EconomicGeology

Vol. 86, 1991, pp. 1271-1286

The Porphyry Gold Deposit at Marte, Northern Chile

TOMkS VILA,
Minera Anglo American Chile Ltda., Avenida Pedro de Valdivia 295, Santiago,Chile

RICHARD H. SILLITOE,
27 West Hill Park, Highgate Village, London N6 6ND, England

JORGEBETZHOLD,*
C(a. Minera TresCruces,Freire 123, CopiapS,Chile

AND ENRIQUEVITERI**
Minera AngloAmericanChile Ltda., ChaKarcillo840, CopiapC,Chile

Abstract

A porphyrygolddeposithasbeendocumentedfor the firsttime at Marte in the Maricunga

belt of the AndeanCordillera,northernChile. Explorationconductedfrom 1981 through
1987 resultedin definitionof 66 metrictonsof containedgold.The depositenteredproduction
in late 1989 asan open-pit,heapleachoperation.
The gold depositis part of a linear, calc-alkalinevolcanoplutonic
arc constructedduring
the mid- to late Miocene as eastward-directedsubductionwas shallowing.The consequent
compression of continentalbasementunderlyingthe depositandits environscreateda series
of high-angle,reversefaults.Stockemplacement andgoldmineralization tookplacewithina
coeval andesitic stratovolcano at 13 to 14 Ma. The hornblende-biotite diorite stock is subdivided
into three phases:two mineralizedporphyriesand a weaklyporphyritic,late mineralization
microdiorite. Much of the microdiorite constitutesthe matrix of an intrusion breccia, which
is transectedlocallyby a closelyrelated hydrothermalbreccia.
Goldmineralizationis coincidentwith a stockworkof quartzveinletssurrounded by chlorite-
sericite-clayalterationof intermediateargillictype. Pyrite andiron oxidesare both present
in dominantlydisseminated form, with eachmakingup asmuchas10 vol percentof the rock.
Hematiteexceedsmagnetitein abundanceandwasgeneratedin largepart by hypogenemar-
titization. Minor chalcopyriteand evenlesserquantitiesof molybdenite,bornitc, tennantite,
andenargitealsooccur.Gypsumafter anhydritecommonlyexceeds5 vol percentandcalcite
andtourmalineexistastraces.Isolatedremnantsof hydrothermalbiotite and alkalifeldspar
attestto the former presenceof K silicatealteration,whichis believedresponsiblefor intro-
ductionof muchof the veinlet quartz, magnetite,and gold. Chlorite-dominatedalteration
affectedthe late-stagemicrodioriteand its associated breccias.An erosionalremnantof the
andesiticvolcanicroof to the stockis largelyreplacedby a chalcedony-and alunite-richad-
vancedargillicassemblage, whichis part of a formerlymoreextensivetabularalterationzone.
Abundantpyrite, gypsum,native sulfur,and barite and trace amountsof enargiteand sub-
economicgold are presentin this advancedargilliccap.
The relativeimpermeability of the capcauseddevelopment of aninvertedsupergene profile
in whichsulfide-bearing ore isunderlainby jarositicleachedore.The steep,elongateorebody
is madeup of both ore types,whichdo not differ in goldcontent.However,the hypogene
coppercontent,about550 ppm,wasmorethanhalvedby supergeneoxidation.The goldore
is poor in silver(Ag/Au -- 0.44), but highlyanomalous in molybdenumaswell ascopperand
weakly anomalouswith respectto lead, arsenic,and mercury.The advancedargillic cap is
markedby pronouncedAu, Bi, Hg, T1,Pb, Mo, andAsanomalies, whichcontrastwith a broad
zinc halo to the orebody.
Preliminaryfluid inclusionstudiessuggestthat the auriferousstockworkis a productof
boilingfluidswhichrangedin temperaturefrom 155ø to 375øC andin salinityfrom 2 to 20
wt percentNaC1equiv.A reconstruction of the volcanicedificecombinedwith pressurees-
timatesbasedon the fluid inclusiondataimpliesthat mineralizationtookplaceabout600 to
700 m belowthe paleosurface.

* Presentaddress:
EmpresaMinera de MantosBlancosS.A.,AvenidaPedrode Valdivia295, Santiago,Chile.
** Presentaddress:Avenida11 de Septiembre2250, Oficina1304, Santiago,Chile.

0361-0128/91/1269/1271-1653.00 1271
1272 VILA, SILLITOE,BETZHOLD,AND VITERI

The geologic,alteration,and mineralizationcharacteristics

of the Marte golddepositare
closelysimilarto thoseof gold-richporphyrycopperdeposits,especiallythosein the Phil-
ippines.The only significantmineralogicdifferenceis a deficiencyof copperat Marte. The
fluidinclusionpopulationat Marte isalsomorereminiscent of porphyryratherthanepithermal
environments,althoughhigh-salinityinclusionscommonin porphyrycopperdepositswere
not encounteredin the few samplesstudied.

Introduction mineralizationwas appreciated.Prior to this explo-

AT LEAST25 porphyry copper depositsaround the rationinitiative,onlynativesulfurmineralizationwas
Pacific Rim contain elevated gold contents(•0.4 knownin the area (Fig. 4).
ppm), which are recoveredas by- or coproductsof Detailed investigationof the Marte prospectwas
copperminingfromthosedepositsunderexploitation initiatedin late 1981 and, alongwith all subsequent
(e.g., Sillitoe, 1979, 1990). On the basisof the geo- explorationactivities,was undertakenon behalf of
logicand mineralogiccharacteristics andVariedCu/ the joint venturersby Minera AngloAmericanChile
Au ratiosof thesegold-richporphyrycopperdeposits, Ltda. Explorationbegan with a systematicsoil (in
Sillitoe(1979) predictedthat porphyrygolddeposits
lackingappreciablecopper contentsshouldexistin
subduction-related volcanoplutonic arcs.The recently
discoveredMarte depositin northernChile is the first
porphyry gold depositto be recognized.A prelimi-
nary accountof Marte geologyis the subjectof this
report.

Geographic Setting
Marte is locatedin the AndeanCordillera (Cordi-
llera de losAndes)of the Atacamaregion(Regi6nIII)
of Chile, some130 km eastof Copiap6(Fig. 1), the
regionalcapital.The gold deposit,centeredon lati- -20*
tude 27ø10'19"S/longitude69ø01'12"W, is part of
the newlydefinedMaricungagold-silvermetallogenic
belt (Vila andSillitoe,1991).
Mineralizationat Marte is exposedat >4,200 m
abovesealevel and underliesa prominenteast-west
volcanicridgeon the westernsideof the north-trend-
ingCiSnaga Redondavalley(Fig.2). The Marteridge,
which culminates 4,369 m above sea level in Cerro
Puntiagudo(Fig. 2), is the north-northeasternex-
24 ø
tremity of the VolcanCopiap6massif(Fig. 3; 6,052
m abovesealevel). The Marte ridge and its steep,
talus-covered flanksare devoidof vegetation(Fig. 2)
as a consequenceof the arid climate. Saline accu-
mulations,includingthe Salarde Maricunga,occur
in the area.

