Econom/cGeo/og•j

Vol. 81, 1986, pp. 1495-1519

Sodium-CalciumMetasomatism'Chemical,Temporal, and Spatial

Relationshipsat the Yerington,Nevada,Porphyry Copper Deposit
RICHARD B. CARTEN

AMAX, Alloy Division,HendersonMine, P.O. Box38, Empire, Colorado80438

Abstract

Tiltingassociated
withextensional tectonics
hasexposed1,800m of continuous palcovertical
reliefthroughthe Jurassic-ageYeringtonporphyrycopperdeposit.The rarelyobserved root
zonesof a porphyrysystemare characterized at Yeringtonby sodium-calciummetasomatism.
The principalhydrothermal reactionsinvolvethe replacementof primaryK-feldsparby oli-
goclaseandof primarybiotiteby actinolite.Copperhasbeenremoved.Sodic-calcie alteration
developed at deepintrusivecontactsnearlysimultaneouslywithpotassie
alterationandcopper
mineralizationat shallowintrusivecontacts.The reactionsaccompanying potassicalteration
are the reverseof thoseaccompanying sodic-calcicalteration.Plagioclasereactedto formK-
feldspar;hornblende reactedto formbiotite.The potassic andsodie-calcic alterationcouplet
principallyaccompanied eachof two separate intrusiveevents:(1) LuhrHill granitestockand
associated porphyrydikesand(9•)WalkerBivergraniteporphyrydikes.The youngerWalker
Biver intrusionwas emplacedat slightlydeeperlevelsthan the older Luhr Hill complex.
Verticallystacked andpartiallysuperimposed alterationandmineralization patternsresulted
from differencesin depth and in timing of emplacement.
At lowertemperatures, latesodicalterationwassuperimposed onearlysodic-calcicalteration
at deeperlevelsin the system,whereaslatequartz-serieite-pyrite alterationwassuperimposed
on potassic alterationat higherlevels.Sodicalterationis characterized by the replacementof
K-feldsparby albite and of biotite by chlorite.Copper depositedduringpotassicalteration
wasremobilized.The transitionto lower temperaturealterationis associated only with the
Walker Biver intrusion.The hydrothermalsystemassociated with the emplacementof the
Luhr Hill complexhad not evolvedto lower temperatureassemblages prior to emplacement
of the Walker Biver dikes.
Phaseequilibriaand geologicreconstruction of depth of emplacementsuggestthat tem-
peraturesduringearly sodic-calcic alterationwere limited to the rangeof 360 ø to 480øC at
pressures between300 and 800 bars.Late sodicalterationtook placeat similarpressures but
at temperatureslessthan 360øC.
Nearlysimultaneous development of potassicandsodic-calcic alterationresultedfromthe
flow of fluidsawayfrom intrusionsat shallowlevels(potassic alteration)andfrom the flow of
fluidstowardintrusionsat deeper levels(sodic-calcie alteration).BecauseK/Na and Na/Ca
activityratiosof a fluidin equilibriumwith graniticrocksdecreasewith decreasing temperature,
coolingof high-temperaturefluidscan generatepotassicalterationand heatingof fluidsto
hightemperaturescangeneratesodicor sodie-calcic alteration.

Introduction asto the natureof alterationin the root zone of por-

phyry deposits.
A COMPLETE understanding of hydrothermalsystems In the Yeringtonporphyrycopperdepositthe root
associatedwith porphyry copper depositsis depen- zone of the hydrothermalsystemis well exposed.
dent uponexposures of both the topsandbottomsof Westwardtilting, duringa minimumof two periods
thesesystems. High-leveltypesof alterationspatially of tectonicdeformation(pre-lateCenozoicand late
associated with coppermineralization,for example, Cenozoic),hasrotatedthe depositfrom a nearlyver-
sericitic (phyllic) and potassicalteration, are well ticalJurassic agepositionto a nearlyhorizontalpres-
documented(e.g., Lowell and Gullbert, 1970; Gus- ent-age position (Proffett, 1977; Geissmanet al.,
tafsonand Hunt, 1975; Titley, 1982). Below the 1982). As a result,over 1.8 km of continuous paleo-
principalore levels,weakly veinedand weakly min- verticalrelief hasbeen exposed.Geologyoutsidethe
eralized wall rock is locally altered to a mineral as- mine area can be reconstructed to allow observations
sociationof quartz+ K-feldspar+ sericite+ chlorite, over 8 km of paleoverticalrelief, includingmostof
as at San Manuel-Kalamazoo,Arizona (Lowell and the hydrothermalsystem(M. T. Einaudi et al., in
Gullbert,1970), andLosLoros,Chile(Sillitoe,1973). prep).Becauseofpostmineralization tilting,a present-
Still deeperlevels,becauseof their generallybarren age-levelplan (Fig. 1) representsa Jurassic(pretilt)
nature,arerarelyexposedandmanyquestions remain vertical crosssectionand a present-agenorth-south

0361-0128/86/597/1495-2552.50 1495
1496 MCHAP• B. CA•Tr.N
 NA-CA
METASOMATISM,
YERINGTON
NVDEPOSIT 1497

GRANITE

U $975 Fau
D

MONZONITE

BEAR
QUARTZ
AONZONITE

/• '•/'•//• /• /•' //f' PORPHYRY

WALKER RIVER
DIKE SWARM

3000

FIG. 2. Reconstructionof Jurassic-agegeologyon an isometricblock diagram at the approximate

level of 33,500E. Structuresin Figure 1 were rotated 90 ø to the east about a north-south-trending
horizontalaxis.Originaldistributionof potassicalteration(greaterthan 50% amphibolebiotitized) and
sodic-calcic alteration is also shown.

vertical crosssection(Fig. 2) representsa Jurassic- or calcium-richminerals,includingthe reactionsof

age (pretilt)-levelplan. K-feldsparto oligoclase andof biotite to actinolite.It
The root zoneliesto the eastof high-levelportions is distinctfrom propyliticalteration(generallychar-
of the hydrothermalsystemand is characterizedby acterizedby isochemical reactions)in whichalbiteis
intense sodic-calcic alteration. Sodium-calcium meta- formedprincipallyby the lossof calciumfrom pla-
somatism has affected more than one-third of the al- gioclase,not by the metasomatic additionof sodium
tered graniticrocksassociated with the ore deposit. (e.g.,Meyer andHemley, 1967). Exceptfor the pres-
This type of alterationis characterizedby the con- ence of this alterationtype, alterationand mineral~
versionof magmaticmineralsto more sodium-and/ izationassemblages at the Yeringtonmineare similar

FIC. 1. Simplifiedcomposite-levelmapof geologyof the Yeringtonmine.Geologyoutsideof the

studyarea is basedon a composite-levelmap from M. T. Einaudi et al. (in prep).
1498 R•CHARD B. CARTEN

to thoseobservedat otherporphyrycopperdeposits. minology),Walker River porphyry (formerlyquartz

Potassic alteration dominates the main levels of the monzoniteporphyry-2), Masonporphyry (formerly
depositand is structurallyoverlainand crosscutby quartz monzonite prophyry-2.5), and Post Office
sericiticalteration(M. T. Einaudiet al., in prep.). porphyry(formerlyquartz monzoniteporphyry-3).
Sodic-calcic alterationsimilarto that at Yerington Intrusionsare listed in the order of their emplace-
hasbeenobserved by theauthorin well-exposed root ment.PostOfficeporphyryformedasa singlenarrow
zonesof three otherporphyrycopperdeposits: Ajo, dike emplacedafter mosthydrothermal activityhad
Arizona, and Ann-Mason(Dilles, 1983) and Bear- ceased.This dike doesnot appearin the eastend of
MacArthur-Lagomarsino in the Yeringtondistrict. the mine and its period of emplacementwill not be
Thus,thistype of alterationis not uniqueto the Yer- discussed.
ingtondepositand may be presentat deeperlevels The North dike of the Nevada-Empireperiod of
in otherlesswell exposedporphyrydeposits. intrusionis transitionalat depth (pretilt) with a por-
The principalmethodsof investigationincluded phyritic-granitic stock,Luhr Hill granite(Fig. 1). This
detailedmappingof approximately3,000 m of bench stockis believed to be the root zone equivalentof
face and 6,400 m of drill core at a scale of 1:600 in severalother early dikes in the central portion of
an areaeastof the Sericitefault (Fig. 1). Outsidethe thepit. Collectively,the Luhr Hill stockanditsassoci-
mine, the southernmostportion of the southern ateddikesare referredto asthe Luhr Hill complex.
GroundHog Hills (Fig. 1) wasmappedat a scaleof The Luhr Hill stockis cut by a later dike swarmthat
1:4,800. Texturesandmineralrelationships were ex- is believed to be correlative with Walker River dikes
amined in 1,200 rock slabsand 400 thin sections. in the west-centralportionof the pit. Theseyounger
Compositionaldatawere obtainedfrom electronmi- intrusions were emplacedalonga narrow300-m-wide
croprobeanalysisof mineralsin 32 polishedthin sec- corridorslightlysoutheastof the North dike. Farther
tions.More detaileddiscussions of hydrothermalal- eastbeyondthe limit of the openpit, Walker River
terationat Yerington,accompanied by detailedlevel dikesare thoughtto gradeinto a large stock,similar
mapsandcrosssections, are offeredin Carten(1981). in textureandsizeto Luhr Hill granite.Walker River
porphyry in turn is cut by a large dike or dikes of
GeologicSetting Masonporphyry. Lastly, rhyolite and andesitedikes
The Yeringtonmine is locatedin the Yerington intrude all the previously mentioned units. These
district, Lyon County, Nevada. The district lies 80 dikesare thoughtto be Mesozoicin age. Textural
km east of the Sierra Nevada batholith and within the andmorphological featuresof the importantigneous
Great Basinprovince.Over a period of 26 yearsof units in the east end of the mine are summarized in
operationby the AnacondaCompany,endingwith its Table 1.
closurein 1978, the mine producedapproximately
165 milliontonsof ore averaging0.6 wt percentcop- Generalalterationpatterns
per. The districtandgeneralminegeologyhavebeen
summarized by Proffett(1977), Einuadi(1977, 1982), Relativelysimplepatternsof hydrothermalalter-
Carten (1981), Proffettand Dilles (1984), and M. T. ation and coppermineralizationare complicatedby
Einaudi et al. (in prep.). the overlapof two distincthydrothermalsystems as-
sociatedwith the two majorintrusiveevents,the older
Igneousrocks Luhr Hill complexand the younger Walker River
The Yeringtondepositis situatedwithin the Yer- complex(Fig.3). Basedonthe levelof transitionfrom
ingtonbatholith,a compositegraniticbodyof Middle stockliketo dikelike geometries,the Walker River
Jurassicage (168-169 m.y., Dilles et al., 1983) that complexwasemplacedat deeperlevelsthanthe Luhr
intrudedvolcanicand sedimentaryrocksof Triassic- Hill complex.However,their separatehydrothermal
Jurassic age.The Yeringtonbatholithis composedof systemsprobablywere similarin mostaspects.
equigranular quartzmonzodiorite(McLeodHill unit) Emplacementof the Luhr Hill complexwas ac-
intrudedby a lesservolumeof equigranularquartz companiedby deep sodic-calcic(oligoclase+ actin-
monzonite(Bear unit). Late-stagegranite porphyry olite)alterationof the Luhr Hill stockandhigherlevel
dike swarms associatedwith porphyritic-granitic potassic(orthoclase+ biotite) alterationof Nevada-
stocksintruded the central portionsof the batholith. Empire porphyrydikesin the centralportionof the
The Yeringtonmine is centered over one of these pit (Fig. 3A). The North dike may have been potas-
dike swarms(Fig. 1). sicallyalteredat levelsaboveanearlyTertiaryerosion
Mappingby Anacondageologists in the late 1960s surface.These are the earliestalterationstylesrec-
and early 1970s indicatedfour periodsof emplace- ognizedin the pit. Later emplacementof the Walker
ment of granite porphyry dikes in the west-central River porphyrydikes(Fig. 3B) wasalsoaccompanied
portion of the mine: Nevada-Empire porphyry by deep sodic-calcicalteration and higher level po-
(formerlyquartzmonzoniteporphyry-1in mineter- tassicalteration(Fig. 3C). Thesealterationstyleshad
 NA-CA METASOMATISM, YERINGTON NV DEPOSIT 1499

