EconomicGeology

Vol. 86, 1991, pp. 1206-1221

The EpithermalGold-SilverDeposit of Choquelimpie,Northern Chile

H. GROPPER,M. CALVO, H. CRESPO,
Sociedad Contratual Minera Vilacollo, Avertida Santa Matra N., 2659, Atica, Chile

C. R. BISSO,
ShellChile S.A.C.L,Casilla4, Correo9, Santiago,Chile

W. A. CUADRA,
ShellSouthAfrica (Pty.) Ltd., 51 PleinStreet,2001Johannesburg,
SouthAfrica

P.M. DUNKERLEY,*
C(a. Minera Dayton de Chile Ltda., Balmaceda1691, La Serena,Chile

AND E. AGUIRRE

CodelcoChile, DivisidnE1 Teniente,DepartamentoGeologfa,Alto Col5n, Rancagua,Chile

Abstract

The Choquelimpiegold-silverdepositislocatedat an elevationof 4,860 m abovesealevel,

115 km dueeastof Aricain northernChile.A 5,500-metric-ton/dayopen-pitmine-heapleach
operationwasbroughton streamin 1988 by the SociedadContratualMinera Vilacollo,whose
shareholdersare Shell Chile, Westfield Minera, and Citibank.
The depositis locatednear the Arica bend of the SouthAmericancontinent,where the
earth's crust has a thickness of more than 70 km. It lies in a belt of calc-alkalic to alkali-calcic
Mioceneto Recentvolcanismwhichrunsparallelto the Pacificcoastandcontainsa seriesof
volcanic-hosted preciousmetaldeposits.Thesehavebeenworkedin Peru,Chile, andBolivia
sincethe time of the Spanishconquest,usuallyfor Ag but alsowith locallyimportantAu
values.These depositsare characterizedby Ag-Au-Pb-Zn.
The volcanohostingthe mineralizationis a subalkalic
stratovolcano of lateMioceneage;a late
magmaticeventhasbeendatedat 6.60 q- 0.20 Ma. The volcanoislocatedat the intersection of
a major N 60 ø E-trendinglineamentwith a N 35ø E fault, activefrom the late Mioceneto the
Recent. The volcano consists of dacitic and andesitic volcanic flows and breccias and is intruded
by dacitedomes.Erosionof its centralpart hasexposeda zoneof hydrothermalalterationand
mineralization
centereduponanandesitic feldsparporphyry,whichisprobablya dome.
Mostof the mineralization
workeduntilrecentlycamefromnarrowargentiferous veins,but
thepresentoperationiscenteredona seriesof hydrothermalbrecciabodiesemplacedin a N 60ø
E-trendingzone2 km long.
Peripheralto the mineralizedzone,propyliticalterationexists,gradinginwardto a sericite-
pyriteassemblage. Towardthe brecciabodiesthisassemblage is overprintedby silicification
as-
sociated withbasemetals,pyrite,kaolinite,andbarite.Thebreccias themselvesandsomeadjacent
lithologiescontainpreciousmetalspecies including nativeAu andAg,electrum,andargentite.A
final stageof mineralization
is represented by baseandpreciousmetalsin veinswhichcut the
breccias.Oxidationhasproducedsupergene enrichment of Ag,but probablynotof Au.
Limited fluid inclusiondatafrom structuresperipheralto the brecciabodiesindicateho-
mogenization temperaturesrangingfrom 213ø to 305øC. Salinitiesare below5 wt percent
NaC1equiv.Samples fromonelocationshowevidenceof boilingat a minimumdepthestimated
as300 m belowthe paleowatertable.
Basedon the availableevidence,Choquelimpieis interpretedas a volcanic-hosted, acid
sulfate,epithermaldeposit.It isassociated with anAg-Au-Pb-Zn metallogenicprovincewhich
contrasts with the MaricungaandE1Indio Au-Ag-Cu-Asprovincesof centralChile.

Introduction in Parinacotaprovince, in Region I of Chile, some

115 km due eastof the regionalcapital,Arica, 35 km
THE Choquelimpiegoldmineis ownedandoperated eastof the provincialcapital,Putre, and 20 km west
by SociedadContratualMinera Vilacollo.It is located
of the border with Bolivia (Fig. 1). The mine and
* Present address: 4 Hazlewood Drive, Bourne PE10 9SZ, neighboringzonesof hydrothermalalterationare sit-
England. uatedwithin the erodedChoquelimpiestratovolcano

0361-0128/91/1265/1206-1653.00 1206
 CHOQUELIMPIE
Au-Ag
DEPOSIT 1207
!
72 ø 68 ø
EPITHERMAL DEPOSITS
ß
2 PERU
ß CHOQU ELIMPIE
ARCATA
ORCOPAMPA
CAiLLOMA
CACACHARA
LOCURA
NEGRtLLOS
-16 ø 16o CARANGAS
TODOS SANTOS

PORPHYRY COPPER DEPOSIT

i CUAJONE
li TOQUEPAL A
iii MOCHA

k BOLIVIA iv Co. COLORADO

v QDA. BLANCA
...•t •'i COLLAHUASI
vii OUELLAVECO
•ii! STA. ROSA
ix Co, VERDE
x CHAPI
PUTRE I xl SAN JOSE
x• STA CATALINA

2O ø
--20 ø
iv• -'"!

72 ø 68 ø

FIG. 1. Locationof Choquelimpieand other epithermalpreciousmetal depositsand porphyry

copper depositsin the Chile-Peru-Boliviaborder area.

at 4,860 m abovesealevel at lat 18ø18'19"Sandlong first half of 1987 demonstratedthe presenceof a re-
69ø16'4ff ' W. serve totaling 6.7 million metric tons of oxide ore at
Silver veins were intermittently mined by the gradesestimatedas 2.23 g/metric ton Au and 87 g/
Spaniardsand there is a referenceto them dated about metricton Ag within a mineralresourcetotalingover
1643 (E. Veliz, pers. commun.).Documentationof 11 million metric tons (Mining Journal,1987). As a
mining activitiesis available for the period 1883 to result the companyexercisedits option in October
1930. Productionpeakedaround1920, when the Ar- 1987, Citibank and Westfield Minerals farmed into
ica Mining Company mechanized vein extraction. the property,and a 3,000 metric ton/dayheapleach
Between 1960 and 1976 various projects were plant wasbuilt alongsidethe mine during 1988. Pro-
plannedto treat the old sulfidicdumpsby flotation ductionhassincebeen expandedto about5,500 met-
for recoveryof their considerablesilvervalues,but ric tons/day.
nonecameto fruition.With the risein silverandgold The only knowndescriptionof the old workingsis
pricesaround1980, however,a localcompanybegan by Venables(1926). Mario Pinto (unpub.rept., 1968)
shippingmaterialfrom the dumpsto a flotationplant firstrecognizedthe bulk miningpotentialof the area
in Arica and later expandedits activitiesto include and Mario Sanchez(1970) describedsilicification,
gold-silveroreswhich it extractedfrom smallopen pyritization, and kaolinizationof breccias.Geologic
pits and treated in a heap leach plant located some studies carried out in connection with evaluations
60 km from the mine at a lower elevation.Total pro- madeby the presentownersform the basisfor this
ductionby all previousoperatorshasbeen estimated paper.Amongthesestudies,Sillitoe(1985) first de-
at 1.5 metric tonsof gold and 200 tonsof silver. scribed the mineralization in terms of modern epi-
At the end of 1985, Shell Chile signedan option thermal modelsand Cuadra et al. (1986) carried out
to buy Choquelimpie.Explorationin 1986 and the the first detailed mapping.
1208 CRd•PPER
ET AL.

