scholarly journals The Alteration and Mineralization Characteristics of Miocene Porphyry Cu-Au Deposits of Chagai Magmatic Belt, District Chagai, Balochistan, Pakistan

Author(s):  
Fida Murad ◽  
Abdul Ghaffar ◽  
Innayat Ullah ◽  
Abdul Shakoor Mastoi ◽  
Muhammad Tariq Zaman

Subduction related Miocene porphyry type deposits are found in the east-west trending Chagai magmatic belt (CMB) in Pakistan's western margin, Balochistan. This arc exists on the west segment of the Tethyan metallogenic belt in the south-west of Pakistan. Tethyan metallogenic belt is widely spread over 12,000 km from east to west direction from Indochina, Tibet, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey and Alpine mountain range in Europe. During the last thirty to forty years several porphyry deposits have been reported in the Chagai magmatic arc, including the very large Reko Diq H14-H15, large Saindak, Tanjeel, H35, H8 and medium Dasht-e-Kain porphyry deposits and many small porphyry copper deposits. These porphyry deposits were developed within the phase of calc-alkaline type magmatism in the Chagai arc. Tonalite, quartz diorite, and monzonite host the porphyry deposits within the adjacent sedimentary wall rock units of Sinjrani Volcanic Group, Juzzak, Saindak, and Amalaf Formations. The concentric zonal pattern of hydrothermal alteration in these porphyry deposits of the Chagai magmatic arc follows the world's major porphyry deposits' alteration pattern. Zones of hydrothermal alteration from distal to proximal part includesa potassic alteration, sericitic-clay-chlorite alteration, sericitic alteration, argillic alteration and propylitic alteration. Major ore mineralization in these deposits is of copper, gold, silver, molybdenum, and minor constituents of other base metals that have been reported to occur within hydrothermal alteration zones in the Miocene porphyry Chagai magmatic arc

Author(s):  
Pan Qu ◽  
Wubin Yang ◽  
Hecai Niu ◽  
Ningbo Li ◽  
Dan Wu

Porphyry deposits are the main source for global Cu and Mo production. The generation of hydrous silicate magmas and subsequent separation of volatile-rich magmatic fluids with hydrothermal alteration are significant processes leading to the formation of porphyry deposits. However, a specific understanding of these processes has been limited by a lack of direct mineralogical records in the evolving magmatic-hydrothermal system. In this paper, we present an integrated textural and geochemical investigation on apatite from the giant Daheishan porphyry Mo deposit in NE China, illustrating that apatite can be a potential recorder of the magmatic-hydrothermal evolution of porphyry systems. Apatite from the ore-forming porphyry displays distinctive core-rim textures, with melt inclusions in the resorption cores (Type-A1) and co-existing of melt and fluid inclusions in the euhedral rims (Type-A2), indicating a magmatic-hydrothermal origin of apatite. This is also supported by both chemical and isotopic compositions obtained by in situ analyses using laser ablation−inductively coupled plasma−mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) and LA-multi collector-ICP-MS. The late Type-A2 apatite is relatively enriched in incompatible elements, such as rare earth elements (REE) and Th, but slightly depleted in fluid-mobile elements such as Na and S, compared to the early Type-A1 apatite. Relatively homogeneous (87Sr/86Sr)i ratios (0.70436−0.70504) of the Type-A1 and Type-A2 apatites indicate that they were formed in a relatively closed system without detectable contamination. Meanwhile, some apatite in the wall rock (biotite granodiorite) shows characteristics of secondary altered textures, resulting from the intensive alteration by hydrothermal fluids exsolved from the porphyry system. Apatite trapped in mineral phenocrysts of the wall rock is usually unaltered (Type-B1 apatite), with clear oscillatory growth zones in cathodoluminescence (CL) images. In contrast, the intergranular apatite is commonly altered (Type-B2 apatite), with chaotic zoning in CL images, abundant micro-fractures and secondary fluid inclusions. Compositionally, the Type-B2 apatite shows notable tetrad REE patterns, relatively lower light-REE and S contents, and elevated 147Sm/144Nd ratios compared to the Type-B1 apatite. LA-ICP-MS U-Pb dating yields a lower intercept age of 171.4 ± 2.3 Ma for Type-B2, which is consistent with the age of 171.5 ± 2.4 Ma for Type-A2, but is notably younger than the Type-B1 apatite (175.5 ± 1.3 Ma). It is suggested that the Type-B2 apatite has been significantly reset by hydrothermal fluids exsolved from the porphyry system. Therefore, we conclude that the textures and geochemistry of apatite in porphyry systems can be used as a potential proxy for recording fluid exsolution and hydrothermal alteration processes.