TABLE1. Summaryof Texturesand Morphologyof IntrusiveUnits

Averagegrain size of Averagequartz grain

Rocktype Texture rock• sizeandhabit Geometry

Bear quartz Equigranular 1-2 mm, uniform 0.5-0.6 mm, Stocklike

monzonite interstitial

Luhr Hill complex

Luhr Hill Seriate 2-3 mm, uniform 0.5-0.8 mm, Elongate, cupola
granite interstitial shaped
Transitional Seriate 2 mm, variable 0.3-0.5 mm, Border on stock
unit interstitial,
graphic,aplitic
Nevada-Empire Porphyritic-aplitic 0.05-0.1 mm, variable 0.05-0.3 mm, aplitic Sheetlike
porphyry
Walker River Porphyritic-aplitic 0.05-0.1 mm, uniform 0.05-0.1 mm, aplitic Sheetlike
porphyry
Masonporphyry Porphyritic-aplitic 0.05-0.1 mm, uniform 0.05-0.1 mm, aplitic Sheetliketo
pluglike

Excluding
phenocrysts

diminishedin intensitybefore emplacementof the commun.,1984). An additional1,800 m of pretilt

lastporphyrydikesin the eastendof the pit, Mason vertical relief is exposedin the presentmine. Con-
porphyry.Followingemplacement, Masonporphyry sequently,for the easternmostexposures,the mini-
was affectedby minor potassicalteration.Subse- mumdepthof emplacement wasapproximately3,000
quently,thisunit andall older rockswere alteredat to 3,200 m.
deeperlevelsto a sodicassemblage (albite+ chlorite
+ epidote)and at higherlevelsto a sericiticassem- Early Sodium-CalciumMetasomatism
blage(quartz+ sericite+ pyrite)(Fig.3D). Neither
the Walker River nor Mason dikes cut sericitic alter- Fresh hornblende-biotitequartz monzoniticand
ation (M. T. Einaudiet al., in prep.) or late sodical- graniticrockswere convertedthrougha seriesof re-
teration,indicatingthatthesealterationassemblagesactionsto two majorhydrothermalassociations (Fig.
were not producedat the level of the mine prior to 4), referredto assodicI andsodic2: sodici = quartz
emplacementof theseintrusions. + oligoclase/andesine + sphene+ rutile + apatite
Primary depositionof copper-ironsulfidesaccom- _ epidoteandsodic2 = quartz+ oligoclase+ sphene
paniedpotassic alteration + apatite+ actinolite___
alteration.Earlysodic-calcic epidote.
wasnot associated with the precipitationof sulfides. Theseassociationsincludeonlyhydrothermallyin-
Copper-ironsulfidesdepositedduringpotassic alter- troducedmineralsand primary magmaticminerals
ationwereremobilized andredistributed duringboth whichremainedstableduringalteration.Equilibruim
sericitic and late sodic alteration. amongall mineralsis not implied.Where presentto-
gether,the sodicI association
alwaysappearsinterior
Faulting,erosion,and depthof emplacement or veinward to the sodic2 association.Primary K-
feldsparandbiotitewerereplacedcompletelyby oli-
Prior to significanttilting of the deposit,erosion goclaseand actinolite,respectively,in the sodic 2
duringearlyTertiarytimeremoved thehighest levels zone.Actinolitewasreplacedby plagioclasein the
oftheorebody(Fig.3). LateTertiaryerosion, follow- sodicI zone. Sulfidesare not presentin either asso-
ingsignificant
blockfaultingandwestward tilting,re- ciation.
movedthe pretilt easternhalf of the orebody(Fig. Early sodium-calcium
metasomatism
wasstructur-
2). Deepestlevel rocks(southeast of the openpit) ally controlledby untilledfracturesandfourtypesof
were downdropped by steeplydippingMioceneto generallymonomineralicveins:(1) quartz,(2) plagio-
present-agenormalfaults(north strikingand south clase,(3) tourmaline,and(4) actinolite.The firstthree
dipping)andpresentlylie underQuaternary valley typesof veinsare concentricallyenclosedby enve-
gravels. lopes,0.1 to 3.0 cm wide, of the sodicI association
Reconstructed
paleogeologic andpaleotopographicthat gradeoutwardintosodic2 envelopes,0.3 to XO
mapsof earlyTertiarytime fix the minimumdepth cm wide. Actinoliteveinsare enclosedonlyby sodic
of emplacementfor the top of the Yeringtonmine 2 envelopes.The sodic2 zone gradesoutwardinto
(westend)at 1,200to 1,400m (M. T. Einaudi,pers. unalteredquartz monzoniticor graniticrocks.
1500 RICHARD B. CARTEN

\
 NA-CAMETASOMATISM,
YERINGTONNV DEPOSIT 1501

lOO
Bio-Sph-Ep Sphene Soh-Rt on observations of sodic-calcic alteration associated
Maanetite Epidote EDidote
Hornblende with the Luhr Hill complex.
Actinolite
Quartz The distributionanddensityof quartz,plagioclase,
tourmaline,and actinoliteveinsare directlycorrela-
_ Quartz _
8o
tive with the distributionandintensityof sodium-cal-
Quartz cium metasomatism. The area of most intense sodium-
calciummetasomatism is adjacentto the contactof
Luhr Hill stockand Bear quartz monzonite,where
60 quartz, tourmaline, and plagioclaseveins are most
K-feldspar Vein abundant(1-5% of rockvolume).Actinoliteveinsap-
pear outsidethis regionof mostintensemetasoma-
_J
o Plagioclase tism. Compositions of plagioclase,tourmaline,and
actinolite in veins are shown in Table 2.
40

Plagioclase
Veinsare preferentiallyorientedwith a northwest
strikeanda northeastdip. Strikesof veinsare nearly
perpendicularto the contactof the Luhr Hill stock
Plagioclase
and are generally through-going.Individual veins
2o
--

havebeentracedfor up to 60 m alongstrike.Average
orientationsof plagioclaseand tourmalineveinsare
N 53øW/42 ø NE andN 83øW/73 ø NE for the north-
eastandcentralsectionsof the eastend, respectively
(equiv.to pretilt or Jurassic-age orientations of N 37ø
FRESH S2 S1 VEIN
W/66 øSW andN 73øW/82 ø SW, respectively). The
FIG. 4. Volumepercentageof mineralsin freshquartz mon- alignmentsof the sodici and sodic2 zonesreflect
zoniteandin quartzmonzoniteaffectedby sodic-calcic alteration. theseorientations(Fig. 3A).
S1 representssodic i associationand S2 representssodic 2 as- Completeenvelopeson veinsare recognizablein
sociation.
the outerfringesof the sodic-calcic zone(Fig. 5A and
B). Within the core of the zone, vein densitiesare
Distribution sufficientlyhigh that envelopesof adjacent veins
overlap and alteration of the host rock to sodic 1
Sodium-calcium enrichment affected rocks in two and sodic2 mineral associations becomespervasive
separateareas:an irregular upper zone, 450 to 600 (Fig. 5C).
m wide, closelyparallelingthe contactbetweenLuhr
Reactions
Hill graniteandquartzmonzonitehostrock(Fig. 3A),
anda narrowbut downwardlyexpanding zonewithin The conversion of fresh wall rock to a sodic 1 min-
the deepestexposedportionsof the WalkerRiverin- eral association involvedreactionsproducingchanges
trusions(Fig. 3C). Northeastwardof the mine, the bothin mineralogyandin mineralcompositions. Well-
upper zone extendsalongthe contactbetween Luhr developedmetasomatic envelopesenclosinga quartz
Hill granite and Bear quartz monzonite,at least vein in the Luhr Hill stock were used to document
throughthe southernGroundHog Hills, a distance variationsin mineral compositions(Table 3).
of 600 m. At thislocality,the zonenarrowsin width Fresh wall rock: The mineral associations in both
to 300 m. A similarextensionis likely southeastward unalteredBear quartz monzoniteand the Luhr Hill
of the minebeneatha coverof gravel. complexare identical. Basicmineralsinclude: quartz
Potassically alteredWalker River dikescut sodic- + oligoclase-andesine + sphene+ apatite q-biotite
calcicalterationof the Luhr Hill complex;Walker q-hornblendeq- K-feldsparq- magnetite_+epidote.
River dikesin turn are affectedby identicalsodic- Sodic 2 zone: In a zone 0.3 to XO cm from the vein
calcic alteration at deeper levels. Therefore, there margin,nearly simultaneousreactionsinvolvingthe
aretwo episodesof sodic-calcic alterationexposedin mineralsK-feldspar,biotite, magnetite,and epidote
the mine: a shallower,older episodespatiallyand convertedthe rockto the mineralassociation, quartz
temporallyassociated with the Luhr Hill complexand q- oligoclaseq- spheneq- apatiteq- actinolite_+epi-
a deeper,youngerepisodespatiallyandtemporally dote.This association is volumetricallythe dominant
associated with Walker River intrusions. Because of type of sodic-calcic alteration.In contrastto the sodic
betterexposure, the descriptions
thatfollowarebased 1 zone,whichdevelopedovera few centimetersnear

