Combarbalá advanced argillic alteration zone, Chile: geology, geochemistry, mineralogy and mineralization potential

2001 ◽  
Vol 110 (2) ◽  
pp. 91-102
Author(s):  
U. Kelm ◽  
M. Pincheira ◽  
J. Oyarzún ◽  
V. Sucha
Keyword(s):  
Alteration Zone ◽  
Mineralization Potential ◽  
Argillic Alteration ◽  
Advanced Argillic Alteration

Acid sulphate alteration in a magmatic hydrothermal environment, Barton Peninsula, King George Island, Antarctica

1995 ◽  
Vol 59 (396) ◽  
pp. 429-441 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debbie C. Armstrong
Keyword(s):  
Alteration Zone ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Acid Sulphate ◽  
Argillic Alteration ◽  
Barton Peninsula ◽  
Acidic Conditions ◽  
Advanced Argillic Alteration ◽  
Hydrothermal Environment ◽  
First Time ◽  
Textural Evidence

AbstractVolcanic-hosted advanced argillic alteration on Barton Peninsula comprises an assemblage of chalcedonic silica, alunite family minerals, pyrophyllite, pyrite, native sulphur, zunyite and rutile, characteristic of an acid sulphate-type epithermal system. The minerals minamiite, (Na0.36Ca0.27K0.1□0.27)Al3(SO4)2(OH)6, and zunyite, Al13Si5O20(OH,F)18Cl, are reported at this locality, and in Antarctica, for the first time. The WNW-striking, 1 km-long zone of alteration is hosted by early Tertiary andesitic rocks and contained in a 1.5 km-wide depression, rimmed by an arcuate ridge, probably representing a volcanic crater or small caldera structure.Stability relations of minerals in the advanced argillic alteration zone indicate alteration took place under acidic conditions in the near-surface environment. Mineralogical and textural evidence also suggest alteration occurred in a magmatic hydrothermal system, possibly with a magmatic steam component, rather than in a supergene or steam-heated environment.

scholarly journals Mineralogical Study of the Advanced Argillic Alteration Zone at the Konos Hill Mo–Cu–Re–Au Porphyry Prospect, NE Greece

Minerals ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 479 ◽  
Author(s):  
Constantinos Mavrogonatos ◽  
Panagiotis Voudouris ◽  
Paul G. Spry ◽  
Vasilios Melfos ◽  
Stephan Klemme ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Deep Level ◽  
Stoichiometric Composition ◽  
Aluminum Phosphate ◽  
Alteration Zone ◽  
High Sulfidation ◽  
Argillic Alteration ◽  
Ore Minerals ◽  
Mineralogical Study ◽  
Wide Compositional Range ◽  
Advanced Argillic Alteration

The Konos Hill prospect in NE Greece represents a telescoped Mo–Cu–Re–Au porphyry occurrence overprinted by deep-level high-sulfidation mineralization. Porphyry-style mineralization is exposed in the deeper parts of the system and comprises quartz stockwork veins hosted in subvolcanic intrusions of granodioritic composition. Ore minerals include pyrite, molybdenite, chalcopyrite, and rheniite. In the upper part of the system, intense hydrothermal alteration resulted in the formation of a silicified zone and the development of various advanced argillic alteration assemblages, which are spatially related to N–S, NNW–SSE, and E–W trending faults. More distal and downwards, advanced argillic alteration gradually evolves into phyllic assemblages dominated by quartz and sericite. Zunyite, along with various amounts of quartz, alunite, aluminum phosphate–sulfate minerals (APS), diaspore, kaolinite, and minor pyrophyllite, are the main minerals in the advanced argillic alteration. Mineral-chemical analyses reveal significant variance in the SiO2, F, and Cl content of zunyite. Alunite supergroup minerals display a wide compositional range corresponding to members of the alunite, beudantite, and plumbogummite subgroups. Diaspore displays an almost stoichiometric composition. Mineralization in the lithocap consists of pyrite, enargite, tetrahedrite/tennantite, and colusite. Bulk ore analyses of mineralized samples show a relative enrichment in elements such as Se, Mo, and Bi, which supports a genetic link between the studied lithocap and the underlying Konos Hill porphyry-style mineralization. The occurrence of advanced argillic alteration assemblages along the N–S, NNW–SSE, and E–W trending faults suggests that highly acidic hydrothermal fluids were ascending into the lithocap environment. Zunyite, along with diaspore, pyrophyllite, and Sr- and Rare Earth Elements-bearing APS minerals, mark the proximity of the hypogene advanced argillic alteration zone to the porphyry environment.

