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This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law. Geo~h~rmalResources Council, TRANSACTIONS, Vol. 12, October 1988 HYDROT~ERMALALTERATION PATTERNS IN THE BREITENBUSH HOT SPRINGS AREA, CASCADE RANGE, OREGON Terry E. C. Keith U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, C A 94025 ABSTRACT DISTRIBUTION OF ALTERATION Rocks of early Miocene age in the Breitenbush Alteration is extensive in the oldest Hot Springs area have been affected by at least Tertiary (early Miocene) volcaniclastic rocks, two major episodes of hydrothermal alteration, lithic tuffs, and ash-flow tuffs in the map area one of which had temperatures in excess of (Figure 1). Pyroclastic and volcaniclastic rocks 200°C. Afteration minerals in younger Tertiary are altered to quartz, K-feldspar, (+illite, rocks are characteristic of temperatures below chlorite, and calcite) along major faults and 100°C. The most important factor in controlling along much of the axis of the Breitenbush anti- alteration is f.racture permeability. The best cline. Pervasive quartz-K-feldspar-illite guide to interpreting alteration is secondary alteration and recrystallization is apparent €n mineralogy of volcaniclastic and pyroclastic some of the older pyroclastic rocks. In most of rocks, flow breccia, and vesiculated or fractured the rocks of the Breitenhush Formation of White lavas; alteration effects in interbedded massive (1980), such as are exposed along the Breitenbush lava flows are much more subtle. Hydrothermal River, the outer flanks of the NE-trending minerals from the SUNEDCO 58-28 drill hole Breitenbush anticline, and to the north outward indicate that past temperatures were much hotter from the major NE-trending fault that lies than present and must be relicts of an older immediately west of the antklinal axis, geothermal system; a 116OC aquifer at 780 m alteration is characterized by zeolites (mainly represents the present geothermal system. clinoptilolite and mordenite), smectite, mixed-layer smectitechlorite, and mixed-layer smectite-illite and celadonite. The massive lava flows interlayered with tuffs in the upper part INTRODUCTION of the Breitenbush Formation and in superjacent lava flows are only slightly altered; alteration Reconnaissance mapping of secondary mineral consists of mixed-layer smectite-chlorite or assemblages in the Breitenbush Hot Springs area smectite replacement of mafic phenocrysts (Figure 1) permits the identification of several (especially olivine), interstitial glass, as well types of alteration, including zeolite-clay, as deposition of clays and/or hematite and propylitic, and phyllic/potassic alteration, that goethite along fractures and/or grain are characterized by alteration mineral boundaries. Zeolites (laumontite, analcime, assemblages produced by different processes stilbite, heulandite), clays, epidote, hematite, including geothermal activity, contact effects of quartz, and calcite occur locally in highly plutons, dikes, and lava flows, and deep burial fractured and sheared mafic lavas of the lower (diagenesis) in the thick volcanic pile. The Miocene rocks. extent to which alteration pervades the rocks In contrast to lower Miocene rocks, depends upon primary and secondary permeability of alteration in middle Miocene to Pliocene lavas is the rocks and host rock crystallinity (glass which much less intense. Smectite, zeolites occurs in ash-flow tuffs, air fall tephra, and'is (chabazite, thomsonite, mesolite, scolecite, interstitial in lavas, is more readily altered stilbite, analcime), and calcite colnmonly occur than crystalline rocks), whereas the mineral as replacement minerals and open space filling in assemblages formed during alteration depend vesicular and fractured lavas and flow breccias- largely upon temperatures and fluid chemistry. Pore spaces in the lavas locally contain minor The purpose of studying alteration patterns in * amounts of several of the above metastable the Breitenbush Hot Springs area is to determine zeolites. Massive lavas and local densely welded the alteration sequence in the area, and to tuffs, such as near Mt. Bruno, have no characterize hydrothermal mineral assemblages and recognizable alteration. their relationship to structural and stratigraphic Quaternary rocks are not altered except for controls. Results of this study can be applied to local vapor-phase oxidation and fumarolic the identification and interpretation of past and alteration in vent breccias. Small white EO present geothermal systems and can be extrapolated clear silica (opal and cristobafite) deposits to other parts of the Cascade Range in Oregon and occur in vents where a wet steam phase was southern Washington. present following eruption. 