Exploration History
The alterationzone that encompassesthe Marte ß y.RTE
golddepositwasidentifiedin early 1981 duringan -28 ø
aerial reconnaissance of the Andean Cordillera
northern Chile. The overflyingprogram was con-
ductedby B.T. Exploraciones Ltda. on behalfof Cia.
of
)r ½
)/'"
,,' .' Miocene to Recent•
MineraAngloComincoLtda., a joint venturebetween ß LA
SER•ENA
volcanic
rocks
the Chileansubsidiaries
of AngloAmericanandCom-
inco ResourcesLtd. The alterationzone, alongwith / i
the manyothersidentifiedduringthe aerial recon-
FIG. 1. Location of the Marte gold deposit, northern Chile,
naissance,wasconsideredinitiallyto be of epithermal with respect to Miocene to Recent volcanicrocksin the Central
type and it was not until explorationwas well ad- Volcaniczone of the Andes.Volcanicrockstaken from a compi-
vancedthat the porphyry-typeaffinityof the gold lationby Gardeweget al. (1984).
 MARTE PORPHYRYAu DEPOSIT, CHILE 1273

FIG. 2. The Marte orebody looking east-northeastacrossthe Ci•naga Redondavalley to the Tres
Cruces volcanicmassifof Pliocene age (Gonz51ez-Ferr•net al., 1985) in the far distance.A Pleistocene
andesitcflow coverspart of the Ci•naga Redondavalley. The eroded remainsof a barren advanced
argilliccap (darkbrown,ruggedoutcrop)overliethe orebody(crisscrossed by drill roads)and culminate
in Cerro Puntiagudo.The cap was removedin 1989 as part of the prestripping.An outward-dipping
erosionalremnantof the VolcSnPastillitoscone(Fig. 4) is visiblein the middle distanceto the right
of Cerro Puntiagudo.A north-northeast-striking
normalfault (Fig. 4) crossesthe saddlewest (left) of
the advancedargillic cap.

reality, talus fines;Maranzana,1972) geochemical chemicalsampling.Resultsshowthat gold mineral-

programcoveringa centrallylocated,2- X 1-km area. ization, with valuestypically •0.5 ppm Au, is asso-
The resultsrevealedsix gold anomaliesdefinedby ciatedat leastin part with subparallelarraysof steeply
the presenceof values•200 ppb Au. The anomaly dippingquartzveinlets.
with the highestgoldvalues(•400 ppb)andgreatest In late 1982, the downwardextensionof goldmin-
areal extent (800 X 450 m) surroundsCerro Puntia- eralization beneath the Cerro Puntiagudoanomaly
gudo and subsequentlywas shownto coincidewith wasinvestigatedby meansof about 400 m of under-
the orebody(Fig. 4). Partsof the orebodyalsoare grounddevelopment,which exposedpartially or to-
overlainby soilsthatyieldeda moderate(• 100 ppm) tally oxidizedporphyry carryingrelatively homoge-
copperanomaly,alongwith isolatedanomalous values neousgoldvalues.Rockwith • 1 ppm Au wasshown
of arsenic and lead. No zinc or silver anomalies were to be widespreadandto carryonlylow anderratically
detected(seebelow). distributedcopper, molybdenum,and silvervalues.
Soilgeochemistry wasfollowedby construction of Column and pilot-scaleheap leach testing of adit
•5 km of bulldozertrenches,whichwere subjected samplesconfirmedthat the goldis potentiallyrecov-
to detailed geologicmappingand rock chip geo- erable usingcyanidation.
1274 VILA, SILLITOE, BETZHOLD, AND VITERI

QUATERNARY
r'• Alluvium

1i .•-•
•
Felsic
ignimbrite
Fluviolacustrine
sediments

15- 12Ma r"•lAndesitic-dacitJc

I Ivolcanics
VOLCAN
•lMainly andesitic-
24-18Ma [z•ldacitic
volcanics

Gold
Golddeposit
prospect
Hydrolhermal
alteration
PASTILLITOSVOLCANO
"'"'• Normal
fault:observed/inferred
•--•Roots
of
summit crater
calderaor
D/pofbeds
AAAAAAAA

•AAAAAAA/•

AAAAAAA
VOLCAN
k/ co•APO !! ESCONDIDO
V
k/ o,. .•m., •,
690 I0

FIG. 3. Volcanicsettingof the Marte gold deposit,Maricungabelt, northernChile. Quaternary

alluviumalongthe rightsideof the figureis the westernmarginof the Ci•nagaRedondavalley.

The ore reserve at Marte was defined from 1983 American-affiliatedcompanies,ComincoResources,

of inclineddrilling: and ChemicalBank.Gold productioncommencedin
through1987 by three campaigns
40 reverse-circulation holes to about 80 m; 40 addi- late 1989 and is slated to attain 2.9 metric tons
tional reverse-circulationholesto depthsof 100 to (•'87,000 oz) per year.
250 m; anda totalof 9 diamonddrill holes.The geo-
logicreservewascalculatedas46 millionmetrictons RegionalGeologicSetting
averaging1.43 g/metricton Au usinga cutoffof 0.5
g/metricton Au. Thisisreducedto 5.9 millionmetric The Andean Cordillera of northern Chile is com-
tons of 2.59 g/metric ton Au if a 2.0 g/metric ton posedof a seriesof Mesozoicand Cenozoicvolcan-
cutoffis applied. oplutonicarcsgeneratedduringeastward subduction
Most of the drill holes intersect sulfide mineraliza- of Pacificlithosphere.The volcanoplutonicarcsare
tion at shallowdepthsand at higherelevationsthan underlainby continental crust,whichis about50 km
the oxidized mineralization encountered in the adit thick beneath the Maricunga metallogenicbelt
andcrosscuts (seebelow). In orderto investigatethis (James, 1971) andconsists at uppercrustallevelsof
unexpectedlyshallowsulfidezone, an adit was con- autochthonous Paleozoicrocksbelongingto western
structedin late 1986 high on Cerro Puntiagudo,84 Gondwanaland. In outcrop,the Paleozoicrocksare
m higherthanthe firstadit. predominantly granitoidintrusionsandcoevalrhyo-
On the basis of the calculated ore reserve and the litic volcanic rocks.
reportedamenabilityto cyanidationof both oxidized From the mid-Cretaceous onward,the volcanoplu-
tonic arcsand loci of compressive
and sulfide ores, a decisionwas taken in late 1988 to deformationmi-
developan 8,000-metric-tonper day open-pit,heap gratedeastward,perhapsin response to the progres-
leachoperation.The operatingcompanyis Cia. Mi- siveflatteningof the subduetedslab.Volcanism,in-
nera Tres Cruces, a consortiumcomprisingAnglo trusion,andgoldmineralization at Martetookplace
 MARTEPORPHYRY
Au DEPOSIT,CHILE 1275

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FIG. 4. Surfacegeologyof the Marte gold depositandvicinity,northernChile.

in a linear, north-northeast-trending,
middleto late 1991). Grabenformationfavoredthe preservation of
Miocene are, which was active from 14 to 12 Ma, and gold mineralization,includingthat at Marte.
locally,until 8.6 Ma in the easternhalf of the Mari- The Mioceneandesiticto rhyoliticvolcanicrocks
eungabelt (Gonzfilez-Ferrfinet al., 1985; Walker et of the Maricungabelt arenot differentiatedandcom-
al., 1985;Mulja, 1986;Davidson,1988;Davidsonand prisethe NegroFrancisco Formationin the firstgeo-
Mpodozis,1991; $illitoe et al., 1991). Geochemical logicreconnaissance oftheregion($egerstrom, 1968).
data, particularlyLa/Yb ratios, of talc-alkalinevol- More detailed mappingby Mereado (1982) permits
canicrocksin this regionare interpretedby Kay et distinction of a number of discrete volcanic centers.
al. (1988, in press)to signifyrapid subduetionzone The one that hoststhe Marte gold depositis Volefin
flatteningandcrustalthickeningbetween18 and 7 Pastillitos(Fig. 3), whichis composedof quaquaver-
Ma. Compression linkedto shallowingof the subdue- sallydippingandesitieand subordinatedaeiticlavas
tion zone wasresponsiblefor formationof a seriesof andpyroelastics, and is clearlya small(10 X 10 km),
north-northeast-striking horstsandgrabensbounded little-eroded stratovoleano(Gonzfilez-Ferrfinet al.,
by high-anglereversefaults,whichare well repre- 1985; this study).A prominent,steep-sided,2-km-
sentedin the Maricungabelt (Davidson,1988; Mpo- wide,subcircular depression withinthe edifice,about
dozis and Ramos,1990; Davidsonand Mpodozis, I km northwestof Marte (Fig. 3), is not an ash-flow
1276 VILA, SILLITOE, BETZHOLD, AND VITERI

calderaasimpliedby Marcado(1982) but the roots tion of an east-northeast-trending

