High-sulfidation deposits SEG 2010

Lithocaps and high-sulfidation SEG: 2010

epithermal deposits
• Principal characteristics III

• Case examples and variations quartz-alunite

lithocap

II
dacite pyroclastics

volcaniclastic I
basement

Mankayan district, I. Low-grade, disseminated, oxidized or leachable ore (largely HS)

Philippines II. Medium-grade, unoxidized and refractory deposits (variable)
III. Structurally controlled, high-grade veins or lodes (both IS and LS veins)

Examples of epithermal deposits (w/ porphyry)

porphyry) Sl
Ya
• HS replacements (Cu-Au-As): Goldfield, Summitville;
Summitville; Sauzal,
Wa RMt
Mulatos; Quimsacocha;
Quimsacocha; Yanacocha, Pierina, Alto Chicama,
Yanacocha, Pierina, Chicama, Aruntani;
Aruntani;
El Indio, La Coipa,
Coipa, Pascua-Veladero; Chelopech, Bor;
Pascua-Veladero; Chelopech, Bor; Chinkuashih,
Chinkuashih,
Vi To
Lepanto,
Lepanto, Martabe, Sangihe), Wafi
Martabe, Binbase (Sangihe),

• Barren lithocaps: common, W. US, Andes, Asia, etc.

• IS veins (Ag-Au ± Zn-Pb):

Zn-Pb): Comstock, Creede;
Creede; Mexican Ag;
Andean (“
(“Cordilleran” Quirivilca, Arcata; Fruta del Norte;
Cordilleran”), Quirivilca, Norte; San Jose;
Victoria,
Victoria, Baguio;
Baguio; Kelian;
Kelian; Kushikino, Toyoha; Rosia Montana,
Kushikino, Toyoha; Montana, Tethys

HS (mainly barren lithocap)

lithocap) and IS locally affiliated HS IS LS LS(a)
• LS veins: Midas, Sleeper; El Peñón;
Peñón; Esquel; Hishikari; Kupol
• LS veins, alkalic: Cripple Creek, Emperor, Porgera,
Porgera, Ladolam
Hedenquist et al., 1996, 2000

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High-sulfidation deposits SEG 2010

after Gray and Coolbaugh,

Coolbaugh, 1994, by Arribas,
Arribas, 1995
Geologic setting of HS (and IS) deposits
Circum Pacific, 44 deposits

Neutral - mild extension, calc-alkaline andesite-dacite arcs

• 22 Volcanic domes (single, complex, summit; not host)
• 12 Central vent volcanoes (including IS)
• 3 Calderas
• 4 Diatremes
• 10 Insufficient information
Hosts: A/D flows, bxs,
bxs, ignimbrites, intrusions, seds
LS deposits: Bimodal (rhyolite domes-basalt dikes) in extensional settings:
Intra, near, and backarc; postcollision rifts (non porphyry)

Arribas,
Arribas, 1995; White et al., 1995, Sillitoe,
Sillitoe, 1999; pers.
pers. obs.
obs.

Summitville, Colorado Vuggy qtz (ore) Summitville, Colorado

Qtz-alunite

Residual (vuggy
(vuggy)) qtz and
qtz-alunite flares upward
residual qtz-alun
qtz

alumino- qtz- residual qtz-

silicates alun qtz (ore) alun
Steven and Ratté, 1960
(kandites)
kandites)
Steven & Ratté, 1960 10 - 100s m

pH ~ >6 4-6 2 - 4 <2

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High-sulfidation deposits SEG 2010

Residual quartz, vuggy : Tucari

Advanced argillic slides: 11
Summitville,
(if scanned can be reduced to 5) Colorado:
Alteration zoning and
ore bodies within
dome; strong
Residual quartz, vuggy: Pierina Hypogene alunite, El Tambo structural control
after Gray and Coolbaugh,
Coolbaugh, 1994
Arribas et al., 2000

>0.3 g/t
gold
500 m >10 g/t

Residual quartz, vuggy: Summitville Quartz-alunite, Summitville

Epithermal alteration, gangue minerals

• HS replacements: silicic host, quartz-alunite halo (kaolinite,

dickite, pyrophyllite, diaspore, topaz, etc.); alunite, barite, anhydrite

• Barren lithocaps: silicic core, quartz-alunite halo

• IS veins: “sericite”
sericite” (muscovite); quartz, rhodochrosite,
rhodochrosite, barite,
anhydrite

• Steam-heated blankets: opal/cristobalite,

opal/cristobalite, alunite,
alunite, kaolinite,
kaolinite,
chalcedony horizon at base

• Locally (early) hypogene advanced argillic along structures

• LS veins: illite, clays; chalcedony, adularia, calcite (roscoelite

(roscoelite))