FIG. 3. Simplifiedsummaryof intrusion-alteration historyof the Yeringtondeposit.Outer limit of

potassicalterationis basedon samecriteria asin Figure 2. Seetext for details.
1502 RICHARD B. CARTEN

TABLE2. ChemicalCompositions(wt % oxide) of Vein mainsdevelopedin secondary plagioclase andthe in-

MineralsasDetermined by Electron MicroprobeAnalysis cluded quartz coalescedinto larger suborthogonal
grains(Fig. 5E). Includedquartz grainsaverage10
Tourmaline Plagioclase Actinolite
(14)• (9) (3) to 20 percentby volumeof the replacementassem-
blage.Silicareleasedby the reactionof K-feldsparto
SiO• 37.61 62.18 52.74 oligoclaseappearsto haveremainedlargelyasquartz
AlcOa 26.97 24.17 3.96 within the reactedgrain.
TiO• 0.20 ND a 0.31
FeO 2 1.93 ND 9.21 Chessboard twinningwasfirstdescribedby Becke
MgO 8.76 ND 18.05 (1906) and is thought to occurin igneousrocksaf-
CaO 1.01 4.91 12.77 fectedby sodiummetasomatism (e.g., Gilluly, 1933;
Na•O 2.04 8.93 0.43 Crowder andRoss,1973; Moore andLiou, 1979). At
K20 ND ND 0.07
the Yeringtonmine, this textureis observedonly in
Total 78.52 100.19 97.54 K-feldsparreplacedby plagioclaseand is clearlyre-
lated to sodium-calcium metasomatism.
Structural formulas
Si 10.002 7.502
The other major reactioninvolvedthe conversion
of biotite to actinolite. Chlorite is an intermediate
AI(IV) 5.037 0.408
AI(VI) 0.166 product(Fig. 5F). Primaryhornblendealsois pseu-
Ti 0.033 domorphically convertedto actinolite,whichis com-
Fe 1.096
positionallysimilarto secondary actinoliteafter bio-
Mg 3.827
Ca 0.931 1.946 tite. Secondaryactinolite, regardlessof origin, is
Na 3.061 0.118 compositionallydistinguishedfrom primary horn-
K 0.012 blendeby lower total Na q-A1,lower Ti, andslightly
Z 16.03 8.00 lower Fe/(Fe + Mg) (Table 4). The compositionof
Y 5.12 actinolitedoesnotvarysystematically withinthe sodic
X 3.99 2.08 2 (seebelow) zone asa vein is approached.
Mole % Sodic1 zone:Within 1 to 3 cm of the vein margin
Albite 76.7
andalonganirregularandgradational front,reactions
Anorthite 23.3 involvingactinoliteand spheneconvertthe sodic2
mineral association into the sodic 1 mineral associa-
Atomic ratio
tion, quartz q-oligoclase-andesine
q- spheneq- rutile
Fe/(Fe + Mg) 0.22 q-apatite_+epidote.Actinolitewasconvertedto calcic
(Na + AI)/4 0.20
oligoclaseand sphenewaspartiallyconvertedto ru-
tile.
Numbersin parentheses
indicatenumberof samplestested
Total iron as FeO As shownin Table 3, the averagecompositionof
ND = not detected secondaryplagioclasein originalK-feldsparsitesin
the sodic1 zone(AneeAb•7Or•) is slightlymoresodic
thanthe averagecomposition of secondary plagioclase
in the sodic2 zone(Ane7Ab72Ori). Plagioclasefrom
veins,the sodic2 zone developedover tens of cen- sodic i zones in other localities are as anorthite rich
timeters.The sodic2 zonewasproducedprincipally as An33(Fig. 7). It is uncertainwhether secondary
by reactionsof K-feldsparto oligoclaseq- quartzand plagioclase compositionschangesignificantlyat the
of biotite, hornblende,andmagnetiteto actinolite. interface of sodic 1 and sodic 2 zones.
Visually,the conversionof purple, zonedK-feld-
sparto white oligoclaseq-quartzis the mostdramatic Chemicalgainsand losses
reaction(Fig. 5D). The initialproductof thisreaction
wasvery cloudyalbite (An6),pseudomorphous after Basedon bulk chemicalanalyses,bulk specific
K-feldspar.Closerto the quartz vein, fine-grained gravitydeterminations (Table5), andthe assumption
quartzinclusions appearin secondaryplagioclase and of contantvolume,relativechemicalgainsandlosses
the turbiditydiminishes. Thesetexturaland miner- canbe estimatedbetweenunalteredquartzmonzonite
alogical changesare correlative with an increase and quartzmonzonitealteredto a sodicocalcic asso-
in the anorthite content of plagioclaseto An20-27 ciation.The assumption of constantvolumeis based
(Fig. 6). uponthe observedpseudomorphic natureof altera-
The composition of secondary plagioclasestabilizes tion reactions.
at anaveragevalueof An27Ab7eOrx anddoesnotvary The overall reaction for the conversionof 1,000
significantlyoverthe remainderof the sodic2 zone. cm3 of freshquartzmonzonite to 1,000 cm• of the
Closerto the vein, chessboardlikealbiteotwinneddo- sodic 2 zone can be written as:
 NA-CA
METASOMATISM,
YERINGTON
NVDEPOSIT 1503

FIG. 5. Sodic-calcic alterationenvelopesdevelopedmarginalto a quartz+ (tourmaline)vein in

Luhr Hill granite.A. The reactionof purpleK-feldsparmegacrysts
to white sodium-rich
plagioclase
megacrystsvisuallycharacterizesthe sodic2 alterationfront. Details of this reactionare shownin 5D
and5E. In addition,
primarybiotitewasreplaced byactinolite(seeF). B. Thereactionof greenactinolite
to plagioclase
+ quartzcharacterizes
the sodic1 alterationfront(maficmineralsareabsent).C. Pervasive
sodic1 alteration
ofquartzmonzonite associatedwithtourmaline veins(black),plagioclaseveins(white),
andquartzveins(clear).
Pervasive
alteration
wasproduced
bytheOverlap
ofsodic
1 envelopes
developed
onindividualveinsandfractures. Veindensityin thissampleischaracteristic ofdensitiesin thevicinity
of the contactbetweenLuhrHill graniteandBearquartzmonzonite. Barscalesin A, B, andC = 1 cm.
D. Photomicrograph of a perthiticK-feldsparphenocrystpartiallyreactedto anassemblage of oligoclase
+ quartz(rightsideof grain);crossed nicols.Thereactionfront,whichisirregularbut sharplydefined,
approximately transects the grainfromnorthto south.Growthzonesin K-feldsparabruptlyterminate
at thereactionfront;crossed nicols.E. Photomicrograph ofa chessboard-twinnedplagioclase phenocryst
with intergrownquartz(1); crossed nicols.The quartzhabitis suborthogonal, fillingzonesbetween
intersectingplagioclase domains.Thisunusualtextureonlyappearsin plagioclase whichhasreplaced
K-feldspar.Primaryplagioclase grains(2) retaintheirprimaryfeatures.F. Photomicrograph of book
chlorite(C) thathasreplacedbookbiotite,andin turn, is partiallyreactedto actinolite(A); crossed
nicols.Closerto the controllingvein onlyactinoliteis present.
1504 RICHARD B. CARTEN

TnBLE3. SimplifiedReactionSeriesin Granitic RocksAffectedby Sodic-CalcicAlteration

Hydrothermalassemblages
Magmaticallystable
assemblage
(unaltered) Sodic 2 Sodic i Vein

Quartz Quartz Quartz

K-feldspar Albite-oligoclase+ quartz Oligoelase-andesine
(Or77Ab•a) (An•7Ab7•Or]) + quartz
(An•Ab77Or])
Andesine-oligoclase Oligoclase_+epidote Oligoelase-andesine
(An]aAbs6Or]-AnaoAb69Or]) (An]•Ab7sOra-An2•Ab70Or•) (An•Ab77Or]-An•sAb74Or]
Biotite Oligoelase-andesine
(K1.74Mga.24Fe].gsTio.5•Alo.oa)- + quartz _ epidote
(Sis.6sAl•.a•)

Hornblende
(Ca].s4Nao.2sKo.os-
Actinølite
1(CaLs•Nao.07Ko
ActinoliteJ
Mga 74FeLo7Tio.o]Alo.
(Si7.•2Alo.as)
xo)-

Oligoclase-andesine
+ quartz _+epidote
AnasAb7aOr•

Mga.75FeL2oTio.o•Alo.
x2)-
(Si7.36A1o.64)
Magnetite
Sphene Sphene Rutile +sphene _ quartz
Apatite Apatite Apatite
Zone width X0 cm I to 3 cm

Mineralcompositions
determinedby electronmicroprobeanalysis

1,000
cmafresh
rock
+ 1.6Na
++ 0.3Mg
+2 In a similarmanner,the reactionof 1,000 cma of
+ 1.1Ca +2+ 0.4A1+a+ 0.1Ti +4 the sodic2 zoneto 1,000 cma of the sodici zonecan
be written as:
= 1,000cmasodic
2rock+ 0.1SiO2(•q)+
2.2K+ 1,000cm3sodic
2rock+ 0.6SiO•(•q)
+ 1.4A1
+a
+0.3Fe+2+0.7Fe+a+l.lH +. (1) + 0.5H + = 1,000 cmasodici rock+ 0.7Na+
+ 0.1K++ 0.3Ca+2+ 1.3Mg+2
lOO lOO
+ 0.2Fe+2+0.1Fe +a. (2)
A constantvolumeelementalgainandlossprofile
acrossfresh rock, sodic2, and sodic1 zonesis shown
in Figure 8. In the sodic2 zone,the lossof potassium
and iron and the gain in sodium,calcium,and mag-
nesiumis relatedto reactionsof K-feldsparto oligo-
claseandof biotite, hornblende,andmagnetiteto ac-
I K-feldspar tinolite. In additionto these elements,background
An [ Or
copperlevelsin freshwall rockswere decreaseddur-
ing alteration to the sodic 2 association.Chemical
I
analysisof representativesamplesindicate that av-
I
eragecopperlevelsin granodioriteandquartzmon-
I
zonitehostrockdecreasefrom 62 ppm in freshwall
rock (45 samples)to 11 ppm in the sodic9.zone (11
samples)(Carten,unpub.data).
0
Plagioclase•'•,.]
I
•'-•
I I 0
Elementalgainsandlosses betweenthe sodic2 and
sodic i zones are related to the reaction of actinolite
8 4 0
mm to plagioclase
+ quartz.The sodici zoneisprincipally
enriched in aluminum. The addition of aluminum is
FIG.6. Shapeofplagioclase
replacement
frontsin K-feldspar.
Pointsrepresentcompositions determinedby electronmicroprobe suggested both by the chemicalanalysesandthe ap-
analysisof a partiallyreplacedK-feldspargrain similarto that proximate constantvolume reaction of actinolite to
shownin Figure 5D. plagioclase
+ quartz(assumingnochangein porosity:
 NA-CA
METASOMATISM,
YERINGTON
NVDEPOSIT 1505