KURVATEK ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-33
Author(s):  
Fatimah Fatimah

Tulakan Subdistrict, Pacitan Regency, East Java Province. This area is part of the Southern Mountain Zone of East Java, which is the Sunda-Banda magmatic arc of Oligo-Miocene age, where there are alterations and indications of valuable ore minerals. Field magnetic data is taken in an area of 1 x 1 km, with the looping method on the grid trajectory within 200 x 100 m. Then, magnetic data correction and data processing were carried out with Oasis Montaj. From the magnetic anomaly map, the value of high magnetic intensity in the southern part is fresh (intrusive) andesit-dasitic rock as host rock which causes alteration, in the middle has a low magnetic intensity value which is in the direction of the relatively NE-SW river direction, whereas in the north with high intensity is fresh andesite lava. From the image data, it can be seen that the straightness pattern of the geological structure which is dominated by the extensional structure with the direction of NE-SW and E-W is the main trap of epithermal veins carrying ore mineralization mainly Cu, Pb in the study area.


Author(s):  
A. N. Glukhov ◽  
◽  
V. V. Priymenko ◽  
M. I. Fomina ◽  
V. V. Akinin ◽  
...  

The article presents new data on geology, mineralogy, and geochemistry of porphyry-copper, gold-silver, and silver-polymetallic ore occurrences in the Kongin magmatic zone of the Omolon terrane and granitoids, associated with it. It has been demonstrated that petrology and the age of granitoids are similar to those in the OCVB Penzhina segment. Mineralization of the Kongin zone is very close to that of the OCVB, differing in relatively high Mo in porphyry-copper ores and prevalence of silver-polymetallic mineralization over gold-silver.


SEG Discovery ◽  
2013 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
David R. Cooke

With the publication of this collection of papers on porphyry deposits, SEG offers a signifıcant addition to its popular Compilation series. Introduced in 2007, the series brings together papers on a single theme, collected from the entire archive of Economic Geology and other SEG publications, in a searchable, digital format—on CD-ROM or, as is the case with the newest release, on a DVD. The porphyry compilation, organized by Editor David Cooke, was available at the Whistler 2013 Conference in September and can now be purchased online through the SEG bookstore (www.segweb.org/store). We include below the preface written by Cooke, which also appears on the DVD.


2020 ◽  
pp. 467-495
Author(s):  
T. Baker ◽  
S. Mckinley ◽  
S. Juras ◽  
Y. Oztas ◽  
J. Hunt ◽  
...  

