 1968) to describethe four
65SW. Shortly thereafter,terrestrial sediments principalassemblages.
The terms"argillic"and
beganto coverthe deposit. "propylitic"
are well knownand widelyaccepted,
Further tilting, perhaps15, followeddeposition broadly describingquartz-kaolin-montmorillonite-
of the lowermost Cloudburst Conglomerate. An chlorite-biotiteand chlorite-calcite-epidote-adularia-
erosion surface formed on the Cloudburst sediments albitealteration
assemblages,respectively."Phyllic"
was later coveredby the Gila Conglomerate. A is here applied to the assemblagequartz-sericite-
third-stagetilt of about30 gavethe Gila Conglom-
pyritewithlessthan5% kaolin,biotite,or K-feld-
spar,and "potassic" is suggested(Guilbertand
erateits presentinclinationand broughtthe origin- Lowell,1968)to includeintroduced
or recrystallized
ally verticalaxis of the San Manuel-Kalamazooore-
K-feldsparandbiotite,withminorsericite
andhighly
body into a 20 southwest-plunging attitude. The
variablebut persistent
andgenerallyminoramounts
San Manuelfault thendiagonallyoffsetthe original,
of anhydrite. Each of theseassemblages will be
morefully described
nearly cylindricalorebodyinto two roughlyequal- below,especially
as theyoccur
the SanManuelandthe Kalamazooat San Manuel-Kalamazoo.Other assemblages
sizedpieces,
 .4LTERATION-MINER.4LIZATION ZONING IN PORPHYRY ORE DEPOSITS 377

pCqm

OREBODY

12

sw
SAN MNUEL FAULT
. Cc - NE

qml { SAN
KALAMAZ SEAMEN
_ ..'

0 1000'
I I
lb
Approximofe Scole

Fxa. 1. Schematic drawingof structuralhistoryof SanManuel-Kalamazoo deposit. (a) at time of emplacement

and (b) at present. Note the umbrella-like
flare of dikeswarmandthe chalcocite
enrichmentzone(CCa). pqm--
Oracle Granite,TKrnp= monzoniteporphyry,Tcb= Cloudburst Formation,Tgc= Gila Conglomerate.

rarelyencounteredin the porphyryenvironment are The alterationzoneswere separatedduring Kala-

the advanced argillic (Meyer and Hemley, 1968) mazoo exploration as follows. The inner limit of
and pegmatoid,respectively involvingquartz and the propyliticzonewasplacedwherethe total quartz-
pyrophyllite,
withtracesof dickireor kaolinire,
topaz, montmorillonite,quartz-kaolin, or quartz-sericite
and zunyite,and quartz-coarse sericite-K4eldspar,content in plagioclasesites exceedsthe total of
with or withoutcarbonate, anhydrite,and apatite. chloriteand epidotereplacingmafic minerals; here
Hydrothermalalterationassemblages in the San the color usually changesfrom green to light gray.
Manuel-Kalamazoo depositare summarized in Fig- The argillic zone, in which kaolin or montmorillonite
ure 2, which showsalterationchangesmineralby predominatesin plagioclasesites and chlorite re-
mineraland assemblages on AKF-ACF diagrams. placesbiotite, was not generallymappedseparately
Supergeneactivity is limited to a 200-foot thick and is least significantquantitatively. The inner
zonenear the top of the deposit. limit of propylitic alteration is locally the outer
378 J. D. LOWELL AND J. M. GUILBERT

SHALLOW-MODERATE
DEPTH
ASSEMBLAGES'
FRESH
IM,
PORPHYRIES PROPYLITIC
ZONE ARGILLIC
ZONE PHYLLIC
ZONE POTASSIC
ZONE
Quartz NoChange Augmented Augmented Augmented
Orthoclase- Recrytallized,
inpartreplaced
Microcline NoChange FleckedwithSericite Sericitized byalteration
K-felclspar-quartz
Plagioclase Tr. Mont,flecks& granules
ep, Freshto completely
replacedby
(An35.45) zois, car, chlorite,kaol. Montmorillonite
-, Kaolin Sericitized brn-grnalt'n biotite,K-spar,ser.
Fresh or recrystallized ta sucrose
Biotite ....Chlor,zois, car, leucoxene Chloritized,+ leucoxene,
qtz Sericite,pyrite,rutile brn-grngranules,+ chlorite
Hornblen_d..e.._.
Ep,car,mont,chlor(2 types) Chlaritized Sericite,pyrite,ruffle(?) Biotite,+ chloriterutile
Magnetite trocepyrire Pyritized Pyritized Pyritized

A-K-C-F Ac.(kaol}
A.kool A A

A=A' ,aa
<- ?Cp
C=Casalts
F= Fe,Mg K
VeinletFillings
x.,F
r,,.
py,7[,,e
//a rt
O-cal- K-spar-chlor-rare
ab-rt
rC K
.
,../,,;car
F "
Q-ser-py-chlor
DEEP-LEVEL ASSEMBLAGES
O-ser-py
Ii
.. r?
'.-- py,cpt,mb
P troce
wf
Q-K-spar-bi-ser-anhy-cal-ap

OUTER INNER
uarz SlightlyAugmented Augmented
Orthoclase-
Microcline Dustedwithtracesericite AlterationK-sparwith sericite,relictscommon,
minorquartz
Plagioclase
(An35-45) Dustedwith sericite, ohiorite,epidote Sericitized,with alterationK-sr-quartz, relicts uncommon
Biotite_ ., Largelychloritized,minorepidotemagadded Chloritized,rareprimaryrelicts
Hornblende Chlorite+ Epidote+ Carbonate Chloritized;tracecarbonate
9tte Augmented Mostlypyritized
A A

A-K-C-F
ser
K = K, Na
C = Ca salts
F = Fe, Mg
K

amag,py
b,k-spar
_chl
C
r?
K

k-ar
F
/ car?
mb
VeinletFillings mag-py Q-ser-cal envelopes Q-K-sr-ser-chl, tr mag,py, cp mb

Fro. 2. Summary of hydrothermalalteration assemblages

at San Manuel-Kal,amazoo.

limit of either the argillic or the phyllic zone Fresh Rocks

of pervasive conversionto quartz, sericite, and The unaltered rocks at San Manuel-Kalamazoo
pyrite. The inner limit of the phyllic zone is the includePrecambrianOracle porphyriticquartz mon-
outer limit of the first continuous section of sec-
zonite and two varieties of much younger biotite
ondary K-feldspar and secondary biotite, even porphyries. The. Oracle "granite" is coarsegrained
though the total quartz and sericite content here (Fig. 4) with anhedral subroundedquartz units
ordinarily exceedsthe total K-feldspar plus biotite about a centimeteracrossand commonlytangential
content. The zoningpatternsand interceptscan be to their nearestneighbors,rectangularto irregular
projectedremarkablywell from hole to hole. Sub- plagioclasetablets (Anas_45),and interstitial quartz
sequentpetrographicstudyhas contributedto these and K-feldspar. K-feldspar speciesincludemicro-
descriptionsof the zones,and subsequent publica- cline,orthoclase,and microperthite.Severalauthors,
tionsby J. M. Guilbertdescribingthe chemicaland especially Banerjee (1959) haveconsidered the rock
structuralmineralogyand physicalgeochemistryof palingenic, although many other workers accept its
the alteration-mineralization processesare planned. orthomagmatic origin. Accessory minerals include
biotite and hornblende,with trace amountsof zircon,
In the followingsections,the fresh rocksat San
Manuel-Kalamazoo are first discussed and alteration
apatite,sphene,magnetite,and very sparsemonazite.
The porphyriesare of at least two types. One
zonesexposedon a horizontalplane at moderate (here calledType A) is a quartz monzonitepor-
depth are describedsuccessively outward from the phyry distinguished by its zonedand twinnedoligo-
center. Alteration and mineralizationchangeswith clase-andesine phenocrysts which averageabout 5
depth are discussed last and are summarizedsche- mm and range up to 15 mm across(Fig. 5), its
maticallyin Figure 3a. quartz-K-feldspargroundmass commonlycontaining
 ALTERA TION-MINERALIZA TION ZONING IN PORPHYRY ORE DEPOSITS 379

SAN MANUEL FAULT

KALAMAZOO SAN MANUEL

SEGMENT
SEGM..ENT
PROPYLITIC*
/ Chl-
Epi-
Carb
/ Adui
- Aib.
/ HYLLIC
"'
Q- Ser-py

/ \
\
ARGI
LLIC )TASSIC \
Q- K- feld- Bi-
I -+ser-anh

VEINS

VEINS
VEINS
PERIPHE
cp-gal,sl RAL PERIPHERAL
cp-gel-el
Au-Ag'
Au-Ag

VEINLETS
DISSEMII ED

DISS
'4-
MICRO VLTS

DISS
mag +

Fro.3. Concentric
alteration-mineralization
zonesat SanManuel-Kalamazoo.(a) schematic
drawingof alteration
zones.BrokenlinesonKalamazoo sideindicate
uncertain
continuity
or location
andonSanManuel sideextrapolation
fromKalamazoo. (b) schematic
drawingof mineralization
zones.(c) schematic
drawing
of theoccurrence
of sulfides.
380 .T.D. LOWELL AND J. M. GUILBERT

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Figure 4

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. *% .-..-. ;' ::';.,...% ..... % -.-.
:..':..-. . ..:..-..
.... : .:.: .:';,..:.'- . .. -..:, :..... :.:-
?'i'"-:':'-
. "..:':':
e '-.:c'
pI -'..:i...?.:'
. :"' "..'.*..''i'i:'.""':':
:,: .*.
:," . ':'/'...
.' ' :"''" '?"
.i. '2
.. . -.-.-
. . '.. ....
: ..
..r-,
,.,,
. ....
/.?
: . . . ...'. ..--
,j
. . ..'....;'.-'.

:: , -. :.. - .-,... ,. ..-.',:. t .. ', .. ...
,
..;....
. ; ,-v .... .,. %.2,.
:,:.,..:, ......
,' ' . . ..:.v ,. .
':,? . :, .... . . - . . . -.:, . ..
"' :';: .,:," .:.':- .*" . ..:'/Jig:..' . .' * '.: ' ':-,. - -
'. .',.'.,.. . '-.. , :.v,"-A '-."':?.::'..:'/
- '**-;' :.. "
., '....-..-.'.,:.- .. : :.*"',*.*. ' . :,.,; . . ,,. - ,. -....,,.,
:'---'.";
:;..,.,.......;:.;...., ..-.:.
,:..-,.-'..o,.
;.-..
..,?:'}-
f.::'."
.'.:',"'.,
.:.,,.:'-- ':-,
.....' -2 ":'-.-':..-..;.."'
.:,:
. .?. . ,,... ,, ..- - ..... . . :- .... .......:. .. . :-
.., :

Figure 6

FT6. 4. Fresh Oracle quartz monzonite. Quartz grains along top, microdine acrosscenter, and biotite at lower right.
Andesineunit at extinction at left. Both feldsparsmottled but essentiallyfresh. Crossednicols, 15 X.
FT6. 5. Fresh Type A monzoniteporphyry. The stippledsucrosequartz-K-feldspar groundmassis studdedwith com-
poundrectangulartwinnedplagioclase
phenocrysts.The whiterectangular
unit is a biotitephenocryst
andthe blackblebs
immediatelyabove and to the left are quartz "eyes." Negative photograph,crossednicols, 3.2 X.
FT. 6. Fresh Type B biotite dacite porphyry. Plagioclasephenocrystsare square,traiezoidal,or rectangular. They
are twi_ned but generally unzoned. Negative lhotograph,crossednicols, 3.2 X.
 .dLTERATION-MINERALIZAT10N ZONING IN PORPHYRY ORE DEPOSITS 381

fine-grained,embayedquartz "eyes" with stippled PotassicZone.--Severalauthors,especially

Hem-
overgrowth rims. Few quartz eyes exceed 1 mm ley and Jones(1964), Creasey(1966), and Meyer
in diameter. Accessorybiotite, hornblende,apatite, and Hemley (1968), have discussed the potassic
ruffle, zircon, and minor magnetite are generally alterationenvironment.Hemleyand Joneshavede-
euhedral, the first two reaching 5 mm in length. limited an environmental interface between K-feld-
No K-feldspar phenocrystswere observed. The spar and sericitestabilities,the latter with higher
groundmassis that of the widespreadquartz latite HC1/KC1ratiosat a giventemperature, an environ-
porphyry and quartz monzonite porphyry of the ment consistentwith late magmaticor early hydro-
porphyrydeposits. Its grain size averages0.1 mm thermalconditions in the K-feldspar-sericite-kaolin
and its texture is granularsucrose. Though locally (pyrophyllite)system.Inclusionof iron andmag-
variable,it averages55 percentquartz and 45 per- nesiumshouldbringbiotiteor chloriteinto consider-
cent K-feldspar,so that the overallwholerock feld- ationwith K-feldspar,sericite,andquartz,an assem-
spar composition averagesabout 35 percentplagio- blageincreasingly notedin porphyrycopperdeposits
claseand 25 percentK-feldspar. The K-feldspars (Creasey,1966) and assignable to a late magmatic-
are anhedral, granular, and mutually intergrown early hydrothermal"deuteric"environment. Such a
with quartz; granular, often euhedral apatite and biotite-K-feldspar
alterationassemblagewith quartz,
rutile and shredsof mafic mineralsare sparse. sericite,anhydrite,pyrite,chalcopyrite,
molybdenite,
A secondporphyry (here called Type B) is a and tracesof bornitegenerallyconstitutesthe low-
biotite dacite. Plagioclasephenocrystsin Type B gradecenterand part of the ore shellof the Kalama-
are generallyroughly squareto rectangularor even zoo deposit(Figs. 7, 8, 9).
trapezoidalin cross section (Fig. 6) rather than This innermostalterationzone(Fig. 3a) involves
compoundand zonedas in Type A. Rarely do they pervasiveand veinletreplacement of primarymin-
exceed5 mm on a side. Biotitephenocrysts
up to eralsby secondarybiotite,K-feldspar,quartz,seri-
3-5 mm are prominent. Quartz pheno:rystsare cite,andto a lesserextentanhydrite(Fig. 9). K-
absent,and the biotite-to-amphibole
ratio is slightly feldsparoccurswith quartzas microveinlet fillings
greater than that of Type A. The groundmassis that healminutestockwork-likefracturesin the pri-
composedof intergrown microcrystalsof sparsely mary rocksand also replaceoriginalfeldsparsto
twinned plagioclasewith quartz, apparentlyslightly varyingdegrees. "Rock" orthoclase
is fleshcolored
later, and sparseK-feldspar. Rutile and apatite when fresh, turning slightlyorangewhere exten-
accessoryminerals are rare. sivelyreplaced
by alteration
K-feldspar.Typically,
It js difficult to estimate from drill core the rela- quartz heals quartz grains,and K-feldsparheals
tive abundances of the two varietiesof porphyry. orthoclase,with K-feldspar alsocommonly replacing
Type A predominatesalong the core of the San andesine plagioclase extensively, eitherby rimming
Manuel-Kalamazoo system. Porphyry units form or by advance alongtwin planes. K-feldsparalso
an umbrellaor mushroom-shaped outwardexpan.sion locallyreplaces plagioclase in the porphyryground-
of diking at higherlevels(Fig. la). Althoughpor- mass. No albitization hasbeenfound,althoughpre-
phyry-quartzmonzonitecontactsare predominantly liminaryexamination of alterationK-feldsparindi-
sharp,they may in somecasesappeargradationalin catesit to bemoresodicthantheprimaryorthoclase.
diamonddrill core, and the porphyry "dikes" must Alterationbiotiteoccursin fourimportantmodes:
be highly sinuousand variablein attitude,especially (1) as hairlineveinletfillingsalongwith chalcopy-
at greaterdepths. Indeed,an approachto wholesale rite,alteration silicates,
andanhydrite;(2) assparse
mobilizationof porphyryconcurrentwith the potas- to massive replacement of plagioclase phenocrysts;
sic alteration is suggestedby coarselyvermicular (3) as brightblackeuhedral unitsmegascopically
and diffuse contactsbetweenquartz monzoniteand nearlyidentical to primaryrockbiotite;and (4) as
porphyry seen in drill core from deep within the locallypervasivereplacements of groundmass feld-
orebody. spars(Fig. 8). Alterationbiotiteis recognizable
Alteration Zones
both by its fine-grained,sucrose,subhedralto euhe-
dral form and by the coexistence of two distinctive
Alteration zone boundariesare not affected.by color variants, one a light tan to brown which
rock type interfaces,at leastat the scaleof studyto mostlypredominates, the othera light applegreen.
date. Systematiccomparisonsof fresh and altered Shagreen is notpresent,andbirefringence is slightly
rockson either side of a particularcontacthave not lower than that of the rock biotite. Chlorite inter-
yet been made, but the various starting material grown with biotite is common.
compositions, structural characteristics,and fabrics The alteredrocks,especially the porphyries, are
seemto have respondednearly identicallyto alter- distinctively pigmentedby groundmass biotitization.
ation processes. Porphyries megascopically showing the smokygray
382 .t. D. LOWELL AND J'. M. GUILBERT

1 .-":4.