Age and origin of advanced argillic alteration at the Bor Cu-Au deposit, Serbia

2005 ◽  
pp. 541-544
Author(s):  
C. Lerouge ◽  
L. Bailly ◽  
E. Béchu ◽  
C. Fléhoc ◽  
A. Genna ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Argillic Alteration ◽  
Advanced Argillic Alteration

Synchronous advanced argillic alteration and deformation in a shear zone-hosted magmatic hydrothermal Au-Ag deposit at the Temora (Gidginburg) Mine, New South Wales, Australia

1995 ◽  
Vol 90 (6) ◽  
pp. 1570-1603 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew H. Allibone ◽  
Geoffrey R. Cordery ◽  
Gregg W. Morrison ◽  
Subhash Jaireth ◽  
Jeffrey W. Lindhorst
Keyword(s):  
Shear Zone ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Argillic Alteration ◽  
Advanced Argillic Alteration

scholarly journals HYDROTHERMAL ALTERATION AND VEIN TYPES OF THE RANDU KUNING PORPHYRY Cu-Au DEPOSIT AT SELOGIRI AREA, WONOGIRI

2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-61
Author(s):  
Sutarto Sutarto ◽  
Arifudin Idrus ◽  
Sapto Putranto ◽  
Agung Harjoko ◽  
Lucas D Setijadji ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hydrothermal Alteration ◽  
Fault Zones ◽  
Alteration Zone ◽  
Quartz Veins ◽  
Porphyry Cu ◽  
Centre Line ◽  
Argillic Alteration ◽  
Intrusive Rocks ◽  
Hydrothermal Alteration Zones ◽  
Alteration Pattern

Many Tertiary hydrothermal altered dioritic composition intrusive rocks were found at the Randu Kuning area and its vicinity, Selogiri, including hornblende microdiorite, hornblende-pyroxene diorite and quartz diorite. The hydrothermal fluids which responsible for the alteration and mineralization at the area is associated with the occurence of the horblende microdiorite intrusion. The alteration zone at the Randu Kuning area and its vicinity can be divided intoseveral hydrothermal alteration zones, such as potassic (magnetite-biotite-K feldspar), prophyllitic (chlorite-magnetite-epidote-carbonate), phyllic (quartz-sericite-chlorite) and argillic (clay mineral-sericite). The alteration pattern in the Randu Kuning porphyry Cu-Au deposit is tipically a diorite model characterising by the domination of potassic alteration and prophyllitic zone. Phyllic and argillic alteration types are restrictive found within the fault zones. A lot of porphyry vein types were found and observed at the Randu Kuning area, and classified into at least seven vein types. The paragenetic sequence of those veins from theearliest to the latest respectively are 1). Magnetite-chalcopyrite±quartz-biotite veinlets, 2). Quartz±magnetite (A type) veins, 3). Banded/Laminated quartz-magnetite (M type) veins, 4). Quartz±K feldspar (B type)veins, 5). Quartz with thin centre line sulphide (AB type) veins, 6). Pyrite±chalcopyrite (C type) veinlets, and 7). Pyrite-quartz+chalcopyrire+carbonate (D type) veins. Gold and copper mineralisation of the Randu Kuning Porphyry Cu-Au deposit, mostly related to the presence of quartz veins/veinlets containing sulfide i.e. Quartz with thin centre line sulphide veins, Pyrite±chalcopyrite veinlets, and Pyrite-quartz+chalcopyrire+carbonate veins.