18ø00'00"

From= AGUIRRE

SEDIMENTS VOLCANICS

Quaternary
- Recent
unconsolidated oJ---•
Holocene
Patinacote avalanche deposit

Pleistocene
Glacial morainls ^J•-•Pleistocene-Holacene
Basaltic andesltes-dacites,
,gnimbrltes

~•--•-j
Pleistocene.
with
Igni
robrite.
Flaw
s
lacultrlne intercalations

Unconfarmity
• Pliocene-
Pleistocene
Reactivated stratavolcanoes

Miocene
Louts
Formation v•-•-1Andesitic-
Miocene
complexes
dacitic volcanic

Angular UncanformJty

.•j--•Lower
Tertiary
Skeletal
volcanoes
• Lower Tertiary
Rh•)li•i.O.
and ....
anaeel•C ignlm orlvsS
Lower
Tertiary
Chucal
For ma lion
Lo•er Tertiary
."1• Lupica
Formation

Lineaments
Lakes
(• Volcanic
Centers
and caldera
International frontier
( Locution
appraximate

FIG. 2. Regionalgeologicmap of the Choquelimpiearea.

 CHOQUELIMPIE
Au-Ag
DEPOSIT 1209

RegionalGeology to Holoceneage (W6rner et al., 1988) and form the

mostimposinglandformsin the area;their ice-capped
Choquelimpieis oneof a seriesof epithermalmin- summitsattain 6,500 m above sealevel. Parinacotais
eral depositslying in a belt locatedat an altitudeof a stratovolcanowith five recognizederuptiveevents
3,600 to 4,600 m abovesealevel andrunningparallel rangingin agefrom 0.112 to 0.015 Ma. One of these
to the Pacificcoast.TheseincludeOrcopampa,Arcata, eventswas an eruption similarto that of Mount St.
and Caillomain Peru andTodosSantosand Carangas Helens and gave rise to a widespreadvolcanicava-
in Bolivia(Fig. 1), all of whichappearto be adularia- lanchedeposit.
sericite-typedeposits(W. Cuadra,unpub.data).All
arehostedby apparentlyMiocenevolcaniccomplexes Structure
developedon the exceptionallythick crust,>70 km The mostprominentstructuralfeaturesare faults,
(James,1971a, b), in thispart of SouthAmerica.The lineaments,and flexures,which in someinstanceshave
epithermaldepositslie eastof, but parallelto, a belt exerted controlson either the emplacementof vol-
of older porphyry copper deposits(Fig. 1). canoesor the presentmorphologyof the area.
Stratigraphy The Tignamarreversefault placesrocksof Tertiary
age over the Precambrianstrip located along the
With the exceptionof a narrowstripof Precambrian westernmarginof the Altiplano(Pacciet al., 1980).
schists(Pacciet al., 1980), which are caughtup in Numerous normal faults and lineaments have been
the fault zone which formsthe western edge of the detected,trending north-northwest,north-northeast,
Altiplano, all rocksin the area surroundingChoque- northeast, and north-south; the last mentioned are
limpieareof Tertiaryageoryounger(Fig.2) (Aguirre, high-angle,west-dippingfeatures that form large
1988). These make up sequencesof volcanicrocks blockswhichapparentlypostdatethe north-northwest
intercalatedwith a variety of continentaland lacus- structures.Folding is of minor importance.
trine sediments. The volcanic rocks either occur as
rhyolitic to andesiticignimbritesheetsor form iso- District Geologyof the Choquelimpie
latedor groupedstratovolcanoes of calc-alkalicto al- Volcanic Complex
kali-calciccomposition(Beeson,1989). The sediments Choquelimpieis a stratovolcano of roughlycircular
fill basinsdevelopedbetweenthe stratovolcanoes and shapewhichcoalesces to the northeastwith the Ajoya
comprisevolcaniclastic detritusof coarseto fine grain twin stratovolcanoof similar age (Fig. 3). The Cho-
size and local chemical or biochemical sediments. quelimpievolcanomeasures4.5 km northeastby 3.8
The oldestgroupof stratovolcanoes appearsto be km northwest.Its centralarea is deeply eroded,ex-
associatedwith ignimbritesdated at 19 4- 0.6 Ma (E. posing the mineralized core, with well-preserved,
Aguirre,unpub.data).They cropout principallywest outward-dippingwalls to the north, south,and east;
of Choquelimpieand are composedof andesiticand to the southwestthe wall has been breached by the
daciticlavas;strongglacialerosionhasoftenexposed Milluni Creek (Fig. 3). Dips on the flanksrangefrom
zonesof intensehydrothermalalterationin their cen- 30 ø to 70 ø .
ters. Larancaguais an exampleof this group(Fig. 2). The volcaniccomplexrestson the Altiplano and
A secondgroup of palcovolcanoes is alsoof Neo- has a maximum elevation of 5,300 m above sea level
gene age and displaysevidence of glacial erosion. anda lowestpoint, within the erodedcentralarea,of
They formprominentlandmarkson the Altiplanoand about 4,550 m above sea level. Within the central
include Choquelimpie;they too are of andesiticto depressionthree hills are related to porphyritic
dacitic composition.Amongthem are somelarge-di- domes; one of these, which reaches 4,860 m above
ameter craters (e.g., the Lauca caldera; Fig. 2) of sealevel, is Cerro Choquelimpie,the principalhost
probable collapsetype. The most important repre- to mineralization.
sentativesof the group and their K/Ar ages,as indi- A reconstructionof the stratovolcanosuggestsan
catedby W6rner et al. (1988), are Lauca(10.5 4- 0.3 originalmaximumelevationof the volcanicedificeof
Ma), Choquelimpie(6.60 4-0.20 Ma), andAjoya(7.06 5,600 to 6,000 m above sea level, similar to the ele-
4- 0.21 Ma). vations of the Pleistocene to Recent volcanoes in the
A third groupof stratovolcanoes
probablyformed region.
during the late Pliocenebut wasreactivatedduring
the Pleistocene.They are well preserved,and al- Volcanicstratigraphy
thoughglaciallandforms
areabsent,theirflankspre- The Choquelimpievolcaniccomplexrestsuncon-
serve thin moraine covers. The most prominent ex-formably on the Condoriri Ignimbrites which are
amplesare Taapacaand Guallatire(Fig. 2), each probablyof middleMioceneage(19 Ma) (E. Aguirre,
> 6,000 m high and with surfacenativesulfurde- unpub. data). The volcanicstratigraphysuggestsa
posits.The solfataraat Guallatireis stillactive. rather homogeneous magmaproductionof interme-
The mostrecentvolcanoesare of upperPleistocene diatecompositionduringthe life of the volcano(Bisso,
1210 GRd•PPERET AL.