299 KEITH 122'1 5' 122000' 12 1*45' 45'00' EXPLANATION Quaternary volcanic rocks Tertiary volcanic rocks Tcrtiary plutonic rocks geologic contact fault, ball and bar on downthrown side anticlinc drill hole site 44O45 0- hot spring 0 5 10 Km Q I I 17OREGON Figure 1. Map showing reconnaissance hydrothermal alteration distribution in the Rreitenbush Hot Springs area, Oregon. Geologic map is from Sherrod and Conrey (1988). Dot pattern shows zeolite-clay alteration, much of which is regional; characterized by a variety of zeolites and abundant smectite, mixed-layer clays, ccladonite, and local calcite. Cross-hatched pattern shows propylitic alteration, mostly associated with intrusive rocks; characterized by chlorite, illite, mixed-layer illite-smectite, mixed-layer smectite-chlorite, hematite, pyrite, quartz, calcite, and local epidote. Line pattern shows phyllic/potassic alteration, localized in major structural zones and in contact and brecciated zones of intrusive rocks; characterized by quartz, chalcedony, illite, sericite, hydrothermal K-feldspar, calcite, local epidote. Checked pattern shows hydrothermally altered plutonic rocks, most of the alteration consists of clay and/or sericite; locally alteration consists of quartz, chalcedony, K-feldspar, 2 epidote, and isolated fractured and brecciated mineralized zones with biotite, tourmaline and sulfides in addition to the other minerals. 300 KEITH Tertiary Plutons Hydrothermal minerals in the 2458-m deep Alteration associated with Tertiary plutons SUNEDCO 58-28 drill hole (A. F. Waibel, unpub. is common in the western and central part of the data, 1982) indicate much higher past temper- area, where numerous small plutons are exposed atures (maximum temperature measured during throughout the Breitenbush Hot Springs region drilling was 150"C, Blackwell and Steele, 1987) (Cummi'ngs and others, 1987; Hammoncl and others, throughout the drill hole and especially below 1982; Priest and others, 1987; Walker and others, 640 m where epidote occurs in trace amounts. 1985). This alteration locally indicates Laumontite, illite, calcite, and quartz with temperatures above 200°C based on the presence of sporadic epidote occurs from about 795 to 1518 m. epidote in the mineral assemblages including Epidote was not present below 1518 m; however, quartz, hematite, calcite, sericite, and chlorite the other minerals were prevalent along with (Figure 2). Breccias containing tourmaline, chlorite, heulandite, and locally albite, K-feldspar, and biotite are locally associated hematite and pyrite. Below about 1800 m, illite with small plutons in the Little North Santiam and chalcedony were identified, and substantial mining district north of Detroit Lake (Figure 1) recrystallization of ash-flow tuff to quartz, where there is epithermal mineralization (Callaghan and Buddington, 1938; Cummings and others, 1987). Much of the alteration associated with small plutons throughout the region, T"C 0 50 100 150 200 250 however, appears to be relatively lowtemperature (less than 200°C) and perhaps related to a CHABNITE THOMSONITE regional hydrothermal system. MESOLITUSCOLECITE u)W PHILLIPSITE Hot Springs k STILBITE Lava flows at Breitenbush Hot Springs have J 0 HEULANDITEGROUP WN been affected little by alteration except LAUMONTITE adjacent to fractures where interstitial glass MORDENITE and, locally, where mafic phenocrysts are altered ANALCIME to smectite. Fractures clearly control fluid access to the rock. The fractures are coated SMECTITE first with a layer of smectite, then silica SMECTITOILLITE (chalcedony), and finally calcite; hot spring F CELAWNlTE deposits surrounding numerous small orifices 5 ILLITE consist of amorphous silica and/or calcite. 0 CHLORITE SMECTITOCHLORITE Structural Controls Major faults and anticlinal axes in