INGEOSUR   20376
INSTITUTO GEOLOGICO DEL SUR
Unidad Ejecutora - UE
congresos y reuniones científicas
Título:
Boiling horizon determination at Dios Protege Vein, Castaño Nuevo mining district, Cordillera Frontal, Argentina
Autor/es:
LEONARDO STRAZZERE; D'ANNUNZIO, MARÍA CELESTE; MARÍA AGUSTINA CÓCOLA; DIEGO GUIDO
Lugar:
Santiago
Reunión:
Conferencia; SEG 2019 - South American Metallogeny: Sierra to Craton; 2019
Institución organizadora:
Society of Economic Geologists
Resumen:
Epithermal deposits form in the upper part of the crust, where the dynamic of fluids is controlled by fault zones. Heterogeneity within an individual fault system leads on the development of open zones which allows fluids circulation, also influenced by pressure, temperature, permeability, host rock composition and structure geometry. Any change on these parameters results on mineral precipitation and the following infill of open spaces. Castaño Nuevo mining district is located in the eastern rim of Cordillera Frontal, San Juan Province, Argentina (S 31°00´12´´- S 31°01´51´´ and W 69°34´00´´ - W 69°32´12´´), and comprises a group of Quartz-Adularia veins, related to Permo-Triassic magmatism of Choiyoi Group. The main vein, Dios Protege, records a complex multistage filling history. It has been identified six stages, each one with a specific location along with the strike of the structure, and a particular mineralogy, texture, ore grade and fluid inclusion entrapment feature (Figure 1). First stage is scarce and mainly composed of criptocrystalline grey quartz. It is often found as fragments within the second stage, which is essentially form by alternating bands, frequently surrounding and growing concentric from host rock fragments. Two different pulses were identified on the second stage, immediately to the walls crystalline quartz and big subrhombic adularia crystals are common, while on the centre is more usual to find very narrow bands of cryptocrystalline silica, now recrystallized and represented by feathery and flamboyant textures under microscope. The third stage cuts the previous and develops a breccia with massive white recrystallized quartz (minor adularia) as cement. Fourth stage again shows concentric banding (as stage 2) but the main mineral within the bands correspond to amethyst, alternating with crystalline grey quartz. The fifth stage is represented by carbonates, mainly calcite (minor siderite), as massive and lattice bladed infills. Finally, the sixth stage has fragments from all the former stages cemented by recrystallized silica, resulting on mosaic texture with chlorite and other fine clays between crystals. Breccia textures are dominant along the whole structure, resulting from multiple re-fracturing and recementation events depending on the relative speed of cementation vs. fracture opening. In this way, the six stages recognized at the Dios Protege vein can be classified in Cockade Breccia Event and Crackle Breccia Event. The first one, forms at low cementation speed where fracturing of clasts in mostly along cement sutures clasts and, the second one reflects fast cementation speed resulting in the complete cementation of the clasts between fracturing events (Frenzel and Woodcock 2014; Hagemann et al. 1992). Alternating Cockade and Crackle breccias events confirm the variability of fluid ascends and pressure while the system is 1, 3 1 1, 3 2, 3 developing. Along the strike, Crackle Breccias develop even along dilational jogs and contractional. On the other hand, Cockade Breccias only are found along dilational sites, where usually hydrothermal cementation speed is slow compared to fault displacement. A variation on fluid temperature, pressure, composition, and other parameters, are recorded not only on the mineral textures generated, but also can be noted on the fluid inclusions? characteristics entrapped in each mineral phase. Particularly, processes such as boiling are very useful for ore shoots? determination. Because of the dynamics that characterize epithermal systems, for a given depth could be found fluid inclusions assemblages (FIAs) related to a boiling process, and other ones trapped during a ?non-boiling? event. In addition, boiling intensity can vary along with time and space within a system while it is in progress, going through non-boiling stages, normal or gentle boiling, and intense or flashing boiling (Moncada et al. 2012; Shimizu 2014). At the Dios Protege Vein, 21 FIAs were determined on different types of quartz, distributed between four of the six stages described at the main structure. Fluid inclusion petrography and vein mineral textures indicative of boiling have been identified on both breccia types. For Cockade Breccia events (stages 2 and 4) the presence of adularia crystals and the coexisting liquid-rich and vapor-rich fluid inclusions, which homogenize at similar temperatures, indicate a gentle boiling process. Regarding to Crackle Breccia events (stages 3 and 6) the prevalence of recrystallized textures in addition to vapor-rich dominance are more likely to represent a flashing boiling process. The fluid inclusion types that are trapped are controlled by the presence or absence of boiling processes and can also control the ore shoots? location. In systems where flashing boiling occurs, a high grade (bonanza) zone is more likely at the base of the boiling zone, whereas in systems characterized by more gentle boiling precious metal grades may be lower and dispersed over a greater vertical distance above the bottom of the boiling zone (Moncada et al. 2012; Simmons and Browne 2000). At the Dios Protege Vein, Cockade Breccia Events (especially stage 2) register gold and silver anomalies at surface samples. The evidence of gentle boiling in the same surface samples indicates that boiling horizon could be placed at depth, but not necessarily higher grades would be found deeper. Higher gold and silver values are associated with the last stage, a Crackle Breccia with intense boiling evidence. Samples from the surface and ten meters below allow locating boiling horizon at depth and Bonanza-type mineralization associated could be found. The relationship between boiling conditions and gangue textures for each stage at the Dios Protege Vein in summarized in Figure 2. Intense boiling at the base of the boiling horizon could be the main mechanism for bonanza precious metal precipitation and could be produced by a rapidly fluid ascent, which is evidenced by the Crackle Breccia type. Whereas physical transportation of the metals by gently boiling fluids would be only a minor mechanism for local precipitation of precious metals that could take place during slow precipitation and breccia cementation (Cockade Breccia events). Integration of this kind of data constitutes an important tool for Low Sulphidation Epithermal Systems? exploration.