EPITHERMAL MINERALIZATION ASSOCIATED with DIATREME BRECCIA and RHYOLITIC DOME, LA MIEL, HAITI by Mauro Joel Melgar Pauca a Prepu
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EPITHERMAL MINERALIZATION ASSOCIATED WITH DIATREME BRECCIA AND RHYOLITIC DOME, LA MIEL, HAITI by Mauro Joel Melgar Pauca A Prepublication Manuscript Submitted to the Faculty of the DEPARTMENT OF GEOSCIENCES In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 2014 2 CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES ............................................................................................................. 5 ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................................. 7 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................ 9 LOCATION AND EXPLORATION HISTORY OF LA MIEL ................................................................ 10 REGIONAL GEOLOGY OF HISPANIOLA AND CUBA ....................................................................... 11 Tectonic overview ................................................................................................................................... 11 Intrusive rocks ......................................................................................................................................... 13 Volcanic rocks ........................................................................................................................................ 15 Mineral deposits ...................................................................................................................................... 18 METHODS ................................................................................................................................................. 23 Geological mapping ................................................................................................................................ 23 U-Pb zircon dating .................................................................................................................................. 24 Microscopy ............................................................................................................................................. 24 U-PB ZIRCON DATING OF SLP RHYOLITE DOME ............................................................................ 25 Analytical results .................................................................................................................................... 25 GEOLOGY OF THE LA MIEL DEPOSIT ................................................................................................ 26 Rock Types ............................................................................................................................................. 26 La Mine series, Upper Tireo Formation .............................................................................................. 26 Phreatomagmatic Breccia Diatreme .................................................................................................... 27 Subvolcanic intrusion .......................................................................................................................... 28 Loma de Cabrera Batholith ................................................................................................................. 29 Structure and deformation ....................................................................................................................... 29 Wall-rock alteration ................................................................................................................................ 30 Mineralization ......................................................................................................................................... 33 Elemental zoning .................................................................................................................................... 35 INTERPRETATIONS ................................................................................................................................ 35 Implications of new U-Pb zircon date on age of the mineralization at La Miel ..................................... 35 Relative age of deformation and mineralization ..................................................................................... 36 Relationships of mineralization to the diatreme ...................................................................................... 37 Classification of the deposit .................................................................................................................... 38 3 Causes of alteration and metal zoning .................................................................................................... 39 DISCUSSION ............................................................................................................................................. 39 Significance of the Late Cretaceous volcanism for the rest of Hispaniola – Cuba region ...................... 39 Implications for further exploration ........................................................................................................ 41 CONCLUSIONS ......................................................................................................................................... 41 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .......................................................................................................................... 43 REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................................... 44 FIGURES CAPTION .................................................................................................................................. 52 FIGURES .................................................................................................................................................... 57 TABLES ..................................................................................................................................................... 96 APPENDICES ............................................................................................................................................ 99 4 LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES Figure 1 Location map for the Greater Antilles .......................................................................................... 57 Figure 2 Insert of the present day tectonic map of the Caribbean Region .................................................. 58 Figure 3 Regional geologic map from Cuba - La Hispaniola showing the main magmatic units ............... 59 Figure 4 Graphic showing the distribution of the intrusive in Cuba- La Hispaniola .................................. 60 Figure 5 Correlation of the stratigraphic units in the Cuba – La Hispaniola island arc .............................. 61 Figure 6 Graphic showing the stratigraphic column of the northeast Haiti ................................................ 62 Figure 7 Geologic map of the Hispaniola showing the volcanic arc and the principal Cu-Au mineral occurrences ................................................................................................................................................. 63 Figure 8 BSE image of the zircons (sample LM-01) .................................................................................. 64 Figure 9 BSE image of the zoned zircons (sample LM-01) ........................................................................ 65 Figure 10 Concordia plot of the zircon data ................................................................................................ 66 Figure 11 Plot of the total samples and the average data with 1 σ error ...................................................... 67 Figure 12 Regional geologic map from the Restauración (Dominican Republic) and La Miel (Haiti) ...... 68 Figure 13 District geologic map from the Savanne La Place (SLP) project ............................................... 69 Figure 14 Generalized stratigraphic column from the La Miel–SLP area .................................................. 70 Figure 15 Enlarged geologic map of the SLP exploration project .............................................................. 71 Figure 16 Cross section A –B containing geological interpretations and drill locations ............................ 72 Figure 17 District alteration and lithology map from the Savanne La Place (SLP) project ........................ 73 Figure 18 Enlarged alteration map of the SLP exploration project ............................................................. 74 Figure 19 Picture showing the discovery outcrop ....................................................................................... 75 Figure 20 Picture illustrating the hydrothermal breccia containing broken banded veins .......................... 76 Figure 21 Photomicrograph in plane polarized light of the banded quartz vein. Sample in LMDH07- 17.30m ........................................................................................................................................................ 77 Figure 22 Photomicrograph in plane polarized light of the banded quartz vein. Sample in LM07DH- 17.30m ........................................................................................................................................................ 78 Figure 23 Picture of brecciated banded quartz vein with bands of sulfides ...............................................