.,

..

. -. .:.
.

..
.

; ..-.

Figure 7

Figure 8 Figure 9
Fro. 7. A '," veinlet of mosaic quartz, K-feldspar, anhydrite, and biotite in potassicalteration assemblage. (a) K-
feldspar (stippled, lower left corner) and anhydrite (vertically twinned) in veinlet. The white stippledtablet to right of
center in lower half of photo is a K-feldspathized-biotitizedplagioclasephenocrystin Type A porphyry. Crossednicols,
15 X. (b) The same field in plane light, showing shreddybrown biotite pervadingthe potassicassemblageand replacing
the plagiodase tablet describedabove. Plane light, 15 X.
Fig. 8. A veinlet of quartz, K-feldspar cutting Type A porphyry in the potassicalteration zone. Note rivulet replace-
ment of plagioclaseby alteration K-feldspar at upper center adjacent to veinlet. Groundmassis biotitized. Crossed
nicols, 15 x.
Fro. 9. A veinlet of dominant calcite, anhydrite, K-feldspar, and opaque minerals (pyrite-chalcopyrite) in a per-
vasively biotitized Type B porphyry. The finely shreddygroundmassis composedof fine biotite with scattered chal-
copyrite (black). Crossed nicols, 32 X.
 ALTERATION-MINERALIZATION ZONING IN PORPHYRY ORE DEPOSITS 383

color normally found with advancedpotassicalter- ion appearscommon. Neither carbonatesnor an-
ation generally also carry significantbase metal hydritewereidentifiedin thephylliczoneassemblage.
values. Such rocks also show K-feldspar-richvein- The phyllicassemblageat San Manuel-Kalamazoo
lets up to inch wide (Fig. 9). closelyresemblesthe quartz-sericite-pyrite
alteration
The potassicalteration assemblage generally in- at Butte (Sales and Meyer, 1951), at Morenci
volvessparseto trace amountsof anhydrite,carbo- (Moolick and Durek, 1966), and at many other
nates,and apatite. Rutile and wolframitehave been southwestern North Americanporphyrydeposits.
observedin several veinlets. Anhydrite, not pre- Contactsof the phyllic zone with the potassic
viously reportedas a widespreadalterationmineral, zonehave beendescribedabove;they are generally
commonlyforms granulesin the quartz-K-feldspar- gradationalover a hundredfeet or so. Contactsof
rich gash veinlets and in microveinletswhich cut the phylliczonewith the next outer most,argillic
individualrock feldspargrains. Unlike biotite,it is zone are less definite.
not generally a replacementmineral. It is wide- Ar#illic Zone.--The argilliczoneat San Manuel-
spreadbut rarely abundant. Carbonatesoccurboth Kalamazoois least well understoodat this stage,
in veinletsand as bits and shredsdispersedthrough both mineralogically and distributionally.It is the
the entirerock. Apatite,thoughnot yet well studied,least well developedand is the most likely to be
occurs both as a veinlet mineral and as minor but absentin any givenpenetration of the ore deposit
pervasivelydistributedanhedral units. symmetry. It is characterized by the conversionof
Phyllic Zone.--Surrounding and to some extent plagioclase to either kaolin nearerthe orebodyor
overlappingthe biotite-K-feldsparzone is a zone in montmorillonite fartherawayfromthe orebodycen-
which alteration minerals include quartz, sericite, ter (Fig. 11). Kaolin is the more commonreaction
pyrite, hydromica, minor chlorite, and traces of product,gradingoutwardto sparseoutlyingmont-
rutile. This zone (Figs. 3a and 3b) generallyin- morillonite. Pyrite is commonbut muchlessabun-
cludespart of the ore zoneand all of the marginally dant than in the phylliczone. It is generallydis-
mineralizedand pyritic zonesand is nearly coexten- tinctly veinlet controlledrather than disseminated.
sivewith strongpyrite mineralization.Sericitepre- Primarybiotitemay be essentially unaffected,per-
dominatesin the inner part of this zone,clay min- sistingas shinyblackmegascopic flecksin a white,
eralsandhydromicain the outermargins. The most earthyrock, or it may be in part convertedalong
distinctive assemblage,both megascopicallyand cleavageto chlorite. The compositional character-
petrographically(Fig. 10), is that of complete isticsof this chloritehavenot yet beencompared
of all silicatesexceptquartz. Original with thoseof the chloriteof the potassic
sericitization and deep
rock plagioclase and orthoclase are both pervasively zones. K-feldspar shows minor flecking with seri-
replacedby a felted mat of fine-grainedmuscovite cite and dustingwith kaolin,but it is generally not
with abundantultrafinegranularquartz. Vestiges extensivelyaffected.
of cleavage,zoning,and twin planesof plagioclase Propylitic Zone.--This zone contains the most
are retainedin most instancesin preferredorienta- widely distributedand least distinctiveof the alter-
tionsof sericiteflecks. Original biotitesitescan be ation assemblages.Plagioclase generallyremains
identifiedby relativelywell-orientedalterationseri- fresh (Fig. 12), althoughit is locallyribbedwith
cite flecks,by less abundantalterationquartz, and eithermontmorillonite, kaolin,or an apparentmix-
by either anhedralor sageniticrutile or leucoxene, ture of the two minerals. Amorphousmineraloid
presumablyrepresentingtitanium from the original clouding theplagioclases wasnotconclusively identi-
biotite. Primaryquartzis unaffected but generally fied but is suspectedin small amounts. Biotite is
overgrown. replacedalongcleavageby both chloriteand carbo-
K-feldsparis totally sericitizedin the innermost nate, which generally decreasein abundanceout-
phyllic zone,but shredsand scrapsof K-feldspar wardly. Epidote and calcite are commonas fine
persistin the outerpart. Pyrite is abundant;chal- granulesin plagioclase and as coarseraggregates
copyriteis variable,generallyoccurringas dissemi- with montmorillonite
in amphibole sites. Bothalbite
natedgrains,commonlyin sericitizedsites. Pyrite and veinletK-feldspar with minor carbonate, quartz,
formsveinletsand generallygranulardisseminations and epidote are rare. Rock quartz is unaffected.
Chalcopyriteis rare, but pyrite constitutesone to
in the pervasivelyphyllic-altered
material. Pyrite
threepercentby volumeof the rock. The propylitic
contentrangesfrom 2-30 percentby weight, aver-
assemblage
gradesinto argillicor phyllicphasesat
aging5-10 percent.Apatiteandrutileagainappear the inner side over an interval of from 10 to 100
to havebeenrecrystallizedand redistributed. Silici- feetandis presumed
to fadeoverperhapsthousands
ficationwell beyondthat expectedfrom the break- of feet in the outer reaches,althoughthis has not
downof feldsparsto sericiteplusquartzplusalkali been proved.
 $84 J. D. LOWELL AND J. M. GUILBERT

.
...

:.' -
.k,. '.. :'..: , .: :

-:, '-.. .3
. : ."*
. .'.:-

; .';""'"', ?;7 {'-;" ',,.:'

: .. ::.::....:.:: '.. 3 ---

a-?-":;
. %.z".-,. .-'
, .%....
:' .3'
::

.. ',:..-,:. .
. ..,.-'..
;-,.,-,.......-.:.;.-
....., ::: -,':-' -.. , ., 7;'
.... ....
..

..

.::.-?
.e: ?;'*'
:''
:: . '
:'':'

Figure 10 Figure 11

-.'7% . ,;. : ::,."-' i *.. : :' . '":

'-':: :. ' : . 4k : . . ..... :-.
........ .....:
-.i .......' .;: ' .' V .; ': -':,: ::x;.'.] ' . ........:
'' .' ---'-...-.."':..'2"' ..i--*' : .... --:..-.'...
" .D .'::.
;":..-i:/''
.....'.'?:.:&. ---.-?-:m.
'..-? ; ..2
.:.:.v'z-T '.:..::'-:-'
3u-".:'
:&.?' g
'k:'.'. ::i..-
' .-: .;.:...:.;-7.-.
;".'
' . ?-" , ' ',:.2
.......' .... :-.
..... ;C.,7'.'2:'f;
'.,

' '. ' .. .: -T."-.:.- ' .:: '.::-:" .; : . ./' ';-..'-'--e. '.." .'--' -' .
: . v _-.:&?:?' z -- - ' - ::.. '-2-z
- ;-.;e--- ' - '.: :
.:-:.,-L'3
. ':'f: ..;?---'_.::-
: ...- '"..'';:: . ('-? -'
7
'::";.'
'?' -.....
":
:--'-'-
:::
.......
' .........
L.:"2 ::: ";'- i'5 . .'? , .: :' 5' .: : : ' ,'" . '
.;;.......... - -. .: g-,..' .....-..,: ?,.. .'*.:.;' :......
.'.,--;'
: ,:* . .. ;'-:;;:.-
- ;,.
.:.-.:.-
:. ,.' . .%.. .
'.1.?"..-1...*,' --...,. .
., :'-;
.......-.:...;
:
.." .:.: : .;. **., . .,-. , : . ..

':' 3;-...'"-;'-:
.x'"':,'/';"';' ,?-'" ' ":' ; *:

Figure 12
...................... :'-" * ' ' :" ';;"':"::-'::' :;:=-;'; ' .................. ......... $:,,:a-,:?...

FIG.10. Phyllicalteration
of Oraclequartzmonzonite.Thewhiteandgrayquartzunitsareembedded in plagioclase
andorthoclase units,whichve beencmpletelyconverted to sericite,
quartz,andpyrite(blab). Perceptible
orienta-
tionof sericite
andpyriteat bottomle denotessericitized
biotite. Crossed
nimls,15X.
FI6. 11. Arllid Te B potphys. Pllase in both phocrystsand oun&ass s beenconvert to
weaklybffefringent o1, wch conts scattered
sedsof sericite or hydromira.SeeFig.6. Srse pyrite,prci-
pallyin plaoclasephenocryst
sites,is black. Crossed
nicols,15X.
Fx6.12. Propylitized
Type B porphyry.SeeFigs.6 and11. Plagoiclase unitsarepredominantly chloritized
with
s of epidote
andcalcite(visibleas stipplings
in unitat lowerright). Biotitebladeat upperrightandbk at
le centere coritized andpyritid. Ple light, 15X.
 ALTERATION-MINERALIZATION ZONING IN PORPHYRY ORE DEPOSITS 385

Deep Zones.--The deep zones at San Manuel- diameter

andcontains
about0.3%Cualmost
totally
Kalamazoocannotbe describedwith certainty. Our as chalcopyrite. Total sulfide content is low and
findingsare basedon only a few drill interceptsand pyrite-to-chalcopyrite
ratiois about1:2; magnetite
may be modifiedin detailby further work and better s rare or absent. Most sulfides are disseminated
exposures. The grossrelationshipsare shownsche- grains. Surroundingthiszone(Fig. 3b) is the ore
matically in Figure 2. A slight uncertainty, shellas definedby a 0.5% Cu cutofflyingin the
especiallywith respectto chlorite-biotiterelation- potassiczonebut alsooverlappinginto the phyllic
ships,is introducedby the nearnessof the post- zone. This ore shell averagesabout 600 feet in
LaramideSanManuelfaultandits pqssible effects. thickness
andranges from0.5%-1.0%Cu in grade
As shownin Figure 2, the propyliticassemblage with a pyrite-to-chalcopyrite
ratioof 1:1. Pyrite
which rims the depositat moderatedepthsgrades generallyformsstockworkveinlets;chalcopyrite
oc-
downward from propylitizedOracle quartz mon- curs in disseminatedgrains.
zonite into a zone in whichboth rock feldsparsare Phyllic and ,4rgillic Zones.--There are three
dustedwith sericite. Biotite is largely chloritized, rather distincttypesof "ore" mineralizationin the
and chloriteand epidotereplaceamphibole. Quartz- phyllicalterationzone. The outerportionof the
magnetite-minorpyrite veinletsup to inch wide oreshell,asjustmentioned, liesin thephylliczone.
are common and generally have narrow quartz- Surrounding the ore shelland entirelywithinthe
sericite-chloriteselvages. The rocks are greenish phylliczone is a zoneabout200 feet thick in which
and free of alterationK-feldsparand biotite. coppermineralization
rangesfrom0.1%-0.5%Cu,
The phyllic zone is widest, possiblywith some with a pyrite-to-chalcopyrite
ratio of about 10:1.
repetitionby steepfaulting just below the midpoint Mostof boththepyriteandchalcopyriteformsvein-
of the orebodyon the Kalamazooside,but is virtually lets. Surroundingthiszoneof marginalmineraliza-
absentfrom the deepestlevels (Fig. 2). Moving tionbutstillentirely
withinthephyllicandargillic
laterally toward the centerof the depositat depth zonesisa zoneofpyritemineralization
whichranges
(Fig. 3a), sericitecontentin alteredplagioclase
sites from1,000-1,500 feetin widthandcontains6%-
increases;magnetitecontentof the zone in veinlets 25% pyriteby weight.Pyriteoccurs withquartz
and as disseminations diminishes but does not dis- in veinletsrangingup to inchthick.
appear. Narrow veinletsof chalcopyriteand pyrite Propylitic
Zone.--Mineralization
in thepropylitic
occurWhichlack anhydritebut have selvages of zoneconsistsof a fewsmall,high-grade
silver,gold,
nearly normalpotassicalterationbut without biotite. chalcopyrite
veins,and pervasivepyrite in veinlets
Neither typical argillic nor phyllic assemblages
are whichconstitutes 2%-6% by weightof the rock.
discernible.The deepestpenetrationinto the core Sincethe outeredgeof thepropylitic zonedoesnot
zone showsan assemblage
in which K-feldspar and cropoutit is uncertain
whether
disseminated
pyrite
sericitedustbothprimaryplagioclase andorthoclase; is coextensive with propyliticalteration.The area
in which veinletsof quartz-K-feldsparare flanked of pervasive pyriteveinletscontains 100-500ppm
and intergrownwith selvagesof sericiteafter biotite copper whichis apparently included in the pyrite
and plagioclase;and in which magnetite,chalcopy- sincediscrete primarycopper minerals havenotbeen
rite, pyrite, and tracemolybdeniteoccuras dissemi- found in this material.
nationsand microveinlets.This deep-levelaspect VerticalChangesin Mineralization.--Totalsulfide
of the symmetryand characterof the Kalamazoo content andcopper content
in thelow-grade portion
assemblageresemblesthat at Butte where alteration of thephylliczonedecrease
withdepth. The char-
envelopesflanking Main Stage veins decreasein acterof the mineralization appearsalsoto change
width at deepestlevels with increasinglycommon with depthfromfinergrained disseminatedgrains
quartz-K-feldspar-sericiteassemblagesand with to coarsergrainedblebs. In the ore shell,thereis
chloritereplacingbiotite (Meyer et al., 1969). No remarkably littlechangein copper
gradewithdepth,
real argillizationis presentin this deepzoneat San but the chalcopyrite
againchanges downwardto a
Manul-Kalamazoo. predominant bleb-typedisseminated
occurrence.As
Mineralization Zones shown
onFigure3b,a progressively
greater
portion
of theoreshelloccurs
in thepotassic
alteration
zone
Concentric mineralization zones are coaxial with
as depthincreases.Little changewith depthis
the alterationzonesas shownin Figures3a and 3b. notedin the marginal zoneexceptthat magnetite
A plane normal to the axis of the depositat a substitutes for muchof the pyritenearthe bottom
moderatedepth showsthe followingzonesof min- of the orebody.Similarly,magnetite substitutes
for
eralization.
mostof thepyritein the zoneof peripheralpyrite
PotassicZone.--An innerzoneentirelywithin the mineralizationnear the bottomof the orebody.
potassicalterationzoneaveragesabout2,600 feet in Theserelationships
are alsoshownin Figure3a.
386 J. D. LOWELL AND J. M. GUlLBERT