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High-sulfidation deposits SEG 2010

HS and IS deposits: sulfide assemblages

Einaudi, Hedenquist and Inan, 2003
• HS replacements: Cu-Au-Ag Arc
• Initial leaching, vuggy qtz,
qtz, qtz- Sulfidation state magmas
alun halo w/ crs py,
py, <50 ppb Au evolution
--- --- Barren lithocap --- ---
Arcs
• Stage 1: py (fn)–
(fn)–enargite–
enargite–lz-fm Rift
magmas
• Stage 2: Au–
Au–py–
py–low-Fe sph–
sph–
tn/td–
tn/td–ccp–
ccp–gn,
gn, ± Te-Bi-Sn
r
fe
b uf
• IS veins: Ag–
Ag–Au ± Pb–
Pb–Zn ck 2 + )
l l ro 3+ / F e
• Py–
Py– low-Fe sph–
sph–tn/td–
tn/td–ccp–
ccp–gn,
gn, a
± Te
W (Fe
Rifts
Close similarity between HS and IS
fluids; distinction from LS related to
volcanotectonic setting
Barton et al., 1977, John, 2001, Einaudi et al., 2003

White Island, New Zealand: fumaroles La Coipa,

Coipa, Chile: Looking NW; sedimentary host to residual quartz

High-temperature
hypogene vapors,

850 oC with HCl, SO2

~110 oC

Steam-heated zone,
~100 oC (CO2, H2S)

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High-sulfidation deposits SEG 2010

Puren,
Puren, Chile
Chalcedony horizon at
paleowater table, below
H2S + 2 O2 = H2SO4 steam-heated blanket of
Steam-heated alunite-kaolinite alunite-kaolinte (now eroded)
Puren Norte: 1.5 Moz SiO2, Fe+++
chalcedony blanket

Puren Norte, 1.5 Moz Au eq.

eq.
vadose zone:
steam-heated blanket

Arribas et al., 2000 Rodalquilar, Spain: looking ~east

Steam-heated advanced argillic blanket, La Coipa: Blocky supergene

Friable, microxstalline alunite, kaolinite, cristobalite alunite, Rodalquilar

Massive supergene
alunite,
Rodalquilar;
post-mineral
weathering
oxidation

Supergene alunite,
Supergene oxidation critical to economics! Riaza Supergene alunite, Rodalquilar

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High-sulfidation deposits SEG 2010

Rodalquilar,
Rodalquilar,
Spain
Arribas et al., 1995

Drilling beneath
supergene alunite Sonomi
volcano
blanket;
a mistake here....

1 km

Urashima et al., 1981

Nansatsu district, S Kyushu, looking east:

Iwato HS deposit, Maruyama pit
Inset: qtz-alun halo, sharp ctc with vuggy qtz, to r.) Urashima et al., 1981

Tuff breccia
Nansatsu Group

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High-sulfidation deposits SEG 2010

Mulatos, Mexico:
Iwato, Sauzal, Mexico
Arabira rebody: “Residual quartz is steep”
steep” ,
Structural control and must be sampled
to alteration and
ore (in feeders)

30 m

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High-sulfidation deposits SEG 2010

Exploration and discovery histories: Use of models

2 km

http://www.iamgold.com/presentations2006.asp

“Stacked” lithocaps!

Diatreme breccia
w/ porphyry Cu
fragments

Strong lithologic
control to
residual quartz
llithocap: tuffs

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High-sulfidation deposits SEG 2010

http://www.iamgold.com/presentations2006.asp
Quimsacocha:
Quimsacocha: longitudinal section, N-S

Quimsacocha,
Quimsacocha, ~ 3.3 Moz Au, underground HS deposit:
drill sufficiently deep to test system

Antonio Maqui Maqui; 3

Yanacocha Perol, Cocañez: 8 km
cluster Giuliana

Cerro Yanacocha; 25
Norte, Oeste, Sur, Encajon
(Verde - sulfide) Norte

Oeste
Leach pad Sur
Kupfertal
Cerro Negro; 1 Encajon

Tapado-
Corimayo; 4 Carachugo- 5 km
La Quinua; 9 Chaquicocha; 6
Kupfertal
porphyry San Jose; 4

Quilish; 4

Newmont
5 km Longo and
Teal, 2005
Yanacocha ore bodies: Moz gold resources

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High-sulfidation deposits SEG 2010

Yanacocha district: 3 typical ore controls Bell et al., 2005

Hydrothermal breccia body Lithologic horizon (70% of ore in

welded pyroclastics)

Margin of dome intrusion

2 km

Gold deposited in leached Dome moat, laminated

core of deposits siliceous sediments,
paleosurface...

