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AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF Gary Brian Sidder for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Geology presented on November 21, 1984 Title: Ore Genesis at the Monterrosas Deposit in the Coastal Redacted for privacy Abstract Monterrosas is a hydrothermal deposit of copper and iron that is hosted by gabbro-diorites of the Upper Cretaceous Patap Superunit within the Coastal Batholith of central Peru. The orebody is localized by fractures and splays related to a nearby regional fault and is com- posed of massive chalcopyrite, magnetite, and pyrite. Ore and altera- tion minerals such as actinolite, sodic scapolite, epidotes, sphene, magnetite, apatite, tourmaline, chlorites, hematite, and quartz formed dominantly as replacements of magmatic diopside, labradorite-andesine, and ilmenite. Hydrothermal mineralization was characterized by the exchange of major, minor, and trace elements between hot saline fluids and gabbro-diorite wall rocks. Metasomatism involved the addition of FeOt, K20, MgO, and the ore-forming metals (Cu, Co, Au, Ag, and Mo) to the host rocks, and the concomitant depletion of Si02, CaO, Na20, and Ti02. The losses and gains of these major oxide components in samples of gabbro-diorite may be used to define an alteration index that is correlative with the distance to ore, the intensity of hydrothermal alteration, and the concentration of copper. Geochemical data suggest that the ore and gangue minerals were deposited at high temperatures from saline fluids derived from a magma. The evidence includes fluid inclusions within gangue quartz that exhibit homogenization tempera- tures of 400° to 500°C, salinities of 32 to 56 wt percent NaCl,and the halite trend, and magmatic-Jike sulfur isotopic compositionsthat range from 1.6 to 3.3 permil in pyrite andchalcopyrite. Ore-bearing fluids evolved as a consequence of progressive crystallization of labradorite-andesine, diopside, and ilmenite from gabbro-diorite magma, which resulted in the residual concentrationof iron, water, chlorine, and other volatiles and metals. These components were sub- sequently exsolved as a discrete fluid that migrated upward along faults and fractures. Deposition of the ore and alteration minerals resulted from decreases of temperature and (or) acidity in the fluids because of reactions between the hydrothermal fluids and early-formed gabbro-diorite host rocks. Ore Genesis at the Monterrosas Deposit in the Coastal Batholith, Ica, Peru by Gary Brian Sidder A THESIS submitted to Oregon State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Completed November 21, 1984 Commencement June 1985 APPROVED:Redacted for privacy Professor major Redacted for privacy Head of Departmentf Go logy Redacted for privacy raaua Date thesis is presented November 21, 1984 Typed by Gayla Badovick for Gary Brian Sidder ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I would like to thank Dr. Cyrus W. Field for his guidance throughout my graduate program. Cy always found time to meet with me, and I greatly appreciated all our conversations about research, classes, employment, business, family, babies, and many other topics. This dissertation would not have been possible without Cy. I would also like to thank Guillermo Abele, Luis Sassarini, Alberto Caballero, Cesar Rios, Lorgio Maguina, and others at Centromin Peru for their warm hospitality and logistical and technical support for this pro- ject. Dr. Field, The Geological Society of America (Grant No. 30.63-82), Conoco Minerals Co., and a Graduate Fellowship from the ASARCO Foundation provided funds for parts of this dissertation. I would also like to acknowledge several people who made my years of graduate study at OSIJ a pleasurable experience. Rich Fifarek, Alan Wallace, Max Rosenberg, Bob Walker, and Mike McCulla have all been good friends and counselors. Drs. Taubeneck, Enlows, Senechal, and Frenkel provided constructive suggestions throughout this project. My typist, Gayla Badovick, did yeoman service for this paper, and Ed Howes and Tony Selle did fine work on the drafting. My parents have been steadfast in their much needed praise and support. Finally, I would like to express my deepest appreciation to my wife, Francie Steinzeig, who endured this entire project and still managed to offer encouragement and love throughout. This degree is dedicated to my newborn son, Aaron. TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 1 Location and Accessibility 1 Purpose of the Investigation 3 Methods of Study 3 REGiONAL GEOLOGIC SETTING 7 The Coastal Batholith ofPeru 7 Regional Metallogeny 12 Regional Tectonics 18 THE MONTERROSAS MINE 23 Mine History 23 The Monterrosas Deposit 25 PLUTONIC ROCKS 30 The Patap Superunit 30 The Linga Superunit 37 Chemistry of the PlutonicRocks 42 The Patap Superunit 42 The Linga Superunit 47 Discussion 49 METALL IZATION 59 Ore Mineralogy 59 Distribution of Metals 68 ALTERAT ION 73 Mineralogy of the AlterationAssemblage 74 Geochemistry of Alteration 80 FLUID INCLUSIONS 94 Methodology 94 Homogenization Temperatures 100 Salinities 110 Interpretation of the