ChemicalCompositions(wt %) of Amphibole,Biotite, and Chlorite from SelectedAssemblages

in QuartzMonzoniteasDeterminedby MicroprobeAnalysis

Sodic-calcic Potassic alteration Late sodic alteration

Unaltered quartz alteration
monzonite Shreddy Shreddy Shreddy Shreddy
Amphibole biotite biotite chlorite chlorite
Biotite Hornblende (fresh)1 (fresh) (sodic2) (potassic
(fresh)) (potassic(sodic2))

No. of samples (8) (9) (9) (6) (10) (6) (6)

SiO2 39.15 51.22 54.89 38.57 40.27 28.48 28.72
AlcOa 13.33 4.97 0.27 14.00 14.80 19.57 20.70
TiO• 3.64 0.88 2.25 2.81 2.82 ND a ND
FeO 2 15.36 10.37 9.07 16.25 8.93 15.65 10.11
MgO 14.87 16.59 17.85 14.69 19.40 23.34 27.63
CaO ND 11.53 12.22 ND ND ND ND
Na•O 0.10 1.21 0.28 ND 0.08 ND ND
K•O 9.39 0.58 0.19 9.70 9.97 ND ND
Total 95.84 97.35 97.02 96.02 96.27 87.04 87.16

Structural formulas
Si 5.802 7.369 7.801 5.727 5.760 5.719 5.597
AI(IV) 2.198 0.631 0.199 2.273 2.240 2.281 2.403
AI(VI) 0.131 0.213 0.178 0.177 0.257 2.352 2.353
Ti 0.406 0.095 0.029 0.314 0.304
Fe 1.904 1.248 1.078 2.018 1.069 2.628 1.648
Mg 3.284 3.558 3.781 3.310 4.137 6.985 8.025
Ca • 1.777 1.861
Na 0.029 0.339 0.077 0.022
K 1.776 0.107 0.034 1.820 1.819

Z 8.00 8.00 8.00 8.00 8.00 8.00 8.00

Y 5.73 5.11 5.07 5.82 5.77 11.97 12.03
X 1.81 2.22 1.97 1.82 1.84

Atomic ratio

Fe/(Fe + Mg) 0.37 0.26 0.22 0.38 0.21 0.27 0.17

(Na + Al)/4 0.30 0.11

Termsin parentheses
representthe mineralassociation
prior to alterationindicatedat the headof the column
Total iron as FeO
ND = not detected

1.66Ca2(Mg,
Fe)sSisO2•
(OH)• + 3Na++ 5A1+a convertedfrom a biotite-hornblendequartz monzo-
(actinolite) nite to a composition
equivalentto an actinolite-quartz
diorite. Simultaneously, adjacentto quartz, tourma-
+ 3.24H + = 3NaA1SiaOs + CaAI•Si•Os+ 2.28SiO2
line, and plagioclaseveins,a secondfront migrated
(plagioclase-An25) (quartz) outward and was principally characterizedby alu-
+ 8.30(Mg,Fe)+• + 2.32Ca+• + 3.28H•O. (3) minum metasomatism.Iron, magnesium,calcium,and
sodiumwere exchangedto the fluid. Locally, these
Reaction(3) probablywasdrivenby anincreasein elementswere fixed in veinsastourmalineand pla-
the activityof aluminumin the fluid.Aluminumcould gioclase.
notbe accommodated by anincrease
in the activity Potassium Metasomatism
of the pargasitecomponent(Na•Ca2Mg4A1Si6AI•-
O•(OH)•) in amphibole.Instead,actinolitebecame The potassiczone in the eastend, a deep extension
unstableandreactedto formquartzanda morealu- of moreintensepotassicalterationin the west-central
minum-richphase,plagioclase. portionof the pit, is principallycharacterizedby the
In summary,the developmentof the sodic2 zone development of secondary (shreddy)biotiteafteram-
principallyresultedfrom the additionof sodiumand phibole.Locally,plagioclase wasreplacedby second-
calcium.Potassium, iron,andtraceamounts of copper ary K-feldspar.These hydrothermalmineralswere
were exchangedto the fluid with someiron locally developedprincipallyin envelopesadjacentto quartz
depositedin veins as actinolite. The wall rock was veins(Fig. 9A) but alsodevelopedadjacentto biotite
1506 RICHARD B. CARTEN

4.0 i i i
intrusionsbut is coveredby alluvium.Thus,the al-
terationcoupletof potassicand sodic-calcic
metaso-
[]
matismthat developedin the Luhr Hill complexwas
:5.6
repeatedwithinthe WalkerRivercomplex.The dis-
Orn
tribution of alteration is similar to that in the Luhr
54
Hill complex.Potassic alterationdevelopedat struc-
turally higher levels of the intrusivecomplexand
5.2 sodic-calcic
alterationdevelopedat structurallylower
levels.
:5.0
Distribution
28
The zoneof moreintensebiotitization(greaterthan
26
50% amphibolereplaced)and mineralizationsur-
rounds the Walker River dike swarm and mimics its
ß

24
ß
form (Fig. 3C). Chalcocite-bornite mineralizationis
mostcommonin the centerof the potassiczoneand
2,2 moreiron-richchalcopyrite__+ magnetitemineraliza-
tion is concentratedin the peripheralregions.Chal-
2O
0 02 014 0.6 018 IO I2 1.4 116 118 0 copyrite__+magnetitegradeslaterallyinto rockcon-
Ano At1I0 An20 An5o An40 An5o taining magnetitealone. Thus, Cu/Fe ratios in the
Ca ATOMS
sulfide+ magnetiteassemblage increasetowardthe
center of alteration.
•lC. ?. Compositions of secondaryplagioclasea_•ter
K-feldspar
in quartzmonzonitefromsodic2 andsodic1 zones;potassic (sodic In Jurassic-age pretilt position(Fig. 2), the com-
2) zone; and late sodic(potassic(fresh))zone. The mean com- plete patternof intensebiotitizationwaslikely that
position of eachassemblageasdetermined by electronmicroprobe of a solidellipticalcylinder.Thiscylindersurrounded
analysisis shownfor comparison. the central knot of the Walker River dike swarm and
waselongatedin a northwest-southeastdirection.At
depthsslightlygreaterthan the apexof Luhr Hill
veins,magnetiteveins,anduntilledfractures.Chal- granitestock,the cylinderabruptlynarrowsandfin-
cocite-bornite, chalcopyrite,
andmagnetite(aloneand gersout. More intensealterationandmineralization
in combination)were depositedboth in veinsandin lies abovethe planeof Figure 2, at higherlevelsin
wall rock altered to biotite __+ K-feldsparduring po- the system.
tassic alteration. Intensityof potassic
alterationcorrelates
with the
Potassically alteredWalker River dikescut both densityof quartzveins(Carten,1981) andthe grade
Bear quartz monzoniteand the Luhr Hill complex of hypogeneore. The outerlimit of greaterthan 1
thatpreviously wereaffectedby bothearlysodic-cal- percentveinsisapproximately the outerboundaryof
cic alteration(Fig. 9B) and potassicalteration.For mostintensebiotitization(greaterthan 90% amphi-
example,at higher levels, Walker River dikes cut bole replaced)andthe outer limit of 0.4 wt percent
stronglymineralized andpotassicallyalteredNevada- copper.Wherethe quartzveindensitydropsto less
Empireporphyry;at deeperlevelsmineralizedquartz than0.1 percent,biotitization becomes morelocal,
veins associatedwith Walker River dikes cut and offset affectinglessthan 50 percentof the rock and ore
albite, tourmaline,andactinoliteveinsassociated with gradedropsto lessthan 0.2 wt percentcopper.In
sodic-calcicalteration(Fig. 9C). At thesepointsof theseouter zones,fracturesirregularlyfilled with
intersection, thatthe sulfides,
fieldevidenceclearlyestablishes magnetite,andbiotitemainlycontrolled the
Walker River dike swarm and associatedpotassium distributionof potassiummetasomatism.
metasomatism were later than sodium-calcium and The averageorientationof quartzveinsassociated
potassium metasomatism associatedwiththeLuhrHill with potassicalterationin the east-central
regionof
complex.Masonprophyrydisplaysa similarage re- the mine is N 71ø W/90 ø (equiv.to a pretilt orien-
lationshipwith this earlier period of potassicand tation of N 90ø W/71 ø S) and is similarto the ori-
sodic-calcicalterationbut wasaffectedonly by weak entationof earlyplagioclase andtourmalineveinsin
biotitization(lessthan 50% amphiboleconvertedto the sameregion.
secondarybiotite). Reactions
In additionto potassicalteration,sodium-calcium
metasomatism is localized in Walker River dikes in Potassiczone: Potassiummetasomatismconverted
the easternmostportionsof the mine (Fig. 3C). A freshquartzmonzonitic rocksto the mineralassoci-
more extensivezone of sodic-calcicalterationprob- ation,quartz+ oligoclase
+ rutile + sphene+ apatite
ably lies at deeperlevelsof the Walker and Mason q-bookbiotite q-shreddybiotite q-K-feldspar___
mag-
 NA-CA METASOMATISM, YERINGTON NV DEPOSIT 1507

T^BLE5. Chemical(wt %) andModal Analysesof SelectedAlterationAssemblages

in Quartz Monzonite

Sodic-calcic alteration Potassic alteration Late sodic

alteration
Sodic Late sodic(potassic
Sodic2 1 Potassic(fresh) Potassic(sodic2) (fresh))
Unaltered F-10A D-4S 4025-
Sampleno. Average 606 613 360 260 593 598 848 461 442 S-3-1 S-3-4