Yanacocha Norte

Chaquicocha Carachugo

220-ton
haul truck

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High-sulfidation deposits SEG 2010

Chaquicocha

Dacite dome
San Jose
Ignimbrite

Teut unit

Andesite flows

Newmont

Watanabe and Hedenquist, 2001

Two origins (environments)
of hypogene pyrophyllite:
pyrophyllite:
1) Vapor condensation
Lithocap environment (roots)
Silicic (vuggy), alunite halo,
hotter pyrophyllite (below)
2) Simple fluid cooling
Cooling: muscovite
muscovite (A (A ) to
pyrophyllite ( B ) (gusano
replacement of silicic) to 2. Cooling
dickite ( C ) 2
Cooling also drives fluid to
higher sulfidation state 1
2 KAl3Si3O10(OH)2 + 2 H++ 6 SiO2
= 3 Al2Si4O10(OH)2 + 2 K+ 1. Vapor
condensation

Milagros:
Garcia,
2009

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High-sulfidation deposits SEG 2010

Residual quartz (silicic) and advanged argillic size matters...

El Indio: Chile

El Indio 8 Moz

...much of the time, cf. El Indio Arribas et al., Gold in 2000

El Indio 3500 vein: quartz-

pyrite-Au (tn-ccp
(tn-ccp)) with mica
El Indio: high- 100 m halo, post enargite
sulfidation
massive enargite DSO: 200 g/t Au average
(cutoff 100 g/t, 1.5 Moz of 8 Moz)
with late, high-
grade (IS-style) Jannas et al.,1990, 1999
quartz-pyrite-gold
veins with white
mica halos

surface at 4100-4200 m

Jannas et al., 1990

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High-sulfidation deposits SEG 2010

S Kyushu, looking south

Kyushu tectonic evolution Kushikino: Mt Kamuridake to east
Y. Watanabe, 2004
capped by silicic zones, adv. argillic halos

Kushikino IS veins:
qtz-calcite-Au

• Tectonics determine type

of epithermal Au deposits
(early HS, IS, later LS)

Hishikari
(LS) 0.7 Ma
Kushikino
(IS) 3.7 Ma
migration
of volcanism
Kushikino IS
veins 2 km west

Volcanic setting of Kushikino IS deposit, Kyushu

Volcanism: 3.6-3.9 Ma
Musc halo to pyroph:
pyroph: 3.4-3.8 Ma
Adularia-Au: 3.4-3.7 Ma
Izawa and Zeng, 2001 55 t Au production

500 m
100 m
AA
Muscovite halo, Au-Au w/ spl, ccp, tn veins
Ad

0m

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High-sulfidation deposits SEG 2010

Comstock Lode,
Nevada: IS veins • Varying depths and
intervals between base of
lithocap and top of
6000 t Ag, 257 t Au 2 km porphyry Petelovo
Con Virginia: 1.13 Mt @
87.4 g/t Au, 1834 g/t Ag • Only some (few) lithocaps
are mineralized
Alunite: 15-16.3 Ma
Adularia: 12.7-14.1 Ma • IF rapid syn-hydrothermal
Ad overprint on AA uplift...
• lithocap collapse;
Al to • HS ore, if present,
pyrop overprints porphyry
±
diasp
2M mica to
kaol
±
dick
to Hudson
illite (2003)

• Minas Conga, Peru:

Perol porphyry (15.8 Ma), Lithocap, ore, and depth
8 km east of Yanacocha to intrusion environment
(5-12 Ma) Erosion level?
• Co. Cocañez: Barren quartz-
alunite lithocap (16.1 Ma)

• Multiple porphyry vein generations

(parallel to silicic ribs in lithocap)
Muscovite up to
pyrophyllite

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High-sulfidation deposits SEG 2010

Exploration: Lithocaps, high-sulfidation Challenges

ores, and tops of porphyry deposits
• Large variations between deposit types and districts
• Regional: Tectonics, permissive geology (mines)
• District: Alteration, geochemistry • Model the prospect, do not fit prospect to the model
• Prospect: Map • Beware generalizations
– Lithology (potential lithocaps), stratigraphy (favorable),
structure (identify feeders) • Estimate paleosurface/paleohydrology, erosion level
– Alteration (mineralogy, zoning), erosion level • Distinguish style of deposit, morphology (form)
– Chip / channel silicic (barren lithocap?; focus on feeders)
– Geophysics: right tool in right place, integrate • Variations from deposit “model”; potential for other
– Drill targets (integrate structure, stratigraphy, alteration, etc.) deposit environments
– Assess, reinterpret, drill again

Alto Chicama, Peru

BLEG; 10.5 Moz resource, 2003
Lagunas Norte, 1.24 g/t Au, >206 Mt
Chimu quartzites
Calipuy volcanics

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