Mioceneto Recent
of a small summit caldera or crater. submarinevolcanicchain, the Easter "hot line" (Bo-
Volc•r•Pastillitosisoneof severalparasiticvolcanic natti et al., 1977).
centersthat makeup the peripheralpartsof theVol-
c/•nCopiap6massif(Fig.3). Theseperipheralvolcanic Local Geology
rocksare dated at 14 to 12 Ma (Gonz•lez-Ferr/•net Volcanic rocks
al., 1985;Walkeret al., 1985;Mulja, 1986;Davidson,
1988; DavidsonandMpodozis,1991; Sillitoeet al., The Martagolddepositanditsassociated hypogene
1991) andare appreciablyolderthanthe composite and supergene alterationzonesare locatedon the
summitconeof Volc/•nCopiap6(10-8.6 Ma), which southeasternflankof the Pastillitosstratovolcano(Fig.
isconstructed withina preexistingcalderaof ash-flow 3) andare exposedasa resultof valleyincisioninto
type (Walkeret al., 1985). Someof the resultingex- thisportionof the edifice.
tracalderaignimbrites are shownin Figure3. The few The stock and associatedgold mineralizationat
availablewhole-rockanalyses of Volc•n Copiap6an- Marta are surroundedby a premineralizationse-
desitesplotin the mediumK calc-alkaline field(Mulja, quenceof porphyriticandesitelavas,whichhaveun-
' 1986) and exhibit large ion lithophile element en- dergonewidespread butweakargillizationandchlo-
richment and other geochemicalattributesof late ritization,at leastpartlyof supergene origin(Fig. 4).
Cenozoic volcanic rocks elsewhere in the Central Phenocrysts of plagioclase(Abe0_60),
0.2 to 8 mm in
Volcaniczone (16ø-27 ø S;Fig. 1) of the Andes(e.g., length,andsubordinate hornblende, biotite,and/or
Walker et al., in press). pyroxeneare presentin an aphaniticmatrixandare
The large sizeof the Volcf•nCopiap6massifis at- commonly flowaligned.An erosional remnantof the
tributedby Walkeret al. (1985) to itslocationastride volcanicroof of the stockwaspreservedprior to min-
a fundamental,east-trendingdiscontinuitybetween ingnearthe summitof CerroPuntiagudo (Figs.2, 4,
two tectonicallyand magmaticallydistinctcrustal and5), andalthoughintenselyaltered,isbelievedto
segments(e.g., Gonz/dez-Ferr/•n et al., 1985; Mpo- be partofthe sameunit.Bedding wasdiscerned only
dozisandRamos,1990). The segmentboundaryco- locallyin thislavaunit(Fig.4) butif a relativelyshal-
incides with a zone of north to south transition in low outwarddip and minimalstructuraldisruption
whichthe angleof present-day subduction decreasesare assumed,a thicknessof up to 500 m of these
from 30ø to 10ø (Baranzangi andIsacks,1976), Qua- premineralization hostrocksis exposed.
ternaryvolcanism diesout (Fig. 1), andthe east-west The youngestpremineralization volcanicrocks
morphologicsubdivision of the Andeschanges.The mappedare dense,dark colored,phenocryst poor,
boundaryis alsocoincidentwith the on-landprojec- andessentially unalteredandesitelavaswhichoccur

meters a.s.I.

CERRO
PUNTIAGUDO0 I 50 100
i meters
' I

UpperAditLevel
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+ +
x x x x
+
x x x

x x

x x x

x x x

x x

+++++
++++++ x x.... I
........
•x Lower
AditLevel
Intrusion breccia with
+++++++++++
+ + +
]: + microdiorite
matrix
•
xxxxxx ..... •1•xx Fine-grained
diorite
parphyry
•
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xxxxxxx

xxxxxxx
.... Caarse-grained
•
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xxxxxxx
xxxtXXx diorite
porphyry
Andesite
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x•I x Fault,
observed/inferred
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argillic
alteration
i:."•
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FIG. 5. Geologiccrosssection(B-B'in Fig. 4) of the Marta gold deposit,northern Chile.

 MARTE PORPHYRY Au DEPOSIT, CHILE 1277

as erosional remnants of a once more-extensive, out- abundant,phenocrysts smaller(maximum4 mm),and

ward-dippingunit (Figs.2 and 4). Dips of about25 ø the groundmass finer grained.The groundmass is lo-
were recorded(Fig. 4) andthe unit maybe projected cally reddishin color asa resultof hematiteimpreg-
westwardabove the gold deposit (see below). The nation.
upper surfaceof this unit is believedto be a remnant Restricted,commonlylinear bodiesof hydrother-
of the originalconstructional surfaceof the basalpart mal breccia transectboth porphyry types and are
of the Pastillitoscone and to approximatethe paleo- madeup of tightlypackedfragmentsof quartz-veined
surfaceat the time of intrusionand gold mineraliza- porphyryin a hydrothermalmatrix.The matrixcom-
tion. prisestranslucentandblackquartz,like that in the
Hornblende from this andesitelava (Fig. 4) was stockworkveinlets(seebelow),accompaniedby blebs
datedby the K-Ar methodat 13.6 +__ 0.4 Ma, an age of pyrite andhematite.Thesebrecciabodiestend to
that could be interpreted to be very slightly older cut the zonesof mostintensequartz veinlet devel-
thanthe mineralizationat Marte (Sillitoeet al., 1991). opment.
Thus, although relatively unaltered, the upper an- Both diorite porphyries,but especiallythe fine-
desitelavasare thoughtto have predatedintrusion grainedvariety,arecutby microdiorite,
mostofwhich
and alteration. maybe designatedasintrusionbreccia,sensustricto
Intrusive rocks and associated breccias
(Sillitoe,1985),becauseof abundantdioriteporphyry
xenoliths in the microdiorite matrix. The microdiorite
At the time of writing, outcropsof intrusiverocks containsonly scarcephenocrysts
of plagioclase
and
are restricted to the early-stage pit, bulldozer marlcs,up to 2 mm in size,in a matrixcharacterized
trenches,and accessroads,with most of the inferred by a salt-and-pepper
texture.Apophyses
of micro-
extent of the stock(Fig. 4) concealedbeneathtalus diorite intrusionbrecciaare found only below about
and alluvium. The subsurface distribution of intrusive 4,200 m in elevation,mainlyin the northernpart of
rocks was determined on the basis of the limited un- the deposit(Fig. 5), andare thoughtto representthe
dergroundopeningsanddrill core;reversecirculation roof zone or cupolaof a deeperporphyryintrusion.
chipsprovidedsomewhatambiguous lithologicinfor- Microdioriteis characterizedby miaroliticcavities
mation. Moreover, altered intrusive rocks are distin- linedwith crystalline quartz,pyrite,andhematiteand
guishedfrom host lavasonly with difficulty even in rimmedby chlorite.In places,the microdioriteintru-
surfaceandundergroundexposures aswell asin core. sionbrecciaiscutby highlychloritizedhydrothermal
At the present stageof understanding,a composite brecciaconsisting of angularclastsof the samerock
stock about 800 X 700 m in surface dimensions is in a matrix of chloritized rock flour, quartz, pyrite,
defined(Fig. 4). hematite,andsubordinate magnetite.The closespatial
The stockessentiallyis dioriticin compositionand relationshipand mineralogicsimilaritybetweenthe
is subdividedinto three units:coarse-grained diorite hydrothermalbrecciaand the miaroliticcavitiesin
porphyry,fine-graineddiorite porphyry,andmicro- the microdioritesuggest thatdevelopmentof the two
diorite. Coarse-graineddiorite porphyry is most maybe closelyrelated.
commonlyobservedand is madeup of about40 vol Both coarse-and fine4graineddiorite porphyries
percentof euhedral,twinned,andzonedplagioclase were subjectedto the mainstagesof alterationand
phenocrysts(Ab46_5-2) accompaniedby subordinate stockworkdevelopment;microdioriteintrusionbrec-
euhedral hornblende, minor euhedral biotite and ciaalsoiscut locallyby quartzstockworks. However,
magnetite,and tracesof pyroxenein a fine-grained most of the microdiorite intrusion breccia contains
(• 100 •m) groundmass ofplagioclasemicrolites,maf- clastsof diorite porphyrywith stockworkveiningin
ics, and quartz. Plagioclaseand hornblendepheno- a stockwork-freematrix. These featuressuggestthat
crystsattain 10 mm in size but are more commonly at least two phasesof microdiorite are present at
•5 mm. Two populationsof plagioclasephenocrysts, Marte: one intermineralization and the other late
averagingabout2 mm and0.5 mm, are present.Cor- mineralization, a situation better documented at the
roded,roundedquartzphenocrysts are scarceandthe nearby Lobo deposit(Vila and Sillitoe, 1991). In
totalmagmaticquartzcontentof the rockis estimated summary,all hydrothermalbrecciacontainsintrusive
not to exceedabout 5 vol percent. clastswith stockworkveinletsbut is not cut by quartz
Fine-grainedporphyry appearsto be restrictedin veinletsalthough,as noted above,quartz is present
distributionand is most abundantat depth in the as a cement.
Marte deposit,where it is observedto crosscutthe
coarse-grained porphyry(Fig. 5). Fine-grainedpor- Faults
phyry is either variable in grain size and texture or,
more likely, comprises several discrete intrusive Two major north-northeast-striking reversefaults
phases.The rock is similar compositionallyto the bound the grabenof Ci•naga Redondavalley imme-
coarse-grainedvariety except that marlcsare more diatelyeastof VolcS, n Pastillitosandthe Marte deposit
1278 VILa, SILLITOE,BETZHOLD,AND VITERI