18o15'47" •Caldera Ajoya

v v

v v

V v v

,•' v v
v

v v

v v v

v v v
v/ v IvV
v V
v v/ v
• V V V
0
1 ! • Km
,8o
•.1,
07#V• ¾ V

Geology , AGUIRRE, BISSO

danuery, IB89

•] Quaternary

NEOGENE

Feldspar porphyry I•-• Andesites

andandesitic
breccia
(CH-2)
Dacite domes ( CH -4) ,F-•--1
Dacitic
porphyry
and
docitic
breccia
(CH-$)
Dacites of Cerro Chivaque Siliceous
bodies
Dacitic autobreccia l['•'•
ß Argillic
alteration
Dacitic volcanic breccia (CH- I ) F• Volcanics
oftheAjaya
stratovolcano
PALEOGENE
Condariri
ignimbrJtes

/
Lineaments •',..•Topographic
limit
ofcentral
of
part
volcano

Normal
fault ...•..•'
Streams

Circular
structure • Choquelimpie
mine
FIG. 3. Geologicmap of the Choquelimpiedistrict.

1989). The five principalrock units,from oldestto timetricto decimetricdaciticfragmentsin a tuffaceous

youngest,are given here. matrix.The fragmentsare predominantlyof porphy-
Dacitic volcanicbreccia (unit CH-1): This is up to ritic texture. The unit is stronglyaffectedby sub-
200 m thick, trendsN 30 ø to N 60 ø and dips 20 ø to verticalfaultingandfracturingof generallynortheast
40ø N (Fig. 3). It coversan areaof approximately 4 orientation.
km2 in the central-westernpart of the stratovolcano, A possiblevariety of this rock is the daciticauto-
which is centered on Cerro Antena. The rock is made breccia which occurs at the southwest breach of the
up of 40 to 50 percentroundedto subangular,
cen- stratovolcano.
 CHOQ
UELIMPIE
Au-Ag
DEPOSIT 1211

Andesitesand andesiticbreccia(unit CH-2) : These termittentlyactiveduringthe entire volcanichistory

rocksform a homogeneous sequenceapproximately of the stratovolcano.
150 m thick which overlies the dacitic volcanic brec- A secondfault zoneof regionalimportancecrosses
cia and occupiesthe peripheralzonesof the strato- the volcanowith a N 35 øtrend (Fig. 3). Four Chilean
volcano,forming most of the crest of the cone. An- volcanoes of late Mioceneto Recentage(Choquelim-
desiticvolcanicbrecciaspredominateover flow rocks. pie, Ajoya, Parinacota,andPomerape)and a number
A dark gray aphaniticmatrix supportsangularfrag- of Bolivianvolcanoesare distributedalongthistrend.
ments of andesiticcompositionwith a porphyritic The Choquelimpiesegmentof the structureformsthe
texture. Hornblende,biotite, andplagioclaseare the contactbetweenrelativelyunalteredandesiticbrec-
principal phenocrysts.K feldspar and quartz occur ciasin the easternsectorof the volcanoand the hy-
sporadically. drothermallyaltered and mineralized rocks of the
Dacitic porphyryand dacitic breccia(unit CH-3): center.
These rocksform the uppermostunit of the volcanic There are additional fault directions of local im-
sequenceandoccupythe highestpeaksof the volcanic portance,i.e., N-S, N 75 ø, and N 330 ø.
rim. The rock is typically gray red, porphyritic,and All structures, togetherwith subsidiary
andparallel
locally exhibitsflow textures.Quartz eyes, plagio- faults, intersect within or close to the center of the
clase,biotite, and oxyhornblendeare the principal volcano eausing intensive fracturing and ground
phenocrysts. preparationin this area.
Dacite domes (unit CH-4): Four small intrusive A prominentcircularfeatureis relatedto the crater
domes are associated with a circular structure of 1.6- walls. $illitoe (1985) suggestedit is a smallsummit
km diam in the southern center of the stratovolcano. caldera,and Aguirre (1988) thoughtit might mark
Theserocksappearto cut the previouslymentioned the rim of a collapsedcaldera,but no associated py-
lithologiesandare daciticporphyriescontainingphe- roelastic rocks have been identified.
nocrystsof plagioclase,quartz,biotite, and oxyhorn-
blendein an aphaniticto glassygroundmass. Mine Geology
Of similarcomposition,but exhibitinga more dis- Lithologiesand alteration
tinct flow texture, is the dacite sheet at Cerro Chi-
vaque. This rock overlies altered and mineralized Lithologiesat Cerro Choquelimpie,the locationof
porphyriesin the center of the stratovolcano.The the presentopen pit, have been hydrothermallyal-
rockistentativelyinterpretedasa lavadomeandmay tered to suchan extentthat their originalcomposition
be related to a major fault. and texture are often difficult to determine. On the
Minor intrusions: Andesitic dikes cut units CH-1 basisof contactrelationships andanalysis of the nature
to CH-3 and appear to postdatethe alteration and of unalteredbrecciafragments,it is tentativelycon-
mineralizationeventsof the Choquelimpiedeposit. cludedthat the bulk of the rockwasoriginallyan an-
The dikesare up to 2 km in length,the principaldi- desiticfeldsparporphyry,perhapsan intrusivedome
rectionsbeing N 65 ø, N 75 ø to 80 ø, and N 340 ø. (Sillitoe, 1985), which probably postdatesthe vol-
They are madeup of a dark gray porphyriticrock canostratigraphic units(CH- 1-CH-3).
containingplagioclase(labradorite),hornblende,and The principal host rocks to mineralizationare
biotitephenocrysts in an aphaniticgroundmass. Apa- brecciatedfeldsparporphyries,polymicticbreccias,
tite, sericite,and magnetiteoccurin trace amounts. and late hydrothermalbreccias,which are described
A porphyriticdaciticpipe hasbeenmappedin the in detail below. These rocks have evolved from the
mine area. It is subvertical, measures 5 X 5 m, and porphyry by successivesuperimposedphases of
intrudes a N 35ø-trending, high-angle fault zone, brecciation,argillic and siliceousalteration,and su-
causinglocalbleachingof the fault gouge.The pipe pergeneleaching.Figures4 and 5 showgeologicre-
is distinctlymelanocraticand contains20 percent lationshipsandFigures6 and 7 showthe distribution
phenocrysts of plagioclase,hornblende,quartz, and of alterationin the main Choquelimpieorebody,as
biotite in an aphaniticmatrix.Magnetite,calcite,and known in May 1989.
apatite occur in traces.
Feldsparporphyry
Structure
This is a white to yellow rock exposedat the mar-
A major N 60øotrendinglineament--the Guaha- ginsof the presentopenpit. It alsooccursas metric
callalla-Chungar•--hasbeentracedfor morethan50 to decametric internal waste blocks within the central
km from the Choquelimpie stratovolcanoto the siliceousbrecciabodies.The rockischaracterized by
northeast(Fig. 2). This structureappearsto have completelykaolinizedfeldsparphenocrysts, up to 5
controlledmagmaemplacement,mineralization,and mmin size,andghostsof biotitebooklets,in anargillic
hydrothermalactivity,suggestingthat it hasbeenin- and silicifiedgroundmass.
Stronglysilicifieddomains
1212 GROPPERETAL.