SiO2 63.02 64.78 61.88 64.23 66.60 60.84 63.84 63.98 66.88 58.84 66.30 67.80
AlzOs 17.24 17.18 19.26 18.46 21.36 16.60 17.61 17.66 19.79 19.42 18.32 17.60
TiOz 0.70 0.84 0.90 0.77 1.00 0.70 0.78 0.76 0.82 0.98 0.68 0.72
FezOs 2.77 0.58 0.89 0.49 0.31 4.14 1.91 1.38 0.55 1.03 0.88 0.90
FeO 1.46 0.51 0.62 0.73 ND 2.58 1.76 0.86 0.46 0.92 0.92 0.90
MgO 1.61 2.05 2.21 1.92 0.05 1.86 1.91 2.25 1.93 7.35 1.81 1.71
CaO 3.16 5.27 6.17 5.23 4.92 2.11 2.29 3.68 3.81 4.25 1.89 1.63
NazO 3.78 5.52 6.34 5.17 5.07 3.93 3.82 4.27 5.15 3.58 6.53 6.49
KzO 4.16 0.40 0.34 0.35 0.25 4.90 3.59 1.37 0.84 2.40 0.79 0.72
MnO 0.03 0.02 0.02 0.03 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01
PzO5 0.27 0.29 0.34 0.40 0.34 0.29 0.30 0.29 0.28 0.27 0.28 0.24
HzOtotal 0.47 0.57 0.85 0.43 0.61 0.67 0.98 0.73 1.29 1.54 1.43 1.47
COz 0.30 0.17 0.07 0.15 0.10 0.11 0.11 0.23 0.27 0.49 0.20 0.18
$ 0.01 0.02 0.01 0.01 tr 0.19 0.17 0.43 0.11 0.09 0.01 0.01
F (ppm) 717 515 587 560 124 1,633 1,628 1,767 3,265 798 499
CI (ppm) 703 608 462 723 630 244 396 213 201
Cu (ppm) 126 489 340 389 277 2,162 1,778 6,849 931 1,057 1,123 1,561
Less O -- S 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.10 0.09 0.22 0.06 0.05
Total 98.95 98.29 99.99 98.53 100.71 99.27 99.40 98.36 102.42 101.59 100.26 100.61

Bulk sp gr 2.69 2.64 2.66 2.64 2.59 2.69 2.56 2.71 2.68 2.74 2.62 2.68
Grain sp gr 2.67 2.72 2.73 2.69 2.67 2.73 2.71 2.74 2.67 2.71 2.66 2.71
Modes
Vein quartz 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.9 2.1 1.4 2.0 4.2 0.0 0.0
Quartz 16.1 14.2 13.5 15.7 21.7 16.7 18.5 20.3 21.6 16.9 20.8 18.5
K-feldspar 30.6 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 24.4 22.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 tr 0.0
Plagioclase 41.6 69.2 62.7 68.2 73.4 40.8 36.6 60.5 65.8 53.9 64.3 66.5
Biotite 0.9 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 11.7 13.6 10.5 4.7 17.0 tr 0.0
Chlorite 0.0 tr tr tr tr tr tr 0.9 1.5 0.0 6.7 8.7
Amphibole 6.5 11.8 17.2 11.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Sphene 1.3 3.2 2.5 1.4 0.9 0.7 1.4 0.2 0.1 0.1 1.6 1.5
Rutile 0.0 tr 0.0 0.2 1.2 0.1 0.2 0.5 0.8 1.0 0.1 0.2
Magnetite 1.6 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.4 0.8 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Chalcocite 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 tr 0.0 tr 0.0 0.0
Bornitc 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.6 tr tr 0.0 0.0
Chalcopyrite 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.3 0.3 0.1 tr
Limonite 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.5 0.4
Zircon tr tr tr tr tr tr tr tr tr tr tr tr
Apatite 0.4 0.4 0.2 0.8 0.0 0.4 0.1 0.3 0.7 0.5 0.6 0.1
Epidote 0.9 1.2 3.9 2.2 2.8 1.4 2.5 3.7 2.0 5.1 2.3 1.6
Muscovite 0.0 tr tr tr tr tr 1.1 0.5 0.5 1.0 3.0 2.5
Vein calcite 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 tr 0.0 0.0 0.0
Calcite 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 tr 0.0 0.0

Analysesby AnacondaGeologicalLaboratories(V. CraigPetersonandMelindaPatton,analysts)asfollows:Na, K, Mn, Cu by AAS;

FeO andS by titrimetry;P andH20 by gravimetry;COzby gasevolution;F andC1by specificion electrode;Si,AI, Ti, Ca, Mg, and
FezOsby XRF; veinletswere avoided
ND = not detected, tr = trace

netitc +__
epidote +__
bornitc +__
(chalcocite)+__chalco- alteration: Superpositionof potassiummetasomatism
pyrite. This association
principallyresultedfrom the on rocks previously affected by sodium-calcium
reactionof hornblende
to biotiteandof plagioclase metasomatism occurred where the northwest-trend-
to K-feldspar.
Thereaderisreferredto Carten(1981) ing potassiczone cut the north-south-trendingsodic-
for moredetaileddescriptions
of thesereactions. calciczone (Fig. 3C). Depending upon the previous
Potassicalteration superimposedon sodic-calcic mineralogy,two new mineral associations
were cre-
1508 RICHARD B. CARTEN

o o o • o o o o o

o
_

o q q • o. o o o. • • o o. o. o. o. o. o
o
_
 NA-CAMETASOMATISM,
YEBINGTON
NVDEPOSIT 1509

FIG. 9. A. Sheetedquartz + epidote veinswith coexistingbornitc + chalcopyrite+ magnetite

erosscut Luhr Hill granite.Primaryamphibolewasconvertedto shreddybiotiteadjacentto veinmargins
asa result of potassiealteration.Bar scale= 1 era. B. Contactbetween a Walker River dike and Bear
quartzmonzonite.The Walker River dike, whichcontainsstableK-feldspar(K), cutsquartzmonzonite
aected by earliersodium-calcium metasomatism. Boththe dike and quartzmonzonitewere affected
by potassiummetasomatism. Prior to the potassieevent,quartzmonzonitewasalteredto a mixtureof
sodie1 andsodie2-mineralassociations. Sodium-calcium metasomatism hadceasedat thispointprior
to eraplacement of Walker River dikes.Bar scale= 1 era. C. Early quartzand albiteveinswith inner
sodie1 envelopes(mariemineralsare absent)andouter sodie2 envelopesare cut by quartz + epidote
+ ehaleopyriteveinsassociated with potassiealteration.Aetinolitein sodie2 envelopeswaspartially
to completelyconvertedto shreddybiotite of the potassie(sodie2) mineralassociation. Bar scale-- 1
cm. D. Photomierograph of reactionrelationship betweenplagioelase (P) andepidote(E) + ehaleopyrite
(C);planelight.Plagioelase grainstranscoted by quartz+ sulfideveinspreferentiallyreactedto albite
+ epidote+ sulfides. Su!fides directlyreplaceplagioclaseandepidote.E. Lateepidote+ pyrite+ quartz
vein erosscuts Luhr Hill granite.Purple K-feldsparwasconvertedto albite adjacentto the vein. Bar
scale= 1 cm.F. Photomierograph of a largeK-feldsparphenoerystreplacedby albitethatischaracterized
by discontinuous albitetwins;crossednieols.The dustyappearanceof albiteresultsfrom the presence
of minute vacuoles.
1510 RICHARD B. CARTEN

lOO lOO
ated.Theseincludepotassicalterationsuperimposed
on the sodic2 zone, quartz + oligoclase+ rutile
+ sphene+ shreddybiotite + epidote _+K-feldspar
_+bornite _+chalcocite_+chalcopyrite,and potassic
alterationsuperimposedon the sodicI zone, quartz
+ oligoclase + rutile + sphene+ epidote_+K-feldspar
_+bornite _+chalcocite_+chalcopyrite.
To representthissuperposition, the new zoneswill
be written aspotassic(sodic2) or potassic(sodic1). An Or
The preexistingzoneis placedin parenthesis. Except
for the presenceof shreddybiotite in the potassic
(sodic2) zone, these two mineral associations are
identicalandwereproducedprimarilyby the separate
reactionsof actinoliteto biotite and of oligoclaseto
K-feldspar.
The reaction of actinolite to shreddybiotite is
nearlyidenticalto the reactionof primaryhornblende
to shreddybiotite duringpotassicalterationof fresh
Plagioclase
I I
2 i o
wallrock.The majordifferenceisthe generalabsence rnrn

of magnetiteor copper-ironsulfidesfrom the siteof

the reaction.Magnetiteor sulfidesare commonlyin- FIG. 10. Shapeof the K-feldsparandalbitereplacementfronts
in oligoclase.
Pointsrepresentcompositions determinedby elec-
termixedwith secondary biotiteafterhornblende,the tron microprobeanalysis.
stableamphibolein freshwall rock. The absenceof
iron-bearingmineralsfromthe reactedactinolitesite
suggests thatmostcopper-ironsulfideswere localized
in biotitizedhornblendesitesby the presenceof pre- is disseminated(_+epidote)in plagioclaseand inter-
cursormagnetite.In fresh wall rock, primary mag- grownwith epidotein quartz+ epidoteveins.In both
netite commonlyis intergrown with hornblende. localities,epidoteand plagioclase were involvedas
Magnetiteis not presentin rocksthat were affected reactantsin the productionof sulfides(Fig. 9D).
by priorsodic-calcic alterationandthusisnot available
as a reactant. Chemicalgainsand losses
Secondarybiotite producedby the reactionof ac- Chemicalandmodalanalysesof selectedsamples
tinolite in the sodic2 zonehaslower Fe/(Fe + Mg) fromzonesof potassic alterationof freshquartzmon-
mole fractionsthan secondarybiotite producedby zoniteandpotassic alterationof sodic2 wallrockare
the reactionof hornblendein freshwall rock (Table shownin Table 5. Theseanalyses, includingbulk spe-
4), 0.21 vs. 0.38. This differencereflects both the cific gravity,were usedto derive the relative gains
absence of primarymagnetitefromthe sodic2 zone and lossesof elementsbetween 1,000 cms of unal-
andthe dissimilarity in Fe/(Fe + Mg) molefractions teredquartzmonzoniteand1,000cmsofpotassically
between secondaryactinolite (0.22) and primary alteredquartzmonzonite andbetween1,000cms of
hornblende(0.30). the sodic2 zoneand1,000 cms of the potassic (sodic
The replacementofcalcicplagioclase by K-feldspar 2) zone(Fig. 8). The conditions assumed for earlier
proceededvia a two-stepreaction (Fig. 10). First, calculationsare employed.
calcicplagioclase wasconvertedto albite_+epidote. The reactionsthat depictthe exchangeof massre-
Albitein turn reactedto formsecondary K-feldspar. quiredto form 1,000 cms of thesetwo potassically
All K-feldsparin potassically
alteredsodic-calcic
zones altered zones can be written as:
is hydrothermalin nature.Secondary K-feldsparre-
placedplagioclaseat the marginsof potassic-related 1,000cmsfreshrock+ 0.1Na++ 0.2Mg+2
veins and fractures. + 0.3Fe +2+ 0.1Fe+3 + 0.1Ti +4
Secondary plagioclase
in sodic-calciczonesismore
albiticwhereoverprinted by potassium metasomatism -- 1,000cmspotassic rock+ 1.3SiO•t• I
thanin zonesnot affectedby suchalteration(Fig. 7). + 0.4Ca+• + 1.0H+. (4)
The anorthitecomponent in oligoclasereactedto form
epidote.Epidoteandplagioclase in the superimposed 1,000cmssodic2 rock+ 0.7K++ 1.3Mg+•
potassic(sodic2) zonewere locallyreplacedby bor-
nite-chalcociteand/or chalcopyrite.Becausemag- + 0.1Fe +• + 0.1Fe +s+ 0.9A1+s
netite sites were not available as a local source of iron
for replacement
by copper-bearing
sulfides,muchof -- 1,000cmspotassic
(sodic
2)rock+ 0.2SiO2taql
the chalcopyriteand bornite-chalcocitein this zone + 1.0Na+ + 0.6Ca+• + 4.3H+. (5)
 NA-CAMETASOMATISM,
YERINGTONNV DEPOSIT 1511