(Fig.3). Reversefaultingpredates
volcanism
andgold traces of rutile. Fine-grained, hydrothermalquartz
mineralization. replacesthe groundmassof the andesitc,and with
A 50ø east-dipping,
north-northeast-strikingnor- well-crystallizedalunite and/or kaolinitc, is present
mal fault was mappedin the vicinity of the Marte aspseudomorphs of plagioclasephenocrysts. Pyrite,
deposit,
immediatelywestofCerroPuntiagudo (Figs. in finely disseminatedform and ascoatingson frac-
2 and 4). The eastern block was downthrown after tures, is abundantin the unoxidized,basalparts of
alterationandmineralization werecomplete,andthis the advancedargilliccapandattains10 to 15 vol per-
displacement thereforeis at leastpartlyresponsiblecent of the rock. Smallamountsof enargiteandchal-
for preservation of the Martedeposit.Displacement copyriteoccurwith pyrite, andsingleoccurrences of
is estimated to be on the orderof 50 m. Subsidiary, molybdeniteandgalenawere noted.Severalpercent
subparallelfaultsare exposednearbyin the Marte of nativesulfurasclotsandplagioclasereplacements,
pit, and anothernorth- to north-northeast-striking 10 vol percent or more of gypsumas veinletsand
fault is inferred about 1,300 m east of the pit cavityfillings,andcrystallineaggregates of baritealso
(Fig. 4). are present. Traces of cinnabarare present in late,
A steep,northwest(N 400-60ø W)-strikingexten- crosscuttingfractures, and in one polished section
sionalzone is thoughtto have localizedand deter- cinnabaris observedto be intergrownwith a gold
mined the dominant orientation and attitude of the grain,60 )<30 t•min exposeddimensions.
Goldvalues
Marte stockworkand of minor stockworking and in the cap,however,are consistently<0.5 ppm.
chalcedonicveinsto the southeast
(Fig. 4). The ex- Quartz veinletsare absentfrom muchof the cap,
tensionalzonemustbe synmineralization in agebut exceptnearthe basewhere stockworkquartzveinlets
alsodisplays
evidenceof late-andpostmineralizationare overprintedby advancedargillic alteration.This
displacements. Thistakesthe formof a 5-m-widefault transitionbetween cap and underlyingstockworkis
zone(Figs.4 and5) containing steepchalcedony veins characterizedby opaque,white chalcedonyveinlets
(upto 20 cmwide)andveinletsandlaterfaultgouge. which cut the more abundanttransparentquartz
The structure splaysnorthwestward,where one veinlets.The capiscutby irregular,sulfide-freevein-
branchwasobservedto cut and displacethe north- lets,up to severalcentimeterswide, of massive,white,
northeast-striking fault northeastward by a few me- chalkyalunitethat are eitherlate hypogene,or more
ters.
likely, supergenein origin.
The Marte depositis locatedat the intersectionof Formationof the advancedargilliccapis datedby
thenorthwest- andnorth-northeast-striking structures the K-Ar method(Fig. 4). Crystalline,platy alunite
anda northeast-striking lineamentapparenton false asa replacementof plagioclase phenocrysts yieldsan
colorsatelliteimagery(Fig. 4). However,synminer- age of 13.3 _ 0.4 Ma (Sillitoe et al., 1991), which is
alizationextensionappearsto havebeen confinedto in reasonableagreementwith an alunite age of 12.0
the northwest structural zone,although patchy,late- _+0.6 Ma reportedby Mulja (1986).
stage(poststockwork) silicification
is presenton the Extensiveareasof advancedargillic alterationare
subsidiary, north-northeast-striking faultsin the pit. present0.5 to 1 km west of the Marte deposit(Fig.
A fourthstructure, strikingnorth-northwesterly, is 4) and 100 to 200 m higherin elevation.Theseare
alsoperceivedon the satelliteimagery.It is located characterizedby friableaggregates of alunite,kaolin-
1 km westof Marte andmayhavedisplaced the cir- itc, andgypsumalongwith cristobaliteandtridymite
cularvolcanicfeature(Fig. 3). and are interpreted as shallowalterationof the acid
leachtype generatedabovethe palcowatertable in
Hydrothermal Alteration and Mineralization proximityto the palcosurface.Native sulfuris wide-
Advancedargillic cap spread in these acid-leachedzones and constitutes
>25 vol percent of the altered rock at four localities
Advanced argillicalterationoccupies the topmost (Fig. 4). Minor quantitiesof euhedral rutile are in-
partofCerroPuntiagudo andformsa capto theMarte tergrownwith massesof pure native sulfur.
golddeposit(Figs.2, 4, and5). The capis elongate
northwesterlyand variesin thicknessfrom 15 m in Intermediateargillic alteration and associated
mineralization
the southeastto 70 m in the northwest. The base of
thecapisroughlyplanar(Fig.5) andinclinedgently Coarse-andfine-grained dioriteporphyriesandthe
southward(Fig. 2). The cap was truncatedon its roofzoneandesitcimmediatelybeneaththe advanced
northwestern sideby the north-northeast-striking, argilliccapat Marte were subjectedto alterationthat
postmineralizationfaultdescribed above(Fig.4). is besttermedintermediateargillic(or sericite-clay-
Advanced argillicalterationis developedby per- chlorite--SCC; Sillitoe and Gappe, 1984). Hydro-
vasivereplacementof porphyriticandesitclava and thermalquartz,sericite,chlorite,clay(mainlykaolin-
ismadeup mainlyof chalcedonic quartz,alunite,and itc, but alsosmectitein sulfide-bearing
rock),gypsum,
kaolinitc,accompanied by subordinate diaspore, and hematite, magnetite,and pyrite are the principal
 MARTE PORPHYRYAu DEPOSIT, CHILE 1279

componentminerals,and smallamountsof tourma- veinletsarepresentin zonesup to I m widethatare