E--3100
///////////

//////////
//////////

//////////
//////////
00%

•////////,

.9

,N=5900
LEGEND

D*IKE ROCK • FELDSPARPORPHYRh

HYDROTHERMAL
BRECCIA •
FAULTZONE
0 m 50
I I
POLYMICTIC BRECCIA ----- 0,:3õ/t Au ISOLINE
SILICIFIEDPORPHYRY • FAULT
BRECCIATED FELDSPARPORPHYRYA-A' CROSSSECTION

FIG. 4. Generalizedgeologicmap of the Choquelimpiemain orebody(May 1989).

of lightgraycolorareimpregnatedby hyalinequartz. spar.The rock may representan extrusiveequivalent

Feldspar phenocrystsin these zones are leached of the feldsparporphyry.
rather than silicified,forminga spongytexture with
Brecciatedfeldspar porphyry
voidsstainedby iron oxides.
Microscopicexaminationof this rock showsthat This rockoccursat the contactof feldsparporphyry
the first stageof hydrothermalalterationproduceda andsiliceoushydrothermalbrecciasandis character-
sericite-pyrite-qua•tzassemblage.Sericite replaced ized by a stockworkof light anddark graysilica(Fig.
the phenocrystsandmuchof the groundmass. Pyrite 8). The fragmentsare angular,more than 5 cm in
comprises1 to 10 vol percentof the rock, occurring size,andconsistexclusivelyof feldsparporphyry.Fine
as disseminations and in fine fractures.The quartz is disseminations of pyrite occurwithin the dark gray
almostentirely developedin the groundmassand is silicaveins,within the matrix, and in the phenocrysts
fine, dirty, and anhedral.Later supergeneprocesses of the fragments.In the oxidezone, iron oxidesfill
oxidizedthe pyrite and resultedin the formationof vugsand accompanysilicaveining.The typical gold
considerableamountsof kaolinite,jarosite,goethite, contentof the porphyrybrecciais between 0.5 and
and minor hematite. Locally, mineralizationis indi- 1.0 g/metric ton.
catedby the developmentof barite in vugsandfrac-
Silicifiedporphyry
tures and then the rock typically assays0.5 g/metric
ton gold. This rock is intenselysilicifiedandhaslostits orig-
Alongthe northwestcontactzoneof the porphyry, inal texture, exceptfor the preservationof ghostsof
a white, vitric tuff of very porous,pumiceliketexture someof the phenocrysts.The contact relationships
crops out. It is composedof a devitrified kaolinitic with feldsparporphyry and late hydrothermalbrec-
matrix with lithic clasts,quartz crystals,and crystal ciassuggestthat it evolvedfrom feldsparporphyry.
fragmentsof lessthan0.5 mm of kaoliniteafter feld- Silicified porphyry exposuresin the Choquelimpie
 CHOQUELIMPIE
Au-Ag
DEPOSIT 1213

FIG. 5. Generalizedgeologiccrosssectionsof the Choquelimpiemain orebody.

FIG. 6. Generalizeddistributionof the principalalterationtypesin the Choquelimpiemainorebody

(May 1989).
 1214 GR(•PPER ET AL.

E:2900 A'

•4•øw CROSS SECTION

-[-r• 81ucEous
ARGILI,.IC
ALTERATION
--4800m.•.• •.'P•,,. L • • CONTACT

--•)o .... IIII/'./11• •.•fil II IIII I1%1lill/lflllTIIIIIIIIIII •l•J I IIII I IJr/Ill II•111111J
I1' '

• ?-----'•
? WITH
SILICœOLI9 VEIN9

FIG. 7. Generalizedcrosssectionsof the principalalterationtypesin the Choquelimpiemainorebody.

mainorebodyzoneformdecametric, elongated bodies Typical gold gradesin the silicifiedporphyryare

of greatervertical than lateral extent.The rock con-
sistsof light and dark gray silica,which occasionally
displays bandedandschlierentextures,sometimes cut
by a late stockworkwithin a generallymassivehost
rock.In the oxidizedzone,locallyabundantfractures
are filledby kaoliniticclaysandiron oxides.The mas-
sive silica rock is in contactwith a vuggy siliceous
variety with more than 10 percent pore space(Fig.
9). The vugsare filled or coatedby jarosite,goethite,
and minor barite.
Microscopicallythe silicifiedporphyryconsistsof
secondary anhedralquartz,whichalmostcompletely
replacesthe originalgroundmass. Relicsof pheno-
crysts(10 vol %) are totally replacedby silicaand
clay minerals.The late stockworkconsistsof micro-
crystallinequartz or gray silica(60-80 vol %) con-
taining finely disseminatedpyrite, clear anhedral
quartz(20-40 vol %), andbarite, alunite,anhydrite,
andjarosite(0-5 vol %).
2.0 g/metricton.
Polymicticbreccia
This rock formsdecametric(Intermediosector)to
hectometricbodies(Vizcachassector)andis foundin
contactwith the late hydrothermal breccias.The light
gray-colored,matrix-supported brecciais of hydro-
thermalorigin.The fragmentsare subroundedto an-
gular, and their size variesfrom 1 mm to 1 m (Fig.
10). Most of the clastsare made up of feldsparpor-
phyry, porphyrybreccia,cream-colored or dark and
light gray silica fragments.Feldsparporphyry and
porphyrybrecciafragmentsare argillized,silicified,
and pyritized to variousextentsand locallyexhibit