The Onto Cu-Au Discovery, Eastern Sumbawa, Indonesia: A Large, Middle Pleistocene Lithocap-Hosted High-Sulfidation Covellite-Pyrite Porphyry Deposit

2020 ◽  
Vol 115 (7) ◽  
pp. 1385-1412
Author(s):  
David R. Burrows ◽  
Michael Rennison ◽  
David Burt ◽  
Rod Davies
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level ◽  
Shallow Depth ◽  
Middle Pleistocene ◽  
High Sulfidation ◽  
Copper Mineralization ◽  
Argillic Alteration ◽  
Zircon Crystallization ◽  
Current Resource ◽  
Advanced Argillic Alteration ◽  
Host Rocks

Abstract In 2013, a diamond drill program tested an extensive advanced argillic alteration lithocap within the Hu’u project on eastern Sumbawa Island, Indonesia. A very large and blind copper-gold deposit (Onto) was discovered, in which copper occurs largely as disseminated covellite with pyrite, and as pyrite-covellite veinlets in a tabular block measuring at least 1.5 × 1 km, with a vertical thickness of ≥1 km. Copper and gold are spatially related with a series of coalesced porphyry stocks that intrude a polymictic diatreme breccia capped by a sequence of intramaar laminated siltstones, volcaniclastic and pyroclastic rocks, and overlain by andesite flows and domes. The porphyry intrusions were emplaced at shallow depth (≤1.3 km), with A-B–type quartz veinlet stockworks developed over a vertical interval of 300 to 400 m between ~100 and 500 m below sea level (bsl), 600 to 1,000 m below the present surface, which is at 400 to 600 m above sea level. In the area drilled at Onto, the diatreme breccia, all porphyry intrusions and, to a lesser extent, the surrounding older andesite sequence have all been overprinted by intense subhorizontal advanced argillic alteration, zoned downward from illite-smectite, quartz-dickite to quartz-alunite and quartz-pyrophyllite ± diaspore alteration. The alteration package includes two particularly well-developed zones of residual quartz with vuggy texture in subhorizontal zones at shallow depth, the upper one is still porous but the lower horizon, ~100 m thick, is largely silicified and is located at or near the top of the quartz-alunite alteration. Mineralization starts below the lowermost silicic horizon with more than 90% of the current resource in quartz-pyrophyllite-alunite and quartz-alunite alteration. Mineralization is dominated by a high-sulfidation assemblage of covellite-pyrite ± native sulfur largely in open-space fillings and replacements, but also as discrete pyrite-covellite and covellite only veins down to at least 1 km. Although the greatest amount of copper occurs as paragenetically late covellite deposited during formation of the advanced argillic alteration, approximately 60% of resource at 0.3% Cu cutoff still occurs within the porphyry stocks, indicating the porphyry stocks are a fundamental control on mineralization. There is considerable remobilization and dispersion of copper and, to a lesser extent, gold into the surrounding pre-mineral breccia and the late intermineral intrusions from the two earliest porphyry phases, resulting in quite consistent copper and gold grades throughout the currently delineated mineral resource. The very high sulfidation state of the mineralization is thought to be a consequence of the metal-bearing ore fluids cooling in the advanced argillic-altered host rocks in the absence of a rock buffer. Early chalcopyrite-bornite ± pyrite mineralization with potassic ± chloritic and sericitic alteration is only preserved on the margins of the system and more rarely at depth in a few holes 600 m bsl (~1,100 m below surface) but makes up only a small proportion (~8%) of the current resource. The Onto system is exceptionally young and formed rapidly in the middle Pleistocene and is not significantly eroded. A U-Pb zircon age for the andesite that caps the volcanosedimentary host rocks provides a maximum age of 0.838 ± 0.039 Ma, with a slightly younger porphyry zircon crystallization age of 0.688 ± 0.053 Ma. Re-Os dating of molybdenite that is associated with both the quartz vein stockwork and high-sulfidation assemblage copper mineralization shows overlap between 0.44 ± 0.02 and 0.35 ± 0.0011 Ma. 40Ar/39Ar ages for alunite within the advanced argillic alteration block ranges from 0.98 ± 0.22 to 0.284 ± 0.080 Ma, and alunite closely associated with covellite spans a period from 0.537 ± 0.064 to 0.038 ± 0.018 Ma.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document