line, calcite, rutile, and leucoxeneare alsonoted. Plao traceablefor severalmeters along strike. Multiple
gioclase phenocrystsare variably and generally generations of veinletsareclearlypresent,but noco-
weaklyargillizedandsericitizedandlocallyalsocon- herent sequenceis definedover the entire deposit.
tain tracesof calcite,gypsum,or ohiorite.Mariephe- The quartzstockworks are best developedbetween
nocrystsare transformed to ohiorite,with or without elevationsof 4,220 and 4,100 m, where from 5 to 20
clay and/or sericite, accompaniedby hematite and/ vol percentof the rockcomprises veinletquartz.
or pyrite. The groundmass is silicified,argillized,and Individualquartz veinletshave centrallylocated
weakly sericitized.Zoningis apparentassericitein- grainsof sulfides,mainlypyrite with tracesof chal-
creasesrelative to chlorite toward the edge of the copyriteand bornitc.Sulfidecontentrangesfrom 1
deposit. to 3 vol percentin goldore to 5 to 10 vol percent
Gypsumispresentin bothoxidizedandunoxidized beyondore and immediatelybeneaththe advanced
partsof the orebodybut is mostabundantabovean argilliccap.Pyrite,the principalsulfide,ispresentas
elevationof 4,250 m whereit exceeds5 vol percent finelydisseminated, anhedralgrainsgenerally•300
of the rock.Gypsumis presentasveinlets,up to 2 cm #m in size. Minor amountsof chalcopyrite,lesser
wide, which commonlydisplaycross-fibregrowth bornitc and molybdenite,and microscopictracesof
texture, and aswidespreadimpregnations. Much of enargiteandtennantitealsoare present.Chalcopyrite
the gypsumis interpretedas a supergenehydration grains,generally•40 #m in size, commonlyare oc-
productofhypogeneanhydriteandisobservedlocally cluded by plagioclasephenocrysts.A few hairline
to occlude sulfides. veinletsof pyrite, with or withoutchalcopyriteor
Much of the hydrothermalquartz is presentas molybdenite,have alsobeen noted.
stockworkveinletsthat rangefrom 1 mm to 2 cm in Hematiteandmagnetiteoccurabundantlyas•300-
width and compriseinterbandedtransparent,white, #m grainsdisseminatedin altered rock, in veinlets
and black varieties(Fig. 6). Blackquartz is present aloneor with quartz, and aspartial replacementsof
aseither marginalbandsto veinletsor centralsutures mariephenocrysts. The sitesof formermariepheno-
and appearsto be the richest in sulfides.Minor trysts are marked by concentrationsof iron oxides,
amountsof chloriteandclayarepresentin the quartz mainlyhematite.Iron oxidesattain5 to 10 volpercent
veinlets. The veinlets are multidirectional but include of the rock in the ore zone but decrease in amount
prominent subparallel arrays of closely spaced, outward and upward as pyrite contentsincrease.
northwest(300ø-320ø)-strikingveinlets.Subparallel Muchof the hematiteisdeveloped by partialor com-
plete hypogenemartitizationof hydrothermaland
accessorymagmaticmagnetite, although grains of
specularhematitealsoare present.Magnetiteis the
less abundant iron oxide but does tend to be concen-
tratedin a coreto the northwestern
partof the deposit
between elevationsof 4,240 and 4,140 m, where it
is associated
with only 1 vol percentof disseminated
pyrite. At leastsomeof the pyrite is later than and
partly replaceshematite.
Much of the goldat Marte isthoughtto be present
in quartzstockwork veinlets;valuesup to 7 ppmoccur
whereveinletsareabundant. The fewgrainsof native
goldobservedin polishedsections are present,how-
ever, in the argillizedgroundmass of the porphyries
rather than intergrownwith quartz or sulfides;the
goldgrainsare very fine andrangefrom 2 to 15 #m
in maximumexposeddimensions.However, concen-
trationsof coarsergoldoccurimmediatelybeneath
the advancedargilliccap.
Preexistingrocktexturesare preservedin areasof
intermediateargillicalteration,andargillicalteration
isbelievedto haveoverprinted andlargelyobliterated
earlierK silicatealteration.The latterremainslocally
discernibleat depthin the stockaspartlychloritized,
FIG. 6. Quartz veinlet stockworkin diorite porphyry, Marte leafyhydrothermalbiotitein groundmass andbiotite
gold deposit,northernChile. The veinletsare highlightedby after hornblendephenocrysts, alongwith remnants
transportedjarosite of supergeneorigin. Pick for scale. of alkalifeldsparthat partlyreplacephenocryst
and
1280 VILA, SILLITOE, BETZHOLD,AND VITERI

groundmass plagioclase.The alkali feldsparis iden- ritized rock averageabout300 ppm and gold values
tified asalbite(N.M. Lindsay,unpub.rept., 1989). rangefrom 0.1 to 0.5 ppm. However, it is not clear
Sulfide-poorquartz veinlet stockworkand hydro- howmuchof the goldispresentin quartzstockworked
thermalmagnetitearealsothoughtlikelyto havebeen fragmentsand how much is associated with sulfides
introducedas componentsof K silicatealteration. introducedduringchloritization.
Much of the diorite porphyrystockbeyondthe
Marte golddepositshowsweakintermediateargillic SupergeneEffects
alterationand carriesdisseminated pyrite. Quartz
veinlets,however,are onlyvery sparselydeveloped Plio-Pleistocene
supergeneeffectsresultedin an
except in a smallvolume of rock 1 km southeastof unusual distribution of oxidized and unoxidized rocks
Cerro Puntiagudo(Fig. 4). Volcanichostrocksto the in the Marte deposit.A leachedzoneessentiallyfree
stockare weaklypropylitizedasshownby the pres- ofsulfidesandaveraging60 to 100 m thickisoverlain
enceof chlorite,epidote,andcalcite. by some100 to 150 m of sulfide-bearing materialthat
attainsthe surfaceor is overlainby onlya thin veneer
Chlorite alteration of microdioriteand associated of leachedrock (Fig. 7). The deep leachedzone is
breccias
inclined northwesterlyat 10ø to 15ø and thickens
Pervasive,pale green chloritizationaffectsmicro- from 30 to 50 m in the extreme southeast to >100 m
diorite intrusionbreccia, associatedhydrothermal at the northwesternlimit. The overlyingsulfidezone
breccia,and hostporphyriesat depth in the Marte d6creases in both lateral extent and thickness from
deposit.The chloritization
andassociated argillization northwest(150 m) to southeast(80 m), and its top
and tourmalinizationappearrelatedto microdiorite coincidesroughlywith the baseof the advancedar-
emplacementandpostdatethe mainintermediatear- gillie cap.
gillie event. As describedabove, chlorite is most The invertedsupergeneprofile maybe attributed
abundantaspervasivereplacementaroundmiarolitic to the influenceof the advancedargilliccap, which
cavitiesin microdioriteand in fragmentsin hydro- becauseof its highlysiliceousand consequently less
thermalbreccia,whereit is accompanied by quartz, permeablenatureprotectedimmediatelyunderlying
pyrite, hematite,andminormagnetite,chalcopyrite, intermediateargillicalterationfromthe effectsof ox-
and molybdenite. Pyrite, hematite, and traces of idation. A perched water table probablyexistedin
magnetite,chalcopyrite,andmolybdeniteaccompany the basalpart of the advancedargilliccap.The deep
chloritizationasdisseminated grainsand in chlorite leachedzone developedabovethe mainwater table
and quartz-chloriteveinlets.Coppervaluesin chlo- andresultedfromthe ingressofoxygenatedmeteoric

CERRO PUNTIAGUDO
50
meters
a.s.I.
4,400
1O0
! I
meters

4,300

4,200

Sulfide-bearing
rock[----1
Oxidized
rock•
Drill
holee•

FIC.7. Distributionofoxidizedandunoxidized
rock(alongB-B'in Fig.4) in theMattegolddeposit,
northern Chile.
 MARTE PORPHYRY Au DEPOSIT, CHILE 1281