FIG. 8. Brecciatedfeldsparporphyry.Feldsparphenocrysts
are argi!!ized,the matrixis siliceous.
A graysilicastockworkcon- FIG. 9. Silicifiedporphyryexhibitingdelicatelybandedsilica
tainsfinepyritedisseminations.
Vugsare coatedwith goethite, texturein the lowerpart.Vuggysilicain the upperpartisprobably
jarosite, and silica. causedby acid leaching.
" CHOQUELIMPIE
Au-Ag
DEPOSIT 1215

with much silicification of both the clasts and matrix

and, typically, the presencebf large open spaces.
Thesereachseveraldecimetersin size, are lined by
pyrite, and filled by thin massesof white kaolinite,
crystallinebariteplatesup to 6 cmlong,andraregray
sulfide crystals,probably enargite. In the oxidized
zone,kaolinization ismuchmoreintenseandthevugs
containmillimetricclastsof silica,goethite,andja-
rosite, sometimesforming crystalsup to 0.4 mm
across.The barite crystalsmaybe entrustedby sev-
eral, locallycolloform,millimetriclayersof jarosite,
goethite,and hematitesomeof whichhavesuffered
a final,probablysupergene,leachingleavinga deli-
cate boxwork of kaolinitc and hematite with traces of
.-• •, • silica.
Typicalgoldvaluesin the late hydrothermalbrec-
cia are 2.0 to >5.0 g/metric ton.
Orebodies

. Two typesof mineralizationhavebeenworkedat

Choquelimpie, siliceousveins and hydrothermal
FIG. 10. Polymicticbreccia.Coarsevoidshavebeenproduced brecciabodies.Until 1926, productioncame both
by removalof polymicticclasts. fromveinsanda sulfidebrecciastockwork;
all present
productioncomesfromoxidizedbrecciabodies.
concentricalterationrims. Someargillized feldspar Vein mineralization
phenocrystscontaintracesof alunite.
The matrixis composedof white rockflour,a white The vein mineralizationwasof interestexclusively
clayaggregate,andlight anddark graysilicacontain- for its silvercontent.Over a 12-monthperiodin 1925
ing finely disseminatedpyrite. The siliceoussectors
sometimesexhibita fine banding.Millimetric to cen-
timetrio vugsin the fragmentsand matrix give the
rocka highporosity.In the oxidezone,vugsare often
filled or entrustedby jarosite,goethite,silica,and
minor hematite.
In the Vizcachas sector, northeast of Cerro Cho-
quelimpie (Fig. 11), the polymicticbreccia is the
principalhostrock to mineralization.Here, in addition RIklO
HUNDIMIENTO
to kaolinitc or sericite and silica,alunite is alsoa com-
monalterationmineral,occupyingvugstogetherwith
silica, orpiment, and realgar, or replacingfeldspar
phenocryststogether with silicaor kaolinitc.
CERRO
Goldgradesof thepolymicticbrecciavarytypically
between0.75 and 2.0 g/metric ton.
Late hydrothermalbreccia CHIVAQUE
•$ANTANA

Thesebrecciasform elongatedbodies,with a ver- FIG.4

tical extent exceeding100 m, and are related to ANIMITA

deeply oxidizedtroughsin the main Choquelimpie

ESPANOLA
orebody.Due to the abundanceof iron oxidesin frac-
tures and vugs, the rock is typically stainedred, • • Faults
brown, and yellow on the surface.The late hydro- 0
I i I
EOOrn

thermal breccia is similarto the polymicticbreccia

and is often flankedby it, but it hassufferedone or
more additional hydrothermal events. The rock is FIG. 11. Locationmapof the mainmineralizedbodiesat Cho-
characterizedby intensefracturingandbrecciation, quelimpie.
1216 GROPPERET AL.