Molybdenite and Bornire Distribution.--Molyb- depositdescriptions.

denum showsa tendencyto be concentratedin the We adopt the four alteration assemblage names
middle two thirds of the ore shell (Fig. 3b) with earlier defined. Twenty-fiveof the 27 depositsde-
lower grade zonesat the upper and lower portions scribedcontain a phyllic zone, so it serves as a
of the ore shell. Within the 0.5% Cu zone,molyb- referencepoint in constructingthe table. Other
denum grade in individual drill interceptstends to alterationtypeswereenteredwherevertheyfell with
increasewith coppergradeand with thicknessof the respectto that quartz-sericite-pyritezone according
ore shell. Higher grademolybdenumoccursin both to the descriptions.
the potassicand phyllic zonesand doesnot seemto At least 17 porphyriesapproachthe form of a
be controlledby lateral alteration zoning, but from steep-walledcylinder. Another seven, including
the standpointof vertical zoning, molybdenumcon- threemolybdenum deposits,showelementsof stubby
tent drops off at about the same level that deep cylindrical or inverted flatly conical form. The
alterationassemblages becomeimportant (Fig. 3a). chieflycylindricaldepositsare the most distinctly
Althoughonly a dozenor so borniteidentifications zoned. The innermost(or deepestand/or generally
were recorded in drill hole logging, bornite also earliestzone) is typicallypotassic;the next outward
tends to occur in a short vertical column less than zoneis phyllic. Beyondthat is the commonly thinner
half the total length of the column of copper min- and lesswell developedargillic zone,and the outer-
eralizationand nearly centeredbetweentop and bot- most zone is propylitic. Ore mineral distribution
tom of the ore-gradecopperinterval. Most bornite and sulfideoccurrence provedto be consistentlyre-
is found with potassicalteration but it occasionally latedto alteration.A summary, columnby column,
occursalso in phyllic and propylitic zones. of the data enteredin Table 1 is presented.
Comparison of Porphyry Deposits Deposit (Column1)
The authors have used the San Manuel-Kalama- This columngivesthe namesand locationsof the
zoo lateral and vertical zoning data as a framework deposits.
into which informationon zoning in other porphry
depositsmight be fit. Table 1 is a comparisonof Preore Host Rock (Column 2)
the geologiccharacteristicsof 27 major North and This columncitesrock typesand agesinto which
South American porphyry depositsfor which de- the igneoushost rocksof the respective deposits
tailed information is available. The table summarizes havebeenintruded. Thesepreorerocksmay be
the descriptionsas well as possible,althoughcareful mineralized,
as at Binghamand Safford,or the pre-
interpretationwas required simply in selectingthe ore wall rocksmay be too remote,as at Butte. An
appropriatecolumn in which to enter information. appraisalof the importanceof preore rockswith
Factual information,widdy known but not neces- respectto ore controlis given in Columns14 and 15
sarily in print, has also been judiciouslyincluded. under"Orebody."It is apparent that igneoushost
Entries for most depositshave beenreviewedby the rocksmostcloselyrelatedto ore in time and space
geologistsmost familiar with them. Abbreviations are emplacedgenerallyhigh in the geologiccolumn.
used are listed on the page precedingthe table. Of the26 deposits for whichpreorewall rockages'
The table first comparespreorecontrolsand geo- are available,9 depositshavepenetrated into late
logicsettingof the deposits--age,shape-size,compo- Cretaceous preorematerials,5 are in older Mesozoic
sition, sequenceof intrusion,and mode of emplace- sections,4 are in Paleozoicrocks,and 7 occurin
merit of the igneoushost rock. Orebodiesare con- Precambrianrocksonly. In severaldeposits, the
sideredin termsof shape,natureof externalbound- youngersectionsof thegeologic
column canbepro-
aries, percentof ore in ore-stageigneousrocksand jectedoverthemwithoutaddingmorethan a few
preore rocks,dimensions,tonnageand grade. More thousandfeetof cappingabovethe top of the por-
significant,however,are the sectionson hypogene phyry deposit. Probablymineralization
in mostof
alteration, hypogenemineralization,and sulfide oc- the porphyrydepositsextendedupwardto within
currence. a few thousand feet of the surface.
The problem was approachedwith a model in
mind, but without assumptionsconcerningits cor- IgneousHost Rock (Columns3-11)
rectness. This model assumedthat the porphyry The third major sectionof Table 1 describes
the
depositenvironmentis one of coincidentalteration igneous hostrocksof the porphyrydeposits.The
and mineralization involving silicate-sulfide-oxide namesof Column3 applyto the intrusiveunitsmost
equilibriain a large, significantlythree-dimensionalintimately associatedwith the orebodiesin both
petrologic-mineralogic system. These assumptions spaceand time. Agescitedin Column4 applyto
appear confirmedby the consistencyof combined the intrusive hostsratherthanto the ore deposits
 ALTERATION-MINERALIZATION
ZONINGIN PORPHYRYOREDEPOSITS' 387

TA-. 1. GeologicCharacteristics
of 27 Major PorphyryCopperand Molybdenum
Deposits
ABBREVIATIONS-TABLE 1

Minerals rc rhodochrosite GeologicTime.

ab albite rd rhodonite Lar Laramide
Ag silver & silver minerals rt rutile T Tertiary
anh anhydrite ser sericite K Cretaceous
ank ankerite sl sphalerite Trias Triassic
ap apatite specspecularite Meso Mesozoic
Au gold& goldminerals stb stibnite Perm Permian
bar barite tm tourmaline Penn Pennsylvanian
bi biotite tn tennantite Pal Paleozoic
bn bornite trem tremolite pC Precambrian
cal calcite tt topaz
Alteration
car carbonate V vanadiumminerals
cc chalcocite wf wolframite Arg ArgiI I ic
cp chalcopyrite Phyl Phyllic
chl chlorite zo zoisite Pot Potassic
clzo clinozoisite Prop Propylitic
cs .cassiterite Rocks
alsk alaskite Mi scel laneou s
cup
cv
cuprite
covellite
Andandesite adv advanced
apl aplite bx breccia
dck dickite Dac dacite Cu copper
dg .digenite Db diabase diss disseminated
dol 'dolomite Dio diorite fit fault
eh enargite gn gneiss irreg irregular
ep epidote G granite #vlt microveinlet
feld feldspar Gd granodiorite Mo molybdenum
fl fluorite Iph lamprophyre mod moderate
fm famatin'ite L. latite ND no data
gal galena Is limetone repl replacement
gr garnet M monzonite sulfide
gyp gypsum p porphyry text texture
hbl hornblende peg pegrnatite tr trace
hm hematite Qd quartzdiorite vn vein
hn 'huebnerite QI quartzlatite vlt veinlet
ill illire Qm 'quartzmonzonJte weightpercent
kaolkaolin Qmpquartz monzonite
porphyry
magmagnetite 'Qp''quartz
porphyry'
mal malachite. qtzt quartzite
'mb molybdenite Rhyrhyolite
mc marcasite sch schist
mn manganese
minerals seds
sediments
montmontmorillonite sh shale
ss sandstone
py pyrite volc'olcanics
prp pyrophyllite
pyx pyroxene

Q quartz
388 J'.D. LOWELL AND J. M. GUILBERT

PREORE IGNEOUS HOST ROCK

D E P O SI T H OST RO C K Age Controlling

Name (m.y.) Structures Shape
(1) (2) (3) (4) (S) (6)
Ajo pCgn;Meso(?)
Qm; Corneliaquartz 63' steepNWfault elongate
NW
......
!?..n.
...........................
....n..a:...t..!!
....................
..m..o..n.?.!.t..,.
............................................
.p..o..?.?!.
!.,...?.o..!
.............
!..r.r.e.!..
....................
Bagdad pC volcs, sch& G Bagdadstock 71 N 70 E[& N 30Wfits irregular
Arizona lenticular
Bethlehem Triassicvolcanics GuichonQd &. 200 N-N 25 E fits irregular
.......
!.t!..h....ce...!..!
..................................................
.,..t.h.
!..,....?.
...............................................................................
..m.!.t.!.p.!.:...p.!
.........
Bingham Penn Bingham
stock 37 NE & NWfits irregular,pipelike,
......
.u..h.
..............................
.q..t.
.t..>...!
!..m..,.
.t..o.?.
...................................................................................................................
t..e.?..p.
........................
Elisbee pC sch;Pal Is, Sacramento
stock 163 steepNWfit; NI=fits irregular
.rj..o.
...... ..........................
[.,.:...a.t..o..,. elongateN,
................................................................................................................................
Braden K-T And& teds brecciatedDac p mid-T (?) N-S & N 55 E fits circular&
........C..!.!.e.
.....................................................................
stock,Qd elongate
dikes
Butte Pal Is, sh, st; Boulder Batholith 72 NW & EWfits batholith
Montana K And elongateNE
Cananea Pal teds; Lar volcs La Colorado'Qp' 59 N & NWfits irregularstocks,
Sonora & intrusiverocks plugs
CastleDome pC sch& pC G Lost GulchQm, 64 N40E fits irregularstock
......
.r.!.o.
.................................................................
j.....!.t.?....r.p..h.y...
..................................................................................................
Chuquicamata metaseds& volcs Chuquicamata Ear N & N l0 I= fits narrow,semicon-
.......c....!!.'..
.....................................................................
..p.
..................................................................................................
.!!.,..o....u..j..s.......,.!.t..
Climax PC sch Climaxrhyolite 30 N-S anticline circular,pipelike
.......
..ce.!.o..r..a..o
'...............................................................
..p?..r..p..h..y.?..
...............................................
.p..o.
!.?.. ?..n..t...o.!
...............................................
CopperCities pC sch & pC granite Lost GulchQm, 60 N501= stockelo.ngateNI=
.......
.r...o.
..................................................................
.e..r..a.!.t.e....p..o.r..p..y...y.
............................................................................................
I:1 Salvador r( And, rhyolite I=1Salvadorstock Lar(?) NI: & NWfits elongateNI=
Chile
I:ly Pal Is, st, sh I:ly stock 109 I=-Wfits irregular
......
.u..:..?..a...
........................................................................................................................................................................
.'!...n..t.'....,-..W..
..........
I:ndako early Mesoteds TopIcyQm,alsk 139-143 NW& I:NI: fits irregular
British Columbia & volcanics & granite elongateNW
.....................................................................................................................................
I:speranza K fragmental& I:speranzastock / ............
ff/Ci'"g"h'"'i; .........
';;'''i;
....................
.......
.r...o.
.........................
..w..,.
!..a..,..a........q..t...t.
................................................................................................................
.[r..,.......k..
...............
Inspiration PC sch, G, qtzt & Schultzequartz 60 N 50 I= fit irregular
Arizona Db monzonite large stock

.......
r!..o..n.
..........................
.m..,..t.?.!S.,...n..,.!
......................................................................
..W...?..t
............................
...W..
..........................
Mission-Pima Pal, K, I%cene 60 not recognized sill-like, tabular
Arizona sediments
Morenci pC G, Pal--Aeso Morencistock Lar Pc NI:; K NW elongate
......
!.o. ...........................
[.,..:. .......................................................................................................................................
Ouesta Miocene(?)And, Questamine 30 N, NWfits very irregular
.......
.-...,..x.!.?.o.
...................
!.t!.t..,.:....y..o.!!.t,
'..............
.p.
!.!.t..,......h..y...,.
.............................................................................
...m.!.[.....................
Ray pC teds, metaseds, GraniteMt. Qm 63 I=NI= schistosity irregularmasses
Arizona Db; Pal limestone NNWfits in NI=belt
Safford K Qm,Qd, Rhy,QI, C) WeberPeakdike 58 NWfits & NI= shears dikeswarm
.......
.r.!?...........................
:....a.!.k..,....p.!..a
.......w..r..m.
............................................................................................
.,..!.o..n..?..,....
.............
SanManueI-KalamazoaPC quartzmonzonite SanManuelMp 67 NE[& NWfits irregular,mushroom.
Arizona shapedstock
Santa Rita PaI-Meso (K) teds Santa Rita'stock 63 NNW& NI= fits complex,elongate
New Mexico NW, domical
Silver Bell Pal & K teds Silver BeJl stock 63 NNW fit stock
......
r!.o..n.
.....................................................................................................................................................................
..,.[.o....a.t..e....U..W..
.............
Toquepala late K(?) Rhy,And, daciteporphyry 59 nonerecognized irregularstock
Peru Dio elongate N-S
Typical Porphyry Pc-late K teds & Qmstock 65 NI= & NWfits elongate
Copper metasediments irregular
 ALTERATION-MINERALIZATION ZONING IN PORPHYRY ORE DEPOSITS 389

iGNEOUS HOST ROCK-Continued

Size Modeof Stock- Sequenceof RockTypes

(feet) F:mplacement Dike Intrusion Mineralized
(7) (8) (9) (10) (11)
3000x 10,000 passive stock Dio-4 Gd-4Qm-4Qmp-4 vfg Qm all

'"'6';Fg6'//6'
...............................
':...................................................................................
passive stock Rhy2.......
Gd;.........................................................................
Q Dio p-4 Dio p all
.......................................... -4Qmp
12,000x 5000 probablypassive stock> dike Qd.4 Gd.4 Dacp .4 Lp .4 Rhy all