water via stockworkedporphyryexposedon the flanks orebody.The averagevalue for eachelement is pre-
of the Marte ridge. sentedin Table 1. The materialanalyzedincludesboth
Sulfides,mainlypyrite, were transformedto jaros- oxidized and unoxidized ores and is entirely repre-
ite in the leached zones. The copper content of sentativeof the gold deposit.
leached rock diminishedfrom 500 to 800 ppm (in Gold ore is poor in silver, with an overall Ag/Au
sulfide-bearinggold ore) to 100 to 300 ppm. The ratioof only0.44. Copperandmolybdenumarepres-
copper removed during oxidationwas precipitated ent mainlyas chalcopyriteand bornite and molyb-
irregularlyin the sulfidezonesasthin filmsof covellite denite, respectively,asdescribedabove.The source
andchalcocite(sensulato)on chalcopyriteandpyrite. of anomalouslead valuesis unknown,althoughtraces
Local concentrationsof supergenesulfidesaccount of galenaare suspected.Arsenicisweaklyanomalous
for the highestrecorded copper values:1,500 to and probablycontributedby the documentedtraces
2,700 ppm. Melanterite, chalcanthite,and other un- of enargite,whereasantimonyis essentiallyabsent.
identifiedsulfateswith veinlet aluniteare presentin Cinnabaris likely to accountfor the low-order mer-
the advancedargilliccapandare productsof contem- cury anomaly,althoughnonewasobservedbeneath
poraryoxidation.Goldvaluesappearto be unchanged the advancedargillicalterationzone.The sulfurcon-
by supergeneoxidation.Indeed, the western half of tent includes contributions from both pyrite and
the high-grade(>2 ppm Au) ore zone is predomi- gypsum.
nantly sulfide-bearingwhereasthe easternhalf is
leached. Soilgeochemistry
Supergeneacid attack at Marte resulted in wide- Severalyearsafter completionof the grid soilgeo-
spreadkaolinizationof the diorite porphyriesandan-chemicalprogram(seeabove),but beforethe surface
desite lava beneaththe advancedargillic cap. Hy- of the depositwas disturbedseriously,four 2.5-km-
pogeneclaysare alsothoughtto be presentbut cannot longsoilgeochemicallineswere run northeast-south-
be distinguishedreadily from the supergenecontri- west acrossthe Marte area; one of them is centered
bution.
on Cerro Puntiagudo(Fig. 4). Samplesof the -80
Gold Distribution meshfraction, in effect talus fines,were collected ev-
ery 50 m and analyzedfor ten elements:Au, Ag, Bi,
The geometryof the Marte golddeposit,asdefined Hg, As,T1, Pb, Zn, Cu, and Mo. The valuesfor nine
by the 1-g/metric-tonAuisopleth(Fig.5), isrelatively of theseelementsare presentedin Figure 8.
simple:an elongate,steeplyinclined body which in Gold, bismuth,andmercurycoincidevery closely,
planis shapedlike a sausage
with its gentleconcavity and alongwith molybdenum,lead, arsenic,and thal-
facing northward. The deposit crops out on the lium, definethe positionof the Marte deposit.These
northeastern and southwestern flanks of the Marte seven elements are all on the order of five times more
ridge but was concealedbeneath the ridge before abundantover Cerro Puntiagudothan beyond the
miningby the advancedargilliccap.Much of the mi- Marte deposit (Fig. 8), with values for Bi up to 44
crodioriteintrusionbrecciaat depthis suboregrade. ppm, Asup to 340 ppm, andPb up to 535 ppmbeing
The goldore zonecoincides with the mostdensely particularly impressive.It should be emphasized,
stockworkedporphyriesand possesses a core zone however,that this element signatureis producedby
containing>2 g/metric ton Au and averagingap- the advancedargilliccapratherthanthe gold-bearing
proximately2.5 g/metric ton Au. This core is encir- stockwork,much of which is concealed.Arsenic,lead,
cled by roughlyconcentric1- and 0.5-g/metric-ton molybdenum,and mercury clearly reflect the small
Au isopleths.The 2-, 1-, and 0.5-g/metric-toniso- quantitiesof enargite,galena,molybdenite,and cin-
plethsare closetogetheron the north sideof the de- nabar observedin the cap, but the mineralogicresi-
positbut are morewidely spacedto the south. dence of bismuth and thallium is uncertain. However,
Geochemistry bismuthiniteand other bismuth-bearingmineralsare
characteristicof gold-bearingadvancedargilliczones
Lithogeochemistry (e.g., Goldfield,Nevada;Ransome,1909).
Nine elementswere analyzedin 18-m composites In contrastto the elementsdiscussed
above,copper
prepared from 29 RC drill holes in the Marte gold and zinc are presentas distincthalos(Fig. 8). Maxi-

TABLE1. Lithogeochemistryof the Marte Gold Deposit

Au (ppm) Ag (ppm) Cu (ppm) Mo (ppm) Pb (ppm) As (ppm) Sb (ppm) Hg (ppb) S (%)

1.21 0.53 549 46 185 126 <1 170 5.0

Note: All analysesby Geolab,Santiago,Chile, usingatomicadsorption

 1282 VILA, SILLITOE,BETZHOLD,AND VITERI

CERRO PUNTIAGUDO
A MARTE AJ AuBi Hg

-- .:
•
2
50
1200
30

__ >.•.-"• 10
0 0
4000

0 meters 500 Pb As
i i , , , i Mo
TI

/'! A' r5OO

r

•øøt • ^s•,//.•_ / /

,, ........
:_..._...._
4000
1•"-- TI ' •:..................
"-":'-.z:'z--':":'='•-
0 I.0
o 500
& melers i
Cu Zn
A ^ AJ r5oor2oo

4000
,,,,,__ 0 to
o
FIG.8. Soilgeochemicalprofilesacross
theMattegolddeposit,northernChile.Au,Bi, Pb,As,TI,
Mo,Cu,andZn in ppm;Hg in ppb.Notecoincidenceoftheorebody withAu,Bi,Hg,Pb,As,TI, and
Mo andthepresenceof Cu andZn ashalos.All analyses
by Geolab, Santiago,Chile,usingatomic
adsorption.

mumcoppervaluesare presentonthe flanksof Cerro the darkcolorof the quartzisattributable directlyto