to 1926, ore with a headgradeof 240 g/metricton zonebutby hypogene

illite-smectite
in theunderlying
wasminedfromthe veinsandhandcobbedto produce primary zone.
a shippingproductgrading1.28 kg/metricton silver Faults, markedby slickensides and gouge,are
and 31 percent lead. Typical richer ore assayed6.7 commonin the argillizedbreccia,whichappearsto
percentlead, 0.9 percentcopper,6.6 percentzinc, haveactedasa stressguidebecauseof its enhanced
490 g/metricton silver,andtracesof gold(Venables, ductilityascomparedwith that of adjoininglitholo-
1926). gies.
Mineralizedveinsare arrangedin a crudelyradial The mineralizedbrecciabodiestypicallymeasure
pattern aroundthe southwest,south,southeast,and several tens of meters on surface, extend to 150-m
eastern sides of the central sector of the stratovolcano. depth, and are of irregularshape,often elongated
The principalstrikedirectionsare N 10ø, N 70 ø, and alongN 60 ø and N 330 ø directions.At Cerro Hun-
N 300 ø. The veins were worked to 80 m below adit dimientoandRajoHundimiento,funnel-shaped bod-
level (at an elevation of about 4,470 m above sea ies have been drilled which measure close to 100 m
level),almost400 m belowthe highestoutcropof the on surface,but reduce to decametric and metric sizes
principal mineralizedbrecciabody. The veins are over a vertical distanceof 30 m. Someof the breccias,
generallysubverticaland vary in width from a few however,narrowupward.Thepresentpit hasexposed
millimetersto 1 m, but locallywidento formsiliceous the Intermedio breccia over a vertical distance of 80
brecciabodiesseveralmetersthick.Mostof the pro- m, fromlevel 4840 (metersabovesealevel)to 4760.
ductionappearsto havecomefromthe southwestern On the 4760 level the mineralizedbody measures
sectorof the deposit,where severaldrifts andcross- 120 m across,on 4800 the body is split in two, ex-
cutswere developedon at leastthree levels. posedover20 and40 m, respectively.On the 4,825-
The vein mineralogyconsists of quartz,kaolinite, mbenchonlya silicastockwork ispresentandat 4,840
barite,pyrite,sphalerite,galena,copperminerals,and m onlyan intensefracturepatternindicatesthe pres-
silver-bearing mineralsincludingtetrahedrite,pyr- enceof a silicifiedandmineralizedbodyat depth.
argyrite,polybasite,minorargentite,andnativesilver Oxide zone
(Venables,1926).
Predominantly The oxide-sulfidecontactgenerallyparallelsthe
argillicalterationgenerallyextends
presenterosionsurfaceand variesbetweena 10- and
from the veins for distances of a few meters into the
wall rocksand mayhavebeen causedby supergene 40-m depthin feldsparporphyryhostrock.However,
oxidationof wall-rockpyrite. deepoxidetroughs,reachingdown130 m in the In-
Breccia bodies
termediozone,havedevelopedin fracture-controlled
breccia bodies.
Themaingold-silver mineralization occursinafault-
Mineralization
controlledbelt 2 km long,trendingN 60ø, andwith
a maximumwidth of 200 m. The principalmineralized Hypogene mineralization at Choquelimpie took
bodiesare,fromwestto east,the SanMiguelbreccia, placein severalstages,four of whichhavebeen doc-
the ChoquelimpieMain orebodycomprisingfive ma- umented (Bisso,1989). StageI causedwidespread
jor breccias(Intermedio, Fortuna, Abundancia,In- propyliticandsericiticalterationandproduceda cal-
glesa,and Zorro), the Cerro Hundimientobreccia, cite-chlorite-pyrite-hematite
assemblage;
thisismost
the Vizcachasorebody, and the Rajo Hundimiento evident in volcanic units CH-1 to CH-3.
orebody(Fig. 11). Parallelto the maintrendand250 StageII producedimpregnationand fine veining
m to the southeast occur the mineralized bodies of of the centralfeldsparporphyrieswith pyrite, sphal-
Animita, Chivaque,and Santanaand 600 m farther erite, galena,and chalcopyrite,and perhapsa little
southeastis the mineralizedEspafiolatrend. pyrrhotite,somemagnetiteand arsenopyrite.Pyrite
The orebodies comprisebrecciatedporphyries,si- is the earliestspeciesand is often overgrownor re-
licifiedporphyry,polymicticbreccia,andlatehydro- placedby the others.Someof the galenais argenti-
thermalbreccia.Individualbodiesalongthe N 60ø ferous.Sulfidesoccupyup to 10 vol percentof the
trend form topographichighsup to 30 m abovethe rock, occurringas fine disseminations or millimetric
generalbase.They are hostedby argillicfeldspar veins.Kaolinizationoverprintedthe earlier sericite,
porphyrywhich wasfirst thoughtto be a fault zone andbarite is an additionalganguemineral.
breccia.However,Sillitoe(1990) suggests that the Goldand silverappearto be almostentirelyasso-
argillized,brecciatedporphyrymaybe a postmineral ciatedwith late stagesof mineralization.StageIII in-
hydrothermal breccia.Thebrecciaconsists
of angular cludesnativegoldandsilver,electrum,argentite,and
to roundedclasts,manyof andesiticporphyry,in an mineralsidentifiedasaramayoite(Ag2S'(Sb,Bi)2S3)
extremelyclayeyrockflourmatrix.Argillicalteration andschapbachite(PbS.AgeS.Bi•S3),associatedwith
is dominatedby supergenekaolinitein the oxidized plentifulpyriteandlesserenargite,tennantite,stibo
 CHOQUELIMPIE
Au-Ag
DEPOSIT 1217

nite, and tracesof lead sulfosalts.The accompanying foundexclusively

in theoxidezoneandtherearealso
ganguemineralsare barite,quartz,chalcedony, ka- arsenic-,lead-,andcopper-bearing silversulfosalts.
olinitc, dickitc, and a smallamountof alunite.Stages In general,silvergradesaresignificantly higherin
II andIII areassociated of hydrothermal the oxide zone than in the sulfide zone. The average
withepisodes
brecciationand silicification.Native gold occursin silvercontentfor 1,605 oxideore sampleswas78 g/
metricton comparedwith 9 g/metricton for 1,014
interstices,or as inclusionswithin the sulfides,par-
ticularlyenargite,and sulfosalts,suchas liveingite underlying sulfidesamples, andit is usualto find
(5PbSß4As2S3) andguanajuatite (Bi2Se3),butalsoin abruptchanges in silvergrades
acrosstheoxide-sul-
stibnite,formingparticlesof generallylessthan 10 fide interface.Despiteclearevidenceof supergene
t•mbutwhichreachamaximum of70 t•m.Latetabular silver concentrationby downward-percolatingsolu-
barite, a few millimetersto 6 cm in size,formedin tions, massbalance considerationssuggestthat this
openspaces contemporaneously with stageIII. maywell havebeen superimposed on a primarysys-
StageIV appearsto be the latesteventassociatedtem in whichsilvervaluesincreasedmarkedlyupward
with the hypogenemineralization process,forming asthe palcosurface wasapproached.
rare, narrow,subverticalveinsalongfracturestrend- Irregular zonesof silver enrichmentexistwithin
ingN 75øE whichclearlycutthehydrothermalbrec- the oxidizedpart of the main depositand it is fre-
sphaleriteand quentlypossibleto identifyhorizonswhichcontain
cias.The veinscontainnear-massive
minorgalenabut no pyriteandcarrybothgoldand unusually highvalues(averaging >300 g/metricton).
silver values. It is not known whether these post-
brecciaveinsare of the sameageasthe veinsformerly
exploited
aroundtheperipheryofthebrecciabodies. QUARTZ HOMOGENIZATIONTEMPERATURES
FREQUENCY
Supergene Processes 7

Oxidation
of the deposits
isthoughtto havebeen
causedby weatheringalthoughsomeobservations
havekeptopenthe possibility thatpartof the abun-
dantjarositeassociated
with the stageIII gold-silver
mineralizationmaybe of hypogeneorigin.However,
breccias below the zone of surface oxidation encoun-
tered only sulfides.The depth of oxidationis ex-
tremelyvariable,rangingfromjust a few metersto 195 205 215 225 235 245 255 265 275 285 295 305
130 m in someof the more permeablemineralized TEMPERATURE (øC }
breccias(Figs.5 and 7). The oxide-sulfide contact
zoneis usuallylessthan 1 m wide andfairly regular, I ZORRO
SILICEOUS
BODY
[-[-•-IANIMITA
SILICEOUS
BOOY
• ARGENTIFEROUS
VEIN
but alongstructuraldiscontinuities
rootsof oxidation
penetrateintothe sulfides.Althoughthereis a clear
colorchangeat theinterface,the oxidezonenormally
containstracesof unoxidizedpyrite encapsulated in
SALINITY
silicifiedbrecciafragments.
The hypogenemineralization containsabundant 6
FREQUENCY

pyrite andwide pyritichalosarepresentaroundthe

ore zone. Oxidationof pyrite producesacid condi-
tions,causingpHs of between2 and 3 and precipi-
tationof sulfates
in the localstreams.
Hypogeneka-
olinite and minor alunite are found in the sulfides un-
derlyingtheeconomic mineralizationbut muchof the 2

kaoliniteandalunitein the depositwasproducedby

weathering.The oxidizedpartsof the orebodiesand 1

pyritehalosaretypicallyjarositerich. 0
0 I 2 3 4 5
Native gold and silver are more commonin the
SALiNiTY (wt % NaCI equiv.)
oxidethan in the sulfidezone. Native gold occursas
inclusionsof up to 20 /xmin goethiteand jarosite,
I ZORRO
SILICEOUS
BODY
[• ANIMITA
SILICEOUS
BODY• ARGENTI
FEROUS
VEIN
which is concentratedin fracturesand open spaces
in siliceousbreccias.Traces of gold selenideshave FIG. 12. Fluid inclusiondatafor samplesfrom Choquelimpie
been observedin a goethitematrix.Chlorargyriteis (from Skewes,1989).
1218 GROPPERET AL.