'"g'ci66';F6i
...................................................................................................................
passive> active stock> dike Qd';....................................................................................
Gd; /p, QIp all + seds

'"iitii'''6'6i
.....................................................................................................................
passive> active stock 'Qp' k;'.................................................................................
'feld Qp' all + seds
(both altered)
4000 x 4000 passive> active stock> dikes Qd.4 Dacp .4 I_p.4 Iph And, Qd, Dacp,
/p
150,000x 350,000 passive batholith Qm(apl, peg)-4Qmp all

8000x 25,000 passive>active stock> dike Dio,Gd,sy,G.4'QI Eb all + seds

cluster
'"J'l'l''''J[..... passive stock
> dike Gd.4Qm
.4Qmp
.4G.4Gp.4Db Qm,Gp& Db
'"'C'""(JJJ'-
...... passive
> active(?) stock
> dike sodo
Gd.4Qd.4Dio.4Qm
.4 all(?)
...................................................................................................................................
9.....p.!
......o...a.....a..p.
............................................................
4- 3000x 3000 active stock> dike Rhyp .4 apl p .4 Gp all

'"/6i'/i';/"i'i/i///'//'/
.......;';';i';
..............................................................................
stock Qm'.......
apl ;..........
alsk ,"-;.......
Db ;.................................................
Gp all

'"//'';"i;'6///
..................
i;';';';i';;
.............................................................................
stock> clikes,sills Gd'-;.........
Gdp;...................................................................
'Qp' all

large,elongateEW passive stock> dikes,sills M, Qmpcomplex all + seds

'"//61iJiJii";,"i'ii6i;"c/6'6
.........
;;';i;;;;.*'
....................................................................................
stock> dike Qm.4 G '.........
alsk ;.............
Q reid i;..................................................
all

'";/;'i:i";,";/ii
.......................
pass,'";..........................................................................................
stock> dike Qm.4 Dio;................................................
Qmp.4Andp all '-......................
seds&
voles
'"/6/ci:i';
............................
60,000 i;;';i';;
..............................
;,';;'';"/ii;
......................
i5i;";"'''5':-;"i5i;
.....................................
all '-7/;';;;i
.....
'"6///i';i'///...............................
pass, :'ve
...........................................................................................................................................................
stock Qd.4 Qmp.4 'Qp'.4 'Qp'+ Q Qmp- 'C)p'-
................................................................................................................................................................................
?...p.2+...9.
................
+__4000
x 4000 passive sill > stock Qmp all + seds

'"'i;'666';'
b;'6'66
.............
i;';'; i;; "'';i;'................
;i;;iii"ii'ij"ili'
il;g.............
ii'
;';"-7
"o;;;
i;"-7
i5';,"-;
"6i;
......................
6';
};'T';ii;;...........
in wall

"i''6i:iii;,"//iii
................
i;';;';'i;;
........................................
stock5.......................................................
dike Mp, Gp, bio G'; ................
apl, apl i;;
......................
d[l:7......................
voles
.....................................................................................................................................
.a.....y....p.
..................................................................................
8000x 15,000 passive stocks> dikes Qd.4 Db.4 Qmp.4 And.4Qmp.4 all + metaseds

2000x 4000 passive dikeswarm QIp,Rhy,Dac,Qd,Gd.4 Dac.4 all + vales

.....................................................................................................................................
9.!,...k,...a....y.
.........................................................................
;4000x 7000(?) passive stock> dike Mp.4 Qmp.4 Db all
'";/'66/i';F//
...............................
"....................................................................................
pass,ve stock> dike Dio ';.....................................
Qd+ hbl Gd & bi Gd';............................................
Qd, Gd+ seds
.........................................................................................................
9.m...........................................................................
> 10,000NEx passive stock> siII > dike alsk.4 Dacp.4 Andp .4 Omp all + seds
30, oooNW
"i'g66'"''6'6'
......................
;/:'ilk;;
.................................
/;;/'i;i'';'"/li'i/g
.................
''g"/;....................................................
i;ii"'i;;Fg",'g'i;"'
4000x 6000 passive stock> dikes Dio.4 Qm.4 Qmp.4 'Op' all + seds
390 .t. D. LOWELL AND .L M. GUILBERT

OREBOD'Y

D E P OSI T OutwardShape Boundaries Percentin Percentin

IgneousHost Preore Rocks
(12) (13) (14) (15)
Aio oval, elongateNW original& faults 80? 20?
Arizona

.........................................................................................................................................................
elongateoval original +_90 '4:
...................
10
Arizona
"ifii;'d4 .................................................................................................................................................................................
steep, elliptical cylinder original -t-50 +50
British Columbia
Bingham pear-shaped,
elongateWSW original 75 25
Utah
.........................................................................................................................................................................
elongateEW,oval original& faults + 30 + 7'6'.................
Arizona (incl. bx)
Braden hollowcircularcylinder original& postorebreccia 25 75
............. Chile 0 ........... o.......................... pipe ..............................................
Butte crudelydomical original 100 0
Montana

Cananea pipelike originalbrecciapipe + 90 + 10

Sonora
, ......................... 0,oo, .............................................................................................. o ..................................................................................................

CastleDome oval,welongateNE original& NWfault 100 0

Arizona

...................... ............... ...................................

..........................
............
Chile
.0 ..... , ............... ,,,,o,0,, o,,,, ...................... o ................. , ....................... ............................................................................................ ,., ........... , ......... , ....

Climax nested,invertedones original 40(?) 60(?)

Colorado
o0,.o,,, ........... ,.,,,,o,,0,,o.,00 .... ,o, o,.o ....... , ......................... 0 ............................................. ......... , ..................... ,...., ......... 0 ..... 0.,,,., ............................ ,,,o,.,

CopperCities oval, elongate

NW Original& NE & N faults 100 0
Arizona
.o[,, ......... , ..... ,..,0 o..,,,o0,0 ..... , ...... , ..................... o....................................................................................................................... , ........... .,.o ................

El Salvador oval pipe, lowergrade original 70(?) 30(?)

Chile center
......... 0 ........... 0,.,, ..... 0 .............. ..... ............................................................................................................................ ,.,.0, ....... ,,., .................... 0 .........

Ely ?flat cylinder original with faults 80 20

Nevada above & below
......................... 0 ,,

Endako elongateoval original 100 0

.... 0,
British. Columbia
............ ,o ................... ,,, ......................................................................................................................................................................................

Esperanza elongateNWoval original 60(?) 40(?)

Arizona
oo., ............... ,.0.o.o ..... ................................................................................................................................................................................................

Inspiration flat cylinder original & fault 50 50

Arizona
.o ..... 0 ......... , ......... ,,,.o,,.,,o., ........

Mineral Park crescent, convexSW + 100 0

Arizona
,, ....... o ................. o ....... , ............. 0 ........................................................ , ......................................... , ............................................ , ..... , ......... , ......... o ....

Mission-Pima oval original & fault + 10 +_90

Ari zo n a
......................................
Morenci :................................................................................................................................................................
oval original+ fault +_ 70 ..................
Arizona
o.,,,o,o,0..,,.,.,,, o0.,...,.. ..... 0.0 ........................................ , ................................................................. o ........................................... 0 .......... 0 ......................

Questa irregular original 70(?) 30(?)

New Mexi co
,,..., 0,.0.,.,,0 ................... , ..... 0 ...... 0o. ............. , ..............................................................................................................................................................

.,0o,,,,
Rarizon
a ....... ,..,0,0,0.o,0.o0 ........ , ...... , .....
irregular
oval,
elongate
EW original
&fault
, ............. , ....... 0 ........... , ........................................................... , ....................
20
0 ......................................
80 , ........... 0 ....

Safford oval, dippingpipe original 20 80

Ari zon a
,,.0o, ..... , ........... ,,0 ........ 0 ............................................................ ................................................................................ 0 ............................. 0., ...............

SanManuel-Kalamazoo hollowoval cylinder original 50 50

Arizona
,0 ................. , ...............

SantaRita oval elongateNW original +_70 +_30

New Mexi co
....... , ...................

Silver Bell elongateoval mineralbelt original 70 30

Arizona
o, ..... , ........................... ,,,,0 ............................................. , .............................................................................. 0...... ................. , ..................................

Toquepala oval, elongateNW original: brecciapipe 70 30 (walls

Typical Porphyry oval, pipelike original& postorefaults 70 30

Copper
 ALTERA TION-MINERALIZA TION ZONING IN PORPHYRY ORE DEPOSITS 391

0 R E BODY- Continued

Dimensions Total Ore Tonnoge Grade Grade

(feet) (million) Hypogene+ Supergene Hypogene Only
(16) (17) (18) (19)
4000 x 7000 < 500 0.75% Cu 0.75% Cu

1000 x 5000 < 100 0.76% Cu + 0.5% Cu

+ 0..025% Mo + 0.025% Mo
2000 x 3000 < lr00 0.6% Cu 0.6% Cu
...!?..r.?.:..y.!
...................................................................................................................................................................
5000 x 7000 WSW > 500 0.75% Cu 0.75% Cu
0.05% Mo 0.05% Mo
2000 x 2000 < 100 0.81% Cu + 0.55% Cu

5000 x 5000 > 500 2.25% Cu 1.00% Cu

....o.
!).o...w...:..y.!!?..4?..r
'...................................................................................
.O....O..5....a..o.
........................................
.0.
:..O..5....a..O..
.................
5000 x 10,000 EW > 500 0.8% Cu 0.2% Cu

250 x 1200 > 500 0..8% Cu 0.5% Cu

....r..?...:.s..a..p.
?. ......................................
!!?.!.:.t.?
.........................................................................................................................
_ 1500 x 3000 < 100 + 0.70% Cu + 0.5% Cu (?)

2500 x 10,000 > 500 + 1.7%. + 1.2% Cu

"';ii:Ji:JiS'
":ii:Sti/5
....................................
5:'6i:i
........................................
"6'.'/qo'
'/,i....................................
''i3i;i'qo"//
..................
1500 x 2000 < 100 + 0.60% Cu + 0.4% Cu

'"iSiti'
,";/ti/5/5
.................................
...................................................
> 500 ' ......................................................................................
1.5% Cu ND

+ 1000 x 3000 x < 500 + 0.9% Cu + 0.1% Cu

........
.1..o..-...2..o.,..o..o..o.
...............................................................................
!.l....2....:.o...m..m...o.?.!
................................
!.0.:.4...
?..o..m...m..o.
?..!
...............
1200 x 6000 > 100 + 0.09% Mo _ 0.09% Mo

2300 x 4200 .( 100 0.51% Cu + 0.3% Cu

0.028% Mo 0.028% Mo
2500 x 8300 < 500 0.90% Cu 0.15-1.20% Cu
0.007% Mo
....iJiS'"';i6................................................................................................................................................................................
< 100 0.5% Cu 0.1-0.15% Cu
0.04% Mo 0.04% Mo
5000NW x 7000NE ) 500 0.8% Cu 0.8% Cu

6000 x 13,000 ) 500 0.88% Cu 0.1-0.15% Cu

0.007% Mo
7000 x 7000 ) 500? 0.15-0.18% Mo 0.15-0.18% Mo

3000NS x 10,000 EW ( 500 0.80% Cu 0.10-0.80% Cu

+ 4000 x 5000 > 500 0.50% Cu + 0.2% Cu

cross section: 2500 x > 500 4- 0.75% Cu -t- 0.75% Cu

5000 x 4- 8000 high 0.015% Mo
5000 x 7000NNW < 500 0.97% Cu 0.1-0.2% Cu(intr)
0.8% Cu (tactite)
....2000x 2500& < 100 ............................................................
0.75% Cu J':'"6l'"E'iig;i
....
1500 x 2500 0.8% Cu (tactite)
4000WNW x 5000NNE 500 0.9% Cu 0.3% Cu

3500 x 6000 150 0.80% Cu 0.45% Cu

0.015% Mo 0.015% Mo
 392 .r. D. LOWELL AND .1. M. GUILBERT

HY POG EN E ALTERATION

D E P O S I T Known Extent
Beyond Ore (ft) Peripheral Zone Outer Zone Intermediate Zone
(20) (21) (22) (23)
Ajo + 5000 ?chl, ab, zo, ser, Q, ank
Arizona

Bagdad 500 + ND not reported not reported

Arizona

Bethlehem + 300 ND Q, chl, ep Q, kaol, mont

British Columbia
Bingham 3000 + chl, talc, kaol, ep, Q, chl, kaol, cal, ep
........
.u..t...........................................................
..r..,..m..?...,.....y..x.
...........................................................................................................
Bisbee 7000? chl, ep, zo, cal, ser ? kaol, ser(?)
Arizona
...........................................
Braden '4:6i:3...................
g'i;'37};7';
........''i:;;;,7'
3; i;;';ii
.........,;'"'"',';;
i7;;,'i;'
..................
Chile tm
Butte 1000 + Q, chl, ep, cal Q, mont, kaol
Montana
Cananea 5000 chl, ep Q, ser, kaol
Sonora
Castle Dome 3000 chl, ept py, ser, cal & mont
Arizona c l zo
Chuquicamata few hundred chl, ep, cal, spec, hm, kaol ) ser
Chile TiOx
.............................................................................................................
Climax 2000? 7'i'ii7;'C.,'i ...................
';''';'''
.................................
Colorado
CopperCities 5000 + ep, cal, clzo, ser mont, Q
Ari zon a

..........................................................................................................................................................
El Salvador 1000 + py, chl ;&';;ii'ii
....................................
Chile
.............................................................................................................
Ely 2000 %;-g..iii;;........................................................................
Nevada
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................

Endako 2000 + (?) kaol weak, Q, cal kaol moderate, Q, chl

British Columbia
Esperanza ND not reported Q, kaoI, mont
Arizona
.0ooo ........... , ..... , ................................................................................................................................................................... , ................

Inspiration 1500 + chl, ep Q, ser, kaol

Arizona
MineralPark 10,000 chl, ep, clzo, Q, ser, 'clay' Q
.........r!.z..o.?.?.
......................................................
!!.t?..t.!
......................
.(...!!..!!
..............................................................................
Mission-Pima up to 5000 skarn, tactitc, hornfels present
Ar i zo na
Morenci ) 5000 skarn on SE chl, ep Q, mont
Arizona
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................