Puntiagudo andarethought to representsubcroppinghigh concentrationsof fluid inclusions.
quartzstockworks. Indeed,the copperpeakon the Nearly all inclusionsobservedcontaintwo coex-
northeastern flankcoincides with a 1-ppmAu value istingphases: liquidandvapor.Only a singlesample
(Fig. 8). Elevated zinc values constitute a much contained threephases, withanunidentified daughter
broaderhaloto the depositandare maintainedfor at in additionto the liquidandvapor.Mostof the two-
least1.5 kmto thenortheast. Thebroadlyantithetic phaseinclusions contain>75 vol percentof vapor.
behavior of lead and zinc at Marte is unusualbecause Thesevapor-richinclusions coexistwith liquid-rich
the two metalsnormallyoccurtogetheron the pe- inclusions carrying<20 volpercentvapor.Vapor-and
ripheriesof porphyrysystems(Jerome,1966). Al- liquid-dominated inclusionsare cogeneticand ho-
thoughthemaximum molybdenum values(>50 ppm) mogenizeoverthe sametemperaturerange.No ev-
outlinethe cap(Fig.8), a lowerordermolybdenumidencewasobserved foreitherliquidCO2or clathrate
anomalycoincideswith the zinc halo. formationon cooling.
Silverisnotplottedin Figure8 because valuesover Basedon firstmeltingtemperatures of eitherap-
the wholeareaare consistently <0.5 ppm. proximately-20 ø or < -30øC, the Marte inclusions
Fluid Inclusion Reconnaissance appearto haveresultedfromentrapmentof two dis-
tinct fluid types: NaC1-H20 and NaC1-CaClzHz
Five samplesof quartzfrombandedveinletswithin (Skewes,1988). The mostabundantprimaryinclu-
theMartegolddeposit wereselectedforpreliminarysionsare of NaC1-HzOtype andpossess salinitiesbe-
fluidinclusion studies.Measurements weremadeby tween 1.7 and 19.2 wt percentNaC1equivandho-
Skewes(1988) on 66 individualinclusions, mostof mogenizationtemperaturesbetween 155 ø and 375øC
themprimary
butincluding
some
ofsecondary
origin. (Fig.9). Secondary
inclusions
ofNaC1-HzO
typehave
Transparentquartzispoor in fluid inclusionswhereas similarsalinities(4.9-12.8 wt % NaC1equiv)but
theblackvarietyiscrowded
withinclusions
aligned lowerhomogenizationtemperatures (172ø-240øC).
paralleltothebanding.
Skewes
(1988)concluded
that The second
typeof fluidinclusion,
correspondingto
 MARTE PORPHYRY Au DEPOSIT, CHILE
•) 4 8 12 16 20
.• WEIGHT
PERCENT
NaCIEQUIVALENT
Z asoutward-dipping erosionalremnants eastof Marte
50 1dO 150 200 250 300 350 400
HOMOGENIZATION TEMPERATURE,
øC
FIG. 9. Salinitiesandhomogenizationtemperatures of primary
and lessersecondaryinclusionsfrom selectedstockworkquartz
veinlets,Marte golddeposit,northernChile (afterSkewes,1988).
the NaC1-CaC12-H20 system,is lessabundantbut is
presentin four of the five samplesstudiedby Skewes
(1988). The salinityof thisinclusiontype variesfrom
5.1 to 19.7 wt percent NaCI equiv and the homoge-
nizationtemperaturefrom 177ø to 333øC (Fig. 9). A
singlesecondary inclusionof thistype provideda sa-
linity of 20.1 wt percentNaCI equivandhomogeni-
zationtemperaturesof 180ø and 186øC (Fig. 9).
Transparentand black varietiesof veinlet quartz
containboth NaCI-H20 and NaCI-CaCI•-H•O types
of fluids.Bothtypesexhibitvariablebut moderately
high salinities,a decreasein temperaturewith time,
and evidence for entrapment from boiling fluids
(Skewes,1988); therefore no pressurecorrectionis
required.
The depth of formationof the quartz stockwork
cannotbe determinedprecisely.However,basedon
the temperaturesand salinitiesrecorded(Fig. 9), the
boilingpointcurvesof Haas(1971) precludea depth
anygreaterthan400 to 500 m beneaththe palcowater
table if hydrostaticconditionsare assumed.Perma-
nent middleMiocenewater tablesmayhavebeen as
deep as severalhundredmetersbeneathhigh relief
volcanic landforms like the Pastillitos stratovolcano,
given the onsetof aridity in northern Chile at that
time (Mortimer,1973). If the present-day
watertable
coincideswith the baseof the deepleachedzone(Fig.
7), asproposedabove,it is about 150 m below the
summitof Cerro Puntiagudo.Thereforethe fluid in-
clusionevidenceis compatiblewith generationof the
Marte depositsome500 to 700 m beneaththe palco-
surface.
Discussion and Conclusions
Reconstruction
of the Matte system does not contain economicconcentrations of high
The Marte gold depositis related to an isolated sulfidation,acidsulfate-typegoldand/orcoppermin-
quadrant eralization,althoughtracesof bothgoldandenargite
dioriticstockemplacedintothe southeastern
1283
of the Pastillitos andesitic stratovolcano of middle
Mioceneage.Thestockappears tohavebeenintruded
beneaththemarginof a principaleruptivecenterfol-
lowingthe completion of coneconstruction.Radio-
metricagesof 13.6+__
0.4 and13.3+__0.4 Ma forend-
stagevolcanismandend-stage hydrothermal altera-
tion,respectively,
confirmthatvolcanicandintrusive
activitiesat Marte were essentiallycoeval(Sillitoeet
al., 1991).
If the topofthe fine-grainedandesiteflowpresent
(Fig.4) isacceptedasthepalcosurface followingcone
construction, as proposedabove,the palcosurface
abovethe mineralizedstockmay be reconstructed
(Fig. 10). Thisreconstruction impliesremovalof a
column of rock 650 m thick from above the summit
of Cerro Puntiagudo--anestimatein goodaccord
with the 500 to 700 m inferred from fluid inclusion
evidence.
The gold-bearing quartzstockwork at Marteattains
the apexof the dioriticstockbeneathCerroPuntia-
gudoandisconfinedto onlya smallportion,some20
percent,of the entirestock(Fig. 4). Thisrestriction
of the goldmineralization maybe attributedto lo-
calizationby the northwest-trending structurebut,
perhapsmoreimportantly,to stockworkgeneration
in associationwith a small intrusion centered beneath
Cerro Puntiagudo. Thisintrusionmaybe eitherthe
fine-grained
dioriteporphyryoranearlymicrodiorite,
similarto that documentedat the nearbyLobodeposit
(Vila andSillitoe,1991), althoughthe microdiorite
and associated intrusion breccia observed at Marte
clearlyrepresent thefinalintrusive
event,muchofit
postdating the mainstageof goldmineralization.
Althoughthe gold-bearingstockworkcoincides
spatiallywith an intermediateargillicalterationas-
semblage, it isconcluded
thatthemainstageofquartz,
magnetite,and gold introductionaccompanied an
earlier K silicate alteration event. This conclusion is
supportedbyevidencefromothergold-rich porphyry
systems
in theMaricungabelt(VilaandSillitoe,1991),
whichalsosuggeststhatK silicatealterationmaybe-
comemoreprominentat deeperlevelsthanthosein-
vestigatedto date at Marte.
The contactbetweenthe apex of the stockand
overlyingandesitichost volcanicsbeneathCerro
Puntiagudocoincides
roughlywiththeplanarbaseof
a zoneofgold-poor
advanced argillicalteration,
which
is believed to have been far more extensive both lat-
erallyandverticallyprior to its nearlycompletere-
movalby erosion(Fig. 10).The proximityof the ore-
bodyandadvancedargilliccapsuggests telescoping
duringthe lifespanof the hydrothermal system.The
advancedargillic zone beneathCerro Puntiagudo
1284 VILA, SILLITOE, BETZHOLD, AND VITERI

meters
a.s.L "•"•C)•
'-- ßß ß
5000- •',•'-...
• Advanced
argdhc
alteration

• •,•,•
J S ",•e,-•, PUNTIAGUDO --..
'•øuu-1 • "• ,• . t ^ • ^ •• Preserved
• ••• • •,.•' '_"__-•-- • •aleosufface
J w'•hn tive•uff• • / PRESENT
SURFACE
• v•
•uuU• •+ •1 • Baseofadvanced • •na)??d
J - • "• argillic
alteration andes•t•ctlows
/r merers
• Dioritic•
0 500 stock •NWFAULT

•I•. ]0. Sehem•Lie

reeo•s•rge•io•o• •he •r•e system•d Rsvole•ie edifice•Jo• seefio•g-g'

are present(seeabove).However,erodedportions 4. K silicatealterationis commonlyoverprinted,

ofthezonemayhavepossessed structurally
controlled and locallyobliterated,by intermediateargillic as-
depositsof this type. Shallowlevelsof the advanced semblages, especiallyin the uppermostpartsof min-
argilliczoneinferredaboveCerroPuntiagudo(Fig. eralizedstockworks (e.g.,Dizon;SillitoeandGappe,
10), asthosepreservedfartherwest(Fig. 4), would 1984).
havebeenof theacidleachtypeandthereforedevoid 5. Veinlet and disseminatedhydrothermaliron
of goldandcoppermineralization. Acidleachingre- oxidesare abundantin the gold-copperzone, with
sultsfrom condensationinto cool groundwater of widespread development of hematiteat the expense
H2S-bearing steam,whichis unableto transportap- of magnetiteduringintermediateargillieoverprint-
preciablequantitiesof preciousandbasemetalsbut ing.
may lead to concentrations of nativesulfur(Figs.4 6. Gold-copper-bearing stockworksare overlain
and10), andin accordwith itspresenceasa latemin- by extensive,fiat-lying,grosslytabularzonesof alun-
eral in the advancedargilliccap,alsocinnabar. ire-richadvancedargilliealterationdevelopedin vol-
canicsequences. The zonescommonlycarryenargite-
Comparisons gold mineralization.
Many geologicfeaturesof the Marte golddeposit
aresimilarto thoseofporphyrycopperdeposits (e.g., The only substantialfeature that distinguishes
Gustafson andHunt, 1975), andin particular,to gold- Marte fromgold-richporphyrycopperdepositsisthe
rich porphyrycopperdepositslike thosein the Phil- paucity of hypogenecopper (only about 0.05%).
ippines(Sillitoeand Gappe, 1984). A detailedcom- However,the gold-bearingstockworkdearly carries
parisonbetweengold-richporphyrydepositsin the a well-definedeopper-molybdenum signature,and
Maricungabelt andthoseelsewhereis givenby Vila indeed,the averagemolybdenum content(46 ppm)
andSillitoe(1991), andonlya brief summary,suffi- isappreciablyhigherthanthatof somegold-richpor-
cient to establishthe porphyry gold credentialsofphyry copperdeposits(e.g., Dizon and SantoTomas
Marte, is provided here. Features commonto both II; SillitoeandGappe,1984).
Marte and manyother gold-richporphyrydeposits Coexistingliquid- and vapor-dominatedinclusion
include: fluidsof magmatiehydrothermalorigin, with the
formerpossessing salinitiesin the I to 25 wt percent
1. There is a geneticconnectionbetween miner- NaC1equivrangeasat Marte (Fig. 11), are abundant
alization and quartz-poorcalc-alkalineporphyry in the ore zonesof manyporphyrycopperdeposits
stocksemplacedinto coevalandesiticvolcanicedif- (e.g.,AhmadandRose,1980; Shelton,1983; Bowman
ices.The stocksare emplacedat relativelyshallow et al., 1987). However,thesetwo primaryinclusion
depths(CoxandSinger,1988). typesin the samplesstudiedfrom Marte are not ac-
2. Stocksare composite
andincludeintrusions
and companiedby high-salinity("-30->60 wt % NaC1
hydrothermal
breccias
of latemineralization
timing. equiv) inclusionsthat are normallyalsopresentin
3. Much of the gold-copper mineralization is porphyrycopperdeposits (Fig. 11). Nevertheless,
in
present in quartz veinlet stockworks.A preferred a more detailed study of fluid inclusionsat Marte
veinlet direction, like that at Marte, has also been commencedrecently, E. Campos(writ. eommun.,
observed in severalPhilippine deposits(e.g.,Boneng; 1989) encountereda few high-salinity(30-45 wt %
R. H. Sillitoe,unpub.data). NaC1equiv)inclusions containinghalite daughters.
 MARTE PORPHYRY Au DEPOSIT, CHILE 1285