These occur irregularly in the deposit, apparently Geochemistryand Fluid Inclusions

controlledby changesin lithologiesor structuraldis-
continuities. Leached rocks above zones of enrich- Major and trace elementanalysesand fluid inclu-
sion studies have been carried out on a small number
ment alwayscontainsomesilvervalues(typically 30
g/metric ton). No satisfactoryexplanationhasbeen of samples.The resultsprovide only a preliminary
proposedto accountfor the silver distributionof the characterizationof the geochemicalenvironmentat
deposit.There is no evidenceof supergeneenrich- Choquelimpie.
ment of copper, zinc, or other metals at Choque- Fluid inclusions
limpie.
Although gold values are above average in the Samplescontainingmeasurablefluid inclusions
deeplyoxidizedbrecciabodies,thisis consideredto could not be found in the main breccia bodies, but
be a hypogenephenomenon.The presentgold dis- three samplesof hyaline quartz with suitableinclu-
tribution appearsto reflect the originaldistribution, sionswere obtainedfrom peripheral zones(Skewes,
a conclusion supportedby the factthat above-average 1989). One of the samplesis from a siliceousbody,
goldvaluesin the oxidizedfaciesoverliesimilarvalues one from a vein, and one from a breccia matrix at
in the underlyingsulfidefacies.No consistentcor- Animita (Fig. 11). A total of 72 thermometricmea-
relationshavebeenestablished betweengoldandsil- surements of primaryinclusionswere carriedout (Fig.
ver distributions in the oxidized zone. 12). The salinitieswere determinedusingthe depres-

I I

UNITS

x CH -5

T BANAKITES
• POTASSIUM-RICH
0
ß
/x
ß
CH -4
CH - 3
CH -2
CH -1

•'POTASSIUM-R
Xt000
ANDESITES /X ß

RHYOLITES
ANDESITES

RICH
BASALTS

Ill •
/ ANDESITES
BASALTS
ANDESITES

BASALTS

II

I
I i I I I I r
49 52 54 56 58 60 62 64 66 68 70 78

SiOz% >
FIG. !3. SiO•-K•O plot for unalteredrock samplesfrom Choquelimpie.
 CHOQUELIMPIE
Au-Ag
DEPOSIT 1219

sionpointoficeandthehomogenization temperatures Major and trace elements

were not corrected for pressure.The conclusions
drawnare preliminaryandrequireconfirmation by a The hostrocksof the gold-silvermineralizationare
more detailed study. hydrothermallyalteredlithologies,whichhavebeen
Two typesof primaryinclusions were identified, subsequently modifiedby weathering. It hasnotbeen
onerich in vapor(<25% liquid)andonerichin liquid possibleto characterize the primaryandesitcfeldspar
(<20% vapor).The samplefromAnimitashowedco- porphyrybecauseno unalteredsampleshavebeen
existingprimaryinclusions of bothtypes,suggesting found.However, 23 unalteredsamplesof lithologies
that they were formedunderboilingconditions.Ho- of volcanic units CH1 to CH4 were collected from
mogenizationtemperaturesrange from 213ø to outcropsadjacentto the deposit,and 27 hydrother-
305øC and salinitiesfrom 0.5 to 4.5 wt percentNaC1 mallyalteredrockswere analyzedfor majorandtrace
equiv. No carbondioxidephaseswere observedin elements(Bisso,1989). Three kilogramsof material
The depthof the boilingsampleis es- wascrushedandpulverizedanda 100-gsplitwasused
the inclusions.
timatedto be 305 m belowthe palcowatertable. for analysis.
Major elementswere determinedby the

TABLE1. ComparativeWhole-RockandTraceElementAnalysesof MineralizedLithologiesat Choquelimpie

Comparativevalues
Highest Lowest
Elements Units value value FP FPS AHB SHBI SHBA SRCH

SiO2 Percent 90.80 64.00 1.1 1.0 1.3 1.4 1.3 1.0
TiO2 Percent 0.39 0.30 1.3 1.2 1.3 1.0 1.1 1.1
A12Oa Percent 15.13 2.97 5.1 5.1 3.1 1.0 1.2 4.1
FeaOa Percent 5.78 0.48 4.3 12.0 1.0 4.1 6.8 2.6
MgO Percent 0.73 0.08 9.1 9.0 1.5 1.4 1.5 1.0
CaO Percent 0.17 0.09 1.1 1.0 1.1 1.0 1.2 1.9
NaaO Percent 0.42 0.02 4.0 7.5 21.0 1.0 3.5 21.0
KaO Percent 6.79 0.16 35.7 42.4 1.1 1.0 4.6 20.1
MnO Percent 0.07 0.01 7.0 6.0 1.0 3.0 3.0 1.0
P•O5 Percent 0.35 0.13 1.0 1.2 1.8 1.2 1.1 2.7
LOI Percent 15.95 2.16 2.3 2.7 2.3 1.0 2.1 7.4
Au Ppb 34.955 0.197 2.4 1.0 17.8 5.4 13.1 3.9
Ag Ppm 274.25 1.37 1.7 1.0 200.2 30.1 147.9 62.2
Pb Ppm 2,201.67 211.67 1.6 1.9 3.2 1.7 1.0 10.4
Zn Ppm 445.17 11.00 1.6 40.5 1.0 1.3 3.0 1.8
Cu Ppm 135.17 8.25 1.0 11.2 1.3 6.6 16.4 2.9
Cd Ppm 3.00 1.00 1.5 3.0 1.0 1.0 1.2 1.0
Mo Ppm 22.00 4.00 1.1 1.3 1.0 3.5 5.5 1.9
Sb Ppm 237.20 24.00 2.9 1.0 5.0 4.8 9.9 1.5
Ni Ppm 34.17 1.25 1.0 3.3 3.2 24.0 27.3 11.2
U Ppm 3.90 1.40 1.2 1.0 2.8 1.1 1.3 1.5
W Ppm 32.00 2.83 1.3 1.0 11.3 4.3 8.8 5.5
Cs Ppm 52.00 1.00 28.3 52.0 1.0 1.2 1.7 1.7
Hf Ppm 5.00 2.17 1.4 1.0 2.3 1.2 1.1 2.3
La Ppm 34.00 12.50 2.6 2.7 2.7 1.2 1.0 2.3
Rb Ppm 265.00 10.00 17.0 26.5 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.6
Sc Ppm 10.88 3.42 2.6 3.2 2.3 1.0 1.6 2.5
Sm Ppm 5.50 1.58 3.0 3.5 3.0 1.2 1.0 2.7
Te Ppm 34.67 20.00 1.3 1.3 1.6 1.3 1.7 1.0
Th Ppm 8.85 3.76 2.1 2.1 2.4 1.0 1.2 1.8
B Ppm 8.00 2.00 2.4 1.0 4.0 2.7 1.4 3.5
Li Ppm 69.50 1.00 24.8 3.5 69.5 24.0 5.8 1.0
Yb Ppm 8.17 5.00 1.1 1.0 1.0 1.1 1.6 1.1
As Ppm 536.67 86.50 2.9 6.2 1.0 1.9 5.7 1.7
Ba Ppm 5,785.00 860.00 1.0 1.9 6.7 2.6 2.1 3.2
Br Ppm 8.50 1.00 1.5 2.8 3.0 1.8 8.5 1.0
Ce Ppm 65.50 25.00 2.5 2.4 2.6 1.3 1.0 2.1
Co Ppm 13.00 10.00 1.0 1.3 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0
Cr Ppm 248.33 61.50 1.0 1.0 1.2 3.4 4.0 2.6