Questa 2000 + (?) ser, car, kaol, ep, ser, Q, py -3_cal, kaol, ser, Q, py -3_cal, kaol, ill
New Mexico
...........................................................................................................................................................................................................
chl i l I, fl
Ray 1000-15,000 chl, ep, ab, cal, montto
Arizona 20,000 x 30,000
Safford -3_12,000 ep, chl "chloritic"
Arizona
....g'''''"''''g ....5555"''6'6
...............................................
' i4i';';',"fi'i
.....................
/7fi;'i'gf;i
..............................
Arizona

....'a'"i .....................
+ 5000 tactite tactite ahl,ep (Argillic)
New Mexi co
....ii;;"8'gl''
......................................
-3_32,00 ;.............................................................................................................................................
5000 chl, cal, ser, mont Q, ser, kaol
Arizona a Iteration zone tacti te tacti te
Toquepala mi nor; < 1000 mont
Peru

Typical Porphyry 2500 chl, ep, kaol, chl, ep, cal Q, kaol, ser, mont
Copper (skarn)
 /ILTERATION-MINERALIZATION ZONING IN PORPHYRY ORE DEPOSITS 393

HYPOGENE MIN ERAI-IZATION

D E P OSI T Peripheral Outer Intermediate Inner

Alteration Zone Alteration Zone Alteration Zone Alteration Zone
(28) (29) (30) (31)
Ajo spec, bar cp, py, bn,mb,mag,hm py:cp= 1:4; py, cp
Arizona py:cp 1
.... ri zona
.............................
x.;..:x.;...
..........................................................................................
...................................
"-i' ........................
British Columbia
;''-;-'.................
;'"'';'''
...............
'"'"' .......................
""'F' ............................
Bingham en, fm,gal, py py, cp, mb
........u..t..
..............................
.!:.t..t
.............................................................................................................................................
Bisbee sl, gal, py, cp ND ND py, cp, bn, cc, mb,s I
........!...o.
........................................................................................................................................
.y,!.p.....]..0..!
............................
Braden gal, sl, Ag, py py ) cp ) bn ) mb ) en
........!!.?.
............................
?.t.:..y.
....................................................................................................
.m.....n.
....................................
Butte Mn, Ag rc sl, gal, rd py, bn cp, tn py, cc, enbn
Montana

Cananea gal, sl, tt, Ag py, cp, bn, mb,sl, gal py, cp, bn, mb
Sonora

Castle Dome sl, gal, py, cp, py py cp mb py cp mb

.........:!...o.,?.
.........................
...,...v..,...o.,..
.p.
.............................................................................................................................
Chuquicamata minor sl, gal, py, cp en, cp, co, bn, py(?) en, cp, cc, py, bn(?), mb
.........a,..!.!.e.
..........................
... ........................................................................................................................................
Climax gal, sl, Ag(?) py,tz, fl, hn,cs mb, cp
Colorado

Copper
Cities sl, gal, Ag py py cp mb py cp mb
Arizona

Pl Salvador gal, sl, Ag py, spec ND py - cp

Chile

Ely Au.& base py, cp, high total sul

........
.a.. ..........................
.t.!.!..n...a.
....................................................................................
.!?.....s..-..!..0.!!
........................
Pndako sl, gal, kg spec,cal mag,py,mb, py,mb,mag
........
.).!!
....ce..
!.m.
!...........................................
..<..:..0..
................
..<...0....!..
..........................
:..-.!.:.0..
..............................
F:speranza gal, sl, kg py py > cp > mb py > cp > mb
Ari zon a

Inspiration cp, gal, sl, py cp(?) py cp py cp mb

Arizona mb, V, Mn '
MineralPark Au, Ag, gal, sl py, cp, sl, gal py, cp py, cp, mb
Arizona
....'ii''"ii;;;,'
.................
';;i'i"/,
................
i;;;.................
'..........
:F..............................................................................
Arizona minerals' py,cp,
mb
Morenci gal, sl, Au, Ag py py:cp=-high;high py 3-8%; cp 9.3-0.5%;
........
.!...o..,.
..........................................................................................
t.o..,.!.
!.L.p.
.,.?..................
?.,..?.,...,.
.!...........................
Questa py,mb,gal, sl py,mb, py,mb mb,py,cp,hn
........
....!.o. ..................................................
.c..p.z.o....z.!
.................................................................................................
Ray gal, sl, py, cp, bn py, cp, bn py, cp,bn,mb
Ari zona

Safford Ag,cp Au,cp ND py,cp,mag,tt, gal, sl

Arizona py 4-8%; cp+_0.4%
py:cp :- 10-20:1
....a;,;;;iz.'Ri,.....
';''l';''i;
...............
f,',"i'i'fo'
....................
;,"i'i'f)'
...............................
;,"
i'6'foi'i'
;;"ii;'i"'i'i
...........
Arizona Au, Ag mb(0-0,05%)
SantaRita sl, gal, Ag, py.4-8%; cp 0.4% py 1-4%; cp 0.4-1%;
NewMexico spec,cp, 'inc py:cp= 40:1 mb;py:cp= 3:1

....i'i,;"i;;ii
Arizona
.......................
'',"'gi;';i
................
'';'''i;';
i'(';/i
............
;;;"'"i'i
.........................
;;'""i''i
.
..............................
Toquepala minorcp,bar no py halo modpy:cp low py:cp;highertotal sul;
Peru low total sul py, cp,bn, sl, mb
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
py cp bn; mod py cp mb bn; high
Copper .
total sul; py:cp=23:1 (10%)tot sul; py:cp= 13:1
394 I. D. LOWELL AND .1'.M. GUILBERT

H Y P 0 G E N E A b T E R AT I 0 N - Continued

Zoning Sequence Vertical Sequence

Inner Zone Innermost Zone from Center from Bottom
(24) (25) (26) (27)
(Q, ser, py)? Q, K reid, chl (anh) partial overlap
.........................................................................................................
.P.e.t...-..,..P.h
!...-....:.?...
..................................................................
Q, ser, K feld hi, ab, Q, K feld .Pat- Phyl

Q, ser Phyl - Arg - Prop

Q, ser, K feld if_clays, Q, K feld, hi, ser Pot.- Ph.l - Prop

chl

:p', Q,dck,prp; adv.Arg& Phyl-

.......
.!.a....p..'.'....2:...s..r.
....................................................................
..r.g.......r.o..p.
.................................................................................
Q, ser, hi, anh Q, ser, hi, anh Pot & Phyl - Arg - Prop Pot - Phyl

'"i';'';;' ,)i'"6';'
ii"/,';
..........
'"" "ii';';'ii ..........
'l'g;'""'/i4i'"'"';'""iu;
........
i';"-'"'l'/,';i"'"';'""'i';/;
.....
.........
g'l:
........................................
" 'i''l'i''
'i;/i
........................
'I'L'/'i'"'"'
............................................................................
,,,,,0,,. 00o 0, o,.,.,,, 0,0, ....... 0 ........... ,,,40.,.0,0 ...................... 0 .................... ........... 0 ..... ,.0., ............................. ,, ......... .,,00.,,,.0.0 ..... .0,, ...... ,.0..00 .....

Q, set, hydromica,K feld Phyl - Arg - Prop

.......................
Q, K feld, gg; ..............................................................................
''K;i'"'"X;'"'"i';g;
..................
i'i5
............................................
.....
.................................................
feld, Q, hi,' fl "'i';;ii'D.....................................
Q -'......................................................................................
K feld - Q, py, ser Q - K feld - Q, py, ser
..........................................................................................................
.-;..5!:......................................................................................
Q ser, py, hydromica Phyl - Arg - Prop

....;"6';'ggL"';' .........................
6";"/;"/(igiii"L'L'L' ..................
i%';"'"'i{;i'i'i""";L'''i'"'......ig'2"'g,'ii'.ff'"'';"" ..........
........................................................................................................
generalbi ...:..........................................
........... .P..:................................
seriiti potassic granitoid -p texture;
.............................................................................................................................................................
..?.:...-:.
!..;.. !..*x
.......................
Q, ser, py, kaol Q, K feld, bi Pot - Phyl - Arg ND

Q, K feld Q, ser, K feld, bi Pot - Phyl - Arg(?) not reported

.......................................................
!...
?,.!!...?..,.:...:!
...............................................................................................................
Q, ser, kaol K feld hi, ser Pot - Phyl - Prop ND

Q se py Q, K feld (earliest) Pot - Phyl - Arg - Prop not reported

Q ser clay(?); skarn Q, K feld ser bil skarn Pot - Phyl - Arg -
karn
,******e******,****,,o.**,,,,,,,,,,,0,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,.,,,,,,,**,,,,,,,,,,,,,.,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,. ,,,, *****************************************************

Q,set,py ND "J','i"""X;'":"l'ig'
'..............
notreported
Q, K reid, bi cal, Q, K reid (anh)
....hb..L......................................................................................................................................................................
Q er kaol bl Q ser K feld Pot - Phyl - Arg - Prop ND
....].9.9.q:...]
.9.9.9.?
................
,..... ....9.9.........................
,...................................................
,.....................................................
Q, er py K feld bi, Q, ser Pot - Phyl - Arg - Prop

"";'g)'.................................
';'""'g'l'i"g'/;'
B .....................
''gi":"i":";'"Z''g
.......
g":"O'g'i'fi
.........................
,,,...,,,,,..,. ,...,,,,,.,, ,.,., ....... ..,,, .... 4 ......... ,.,,,.,. ......... ,,. ......... , .......... ,..,,.,..,.,. ........................... ,,.,...,* ....... .-,....., ......... , ..... ,,.,,,,,**,,,,,,,,, ..... ,.

Q, set, py, tactitc Q, K reid, hi, plag, Pot - Arg - Phyl - Prop
.......................................................
...b..mL. .................................................................................................................
Q, ser tai Q, K feld, ser, Pot - Phyl - Arg - Prop ND
......................................................
. ............................
Q, ser py Q, tm, hi, K feld poorlydeveloped anhydriteat depth

Q, ser py Q, K reid, hi, ser (anh) Pot - Phyl - Arg - Prop Pot - Phyl(?)
 ,4LTER,4TION-MINERALIZATION ZONING IN PORPHYRY ORE DEPOSITS 395

HY POGEN E MIN ERALIZATION-Continued

Innermost Overall Abundance Zoning Sequence Vertical Sequence

Alteration Zone Major Ore Minerals from Center from Bottom
(32) (33) (34) (35)
mag; cp; py, bn; cp py bn mb(?) mb-> cp -> py -> spec cp:bn decreases
low total sul
.................................................. i. ................................................. .................................................... i ........................................... . .....

cppy mb pycp mb cp -> py ND

.................................................. i ................................ , ................. .................................................... i

cppybnmb bn -> cp ->-py ND

.................................................. i. ................................................. a .................................................... i. .............................. ......................

cp, bn, mb pycpbnmb mb -> bn -> cp -> py -> Cu to Pb-Zn in veins

..........................................................................................................
!.?..:....!:..:...?.!
.........................................................................
py> cp> bn> cc not reported less py upward
.................................................. .................................................. i .................................................... i. ....................................................

py;:>'cpbn mb en py cp bn mb en (cp, py, bn, rob)-> (bn,cp,mb)-> (cp,bn,py, mb)

.................................................. ...... : ........................................... (py,cp)->(gal,sl, Ag)
......................... , ......................... ,,,.. ->(py,cp,mb,bn)
............. , ...................................

cp, py, mb py ccenbn cp mb->cp->py->cc->en-> mb->cp->py->cc->en->

..........................................................................................................
..?...r..a..............................
..:..r..a... .......................
py, cp, bn, mb py, cp) bn, sl, gal not reported ND
.............. 0 .................................................................................... i ................................................... ........... 0 ............................. 0

py cp mb cp->py->(sl, gal, Ag) cp->py(?)

................ ,.,,. ............................. i, ................................................. e ................................................... ,i .....................................................

en, py, cp, cc, bn(?), mb py> en> cp>bn> mb py->cp->py(?) ND

....;;,'i;;;;';''
...................................
;;;'"';i
.......................................
;i;:;'':;'i;'
................................
i;';';;;;i;
............................
.............................................................................................................................................................
.m..?..-.?.....i...........................
py) cp) mb cp->py->(sl, gal, Ag) py->cp(?)

....F"''' '" ' ........................

;' ' '' .........................
i'';'''' i'; ' '.............
';'';'''';' .................
......................................................................................................
.v..?.?...!.!
.................................
?..v.:.??.! .............................
py, cp, bn mb py) cp)) bn';mb (cp, bn, mb)->py-> ND
.....x!..!..:..!
...................................................................................
.!:.?..:.?.!! ................................................................................
mag,mbpy .15py magpymbcp mag->(py,mag,mb)-> ND
........................................................................................................
!.m...:..?..P.
!..-t..P.
..P.
...............................................................
py) cp) mb(?) py) cp)mb cp, mb->py ND

cp py mb(?) py cp mb (cp, mb)->py ND

....;,;;';'i';','i
.................................
';,;5'
';'i................................
:'',''L;;
'''i;'
i;...............
i'5............................................
Ag,Au)- (Au, Ag)
....;,;;';';i
.................................
;;,;''5'';,'5',','5''i
................
i;;';,;;',''i';''i;;';i;';i'i
"'/'5
............................................
....' "'i; :''i'l'"
'';?'
................
" 5';':';i5",i;
....................
i;:'L'i:'
;i:;i':;
*',;
......................
;,'L'
;";;g;;'
,',
............................
.....v.,..
,....m.
.,...!
.............................................................................
!..!.,.
!.,...,...u.!
.........................................................................
mb,py, cp, hn py) mb cp, gal, sl mb->(cp, py)->(gal, sl, mb) not recognized
1000 ft

py, cp, bn, mb py> cpbn mb cp->py->(gal, sl) ND

.................................................. ................................................. a .................................................... ....................................................

cp, py, bn, mb,mag,tt, gal, pycpbnmb ' (cp, mb)->py->Au mb at depth
sl; py 0.2-1%, cp 1-2%
.....!...o.:.!....
....!
...............................................................................................................................................................
py (1%); cp(1-3%) py) cp) mb cp->py->(gal, sl, Au, Ag) cp->py
mb (0.01 -0.05%)
.................................................. .................................................. i .................................................... . ....................................................

low total sul; py1%; pycpmbbn low.gradecenter->annular py zone contracts& py:mag

py:cp= 10:1 ore zone & (cp, mb)->py-> increases
..........................................................................................................
!...,..?..!,..?.!
!...............................................................................
py, cp, bn, tt, mb,-sl py cp mb bn sl cp->py->(Ag, gal, sl) ND

Q, tm+minor sul py+__=

cpbn, mb (Q, tm)->cp->py not observed
anhydrite at depth
py cp?mb bn; low(3%) py cpmbbn (cp,mb)-py- (gal, sl, (cp,mb)-py
tot sul; py:p=3:1 Ag, Au)
396 .t. D. LOWELL AND J. M. GUILBERT

OCCURRENCE OF SULFIDES

DE POSI T S Peripheral Outer Intermediate Inner

Alteration Zone Alteration Zone Alteration Zone Alerati6n Zone
(36) (37) (38) (39)

AJrizon
a veinlets diss
/vlts diss
/vlts
Bagdad vns & massive vlts diss diss vlts
........!.z..o.n.
.........................
.r..p.!?.m..?.t.
............................................................................................................................
Bethlehem veins veinlets veinlets veinlets
British Columbia
Bingham veins & vns, vlts, diss vlts, diss diss) vlts
........
.u..t..
...............................
r...!.m..?..t
.......................................................................................................................................
Bisbee vns, vlts, ND ND vns, vlts, diss
Arizona mass. repl.
Braden veins patches & vlts vlts & patches vlts patches
Chile
Butte vn, vlt vn, vlt vn, vlt vlt, vn, diss
Montana
Cananea vein veinlets vlts, diss, mass. vlts diss
Sora
Castle Dome veins veinlets diss vlts diss vlts
Arizona
............................ , .......................................................................................................................................... 0 ..................................

Chuquicamata veins vns & vlts vlts diss vlts diss

Chile
.............. , ...........................................................................................................................................................................................

Climax vns & dikes vlts diss vlts diss

Colorado
................. , ....... , .................................................................................................... ,,.. ......................................................................

CopperCities veins veinlets di ss vlts di ss vlts

Arizona

"'ii"'i';
Chile
.......................
,'i..............................
i';5'ii"'
....................
;i'';''ii".
....................
i'";i'
................
.............................. ,, ..................................................................................................................... , ...................................................