Relativelyminoramountsof masswere exchanged characterized by the reactionsof K-feldsparto albite

duringpotassium metasomatism of freshquartzmon- andof biotiteto chlorite+ epidote.Chemicalanalyses
zonite, 1.8 moles of charge-equivalentbase. This (Table5) suggestthat sodiumis the elementprinci-
amountcontrastswith the 6.0 molesof charge-equiv- pally addedto this zone. However, localbut intense
alent basethat were exchangedduringsodic-calcic replacement of wallrockby epidotealsosuggests that
alterationof freshquartz monzoniteto the sodic2 calciumwasaddedto wall rock. To help make a dis-
association. tinctionbetween early and late alteration,the term
Boththepotassic andthe potassic (sodic2) mineral late sodicalterationwill be employed.
associations were formedby the additionof iron and Late sodic alteration cuts all Walker River and Ma-
magnesiumand by the subtractionof calcium.The sondikes;it alsocutsallveinsassociated with potassic
behaviorof the alkalieswas more complex.A large alteration.Potassicalterationthusceasedat anypoint
amountof potassium wasaddedto wall rockby po- in the eastend prior to the appearanceof sodical-
tassicalteration of the sodic 2 zone, but little or no teration.Late sodicalterationcommonlyformscon-
potassiumwasaddedto wall rock by potassicaltera- centricenvelopes aroundfaults,fractures,andepidote
tionof freshquartzmonzonite.Sodiumwassubtracted + (pyrite + quartz)veins(Fig. 9E).
fromthe potassic (sodic2) zonebut wasaddedto the Mineralsproducedduringlate sodiummetasoma-
zoneof potassicalterationof freshrock. tism were directly dependentupon the mineralogy
The behaviorof these alkaliespresentsan inter- of the wall rock (Carten, 1981). Alteration of fresh
estingproblem.Sodiummay be addedto the wall rock generatedeither of two associations: sodic 4
rockby the reactionof plagioclase to albite_ epidote. -- quartz+ albite+ rutile + apatite+ bookchlorite
Conversely,sodiumis exchangedto the fluid by the + shreddychlorite + epidote + pyrite + sericite
reactionof albite to K-feldspar.The relative domi- + calcite,and sodic3 = quartz + albite + sphene
nance of either of these reactions will determine + apatite+ bookchlorite+ actinolite+ epidote_ py-
whethersodiumis gainedor lost duringpotassium rite + sericite.
metasomatism. The samplesof potassicalterationof Most commonlythe sodic4 zoneis presentin the
freshwall rockwere selectedfromthe outeredgeof shallowerlevelsof the system(west-centralportions)
the potassic zone,whereasthe samples of the potassic and the sodic3 zone in the deeper levels (eastern
(sodic2) zone were selectedfrom within the central portions).In the extremeeasternportionof the mine,
zone of intense biotitization. It is known that the ratios
actinoliteveinsaccompaniedby sodic2 alterationen-
of K/Na in the wall rock increasetowardthis center velopescut Walker River dikesthat were previously
(M. T. Einaudiet al., in prep.). Thus,the reactionof affectedby potassicand sodic-calcicalteration.This
oligoclaseto albitemaydominateatthemarginof the observationcombinedwith spatial,temporal, and
potassiczoneandreactionof albiteto K-feldsparmay chemicalrelationships suggests that late sodicalter-
dominate within the core. ation is locally transitionalwith depth to an early
In summary,potassiummetasomatismin the east sodic-calcic type of alteration.The majordifference
end of the mineis characterized by relativelyminor is the absenceof calcite, sericite, and chlorite in the
additionsof potassium, iron, andmagnesium andby sodicœzoneof alteration.The progressive changein
lossof calcium.Dependinguponthe intensityof al- mineralogyfrom sodic2 to sodic3 to sodic4 types
teration and possiblythe original wall-rock compo- of alterationcanbe generatedby merely decreasing
sition,sodiummaybe addedor subtractedduringpo- the temperature(Fig. 11). Thus,the deepportionof
tassiummetasomatism.Changesin wall-rock com- the hydrothermalsystemassociated with the Walker
positionthat characterizepotassiummetasomatism River andMasonintrusionsinitiallyproducedassem-
are nearly the inverseof thosethat characterizeso- blagescharacteristicof sodic-calcicalteration,but
dium-calcium metasomatism. In thelatterzone,major with time anddecreasing temperaturebothlate sodic
additionsof sodium,calcium,and ultimatelyalumi- and sodic-calcicassemblages were simultaneously
numwerecompensated by majorlosses of potassium, generated.
iron, and ultimatelymagnesium.Mineralogicreac- Distribution
tionswhich reflect theseelementalgainsand losses
are alsoreciprocal.In sodic-calciczones,biotite and Late sodiummetasomatism is best developedon
K-feldsparwerereplaced,respectively, by secondary the north sideof the mine, where it formsa northwest-
actinoliteandsecondary plagioclase.Conversely,in striking,generallywestward-dippingzone that ex-
the potassiczone, amphibolewasreplacedby sec- tendsthe entirelengthof the eastend (Fig. 3D). Al-
ondarybiotite, andplagioclase wasreplacedby sec- teration is largely pervasivewithin this zone but
ondaryK-feldspar. abruptly diminishessouthward,where it appears
alongwidely scatteredstructures.
Late Sodic Metasomatism
This zone of well-developedlate sodicalteration
Late sodicalterationisthe youngestalterationtype lies directlybelow (in pretilt position)a zone of in-
in the eastend of the mine. In general,alterationis tensesericiticalteration(M. T. Einaudiet al., in prep.;
1512 RICHARD B. CARTEN

chalcopyriteq-pyrite or pyrite.Thesesulfideassem-
blagescontrastwith the assemblages of chalcocite

(Act)/
(Ep)
A q-bornitc q- chalcopyriteobservedin the potassic
zone.Late sodicalterationdecreasedthe Cu/Fe ratio
in the sulfideassemblage and copper was removed

AE:•c
Ephi C Act F
from the immediatearea.Similarsulfidereplacement
reactionsoccurredin the sericitezone (M. T. Einaudi
et al., in prep.)andsupporta closegeneticrelation-
shipbetweensericiticandlate sodicalteration.
Quartz+ H20+CO2
Chemicalgainsand losses
Chemicaland modalanalysesof selectedsamples
(An) (Gel)
(Chl)
of late sodicalterationof the potassic(freshrock)zone
are shownin Table 5. The relative elementalgains
andlosses betweenthe reactionof 1,000 cm3 of po-
tassic(fresh)rockto 1,000 cm3 of late sodic(potassic
(fresh))rock were calculatedfrom these chemical
analyses andbulk specificgravities(Fig. 8), usingthe
I assumptions discussedin previouscalculations. The

ml
E P overall reactionrelating the exchangeof massbe-
I
Nol

I
I
Oblerved
tween the respectivezonescanbe written as:
c S4 F I S3
1,000cmapotassic
(fresh)
rock+ 2.7SiO•<oq)
FIG. 11. HypotheticalP-T equilibriainvolvingthe phasesan- + 2.2Na + + 0.2A1 +a + 3.5H +
orthite-epidote-calcite-actinolite-chlorite-quartz-H•O-CO•
based
on chemographic theory.At constantcomposition andpressure,
a decrease in temperatureresultsin a changeof the stableassem-
-- 1,000cmalatesodic(potassic
(fresh))rock
blage from sodic2 (S2) to sodic3 (S3) to sodic4 (S4). Compo- q-2.0K+q-0.3Ca+•q-0.1Mg+•q-0.5Fe+•
sitionalpointsbasedon whole-rockchemicalanalysis.
+ 0.7Fe+a+ 0.1Ti+4. (6)
The largemolarquantityof materialtransferred
by
Fig. 3D). The transitionbetweenthe two typesof reaction(6), 6.3 charge-equivalent
molesofbaseper
alterationappearsto be characterizedby the ap- 1,000 cm3 of rock, is similarto that associated
with
pearanceof sericiteandchloriteat higherlevelsand early sodium-calciummetasomatism,6.0 charge-
chloriteandepidoteat lowerlevels.The ratioofchlo- equivalent
molesof baseper 1,000cmaof rock.
rite to sericiteincreaseswith increasingdepth. A sim- Elementalexchangeassociated with the alteration
ilar transition
with depthfromsericiticto increasingly of the potassic(fresh)association by late sodicfluids
chloriticalterationwasnotedby GustafsonandHunt is quite similarto that associated with the alteration
(1975) at E1Salvador. of fresh rock to the sodic 2 association. Potassium and
Reactions ironwerethe principleelementsexchanged fromthe
wall rock to the fluid. However, because albite and
The principal reactionsin late sodiczoneswere chlorite rather than oligoclaseand actinolite were
thoseof K-feldsparto albite andof amphiboleand/or stable in late sodic associations,additions of sodium
biotite to chlorite. K-feldsparreacted to secondary to the wall rock were relativelylargerthanthoseob-
albite(An•Ab97Or•; Fig. 7), whichcommonlydisplays servedin early sodic-calcic alteration.The behavior
extremelyfinediscontinuous albitetwinning(Fig.9F). of calcium is difficult to evaluate because of the erratic
Discontinuous twinningonlydevelopedin albitethat distributionof epidotein veinsand asreplacement
replacedK-feldsparandisnot presentin primarypla- products.
gioclase.
Chloriteconsistently displayslower Fe/(Fe + Mg) TemperatureEstimatesfor Sodie-Caleic
mole fractionsthan the secondarybiotite it replaces and Sodie Alteration
(Table4). Secondary biotite producedby potassical-
terationof freshrock andof sodic2 rock haveFe/(Fe Phaseequilibriain the systemCaO-AleOa-SiOe-
+ Mg) molefractionsof 0.38 and0.21, respectively, TiOe-HeO-COe placethermallimitson the conditions
whereassecondarychloriteanalyzedfrom the same of formationof earlysodic-calcic
andlate sodicalter-
localitieshave ratiosof 0.27 and 0.17, respectively. ation(Fig. 12). Equilibriumassemblages diagnostic
The stablesulfideassemblages in late sodicalter- of the principal mineral associates are: sodic 1
ation zonesthat overprintedpotassicalterationare = quartz+ plagioclase
q- spheneq- rutile; sodic2
 NA-CAMETASOMATISM,
YERINGTON
NV DEPOSIT 1513

600

500

400

3OO

0.05 O.iO 0.15 0.20

X coa
FIC. 12. T-Xco• diagramshowingphaseequilibriafor quartz-bearingassemblages
in the system
CaO-A12Oa-TiO2-SiO2-CO2-H20 at P•uia-- Ptotal= 2,000 bars. S1 = sodic 1, S2 = sodic 2, S4 = sodic
4. InvariantpointsA andB are shiftedto lowertemperatures,A', A"andB',B",by a decreasein pressure
to 1,000 and500 bars,respectively.Numberedreactioncurvesare basedon the followingreferences:
(1) Hunt and Kerrick, 1977; (2) Storre and Nitsch, 1972; (3) Boettcher, 1970.