Abstract The Miocene Kışladağ deposit (~17 Moz), located in western Anatolia, Turkey, is one of the few global examples of Au-only porphyry deposits. It occurs within the West Tethyan magmatic belt that can be divided into Cretaceous, Cu-dominant, subduction-related magmatic arc systems and the more widespread Au-rich Cenozoic magmatic belts. In western Anatolia, Miocene magmatism was postcollisional and was focused in extension-related volcanosedimentary basins that formed in response to slab roll back and a major north-south slab tear. Kışladağ formed within multiple monzonite porphyry stocks and dikes at the contact between Menderes massif metamorphic basement and volcanic rocks of the Beydağı stratovolcano in the Uşak-Güre basin. The mineralized magmatic-hydrothermal system formed rapidly (<400 kyr) between ~14.75 and 14.36 Ma in a shallow (<1 km) volcanic environment. Volcanism continued to at least 14.26 ± 0.09 Ma based on new age data from a latite lava flow at nearby Emiril Tepe. Intrusions 1 and 2 were the earliest (14.73 ± 0.05 and 14.76 ± 0.01 Ma, respectively) and best mineralized phases (average median grades of 0.64 and 0.51 g/t Au, respectively), whereas younger intrusions host progressively less Au (Intrusion 2A: 14.60 ± 0.06 Ma and 0.41 g/t Au; Intrusion 2 NW: 14.45 ± 0.08 Ma and 0.41 g/t Au; Intrusion 3: 14.39 ± 0.06 and 14.36 ± 0.13 Ma and 0.19 g/t Au). A new molybdenite age of 14.60 ± 0.07 Ma is within uncertainty of the previously published molybdenite age (14.49 ± 0.06 Ma), and supports field observations that the bulk of the mineralization formed prior to the emplacement of Intrusion 3. Intrusions 1 and 2 are altered to potassic (biotite-K-feldspar-quartz ± magnetite) and younger but deeper sodic-calcic (feldspar-amphibole-magnetite ± quartz ± carbonate) assemblages, both typically pervasive with disseminated to veinlet-hosted pyrite ± chalcopyrite ± molybdenite and localized quartz-feldspar stockwork veinlets and sodic-calcic breccias. Tourmaline-white mica-quartz-pyrite alteration surrounds the potassic core both within the intrusions and outboard in the volcanic rocks. Tourmaline was most strongly developed on the inner margins of the tourmaline-white mica zone, particularly along the Intrusion 1 volcanic contact where it formed breccias and veins, including Maricunga-style veinlets. Field relationships show that the early magmatic-hydrothermal events were cut by Intrusion 2A, which was then overprinted by Au-bearing argillic (kaolinite-pyrite ± quartz) alteration, followed by Intrusion 3 and late-stage, low-grade to barren argillic and advanced argillic alteration (quartz-pyrite ± alunite ± dickite ± pyrophyllite). Gold deportment changes with each successive hydrothermal event. The early potassic and sodic-calcic alteration controls much of the original Au distribution, with the Au dominantly deposited with feldspar and lesser quartz and pyrite. Tourmaline-white mica and argillic alteration events overprinted and altered the early Au-bearing feldspathic alteration and introduced additional Au that was dominantly associated with pyrite. Analogous Au-only deposits such as Maricunga, Chile, La Colosa, Colombia, and Biely Vrch, Slovakia, are characterized by similar alteration styles and Au deportment. The deportment of Au in these Au-only porphyry deposits differs markedly from that in Au-rich porphyry Cu deposits where Au is typically associated with Cu sulfides.


Minerals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Germán Velásquez ◽  
Daniel Carrizo ◽  
Stefano Salvi ◽  
Iván Vela ◽  
Marcial Pablo ◽  
...  

High-resolution mineral characterization performed on mine material from a giant porphyry copper deposit shows that critical and precious metals, such as cobalt, lanthanum, gold, silver, and tellurium, are concentrated in pyrite in the form of visible micro-inclusions, invisible mineral nano-inclusions, and trace metals in the mineral lattice. Visible and invisible inclusions consist of Ag-Au-Te sulfosalt and monazite-(La) particles. Trace metal concentrations grade up to 24,000 g/t for cobalt, up to 4000 g/t for lanthanum, and up to 4 g/t for gold. Pyrite, considered a waste material, is removed from the valuable copper ore material and sent to the tailings. Thus, tailings with high contents of pyrite can represent a prime target to explore for critical metals in the porphyry copper mining operations, transforming it into a new source of supply for critical metals. We propose that high-resolution mineral characterization is the key to evolve from a quasi-single-metal (copper) operation to a multi-metals business by developing metal-selective mining. To address this challenge, we coined the Metal-Zone concept to identify zones enriched in a specific metal within a mineral deposit, instead of zones enriched in an ore mineral.


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