Ely diss vlt diss v.lt

Nevada
...................... , ....... , ................ , ..... , ................................................................................................ , ....... , .......... , ....... 0 ........................

Endako vlt diss vlt diss vlt -- vlt

British Columbia
............... , ........... . ............................................................................................................................................................................

Esperanza veins vns & vlts vlts diss vlts

Arizona
.,,., .......................................................................................................................................................................................................

Inspiration veins vns & vlts vlts ' diss vlts diss
....................
Arizona , ........... ,., ...... ,.. ........................... .., ................................................................. ................................................................

Mineral Park veins vlts vns, stkwk vlts vns, stkwk vlts, vns stkwk
.......
.r.!.z..o.?.?
..................................................................
Z.q.i..?..P.?.?.!
...................
:.7...?.P.
?.?...."...
.................
:.'..?..P.
?..?..?...
...........
Mission-Pima vn & vlt vlt, diss &
Arizona massive
.......................... ,.,.,o,o,,,0 ...... , ..... 0 ............. . ................................... . ................................... . ....................... 0 ........... , .............. ,,.,,..0,.,0 .....

Morenci vns, Is repl. vlts diss ND vns, vlts, diss

Ari zon a
...................................... . ..... , .................... . ................. .................................................. : .................................................................. ,..,

Questa veins paint vlts vns & vlts

New Mexi co
........................................................ ,., ........... . .............. , .......................................................................................................................

Ray veins vns, vlts, diss vns, vlts, diss vlts,, diss, vns
Arizona
.................................................................................................. 0 ......... 0 ..... . ............................................. , ............................................

Safford veins in shears, vns, in shears, vns, in veins, vlts, diss

.......
...!.z..o.?.
...................... ....... 0..,,, .,,0..... ,.. o,,0.,,0 .... , ........ eikes ....... ........ .o... .......... ,.., dikes
J ............... , ................................... , ............................

SanManuel-Kalamazoo veins vlts vlts diss vlts diss

Arizona
.................... , ..... . ............................ ...................................... , .......... . .............................................................. , ........................ , ..........

SantaRita veins vns & vlts vns & vlts vlts,/vlts diss
New Mexico
......................................................................................................................... , .................. . ............................................... , ...............

Silver Bell vns & tactite vns & tactite vlts di ss vlts diss
Arizona
...........................................................................................................................................................................
Toquepala veins di ss vlts ii''':'i' ................
Peru bx vug fillings bx vug fillings

TypicalPorphyry veins vns& vlts veinlets vnlts diss

Copper
 .4LTERATION-MINERALIZATION ZONING IN PORPHYRY ORE DEPOSITS 397

OCCURRENCE OF SUL. FIDES-Continzed

Innermost SUPERGENE
Alteratio0 Zone Breccia Pipes Crackle Zones SULFIDES

(40) (41) (42) (43)

diss /vlts not reported beyond ore limit minor co, cv

diss Its

....;i;";';1'/;';'
................................
;;;;;;;:i',";,;'/;';;;;;ii'';,';i
............
';'/ii-;'f;;
T;';';;;",';;;,'
.................
;,';';,';
........................................
...................................................... .....................................................................................
....Ji'''";'i;
.........................in gal,sl zone extends
beyond
gal,sl co,cv
.......................................................
.p..,. !................................................................................................................................
important; 2 stages NE horsetail zone cc

vlts patches postore with min. frag. present cc cv

diss vlt none horsetail zone cc, cv, dg

vlts diss numerous& mineralized present co, cv

........................................................... ; ....................................... i- ................................................. . ................................................. ....,
present? present co, cv

vlts) diss large central pipe horsetail zone co, cv

irregular clots minor breccia, dikes present none

present present co, cv

diss,/J.vlts deep, central, mineralized present cc cv

diss) vlt present present co, v
.... . ............................................. .................................................. ................................ , ................. ....................................................

diss vlt not reported present none

diss vlt present present cv, cc

vlts diss (?) not reported present cc

.................................................. . .................................................. , ................................................. ,. ............. , .....................................

vlts, vns, stockwork none present cc

.... ............................................................................................................................................................
vlt, diss & massive ore N-S dike; poorly developed cc thin zone
......................................................
.p.:.....a.!.,..?.!:..t..t.
..........................................................................................................................
breccia zones in pit extensive co, cv
...................................... , ......... ,.! .................................................. > .................................................. ........................................... . .........

vns & vlts present, important extensive none

...... , ................................... , ....... ! .................................................. ......................................................................................................

vlts diss, vns present & mineralized present cc cv

.......... . ....................................... ..................... , ............................ .......... , ...................................... , .................................. . ..................

vns, vlts, diss present & mineralized present co, cv

.................................................. ............................. , .................... .................................................. .................................. , ................

diss vlts not reported + 5000 ft diameter cc

.................................................. .................................................. .................................................. ...................................................

vlts/J.vlts, diss one 500x 2500 ft pipe samearea.as intrusive cc cv

mineralized
.................................................. .................................................. .................................................. .....................................................

ND none NW horsetail zone cc

......... , ........................... ,, .............

....J'':'
''Ji'i
'"' i''............
i;'"''Ji''J
"' ; .............
' "'';';,'''i'' ..... cc
small mineralized
',; : :;::;:::: ::: :::: :: :::: ::: :::::::;;: ;:::J: '.:;:: ::::: ::::::: :: :::: :: :::: :::,:: ::::: :::::: :J::::;: :::::::: :;: ;::: :::; :::; :::::: :: t.'::; '-:: :::: :::: ::: ::;: :: ::::: ::;: ::::: ', :::: :::;::: :: ::: :::: :.

diss )//vlts present& mineralized present cc) cv

398 I. D. LOWELL AND J. M. GUILBERT

associatedwith them, but evidence shows that ore to be relatedto contemporaneous and youngerfault-
depositionwas essentiallycontemporaneous with in- ing and uplift. Table 1 showsthat most of the host
trusion within the precisionof the I(-Ar technique. igneousbodiesare somewhatelongateand that dis-
Age dating of the Laramide-mid-Tertiary interval tricts with strongstructuralcontroltend to include
in the Southwestreported by Damon and Mauger pronouncedlyelongatestocks.
(1966) has indicatedtwo distinct pulses,one of Column7 lists the size of igneoushost rock out-
Laramideplutonicactivitybetween50 and75 million crops for each district, the numbershaving been
years ago and one of dominantlyextrusiveactivity taken from texts or measuredfrom geologicmaps.
duringmid-Tertiary time approximately30 million These dimensionsare in part subjectto the same
years ago. uncertaintiesas the descriptionsin Column6. The
Table 1 includesagesfor depositsin British Co- dimensionsindicate that the porphyry copper de-
lumbia and South America as wall as southwestern positenvironment wascommonly developedin stocks
North America. Six of 27 depositsare of mid- or cupolaswith crosssectionsof well under a square
Tertiary age at 30-37 million years,17 are probably mile at the elevationof ore deposition. There ap-
in the Laramide range of 59 to 72 million years, 3 pear to be two host-rocksizepopulations,one group
are in the Jurassicrange of 122-143 million years, less than a mile squareand another smallergroup
and 1 deposithas a 200 million year Triassicdate. of very large dimensions.
Of the Southwestdepositsincludedin Table 1, all Mode of Eraplacement(Column 8).---These en-
are of Laramideage exceptthree mid-Tertiary de- tries adoptthe terminologyand tend to confirmthe
posits (Climax, Questa, and Bingham) and two conclusionsof Stringham (1966) regarding mode
Jurassicdeposits(Bisbeeand Ely), two of the mid- of emplacement. Stringham'scriteria are extended
Tertiary onesbeingporphyrymolybdenum deposits. to includethe additionalporphyry copperdeposits
The pattern for porphyry dates emerging in describedhere. Emplacementof the porphyrycop-
British Columbiaseemsto be one in whichparallel, per deposithost rocks is shownto be almosttotally
overlapping,northwest-trending brits of mineraliza- passive. This passivitysuggeststhat replacement,
tion increasein age from west to east. The single stoping,and assimilationwere more importantpro-
numericalage for a South American deposit in cessesthan shoulderingasideor othermanifestations
Table 1 is for Toquepala,Peru, at 59 millionyears. of forceful intrusion,and it also suggeststhe likeli-
However,geologicrelationships andrecentdatingby hoodthat both lateral and verticalpetrologiczoning
Chileangeologistsindicatethat many of the South might be more commonthan has been recognized.
Americandepositsare of mid-Tertiary age. Comparisonof Column 8 with Columns41 and 42,
Controllin#Structures(Column 5).--Column 5 the latter reportingbrecciationand shatteringspe-
lists attitudesof regional-scalestructuresthought to cificallywithin the orebodies,revealsthat brecciation
have controlledthe emplacement of the stocksand or shatteringare associatedwith ore depositionin
batholithsand hencethe porphyry depositsthem- every porphyrydeposit,evenwhere emplacement of
selves. Considerationwas given to local structure the host stocksis passive. This disparitysuggests
shownon publishedmine and district maps in pre- that brecciationand shatteringare themselves"pas-
paring Column 5, but many boundingfaults shown sive," and that they can commonlybe expectedto
on thesemapsare of postoreage or of multiple age be "blind," as they are at many southwesternNorth
suchthat their preore importancecannotbe deter- Americanporphyrydepositsand prospects.Force-
mined.Greaterreliance wastherefore placedupon ful intrusionand active, even explosivebrecciation
direct text statementsthan upon maps. Several as at Toquepalaand Braden are apparentlyrare.
authors commentthat the specificsof controlling Extensivemagmaticstoplng,assimilation,and meta-
structureswere obliteratedby the intrusionswhich somatismappearmechanicallyand kineticallyincon-
they guided. sistent with extremely shallow emplacement,but
Shapeand Size (Columns6 and 7).--The shapes moderatelyshallowenvironmentsmay be indicated.
of intrusions (Column 6), like determinationsof Porphyry molybdenumdepositsseem to show
their size (Column 7), are difficult to establish more evidenceof forcefulemplacementthan do por-
meaningfully,sinceboth have been affectedby in- phyry coppersin general. This evidence consistsof
ternal and externalvariables. Exposureof a pluton ring and radial dikes and doming of the layered
is certainlyaffectedby original depth and by post- rocks which sometimesoverlie the deposits.
intrusiontectonicand erosionalhistory. The Boulder Stock-Dike (Column 9).--Column 9 indicates
batholithhas been exposedfor tens of miles, and a that stocks and stocks with subordinate associated
large southernArizona batholith (Ettlinger, 1928) dikes are far more typical of porphyrycopperde-
has been inferred from the distributionof cupolas. positsthanare dikes,dike swarms,or brecciasalone.
The shapeand sizeof porphyryhostintrusionsseem This samerdationshipwas indicatedin Column6
 ALTERATION-MINERALIZATION ZONING IN PORPHYRY ORE DEPOSITS 399

where porphyry depositswere shownto be equi- will be consideredbelow. Dioritic rockscommonly

dimensional to oval rather than tabular or linear occurat intrusionmargins,as at Ajo and Mineral
bodies. Twenty-fourof the 27 depositsinvolveim- Park, with progressively more K-feldspathicrocks
portant stockdevelopmentand a high ratio of stock inward, a relationshipnot apparent in the table.
to dike forms. This distributionis consistentwith apparentfelsic-
Sequenceof Intrusions and Rock Types Mineral- componentenrichmentaccompanying potassicalter-
ized (Columns10 and //).--The sequences of in- ation near the central portions of some porphyry
trusion shownin Column 10 reinforceearly observa- copperdeposits.
tions (Buddington,1933) of the associationof cop-
per depositswith intermediateto felsicigneousrocks. Orebody (Columns12-19)
Except for generally late diabasedikes, no rocks Outward Shape (Column /2).--The porphyry
more mafic than diorite occur in the intrusions as- copperdepositsalmostall havecircularor oval cross
sociatedwith porphyry copperdeposits. Granodi- sections.At leastfour deposits haveclearlydefined
orite and quartz monzoniteand their aphaniticand low-gradecentersproducinga ringlike orebodyin
hypabyssalequivalentsoccur in almost all of the plan. The vertical dimensionsof hypogenemin-
porphyrycopperdeposits,with more felsicvariants eralization in most depositsare unknown; however,
common to the porphyry molybdenumdeposits. the tabulatedhypogenemineral bodiesseemto fall
Most papers consultedin preparing Table 1 give into three general configurations.
specificsequencesof intrusive events and igneous 1. Seventeendepositshave a steep-walledcylin-
rock compositions, but uncertainfield relationships drical shape. Two deposits(Cananeaand Toque-
coupledwith paucityof radiometricage determina- pala) approximatelycoincidewith brecciapipes.
tions seldompermit unequivocal identification
of the 2. Sevendepositshave stubbycylindricalor flat,
beginningand endingof the magmaticepisodethat conicalforms,as do all three of the porphyrymolyb-
involved ore mineralization. Much older and much denurndeposits.
youngerrocks,as describedin the appropriaterefer- 3. Three deposits(Inspiration,Ely, and Safford)
ences, are excluded. Column 11 shows that all of have a gently dipping,tabular shape,perhapsrepre-
the intrusive rocks of Column 10 are mineralized sentinga depositsimilar to (2) following a preore
in 22 of the 27 depositstabulatedand the youngest structureor postoredisplacement, or theymay repre-
intrusiveunit is mineralizedin 2 of the remaining5. sent a separate type.
Columns 10 and 11 show that the sequenceis Boundaries(Column13).--In all of the deposits
generally from dioritic to monzoniticrocks, com- studied,the orebodyboundariesare at least in part
monly with late latitic to rhyolitic or "quartz por- gradationalor "assaywall" boundaries. All have
phyry" intrusions. Typically, all of theseare min- beenintersectedby a postoreerosionsurface. Eleven
eralized, showingthat mineralizationeither accom- are boundedby at least one postorefault. Two
paniedor briefly succeeded the emplacement of in- coincidecloselywith brecciapipeswhich are preore
trusive rocks. The association of porphyrycopper or contemporaneous with ore, and one deposit
depositswith intermediateplutonicrocksis impres- (Braden) forms a crude cylindricalshell surround-
sive but not as consistent as the association with ing a postorebrecciapipe.
porphyry in all 27 districtslisted. There has been Percent in I#neous Host and Preore Rocks
discussionin recent years as to whether the name (Columns 14 and 15).--In severaldeposits,100
"porphyrycopper"is appropriatefor the group of percentof the ore mineralizationis in igneoushost
depositsdescribedin this paper. The writers be- rocks (Butte, CastleDome, Copper Cities, Endako,
lieve that this associationis geneticrather than co- and Mineral Park). All containsomeore in igne-
incidentaland feel that "porphyry copper" is an ous host rocks, but most ore at Bisbee, Braden, Mis-
excellentdescriptivename for this unique and im- sion, and Ray is in wall rocks. Somethinglike 30
portant group of ore deposits. percentof all ore mineralizationassociatedwith por-
The lamprophyreor "late diabase"event is less phyriesoccursin wall rocks,again suggestingcupola
commonin the porphyrycoppersthanhasbeenpre- or at least high-levelenvironmentfor the porphyry
viously thought (Spurr, 1925). Late diabasehas deposition.
been reported in only 5 of the 27 districts. The Dimensions(Column16) .--Horizontal dimensions
general trend, clearly, is from dioritic plutonic to- of the tabulateddepositsrange from 250 x 1,200
ward more felsic hypabyssalrocks with all rock feet for the La Coloradapipeat Cananeato 6,000 x
typesusuallymineralized. The degreeto which the 13,000feet for the Morenci deposit. Fringesof the
shift from dioritic throughgranodioriticto monzo- difficult-to-limitButte district may reach to dimen-
nitic rocks may reflect K-feldspar enrichmentby sionson the order of 20,000 x 50,000feet (only the
meansof potassicalteration (Peters et al., 1966) "porphyryequivalent"for Butte is cited in Column
400 ]. D. LOWELL AND J. M. GUILBERT