= quartz + plagioclase+ sphene+ epidote;sodic3 the sodic2 assemblage, the observationthat sodic1
= quartz + albite + sphene+ epidote;and sodic4 alterationenvelopesalwaysappearcoupledwith sodic
-- quartz+ albite+ rutile+ calcite.Mineralsdefining 2 envelopessuggests similarT-Xco• conditionsfor
the equilibriumassemblages are productsof simul- both assemblages.The narrowwidth of the sodic1-
taneousreactionsin their respectivezones. and sodic2-zonedenvelopesalsosuggests that ther-
The sodic1 assemblage hasa broadT-Xco2fieldof mal gradientswere negligiblecomparedto the meta-
stability lying above the reaction curve of zoisite somaticshift toward more aluminouscompositions
+ rutfie + quartz = anorthite+ spheneand of rutile found in the sodic i zone. Therefore, thermal limits
+ calcite+ quartz= sphene(Fig. 12). The stability for both assemblages will be definedon the basisof
field for the sodic2 assemblage is more limited, the field in whichboth assemblages are stable.
boundedby the reactionof zoisite+ quartz= gros- The maximumthermal stabilityof the sodic2 as-
sularite + anorthite + H20 and the reaction of zoisite semblageis approximatedby the maximumthermal
+ CO2 -- anorthite+ calcite + H•O. Althoughthe stabilityof zoisite + quartz at 518øC (2,000 bars)
sodic1 assemblage hasabroaderT-Xco•stabilitythan (Boettcher,1970). At 1,000 and 500 bars this tern-
1514 RICHARD B. CARTEN

peraturedeclinesto approximately480 ø and460øC, and

respectively(interpolatedfrom Hunt and Kerrick,
1977). The lowerthermallimit for earlysodic-calcic CaAl•Si•Os+ 4SiO• +2K +
alteration can be estimated from the reaction of an- (anorthite) (quartz)
orthite + sphene+ H•O = zoisiteq-rutile q-quartz.
= 2KAlSiaOs+Ca •+. (9)
At 2,000 bars,the minimumthermalstabilityof the
assemblage spheneq- anorthite(point B, Fig. 12) is (K-feldspar)
approximately405ø to 410øC (interpolatedfrom
Hunt andKerrick,1977). Pressures of 1,000 and500 Reaction(7)
bars lower this thermal minimumto approximately
380 ø and 360øC, respectively. At high temperature(700øC) and low pressure
Basedupon geologicreconstruction,pressuresin (2,000 bars), binary plagioelasein the NaAISiaOs-
the eastendwere approximately 800 barslithostatic CaAI•Si•Os-H•O-CaCI•systemis quite sensitiveto
to 300 barshydrostatic.Continuousthrough-going compositional changes in the coexisting fluid(Orville,
veins are characteristic of sodic-calcic and sodic al- 1972; Seil and Bleneoe, 1979). Below 500øC, Hemley
terationand suggestthat pressuresmay have been et al. (1971) concluded from separate experimental
closerto hydrostaticthan lithostatic.The maximum studiesin the CaO-AI•Oa-SiO•-H•Oand Na•O-AI•.Oa-
temperaturesassociated with early sodium-calcium SiO•-H•O systems that, with decreasing temperature,
metasomatism,then, were approximately460ø to calcium from anorthite is more readily releasedto a
480øC. The addition of sodium would cause the an- fluid than sodium from albite. The changes in cur-
orthite reactioncurvesto shifttoward lower temper- vature of the partitioning curve (Fig. 13) imply that
ature and the addition of ferric iron would cause the a fluid in equilibriumwith binary plagioclasewill
zoisitereactioncurvesto shiftto highertemperature. promote sodiummetasomatism during flow down a
Assumingcancellingeffects,minimumtemperatures thermal gradient (Hemley et al., 1971). For example,
were probablyin the vicinityof 360ø to 380øC. a fluid in equilibriumwith plagioclaseof a specific
The sodic4 assemblage formedat lower temper- composition at higher temperaturewill be out of
aturesthan the sodicI and sodic2 couplet, below equilibriumwith plagioclaseof the samecomposition
approximately360 ø to 380øC (Fig. 12). Sodic4 al- at a lower temperature.To achieveequilibrium,the
terationis separatedfrom sodic3 alterationby the feldsparcompositionshiftstoward albite simulta-
reactionof spheneto rutile q- calciteq- quartz. neouslywith a decreasein the Na/Caactivityratioin
the fluid. Sodium metasomatism results.
Early sodic-calcic
alteration,then,likely developed
in thethermalrangeof approximately 480øto 360øC.
Late sodicalterationdevelopedat temperaturesless
1.0
than380øC.Earlysodic-calcic temperatureestimates P=2kb
comparefavorablywith estimates of 340ø to 480øC, ./

obtainedfrom fluid inclusionsin quartz veinsasso- x /

ciated with sodic-calcicalterationin the spatially x /
adjacent and time-equivalent Ann-Mason deposit 700ø C//
(Dilles, 1983). /
/
•/// /
/
/ /
/
Mechanismsfor the Developmentof Reciprocal /
I
/
Sodic-Calcic and Potassic Alteration I
/
/
/
1
/
/
Experimentalstudiesof reactionsbetweenaqueous /'
/'
fluidsandfeldspars,the dominantmineralsat Yering- / ß

ton, provideinsightinto the natureof reciprocalNa- ./../ Low

TPropoied
Ca and K exchangeduringsodic-calcic and potassic .

alteration.Significant
reactionsinclude:
{38 0.0
o.o EQUIVALENT RATIO Na/(Na+Ca) 1.o
CaAl•Sb.
Os+ 4SiO• + 2Na+ = 2NaA1SiaOs + Ca+•, An CRYSTAL Ab
(anorthite) (quartz) (albite)
FIC. 13. Fluid-solidexchangeisothermbetween binary pla-
gioclaseand a chloride-bearingvapor at 700'C and 2,000 bars
total pressure(modifiedafter Orville, 1972). A proposedlower
NaA1SiaOs +K + = KA1SiaOs+ Na+, (8) temperatureisothermbasedon experimentalwork by HemIcy et
(albite) (K-feldspar) al. (1971) is alsoshown.
 NA-CAMETASOMATISM,
YERINGTONNV DEPOSIT 1515

Reaction(8) lution prograde),the reverseprocesswould be op-

The distributionof alkaliesbetween a homoge- erative:sodiumin the fluid would be exchangedfor
neousfluid andalkalifeldsparis stronglytemperature potassiumin the wall rock. Sodium metasomatism
dependent(Fig. 14) and essentiallyindependentof wouldresult(Hemleyet al., 1980).
pressure andchloridemolalityin the fluid(e.g.,Wyart
and Sabatier, 1962; Orville, 1962, 1963; Iiyama, Reaction(9)
1965, 1966, 1970; Hemley, 1967; Vidale, 1975; Experimentalresultsare not presentlyavailablefor
Fournier, 1976; Lagacheand Weisbrod, 1977). The this exchangereaction.However, in the Yerington
experimental workhasseveralimportantimplications. mine, reaction(9) probablydoesnot take place as
In a closedsystemsubjectto thermalgradients,the written. During potassicalteration, the anorthite
K/Na activityratio of a fluid in equilibriumwith two componentin plagioclaseis first convertedto albite
alkalifeldsparsat hightemperaturewouldbe greater (reaction7) whichsubsequently reactsto K-feldspar
than that of a fluid in equilibriumwith the sameas- (reaction8). The reversesequenceof reactionsoc-
semblageat lower temperature.Thermally actuated curredduringsodic-calcic alteration.Thus,the com-
alkaliactivitygradients wouldinitiatediffusionof po- plex ternaryfeldspar-ternary saltHeO systemcanbe
tassiumto the coolerportionsof the systemand so- examined with regardto changes in the K/Na andNa/
dium to the hotter portions.Asymmetricallyzoned Ca fluid activityratios.
pegmatitepodswith potassium-rich assemblages
in
structurallyhigher horizonsand sodium-richassem- Ternaryfeldspar-ternarysalt-H•O system
blagesin structurally lowerhorizonsmaybe a product
of sucha mechanism(Jahnsand Burnham,1969). Combiningthe experimentalresultsrelativeto re-
Alternatively,if sucha systemwere open (e.g., a actions (7) and(8) with the observedparagenesis, we
porphyrycoppersystem),infiltrationof fluid from a can conclude that an aqueous fluid in equilibriumwith
highertemperatureenvironmentto a lower temper- a ternaryfeldsparsystem(e.g.,quartzmonzonite)will
ature environment(solutionretrograde)would pro- sequentiallyexchangesodiumfor calcium(decrease
mote exchangeof potassiumin the fluid for sodium Na/Caactivityratioin fluidby reaction7) andpotas-
in the wall rock. Potassium metasomatism would re- siumfor sodium(decreaseK/Na activityratio in fluid
sult. If the fluid were infiltrated from a lower tem- by reaction 8) during infiltration from a high-tem-
perature regionto a higher temperatureregion (so- perature region to a low-temperatureregion. Under
thesesolutionretrogradeconditions, potassium would
be fixedandcalciumleached.Becausethe equilibrium
K 1.0 I I I K/Na activityratio in the fluid is quite low, i.e., so-
dium-rich,sodiumlostfrom the fluidby the replace-
P=2kb
ment of calciumin plagioclasecan be compensated
by relativelyminor additionsof potassium.For ex-
ample,if the equilibriumK/Na ratio is 0.20 and 1.0
m ofNa + isexchanged for 0.50 m of Ca+eby reaction
(8), to maintainequilibriumonly0.17 m of K+ needs
to be exchangedfor sodium.This leverageeffect,in
part, accountsfor the relatively minor increasesof
potassiumin muchof the potassiczone.
During potassicalteration,sodiumcanbe fixedor
leached.The additionof sodiumduringinitial stages
of potassic alterationhasoccurredin samples 593 and
'"'"'•'
•00ø
C •,0* • 598 (Table 5). At theselocalitiesthe reactionof pla-
gioclaseto albite (reaction7) predominatedoverthe
reactionof albite to K-feldspar(reaction8). With
continuedfluid flow throughthe sameregion,most
sodiumin the wall rockultimatelywouldbe replaced
Na 0.0 I I I by potassium(reaction 8) as occursin K-feldspar-
0.0 MOL FRACTIONKI(K+Na) 1.0
Ab CRYSTAL Or floodedwall rock in the west-centralportionsof the
mine.
FIG. 14. Fluid-solidexchangeisothermsbetween alkali feld- If the systemis expandedto include amphibole,
spar and chloride-bearingvapor at 2,000 bars total pressure
(modifiedafterOrville, 1963). Asdefinedby Orville,equivalent both the K/Na and Na/Ca activity ratioscanbe sat-
ratio Na/(Na q- Ca) = m Na/(m Na q- 2 m Ca) where m equals isfiedsimultaneously by the reactionof amphiboleto
number of moles in fluid or solid. secondarybiotite. This reactionconsumes potassium
1516 RICHARD B. CARTEN