Abbreviations:
AHB = argillichydrothermal
breccia,FP = feldsparporphyry,FPS-- feldsparporphyrywithsulfides,
SHBI: siliceous
hydrothermalbrecciafrom Intermedio,SHBA = siliceoushydrothermalbrecciafrom Abundancia,SRCH = silicifiedrock fromcerro
Hundimiento; LOI = losson ignition
1220 GR(•PPER ET AL.

low-dilution fusion method and plasma emission of the samefracturesystemwhichcontrolledthe as-

spectrometry.Trace elementswere analyzedby neu- centof the feldsparporphyry.In eithercase,the min-
tron activationor by plasmaspectrometryon aqua eralizationin the hydrothermalbrecciasis later than
regia extracts. emplacementof the feldsparporphyry, sinceit cuts
The unalteredsamples from andaltersthe porphyry.
rangepetrographically
normalandesitesand dacitesto potassium-rich vari- The breccia-hosted mineralization shows the char-
eties(Fig. 13) andshowa uniformcontentof major acteristics of anacidsulfatesystem(Healdet al., 1987)
elements.Accordingto Kuno'sclassification they are and is surroundedby a wide pyritic halo, formed
subalkalicin composition(Beeson,1989), rangebe- largelyby replacementof maficmineralsby sulfides.
tween 60 and 67 percentsilicaby weight,and have This sulfur-richsystemis probablytypical of those
low normative Ti and P values.The altered samples which are still formingnative sulfurdepositsin the
are depletedin oxidesof titanium,calcium,and so- areaby sublimationaroundsolfataras at elevationsof
dium andto a minorextentalsoin ferrousiron, mag- around 6,000 m near volcanic summits such as Gual-
nesium,aluminum,manganese, and probablyphos- latire. It is thereforelikely that someof theseRecent
phorus.However,theyare enrichedin silica(65-80 volcanoesare formingepithermaldepositsin their
wt %), potassiumoxide, and volatiles.The late hy- interiors.
drothermalbrecciais the mostalteredrock (Table 1). There is clear evidenceof variationsin hypogene
Amongthe alteredlithologiesthe moreargillicva- mineralogyamongthe differenthydrothermalbreccia
rieties containrelatively high valuesof Rb, Cs, Li, bodiesat Choquelimpie.One group is pyritic with
Ce, Th, Sc, and Sm, and the more siliceousrocksare economicallyimportant Au and Ag values,another
characterizedby highcontentsof Au, Ag, B, volatiles containsarsenatesandimportantAu but insignificant
(lossonignitionvaluesof upto 15 wt %),andprobably Ag, and a third groupcarriesimportanttrace values
Ba, Pb, Sb, Ni, Cr, and W. in Pb, Zn, Cu, As, Sb,Ag, andsporadicAu. This sug-
Discussion
geststhat mineralizationmayhaveoccurredin pulses
at differenttimes alongthe fracturesystemwhich
Accordingto the availableevidence,the mineral- providedthe dominantcontrolon the localizationof
izationat Choquelimpie wasformedby hydrothermal hydrothermalactivity.
activityin the centralpartof a stratovolcano
of sub-
alkaliccompositionand Neogeneage.Reconstruction Acknowledgments
of the land form of the volcanosuggeststhat it orig- We wish to thank the managementof Sociedad
inally had a height of 5,600 to 6,000 m abovesea ContratualMineraVilacollofor permission to publish
level, which is similar to the Pleistoceneto Recent this article.The undergraduatethesesof E. Aguirre
volcanoes
in the region.Mineralizationin the hydro- (Aguirre, 1988) andC. Bisso(Bisso,1989) were sup-
thermal brecciasis known from 4,860 to below 4,760 portedby ShellChilescholarships andtheirworkwas
m above sealevel, about 1,000 m below the original supervised by H. Morenoof Universidad
de Chileand
summit of the volcano. The extent to which erosion A. Skewes, who also carried out the fluid inclusion
had reducedthe height of the volcanoat the time study(Skewes,1989). Manyothershavecontributed,
when mineralization occurred is unknown. amongwhomwe wouldlike to mentionE. Veliz who
Massbalanceconsiderations of silverleachingand studiedthe historyof Choquelimpie,E. Coronado,
enrichmentsuggestthat silvergradesmay have in- H. Luengo,S. Araya, and P. Alarconwho produced
creasedmarkedly upward as the surfacewas ap- the line drawings,and P. Jamerrwho did the typing.
proachedby the mineralizingfluids,whoseflowwas Finally,our particularthanksare due to J. Ambrus,
focusedin and aroundbrecciasof hydrothermalori- R. Freraut,O. Ponce,andA. Fauneswho participated
gin.Surrounding thebrecciastheredevelopeda vein in the initial evaluationof the deposit.The manuscript
field, whosetemporalrelationto the brecciasis un- waspatientlyreviewedby R. H. Sillitoeandtwo Eco-
known. Limited fluid inclusion data from one vein nomic Geologyreviewers.
suggest that mineralizationtookplaceat a minimum
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 CHOQUELIMPIE
Au-Ag
DEPOSIT
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