16). The averagedepositsize deducedfrom pub- genesilicatealterationphases. Nonetheless, super-

lisheddescriptions and mapsis a perhapssurpris- gene sericitehas been reported. Supergeneeffects
ingly small 3,500 x 5,000 feet. havebeeneliminatedfrom Table 1 whereveroriginal
Total Ore Tonnageand Grade (Columns17, 18, authorsprovideddescriptions whichwouldpermitit.
and 19.)--Of the 27 depositstabulated,13 are esti- Known Extent BeyondOre (Column20).--Col-
mated to containover 500,000,000tons of ore, 6 fall umn 20 records the stated or mapped extent of
between 100,000,000 and 500,000,000 tons, and 8 alterationbeyondthe outerboundaryof the orebody
containless than 100,000,000tons. These tonnage itself. These distances are somewhat uncertain since
estimates mustbe considered only approximate. differentobserversdrew the outer line on differing
Included in these figures are several deposits criteria. External alteration is narrow around the
whoseore grade dependson secondarychalcocite Bethlehem,B.C., deposit,a characteristic of many
enrichment.Averagegradeof copperore is 0.80% of the Canadianporphyrydeposits. Other deposits
Cu, and averagegrade of hypogenemineralization, show alteration extendingthousandsof feet, aver-
where this information is available,is 0.45% Cu. aging approximately2,500 feet. The higher num-
Twelve copperdepositscontainat least 0.5% Cu in bers probably represent merging of hydrothermal
hypogenemineralizationand 10 contain less than with low-rankregionalmetamorphic effects,the two
0.5% Cu. Molybdenumdepositsaverage 0.17% being distinguishedonly with difficulty. Signifi-
Mo in grade. cantly,detectable
alterationextendslaterallyan aver-
age of half a mile beyondthe orebodies,perhaps
Hypogene,dlteration(Columns20-27) more, since some authors drew the outer limit on
The next three sections,Hypogene Alteration the basisof "bleaching"and the presenceof sericite,
(Columns20 through27), HypogeneMineralization phenomenathat probably do not mark the true
(Columns28 through 35), and Occurrenceof Sul- outer limit.
fides (Columns36 through 42), have parallel or- PeripheralZone (Column 21) .--Alteration is de-
ganization so that the columnsfor each zone in a scribedin this zone for only five deposits. It is
givendeposithaveidenticalheadings. For example, generallyalongwell-developed structuresand is sel-
the innermost alteration zone at San Manual-Kala- dom well describedwith respectto associatedmin-
mazoo consistsof quartz, K-feldspar, biotite, and eralization. Where alteration mineralogyis given
minoranhydrite(Column25), andthe ore minerals it is of mixed affinity, dominantlypropylitic,with
(with amounts) are pyrite, chalcopyrite,molyb- sericitementionedat Questa. Skarn is describedin
denite, and trace bornite (Column 32). The sul- this zone at Morenci and Santa Rita. Skarn or
fides occur more commonlyas disseminations than tactite developmentis not as well reported in the
as veinlets (Column 40). literature as are hydrous silicatealteration assem-
It should be restated here that the table is based blages. It is well known that skarn zonesproject
as completelyas possibleupon publisheddescrip- into and apparentlydistort more normal zoningre-
tions, and these are hardly uniform in approach, lationships,and that many porphyrydepositsmight
detail,or eventerminology.Severaldepositdescrip- also be describedas contact-metamorphicdeposits.
tions were based on temporal rather than spatial Skarn can also apparentlypersistto the centersof
relationships;thesedepositswere enteredas earliest orebodies.
equalsinnermost,and so on outward. Several de- Outer Zone (Column 22).--Mineralogic notation
posit descriptionsinvolved separateand poorly re- is given for 20 of the 27 deposits,with "propylitic"
lated descriptionsof alteration, mineralization,and citedfor Ely, Nevada. Of these,18 includechlorite,
occurrence. We have made every effort to match 17 epidote, and 13 a carbonate (calcite in 11).
appropriatespatial and mineralogicaldata. Ques- Quartz is cited 7 times, sericite6, zoisite-clinozoisite
tion marks in the table generallydenoteuncertainty 5, kaolin 3, specularite2, montmorillonite2, and
of placementof the information rather than un- albite,hematite,magnetite,tourmaline,and ruffle(?)
certainty in the data. once each. By far the most commonassemblageis
The problemof distinguishing betweensupergene chlorite-epidote--calcite.
Mentionis seldommadeof
and hypogeneeffectsis important. Hemley and the replacedminerals,but the chief onesare amphi-
Jones(1964) curvesindicatesericitestabilityonly bole,biotite,and plagioclase(Fig. 12). This assem-
at moderatelyhigh K+/H + ratios at low tempera- blagehas affectedby far the largestvolumeof rock.
tures, an environmentconsistentwith (but not re- The chlorite-epidote-calcite
propyliticassemblageis
quiring) high pH. The extremdy low pH pre- alwaysoutsidethe ore zone and beyondthe phyllic
sumedfor activesupergene enrichmentzonesargues and argillic zoneswhere theseare present. Sericite
againstimportantdevelopmentof supergenesericite is commonlyreported even in outermostalteration
and indicatethe kaolin mineralsto be stablesuper- assemblages.Whether this mineral varies import-
 ALTERATION-MINERALIZATIONZONING IN PORPHYRYORE DEPOSITS 40i

antly in composition, and hencein stabilityfield and Innermost Zone (Column 25).--This column is
distribution,is yet to be shown. It has been ob- perhapsthe most surprisingof the hypogenealter-
served, however, in amountsranging from trace to ation data block. Potassicalteration, though rela-
moderate,and chieflyreplacingplagioclase, in some tively subordinatein the literature,occursat mostof
outer zonesnot reportedin Table 1. The distribu- the porphyrydepositsas eitheran early or an inner-
tion with respectto verticalzoningwill be discussed most assemblage or both. It is reportedas simple
below. quartz, K-feldspar,and biotite(?) only at Endako;
Intermediate Zone (Column 23).--This column as quartz, K-feldspar,biotite,and sericiteat 7 de-
describes predominantly argillicassemblages.Silici- posits,and as quartz, K-feldspar,biotite with chlor-
fication is clearly more important here than in the ite, albite, fluorite, anhydrite, or tourmaline at 8
outer zone, and the dominant minerals are quartz, more. Quartz, K-feldspar,and sericiteare reported
kaolin, montmorillonite,and sericite. Argillic as- at Silver Bell, and quartz with only K-feldsparoc-
semblages are discerniblein 22 of the 27 deposits, cursat Mineral Park and Questa. Quartz, phlogo-
if quartz-sericite-kaolinite(4 occurrences)be in- pite, and tourmalineoccurat Cananea,but the zone
cluded as argillic. Quartz is cited first in most may not be innermostthere. Quartz, sericite,bio-
assemblages.Kaolin is citedsinglyor beforemont- tite, and anhydriteoccurat Braden. Anhydrite at
morillonite in 17 of the 22 assemblages for which several localesis given in parenthesesin Table 1
dataare given. Three deposits havemontmorillonite whereit hasnot beendescribed in print. Specimens
zonally beyondkaolin, and 7 involve sericite. No of anhydritefrom Esperanza,Questa,San Manuel-
argillic assemblage is reportedin 5 deposits. Kalamazoo, and Santa Rita have been observed to
Inner Zone (Column 24).--Most of the quartz- swell the publishedoccurrencesat Butte, E1 Sal-
sericite (and pyrite) assemblages, the chief ore vador, Toquepala,Ajo, and Braden.
bearersof the porphyrycopperdeposits,fall in this The commonoccurrence of anhydritein the po-
inner zone column. The zone is reportedunequi- tassiczone indicatesthat (1) redox potentialsare
vocally to have a pervasivequartz-sericiteassem- considerablyhigher in the late magrnatic-deuteric
blageat 19 porphyrydistricts,a quartz-majorseri- fluidsthan the prevalenceof unoxidizedsulfur spe-
cite-minorK-feldspararray at 3 more,and a quartz- cies would indicate; (2) a high percentageof the
major sericite-minorkaolin assemblageat 3 more. total sulfur in the porphyrysystemmay be present
At Bradena quartz-sericite-biotite-anhydrite inner- as sulfate; and (3) high-temperaturehydrothermal
zoneassemblage gradesinto strongersecondarybio- reactions involving silicates, oxides, and sulfides
tite in the innermostzone. Only at Esperanza is must concernthemselveswith equilibria involving
a quartz-K-feldsparpair reportedzonallyoutsideof higher total sulfur than the net sulfide contents
an unusual quartz-K-feldspar-biotite assemblage. would indicate. It is also noteworthythat the con-
Creasey (1966) indicatesthat K-feldspar can be clusionof Lutton (1959) concerningdepositional
part of his quartz-muscoviteassemblagefound at continuumfrom pegrnatoidinto "porphyry"condi-
Bagdad, Bingham, and Chuquicamata. Creasey tions are supportedand that the elementsgrouped
states(1966, p. 62) "quartz-sericite-pyritewithout by Ringwood(1955) as "complexformers"of high
either a clay mineral or K-feldspar associatedis a ionic potentialare preciselythose found in major
commonassemblage that doesnot fit into any of the and trace minerals in the porphyry base-metalde-
three previouslydescribedalterationtypes. If clay posits,especiallyin the potassicalterationzone.
were present [as at Endako, Inspiration, and Mis- Other characteristicsof the potassic zone are
sion-Pima,wherekaolin is reported],the assemblage briefly describedby Meyer and Hemley (1963) and
wouldbelongto the argillicalteration,and if K-feld- Guilbertand Lowell (1968). Ore commonlyoccurs
spar were present [as at Bagdad, Bingham, and at the interfacebetweenpotassicand phyllic alter-
Chuquicamata],it would belong to the potassic." ation zones. The potassiczone is generallycentral
Sincethe assemblage appearsby far mostcommonly or deepest,or if a time sequence is discernible,it is
earliest.
as quartz-sericite-pyrite,the term "phyllic" is herein
urged as a specificterm. Advancedargillic alter- Zoning Sequencefrom Center and Bottom (Col-
umns26 and27).---The upwardzoningand outward
ation, involving chiefly pyrophyllite,dickite, and
zoningof alterationassemblages are seldomreported
topaz (Meyer and Hemley, 1968), is associated with as such,but their systematicentry by descriptionor
phyllic assemblages at Butte and Bisbee. It is not from map or diagramrevealsa significantsequence.
reportedelsewherebut may have escapeddetection. Seven,possiblyeight (the positionof phyllic al-
The phyllicassemblage of Column24 is the inner- teration at E1 Salvador is uncertain), of the de-
most exposedalterationassemblage in at least six positsshow alterationassemblages in the sameout-
districts. ward sequence:potassic,phyllic, argillic, and pro-
402 1. D. LOWELL AND ]. M. GUiLBERT

pylitic. Even wherecertainassemblages are not re- Outer Alteration Zone (Column 29).--This zone
ported, the remainingassemblages fall in the same generally correspondsto the propylitic alteration
order. Two deposits,possiblythree, show only zone, and mineralizationis generally restrictedto
potassicand phyllic zones,four lack only argillic, pyrite, although sparse chalcopyriteis generally
and six start with phyllic and includeargillic and present along with variable amounts of bornite,
propylitic. For a few depositsthe sequence is un- molybdenite,magnetite,specularite,rhodochrosite,
known. sphalerite,galena,and rhodonite.
Vertical sequenceof zonationis generallymuch Intermediate Alteration Zone (Column 30).--
less well known, so assignments can be made in This correspondsroughly to the argillic alteration
Column27 only for Butte, Climax,E1 Salvador,and zone,and the bulk of mineralizationis usuallypyrite
San Manuel-Kalamazoo.Except for uncertaintyat with highpyrite-to-chalcopyrite ratioswhichaverage
E1 Salvador, the order is consistent with lateral 23:1 in depositsfor which figures are available.
zoning. Outwardand upwardzoningof the 27 de- Variableamountsof bornite,molybdenite, tennantite,
positsis mostconsistent with the sequence of potas- sphalerite,galena,enargite,chalcocite, and huebner-
sic,phyllic,argillic,andpropyliticassemblages. ite have been found in this zone. Hypogeneore-
An alterationassemblage has beennotedin sev- grademineralizationmay overlapinto this zone,but
eral localitieswhichconsistsof K-feldspar,biotite, generallythis zoneis outsidethe orebody.
coarsesericite,chlorite,and albite,accompanied by Inner Alteration Zone (Column 31).--This zone
moderate pyrite and chalcopyritemineralization. commonlycorresponds to the phyllic alterationzone
This groupdoesnot readilyfit the classification
out- and typicallycontainsabundant pyrite and high total
linedin Table 1, nor do the depositsgenerallyreach sulfidestogetherwith pervasivesericitization.Pyrite
ore grade. The writers are of the opinionthat this contentis not reportedquantitativelyfor most de-
representsa deep assemblage whoserelationshipto positsbut it appearsto averageabout 10 percentby
the mainporphyrysystemhasnot beenexposedfor weightfor the 27 deposits,or about 16 percent,ex-
study becauseof the geometryand large vertical cludingthe porphyrymolybdenum group,whichare
dimensions involved. relatively low in pyrite. Pyrite-to-chalcopyrite
ratiosaverage12.5:1. This zonecommonlyconsti-
HypogeneMineralization(Columns28-35) tutes the ore zone, especiallyin those depositsin
which chatcocite enrichment has occurred. The
As has long beenknown,hypogenesulfide-oxide principal"ore" mineralis pyrite, whichoccurswith
mineralassemblages are closelyrelatedin time and chalcopyrite,molybdenite,andvariablebut generally
spacewith silicatealterationmineralassemblages in small amounts of bornite, chalcocite,sphalerite,
porphyrydeposits. The designation of pyrite and enargite,and magnetite.
magnetite as ore minerals rather than alteration Innermost
AlterationZone (Column32).roThis
minerals,for example,appearsto be largely arbi- zoneis generallyequivalentto the potassicalteration
trary. zone and is usuallythe central zone. Total sulfide
In Table 1, sulfide-oxide
mineralassemblages have contentis low to moderatewith an averagepyrite
been described in Columns 28-35 with reference to content of about one percent and a pyrite-to-chal-
the same alteration zones as are described in Col- copyriteratio of 3:1 in the depositstabulated. This
umns20-27. The consistent sequence througheach zonemay reachore gradeand probablyaccountsfor
zone and from one assemblage to another outward most ore in solelyhypogeneore deposits. It also
from the centeris again significant. formsthe "low-gradecenter"in five deposits.The
PeripheralAlteration Zone (Column 28).roThis sulfidemineral assemblage is chalcopyrite,pyrite,
column describes metal occurrences that form a dis- and molybdenite.
continuous ring normallynear the outer edgeof the Overall Abundance ol Major Ore Minerals
propyliticzone. The depositstend to be small to (Column 33).In the porphyry coppers,pyrite is
mediumsize, althoughlarge lead-zincdepositswith by far the most commonsulfide,followed in order
or without preciousmetals occur in this zone at by chalcopyrite,bornite, enargite,and molybdenite.
Santa Rita, Bingham, and Butte. At least minor Molybdeniteis presentin all 27 deposits,a fact not
peripheralmineralizationis found in all 27 deposits previouslyrecognized.
studied. Arcuateclustersof minesor prospects sur- Zoning Sequencefrom Center (Column 34) and
round 23 deposits. Minerals commonin this zone fromBottom(Column35).Grading outwardfrom
are sphalerite,galena,silver,chalcopyrite, gold, and the centerof the deposit,the typicallateral minerali-
pyrite, and less commonly,specularite,enargite, zation sequenceappearsto be the assemblages(1)
famatinite,tetrahedrite,barite, varioussulfosalts,and chalcopyrite,
pyrite,bornite,molybdenite;(2) pyrite,
manganeseand vanadiumminerals. chalcopyrite,molybdenite, bornite; (3) pyrite, chal-
 ,4LTERATION-MINERALIZATION
ZONINGIN PORPHYRYOREDEPOSITS 403