WALKER RIVER HYDROTHERMAL

ALTERATION:
HIGH TEMPERATURE
I
POTASSIC
I

l _-600øC
o I
I

__-,,ooø½
I
i
I
• /
I
I

SODIC-CALClC !
/
/
/

K-FELDSPA
!
---eooøco !
/
MUSCOVITE//•X',
A
--------400øC
ßT ! L06 aNa+/M,I
+

K-FELDSPAR
MUSCOVITE//•
//

LOG

LATE HYDROTHERMAL ALTERATION:

MODERATE TEMPERATURE I
I
I
I SERICITIC
I
I __-4ooøc

I
/
I
_._aooøc
I
i

K-FELDS
I
i
I

i
/ I
SODIC i
i

---
400
øcß1'
_. • 300øC o /
LOG aNa+/aH

K-FELDSPAR./
MUSCOVITE
//'] ALBITE
LOG aNa+/aH+ >
 NA-CAMETASOMATISM,
YERINGTONNV DEPOSIT 1517

and releases calcium. The sodium content of the wall aluminum.Aluminummay have been addedby re~
rock would remain relatively unchanged.The exact actionsinvolvingfeldsparto chargecompensate for
reactionsemployedto maintain equilibrium ratios the lossof iron to the fluid, e.g.:
woulddependlargelyon the localchemicalenviron-
mentof the hostrock.On the microscopic scale,fluid 0.92KA1SiaOs
+ 0.24SiO2•aq•+ Na++ 0.08A1
+a
encounteringadjacentamphiboleand plagioclase (K-feldspar)
grainsmaypromotethe replacementof amphiboleby
biotite andof plagioclase
by both albite andK-feld- = NaAISiaOs+0.92K+ (10)
spar. (albite)
The processof sodium-calciummetasomatism is and
similarbut with importantdifferences.A fluid in
equilibrium with quartz monzonitethat infiltrates NaA1SiaOs + 0.58Ca+2+ 0.16A1+a
froma low-temperature regionto a high-temperature (albite)
region,solutionprograde,will sequentiallyexchange
sodiumfor potassiumand calciumfor sodium.Equi- = 0.58CaAl•Si•Os+ 1.84SiO•+ Na+. (11)
libriumis maintainedby the reverse(rightto left) of (anorthite) (quartz)
reactions(7) and (8), which increasethe K/Na and In these constant volume reactions, the addition of
Na/Ca activityratiosin the fluid. If thesewere the aluminumwouldserveultimatelyto drivethe reaction
only reactionsoccurring,replacementof K-feldspar towardthe plagioclase (anorthite)sideofthe equation.
by plagioclase wouldbe relativelylimited--similar Once the reaction seriesis initiated, it becomesself-
to the limited volumeof secondaryK-feldsparpro- promoting.Sodiumliberatedby reaction(11) de-
ducedin the potassiczone.As previouslydiscussed, creasesthe K/Na activityratio in the fluid, which is
K-feldsparis pervasivelyreplacedby binaryplagio- contraryto equilibriumconsiderations. Consequently,
clasethroughouta sodium~calcium alterationenve~ sodiumin the field rereactswith excessK-feldspar
lope. In addition,chemicalspeciesare muchmore (reaction10).
mobile during sodium-calcium metasomatism (6.0
moles of base exchanged)than during potassium Summaryand Comparisonwith Other Deposits
metasomatism (1.8 molesof baseexchanged). The in-
creasedmobilityof speciesmay resultfrom the rel- The complicatedpatternsof alterationand min-
ativelyhigh solubilityof iron duringsodic-calcic al- eralizationin the Yeringtonmine resultedfrom the
teration. Iron, principally in magnetite, is readily superposition of alterationandmineralization patterns
leached at the interface between sodic-calcic altera- associatedwith two majorporphyrycomplexes.Both
tion and fresh wall rock. Because iron is not substan- complexesare likely to havebeen similarin mostas-
tially replacedby magnesium, additionalcomponents pectsexceptfortheirrelativetimingandlevelof em-
mustbe addedto the wall rock to maintaincharge placement:the later Walker River (Mason)complex
neutralityin the fluid.Theseadditionsmustultimately was emplaeedat relatively greater depthsthan the
operatein the samesenseasthe reverseof reactions earlier Luhr Hill complex.
(7) and (8), i.e., to increasethe K/Na and Na/Ca ac- Sodium-calciummetasomatismis spatially asso-
tivity ratiosin the fluid. ciated with deep intrusivecontactsand potassium
Reaction(1), for the conversion of 1,000 cma of metasomatism with shallowintrusivecontacts.Early
unalteredrockto 1,000 cmaof sodic2 rock,consumes sodie-ealeie alterationdevelopedsimultaneously with

FIG. 15. Hypotheticalsourcelines (arrows)for postulatedconvectioncells developedafter em-

placementof the Walker River complex.For simplicity,the Masonintrusiveevent is not included.
Symbolsare the sameasin Figure3C andD. Activitydiagramsin a portionof the systemK•O-AI203-
SiO2-H•Owere constructedfrom dataof MontoyaandHemley (1975) at I kb total pressurewith quartz
present.A. At high temperatures(400ø-600øC), potassicandsodic-calcicalterationform an alteration
couplet.As fluidsmigrate awayfrom the intrusiveheat sourceand down a thermal gradient (solution
retrograde),the stabilityfield of K-feldsparexpandsat the expenseof albite (activitydiagramin upper
right corner)which is reflectedby potassicalterationof wall rock. The reversereactionis operative
as fluidsmigratetoward the heat sourceand up a thermal gradient (solutionprograde).The albite
stabilityfield expandsat the expenseof K-feldspar(activitydiagramin lowerleft corner).B. At moderate
temperatures(300ø-400øC), sericiticandlate sodicalterationbecomestable.Under solutionretrograde
conditions,the muscovitefield of stabilityexpandsat the expenseof both K-feldsparandalbite (activity
diagramin upper right corner). Sericitic alterationsucceedspotassicalterationwhere the muscovite
field of stabilityintersectspointA in (A). Undersolutionprogradeconditions,the albitefield of stability
expandsat the expenseof both K-feldsparandmuscovite(activitydiagramin lower left corner).
1518 RICHARD B. CARTEN

potassic alteration.Fluid flowawayfromthe intrusion Acknowledgments

at shallowlevelsgeneratedpotassium metasomatism,
whereasfluidflowintothe intrusionat deeperlevels The authorgratefullyacknowledges thesupportof
generatedsodium-calcium metasomatism. Reciprocal the AnacondaCompanyand the many Anaconda
reactionsinvolvingplagioclase-K-feldspar and am- geologists whoworkedin theYeringtonmine.In par-
phibole-biotite reflectthe exchange of massbetween ticular,MarcoEinaudiandKenHowarddeservespe-
fluid and wall rock. Copperleachedfrom wall rock cial mention.
in the sodic-calcic zonemayhavebeenaddedto wall This studyrepresentsa portionof the author's
rockin the potassiczone. Ph.D.dissertation conducted at StanfordUniversity.
Emplacementof the Walker River and Masonin- ThesissupportwasobtainedfromtheU.S. Geological
trusions occurredbeforethe hydrothermal systemas- Survey, HEW grant 4BDZ403, and the Anaconda
sociatedwith the Luhr Hill complexhad evolvedat Company.Suggestions for improvementin the manu-
the level of the mine from sodic-calcic and potassic scriptwere made by Marco Einaudi, Eric Seedorff,
alteration to late sodic and sericitic alteration. The and JulianHemley. Mark Riversprovidedvaluable
earlierhydrothermal systemwasthusinterruptedbut assistance duringmy useof the Universityof Califor-
subsequently rejuvenatedby hydrothermalcircula- nia(Berkeley)electronmicroprobe facility.AlanZar-
tion generatedby theselater intrusions(Fig. 15A). ing and Gary Schaubassisted with the draftingof il-
With continuedcirculationandcooling,sodic-calcic lustrations.
(solutionprogradeat hightemperatures) andpotassic
alterations (solutionretrogradeathightemperatures) February6, 1984;June20, 1985
associatedprincipally with the Walker River intru-
sions(Fig. 15A) were transitionalto late sodic(solu- REFERENCES
tion progradeat lower temperatures)and sericitical-
teration(solutionretrogradeat lower temperatures), Becke,F., 1906, Zur physiography der gemengteileder krystal-
respectively(Fig. 15B). linen schiefer:Denkschr. Kiaserlich,Akad. Wiss., Math. Nat.
Sodic-calcic alteration has been observed in the KI., v. 25, p. 97-152.
Boettcher,A. L., 1970, The systemCaO-AI2Oa-SiO2-H20 at high
rootzonesof threeotherporphyrycopperdeposits: pressureandtemperatures:Jour.Petrology,v. 11, p. 337-379.
Ajo, Arizona,andthe Ann-Mason(Dilles, 1983) and Carten, R. B., 1981, Sodium-calcium metasomatism and its time-
Bear-MacArthur-Lagomarsino systems in the Yering- spacerelationship to potassiummetasomatism in the Yerington
ton district.In all three deposits,potassicalteration porphyrycopperdeposit,LyonCounty,Nevada:Unpub.Ph.D.
dissert.,StanfordUniv., 270 p.
associated with coppermineralizationis presentat Crowder, D. F., andRoss,D.C., 1973, Petrographyof somegra-
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