ß CaCI2-NaCI- H20 INCLUSION O NaCI- H20 INCLUSION Baranzangi,M., and Isacks,B. L., 1976, Spatial distribution of
earthquakesand subduerionof the Nazca plate beneath South
• 60' America:Geology,v. 4, p. 686-692.
Z
Bonatti,E., Harrison, C. G. A., Fisher, D. E., Honnorez, J., Schill-
__ PORPHYRYCOPPERDEPOSITS-- ing, J.-G., andZentilli, M., 1977, Easter•olcanicchain(south-
eastPacific):A mantlehotline:Jour.Geophys.Research,
v. 82,
(HIGH-SALINITY
INCLUSIONS)__
p. 2457-2478.
"' 40 Bowman,J. R., Parry, W. T., Kropp, W. P., and Kruer, S. A.,
U 1987, Chemicaland isotopicevolutionof hydrothermalsolu-
o
z
tionsat Bingham,Utah: ECON.GEOL.,v. 82, p. 395-428.
D. P., and Singer,D. A., 1988, Distributionof gold in porphyry
z copper deposits:U.S. Geol. SurveyOpen-File Rept. 88-46, 8
u p.
Davidson,J., 1988, Evoluci6ngeo16gicade los Andesdel norte
.• ePORI•-HYRY
_•.--: COPPER
DEPOSITS
-=-
(MODERAT•-S•ULIN•"
-
de Chile y su relaci6n con el marco tect6nicode algunosde-
p6sitosepitermalesde metalespreciosos[abs.],in Yacimientos
epitermales en ambientes de volcanismo reciente: IUGS-
UNESCO Seminario-Taller,La Paz, Bolivia,4-16 Sept. 1988,
o ßJEPITHERMAL 4p.
loo 200 300 400 500 Davidson,J., and Mpodozis,C., 1991, Regionalgeologicsetting
HOMOGENIZATION TEMPERATUREøC ofepithermal gold deposits,Chile: ECON.GEOL.,v. 86, p. 000.
Gardeweg,M., Ishihara,S., Matsuhisa,Y., Shibata,K., andTera-
FIG. 11.
Comparisonof Marte inclusionfluids(Fig. 10) with shima,S., 1984, Geochemical studiesof upperCenozoicigneous
thosecharacteristicof epithermalpreciousmetal depositsand K rocksfromthe Altiplanoof Antofagasta, Chile:JapanGeol.Sur-
silicatezonesin porphyrycopperdeposits.Note the salinitygap vey Bull., v. 35, p. 547-563.
observedcommonlybetween moderate-and high-salinitymag- Gonz•!ez-FerrSn,O., Baker, P. E., and Rex, D.C., 1985, Tectonic-
matie hydrothermalfluidsin porphyry copperdeposits(approx- volcanicdiscontinuityat latitude27ø south,AndeanRange,as-
imated from Ahmad and Rose, 1980; Shelton, 1983; Bowman et sociatedwith Nazcaplate subduction:Tectonophysics, v. 112,
al., 1987). p. 423-441.
Gustafson,L. B., and Hunt, J.P., 1975, The porphyrycopper
depositat El Salvador,Chile:ECON.GEOL.,v. 70, p. 857-912.
Haas,J. L., Jr., 1971, The effectof salinityon the maximumther-
Clearly, even moderate-salinityinclusionfluids at mal gradientof a hydrothermalsystemat hydrostaticpressure:
Martearetoosalineto be ofepithermaltype,although ECON. GEOL., v. 66, p. 940--946.
many of the recorded temperaturesare in the epi- James,D. E., 1971, Andean crustaland upper mantle structure:
Jour. Geophys.Research,v. 76, p. 3246-3271.
thermalrange(Fig. 11). Nevertheless,temperatures Jerome, S. E., 1966, Some features pertinent in explorationof
comparableto those determined from Marte inclu- porphyrycopper deposits,in TitIcy, S. R., and Hicks, C. L.,
sionsare alsocharacteristic
of someporphyrycopper eels.,Geologyof the porphyry copper deposits,southwestern
deposits(e.g., Bagdad, Arizona; Nash and Cun- North America:Tucson,Arizona,Univ. ArizonaPress,p. 75-
85.
ningham,1974), whichlackhomogenization temper-
atures of >400øC. Kay, S. M., Maksaev,V., Moscoso,R., Mpodozis,C., Nasi,C., and
Gordillo,C. E., 1988, TertiaryAndeanmagmatism in Chile and
Argentinabetween28 ø S and 33 ø S: Correlationof magmatic
Acknowledgments chemistrywith a changingBenioffzone:SouthAmericanEarth
Sci. Jour., v. 1, p. 21-38.
The writerswishto thankpersonnelof MineraAn- Kay, S. M., Mpodozis,C., Ramos,V. A., and Munizaga,F., in
glo AmericanChile Ltda. for their manyandvaried press,Magmasourcevariationsfor mid to late Tertiary volcanic
rockseruptedover a shallowingsubductionzone and through
contributions to explorationat Marte. Specialgrati- a thickeningcrustin the mainAndeanCordillera(28-33 ø S):
tudeisdueto RobertA. Lyall,Consulting Geologist, Geol. Soc.AmericaSpec.Paper 265.
for projectdirectionandencouragement to prepare Maranzana,F., 1972, Applicationoftalussamplingto geochemical
thisreport;DavidPacci,MarioS/mchez, JuanCarlos explorationin aridareas:LosPelambreshydrothermalalteration
Toro,andCristi•nSprfhnlefor valuableparticipation area,
B33.
Chile: Inst. Mining Metall. Trans.,sec.B., v. 81, p. B26-
in differentstagesof the exploration
program; Wolf-
gangHaederleand NicholasM. Lindsayfor petro- Mereado W., M., 1982, Geologlade la Hoja Lagunadel Negro
Francisco,Regi6nde Atacama:Santiago,ServicioNac.Geologla
graphicdescriptions;
andMaria AntonietaMaeztufor Minerla, Carta Geol. Chile 56, 73 p.
preparationof the manuscript.Publicationis with Mortimer,C., 1973,The Cenozoichistoryofthe southernAtacama
permissionof Cia. Minera Tres Cruces S.C.M. and Desert, Chile: Geol. Soc.LondonJour., v. 129, p. 505-526.
Minera Anglo AmericanChile Ltda., which alsoun- Mpodozis,C., and Ramos,V., 1990, The Andesof Chile and Ar-
derwrotethe additional
costsincurredby Figure2. gentina:Earth-Sci.Set., Circum-Pacific
CouncilEnergyMineral
Resources,v. 11, p. 59-90.
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