Cerro León, una variación del modelo epitermal de baja sulfuración del Macizo del Deseado

JOVIC, S.; GUIDO, D.; TIBERI, P.; SCHALAMUK, I.

Río Cuarto

Congreso; VII Congreso de Mineralogía y Metalogenia (Minmet); 2004

Cerro León area presents base metal and precious metal-rich mineralization, associated with structurally controlled (El Tranquilo fault) quartz veins. The veins are hosted in volcaniclastic rocks (Roca Blanca Formation) and continental sedimentary rocks (El Tranquilo Group), and they are spatially associated with a basic-intermediate volcanism (Bajo Pobre and Cerro Leon Formations). This multiple mineralization stage veins are characterised by epithermal temperatures, between 155.87° and 245.7°C (calculated from sulphur isotopes). They have low sulfidation characteristics (structural control, quartz textures and hydrothermal alteration). On the other hand, base metal content (up to 0.08% Cu, 1.2% Pb and 0.11% Zn in average.), the proportion of sulphides (20 to 90% in volume), the complex mineralogy and the differences in magmatic and host rock settings, are indicating the presence of variations in the low sulfidation epithermal model from the Deseado Massif. This increases the potential to find different epithermal deposits with other metallogenical associations, and must be considered during future prospecting duties in the Deseado auroargentiferous province.