FluidInclusion Data 116 ORE GENESIS 131 Conditions and Processesof Mineralization 131 Similarities to OtherDeposits 142 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 147 REFERENCES 151 APPENDICES 166 LIST OF FIGURES Fjgure Page 1. Regional Location Map of Ica, Peru 2 2. Local Location Map ofthe Monterrosas Mine 4 3. Simplified Physiographic Mapof Peru 8 4. The Segments of the Coastal Batholith of Peru 9 5. Metallogenic Belts of SouthAmerica 14 6. Schematic Cross-Section ofthe Monterrosas Mine 24 7. Schematic Diagram of Mineralizationin the 27 Subsurface of the MonterrosasMine 8. Electron Microprobe Analysesof Clinopyroxenes 35 9. QAP (quartz-alkali feldspar-plagioclase feldspar) 38 Diagram (after Streckeisen,1973) of Modal Composi- tions of the Patap and LingaSuperunits in the Monterrosas area 10. Ternary AFM Diagram 46 11. Ternary NKC Diagram 48 12. Variation Diagrams of WtPercent MgO vs. Fe' and 53 LaN vs. Fe' 13. T-XH2O Section at 5 kb for Mt. HoodAndesite 56 14. Photomicrograph of Chalcopyrite-Cubanite-Pyrrhotite 65 Bleb in Pyrite 15. Cumulative Frequency Diagramfor Copper 71 16. Alteration Index Versus Distancefrom the Ore Zone (a) 92 and Versus Concentrationof Copper (b) 17. Type III Inclusions in Samplesof Ore from the 98 Monterrosas Mine 18. Histogram of the Temperatures ofVapor Homogenization 106 in Type I Inclusions Figure P age 19. Histogram of the Temperatures of Vapor Disappearance 108 in Type III Inclusions 20. Histogram of the Temperatures of Halite 109 Disappearance in Type III Inclusions 21. Histogram of the Salinity for Types I (stippled) 111 and III (open) Inclusions 22. Salinity vs. Temperature of Homogenization for 113 Type I and Type III Inclusions 23. Phase Relations in the System NaC1-KCI-H20 114 24. Location of the Halite Trends Observed at the Naica 118 Pb-Zn-Ag, Limestone Replacement Deposit (Erwood et al., 1979), and at the Panguna (Eastoe, 1978, 1982), and Granisle and Bell (Wilson et al., 1980) Porphyry Copper Deposits 25. Plane of Constant Composition (isopleth) at 52 Wt 119 Percent NaC1 in the NaC1-H20 System 26. Phase Relations in the NaC1-KC1-H20 System at 120 50 and 60 Percent Combined NaC1 + KC1 27. Possible Path Followed by Saline Fluids in 122 Type III Inclusions at the Monterrosas Mine 28. Some Phase Relations in the Central Portion 137 of the Cu-Fe-S System at 600°C LIST OF TABLES Table P age 1. Modal Compositions of the Least Altered Rocks of the 32 Patap and Linga Superunits in the Monterrosas Area 2. Means, Standard Deviations, and Ranges of Major Oxide 43 and Minor and Trace Element Constituents in the Least Altered Samples of the Patap and Linga Superunits of the Monterrosas Area. 3. Comparison of the Average Concentrations of Major 51 Oxides and Selected Trace Elements in the Least Altered Gabbro-Diorjtes from the Monterrosas Area and Basaltic Andesites from the Oregon Cascades 4. Electron Microprobe Average Compositions of 60 Chalcopyrite in Ore from the Monterrosas Mine 5. Electron Microprobe Average Compositions of Pyrite 62 in Ore from the Monterrosas Mine 6. Electron Microprobe Average Compositions of Magnetite 64 in Ore from the Monterrosas Mine 7. Electron Microprobe Average Compositions of Cubanite 66 and Pyrrhotite in Ore from the Monterrosas Mine 8. Range and Threshold Values of Trace Elements in 69 Samples of Ore and Country Rocks at Monterrosas (in ppm) 9. Exchanges of Elements in the Gabbro-Diorites from 88 a Summary Reaction of Alteration 10. Chemical Changes Between Relatively Unaltered and 90 Altered Patap Gabbro-Diorites (in wt % and g/100 cm3) 11. Fluid Inclusion Data for the Monterrosas Deposit 102 12. Sulfur Isotope Data for Sulfides of the Monterrosas 139 Deposit (in permil) LIST OF PLATES Plate Page 1. Geologic Map of the Monterrosas Mine in pocket 2. Cross-Section A-A' and Plan View of the in pocket Underground Levels, with Sample Locations 3. Location Map of Surface Samples in pocket ORE GENESIS AT THE MONTERROSAS DEPOSIT IN THE COASTAL BATHOLITH, ICA, PERU INTRODUCT ION The Monterrosas Mine is a fracture controlled vein-like deposit of. copper and iron within the Coastal Batholith of central Peru. Gabbros and diorites of the middle Cretaceous Patap Superunit host the orebody. The ores, although hosted by plutonic rocks,.are typical of skarn assemblages in that they consist of chalcopyrite, magnetite, pyrite, and actinolite in variable proportions. Secondary minerals such as amphiboles, scapolite, epidotes, tourmaline, sphene, apatite, magne- tite, chiorites, and quartz formed dominantly as replacements of magmatic clinopyroxene and plagioclase feldspar in the Patap units. Mineralization at the Monterrosas Mine is manifested by bimetasomatic exchange of major, minor, and trace element components between hot aqueous fluids and dioritic wall rocks along major fractures. It is postulated that the hydrothermal fluids were heated by and possibly derived from a unit of the Patap magma series as it cooled and under- went crystallization to form gabbros and diorites. Location and Accessibility The Monterrosas Mine is about 20 km northeast of Ica, Peru, at 14°OO' South latitude and 75°37' West longitude, as shown in Figure 1.