copyrite; and (4) sphalerite,galena, silver, gold. itic alteration. Crackle texture is often less distinct
Apparent reversalswere noted in only three camps. near the center,particularlyif a potassicalteration
Information as to vertical zoning is extremely zone is present.
limited. Most depositshave beenexploredby mine
openingsor drill holes only to depths which are SupergeneSulfides(Column43)
shallowas comparedwith the probableoriginal ver-
tical dimensions. Tentative evidence from Twenty-three
13 de- deposits containsupergene sulfides,
and secondary
enrichment
was requiredto reach
positssuggeststhat typicallya pyrite-chalcopyrite- marginalore gradein 10. Supergene chalcocite
molybdeniteassemblage gradesupward into pyrite.
(andprobablyalsosecondary
digenite
anddjurleite)
An apparentreversalof this order hasbeenreported
in two deposits.
is presentwhereversecondary
sulfides
occurand
alwaysconstitutes the chief enrichmentmineral.
Covelliteis reportedin 12 deposits,
generallylow
Occurrenceol Sulfides (Columns36-42) in the enrichment blanket.
Hypogenesulfidesin porphyry depositstypically
form veinlets or disseminatedgrains. This habit Porphyry Deposit Genesis
is probablyrelated to the fact that cracklebrecciation The data of Table 1 and the inferences drawn
is presentthroughoutthe volumeof mineralization. from them, from the field, and from the detailed
Broadly,the porphyriesseemto be massesof homo- geologyof the San Manuel-Kalamazoodepositap-
geneousrock penetratedby reticulatefracturesand pear to supportthe orthomagmatic modeldescribed
mineralizedby fluids which soakedthe massrather earlier, althoughthe nature of the data and the
than beingconstrictedto tabularmassesor replace- scalefactorsare not suchthat the problemscan be
ments.
conclusively
resolved. The formationalmodelwhich
Occurrenceof Sulfidesby Zones (Columns36- appearsmost generallyapplicableis one of a dif-
40) .--A progressivegradationin sulfidedistribution ferentiationcontinuumas suggestedmany years ago
is noted in almost every deposittabulated. This by W. H. Emmons (1933) in his descriptionof
sequenceprogressesfrom veins in the peripheral cupolaformation. Near-surfaceintrusionof a melt
zoneto veinletsin the outer zone,veinletsand minor whichproducesrocksof intermediategranitoidcom-
disseminated grains in the intermediatezone,vein- positionis either a passiveintrusion as at Butte,
lets approximatelyequal to disseminations in the Santa Rita, and Ajo, or a dike swarm as at San
inner zone, and predominantdisseminations in the Manuel-Kalamazooand Safford. Responseof wall
innermostzone. The tendencyfor the increasing rocksto this intrusiondependsupontheir composi-
importanceof dissemination
towardsthe core may tion, their structural fabric, and the nature of the
result from metasomatism or recrystallizationof the intrusive melt. Cooling begins from the surface
rockand healingof veinlets. The absence of promi- downward,and gentle thermal gradientsare estab-
nentveinsin mostalterationzonesmay indicatethat lishedfrom higher temperaturesat depth to slightly
a cracklebrecciation zonebehaves as an incompetent lower ones nearer to the surface and outward. Min-
masswhich can not supportthrough-going fissures eralization and alteration chemistries are established
and veins.
with respectto thesegradients,chemistries that re-
BrecciaPipes and CrackleZones (Columns41 flect essentiallydeutericto late magmaticconditions,
and 42).--Breccia pipesare presentin 20 and are with potassicalteration yielding upward and out-
mineralized in 18 deposits.Toquepalaand Cananea ward through the phyllic zones (or the "zone of
are mineralizedbrecciapipesin whichore limits are feldspar destruction," Robertson, 1962) into the
nearly coextensive with the pipes. Toquepala,in zones of more typical hydrothermal alteration re-
particular,showsevidencethat the surroundingal- sponses. These gentle gradients presumablyhave
terationzoneshavebeentelescoped into a relatively a direct bearing on the large dimensionsof the
thin halo,and alterationassemblages within the ore- porphyriesand the coarselygradationalalteration-
body'overlap. The Bradenorebodyapparentlycon- mineralizationboundarieswhich they show.
sistsof a verticalcylindricaldepositwhichhasbeen We thus reaffirm on the basis of the published
penetrated alongits verticalaxisby a postorebreccia record that the porphyry copper depositsare the
pipe. results of a physical-geochemical continuum from
A well-developed cracklezone is presentin 26 low-temperaturemagmaticto "conventional"hydro-
depositsbut is largely absentin the skarn of the thermal conditions. The gradientsare reachedas a
Mission-Pimaorebody. Cracklezonesare usually result of cooling in an intrusive mass, and the
circularin outline and are alwayslarger than the alteration-mineralization zonal boundary interfaces
orebodies, typicallyfadingout in the zoneof propyl- appear to have been establishedas standingforms
404 .r. D. LOWELL AND J. M. GUILBERT

rather than as upward and outward advancingmega surfacesfor several porphyry copper depositsare
envelopes. Application of the Hemley-Jonesmodel shownin Figure 13. Morenci is placedhigh in the
of potassiumsilicate stabilities and alteration, as hypotheticalvertical section becauseof the wide
modified by Fournier (1967) and Meyer and exposureof the phyllic zone without exposureof
Hemley (1968), permits passagefrom essentially potassicassemblages.Several aspectsof Morenci
magmaticconditionsat depth to areas of higher geologymbrecciazones, the broad-scalealteration
hydrogenion concentrationand lower K+/H + and symmetry, and the occurrenceand distribution of
lower temperatureseither with time at a given point sulfidessuggestthat potassicalterationwill be en-
deep in the systemor through spaceupward and counteredat depth under the existingopen pit.
outwardat a given time. It is importantto note, It is alsonoteworthyhere that phyllic zonealter-
however, that an inner zone need not have been ation assemblages, with their high pyrite contentand
precededby the mineralogyand assemblages of an their profusion of veinlets and microveinlets,are
outer zone in a systemof decline,of lowering tem- chiefly responsiblefor the extensivedevelopmentof
peratures, or of shallow upward gradients. Vari- supergeneoxidation, leaching, and enrichment of
ation in the differentiation index of the intrusion southwesternNorth American deposits. This high
may well dictate whether copper or molybdenum level of exposureappearsto be the most common,
predominatesin the ultimate deposit,molybdenite especiallyin supergene-enriched deposits.
tending to be associatedwith more silicic variants. Recentpublicationson the Chinodepositat Santa
Rita, New Mexico, showthat an islandof low-grade
Conclusions material is being left in the center of the northern
portion of the pit area. This island of low grade
The foregoing summary forcefully demonstrates is symmetricallyand centrally disposedwith respect
that the porphyry copper-molybdenum depositsdis- to secondary K-feldspar,chalcopyrite, and pyrite dis-
play important unifying geologiccharacteristicsin- tribution as reportedby Nielson (1968, Figs. 6, 7,
cluding various lateral and vertical zones. The fact and 9). This "low grade island" may represent
of zoning is not new, but severalimportantaspects, the croppingout of a low-grade barren zone analo-
such as sulfide species,detailed alteration assem- gous to the central core at San Manuel-Kalamazoo.
blages,and the characteristicoccurrences of the sul- Lastly, Gilluly's (1946) descriptionof the Ajo de-
fides, is far more widespreadthan has previously posit involves much the same K-feldspar-biotite-
beenrealized. Indeed, a "typical"porphyrycopper chlorite-sericiteand magnetite-chalcopyrite assem-
depositcan be hypothesizedfrom Table 1 and is blagesand zonal characteristicsas those encountered
includedalong the bottom of the table. at depth in San Manuel-Kalamazoo. It appears
It is especiallynoteworthythat many,and perhaps possible,therefore,to assigna third dimensionto
most, porphyry depositshave coaxially cylindrical at least severaldeposits,and many others may be
alterationzones. Factorsthat limit the development assigneddepth parametersas further information
of discerniblesymmetryin porphyrydepositsinclude develops. For example,brecciationand ring diking
the following: may have significance in regard to depth of forma-
tion.
1. Regional or local structural fabric that may
produce asymmetry in alteration and mineral ore It alsoappearssignificantthat the major porphyry
zones. depositsof British Columbia (for example, the
2. Heterogeneousand contrastingcompositionof Bethlehemand Lornex deposits) occur in quartz
preore rocks, especiallythe presenceof sedimentary diorite, and the K-feldspathicrock typesreportedat
"screens." Ajo yield outward to a quartz diorite composition
3. Dislocationsof the original geometryby fault (Wadsworth, 1968). The evidenceconcerninglarge-
displacementor by postoreintrusions. scalemetasomatism of rocks,generallywith attendant
4. Exposureof the porphyry systemlaterally and enrichment in K-feldspar and quartz as described
at depth. at Bingham Canyon by Stringham (1956), may well
prove to be more generalthan is now realized. The
The vertical dimensioninterpreted for the San alterationassemblages, mineralizationcharacteristics,
Manuel-Kalamazoosystemis on the order of 8,000- and occurrence of sulfides at Bethlehem and Lornex
10,000 feet. No definiteevidencesuggeststhat this are consistentwith deepexposure,and we may see
vertical dimensionis either typical or normal, but now exposeda relatively deep-seated porphyry en-
the mineral assemblages typical of different vertical vironment. The fact that thesedepositsalso involve
zonesin San Manuel-Kalamazooappear to be use- quartz diorites rather than granodioriteor quartz
ful in estimatingthe depth of formation of several monzonitesmay be another manifestationof the
deposits. These "depth levels" of presentexposure vertical dimensionin porphyrydepositgenesis.
 .dLTERATION-MINERALIZATION
ZONINGIN PORPHYRY
ORBDEPOSITS 405

SAN MANUEL FAULT

KALAMAZOO
[1
SEGMENT
SAN MANUEL
SEGM
ENT.._?

PROPYLITIC'
Chl
-Epi-
Carb
Adul
- AIb
PHYLLIC
Q- Ser-py .'--.,.--,'-MORENCl,
BUTTE
/ \ MINERAL PARK,

ARGILLIC
\\ t
POTASSIC
t SILVER
BELL
BINGHAM, SANTA RITA
Q- Kool- Q- K- fel- Bi-
+ser + onh
Chl

t
ADO,(BETHLEHEM
?)
t
t
!
ChI-Ser-

Epi-
Meg
Fro. 13. Schematicdrawingof San Manuel-Kalamazooshowingexposurelevelsof severalporphyrycopperdeposits. Other
depositscouldbe added,but thesefew serveto showa vertically developeddimension.

A growing body of data indicatesthat the por- enormoushalos of pyrite-sericite-quartzhydrother-

phyry deposit minerals may form at depths as mal alterationto "dry" depositswith relativelylow
shallowas 5,000-10,000 feet. Facts supportingthis sericite-pyritecontent. Althoughperhapsthe terms
conclusion are (1) the occurrenceof porphyryrocks are too casual, "wet" and "dry" refer to the net
in all 27 depositsof Table 1; (2) the cutting of all apparentabundance, involvement, and permeationof
depositsby postoreerosionsurfaces;(3) the wide- a mineralizing-alteringfluid. Concentriczoning is
spread occurrenceof brecciation(even though the also presentin "dry" deposits,but it is telescoped
host intrusions are usually passively emplaced); laterally into a small fraction of the halo thickness
(4) the location of 14 depositsin Cretaceousor of the "wet" type. The "wet" type is represented
youngerpreorerockswhile the intrusionsthemselves by mostof the Southwest deposits,suchas Bingham
are of late Cretaceousor youngerage; (5) regional and 7Morenci,and includesmost of the large por-
structural-stratigraphic
considerations;and (6) the phyry copper deposits. The "dry" type is repre-
common occurrenceof porphyry-ore-formingen- sentedby many of the British Columbiadeposits,
vironmentsin cupola-likestockslessthan one square suchas Bethlehem,and includesmany of the hypo-
mile in area at the ore-forming elevation. gene ore-gradeporphyrycoppers.
Deposits seemto range from "wet" types having The most distinctivefeature of the porphyry de-
ratios and surroundedby positsis simplytheir huge size as comparedwith
high pyrite-to-chalcopyrite
406 .L D. LOWELLAND J'.M. GUILBERT

other hydrothermal ore deposits.Includingore- that the integratedmodelof verticaland lateral sili-
grademineralization andsurrounding alterationand cate-oxidealteration,sulfidemineralization,
and sul-
mineralization,they assumedimensions more com- fide occurrence characteristicsin the porphyryde-
monlyassociated with stocksthanwith oredeposits.positsmay be usefulto economic geologists
both
Thebulkshapeof porphyrydeposits reflectslarge- explorationally
and scientifically.
scalestructuralcontrolof mineralization and may
also be relatedto the originaldepthof formation. Acknowledgments
Flat-tabular,cone,and flat-dippingtube-typede-
positsmay representrelativelyshallowdepth of The writerswishto expresstheir appreciation to
formation wheresteepenvironmental gradients pre- their many colleagues whose discussion and com-
vail. Steep,columnardeposits with long vertical ments have contributedto this paper, to L. B.
dimensions and little brecciation seem to indicate Gustafson, James'Gilluly, andT. W. Mitchamwho
relativelygreat depthof formationand gentleen- reviewedthe manuscript, and to H. R. Hauck, M.
vironmentalgradients. T. Wolf, and B. Townsend for their assistancein
preparingthe manuscriptand illustrations.
Brecciapipe deposits,suchas Toquepala,with
only thin alteration halos and with evidenceof vio- 5211 N. ORACX.E,
lent emplacement, are clearly representative
of a TucsoN, ARIZONA,
AND
differentgenesis
in whichthemineralizersmayhave
evolvedsuddenlyin a moreor lessopenvent with DEPARTMENTOFGEOLOGY,
relativelysteeppressuregradients. Examplesof UNIVERSITYOFARIZONA,
TUCSON,ARIZONA,
blind mineralizedbrecciapipesat Cananea,Pilares,
December19, 1969; March 16, 1970
and elsewhereindicate, however, that mineralized
brecciapipesneednot necessarily
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