• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.48 no.6
• /
• pp.525-536
• /
• 2015

Trapiche project corresponds to the advanced exploration stage which is thought to be a part of various porphyry copper deposits occurring in the margin of Andahuyalas-Yauri metallogenic belt. This deposit is genetically related to the monzonitic porphyry intrusion and Oligocene breccia pipe. Mineralization consists of primary sulfides such as pyrite, chalcopyrite, bornite, and molybdenite and secondary sulfides such as chalcocite, covellite and digenite. It occurs malachite, tenorite and cuprite as copper oxide. As a result of lixiviation or enrichment process, mineralization shows untypical zonation structure. Breccia and porphyry areas characterize the vertical zonation patterns. In the northern area, lixiviation zone, secondary enrichment zone, transitional zone and primary mineralized zone are distributed in northern area. In the western area of deposit, oxidation zone and mixed zones are narrowly occurred. Inferred resources of deposit is estimated to be 920 Mt @ 0.41% Cu with the cut-off grade of 0.15%.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
• /
• v.29 no.1
• /
• pp.23-34
• /
• 2016

Tsogttsetsii area, an intrusive complex associated with Cu porphyry mineralization, is located in the Gurvansaikhan island arc terrane of the Central Asian Orogenic belt, Southern Mongolia. We performed a reconnaissance survey in Tsogttsetsii area. Cu mineralization in Tsogttsetsii area is porphyry Cu type related with alkali granite intruded in Permian. Mineralogical and textural properties of the ores and associated minerals were analyzed using X-ray diffraction, thin section petrography, and Scanning electron microscopy-Energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). Ore minerals identified in polarizing microscope are magnetite, pyrite and bornite. Propylitic alteration zone occurs broadly in the area where malachite occurrences are shown to be spread intensively in alkali granite area. Quartz, sericite, chlorite and epidote were observed in the alteration zone samples. As results of XRD and SEM-EDS analysis, samples of copper oxides were composed mainly of malachite, cuprite and small amounts of quartz. Average and maximum Cu contents of samples collected from malachite occurrences area are 759 ppm and 6190 ppm, respectively. The characteristics of mineralization in Tsogttsetsii area is similar to Oyu Tolgoi Cu-Au (Mo) deposit and Tsagaan Suvarga Cu-Mo deposit which are 56 km south and 120 km northeast from Tsogttsetsii area, respectively. Characteristics of the study area, such as the geology, tectonic environment, lithology, mineralization, and alterations of the rocks within the survey area, resemble the characteristics of other porphyry deposits. Therefore further exploration including Induced Polarization (IP) survey for identifying subsurface orebody is required.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.49 no.3
• /
• pp.193-199
• /
• 2016

Constancia mine is a deposit developed within Andahuaylas-Yauri Cu-Mo-Au metallogenic belt, southeastern Peru and is located in the southwestern part of Abancay deformation zone structurally as the porphyry copper deposit type. Mineralized zone in Constancia mine are composed of leached zone, secondary enrichment zone(ca. 1% Cu), mixed zone, primary mineralized zone(ca. 0.5%), skarn zone(ca. 1.5% Cu) from the upper part. Main country rock is monzonitic porphyry. Leached zone are characterized by the precipitation of limonite and looks brown in the outcrop. Oxidized zone have green due to the occurrence of copper oxide and secondary enrichment zone are characterized by the occurrence of chalcocite. Skarn zone are characterized by the occurrence of magnetite and garnet. Now, Hudbay, Canadian mining company, have 100% share about Constancia mine and started to produce commercially from January, 2015.

• Korean Journal of Mineralogy and Petrology
• /
• v.34 no.2
• /
• pp.147-156
• /
• 2021

We report fluid inclusion study results of copper-bearing quartz veins in Zogdor area, which is located within the Gurvansayhan island arc terrane of Southern Mongolia. At the Zogdor area, structurecontrolled copper mineralization is hosted in granodiorite-porphyry, which emplaced in the late Cretaceous formation. Within this granodiorite porphyry, copper-bearing quartz veins are associated with the hydrothermal alteration that includes quartz-epidote-magnetite, and quartz-magnetite in the propylitic zones. The veins are classified into two types, according to their mineral composition, which occur mainly as chalcopyrite, rare amounts of bornite, magnetite, and pyrite. Fluid inclusions in the quartz veins from the quartz-magnetite±chalcopyrite and quartz-epidote-magnetite veins are two-phase aqueous inclusions having bubble sizes of 5-30 vol.%, evident salinities of 2.0-22.6 wt.% NaCl, and homogenization temperatures of 107-270℃. Based on mineral assemblages of the observed veins, along with the geochemical properties and alteration faces of the host rock, fluid inclusion data show that the study area corresponds to propylitic alteration zone in the porphyry Cu related mineralization.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.35 no.3
• /
• pp.211-220
• /
• 2002

The Xiaoxinancha Cu-Au deposit in the Jilin province, located in NNE 800 km of Beijing, is hosted by diorite. The ore mineralization of Xiaoxinancha Cu-Au deposit show a stockwork occurrence that is concentrated on the potassic and phyllic alteration zones. The Xiaoxinancha Cu-Au deposit in the south is being mined with its reserves grading 0.8% Cu, 3.64 g/t Au and 16.8 g/t Ag and in the north, grading 0.63% Cu, 3.80 g/t Au and 6.8 glt Ag. The alteration assemblage occurs as a supergene blanket over deposit. Hydrothermal alteration at the Xiaoxinancha Cu-Au deposit is centered about the stock and was extensively related to the emplacement of the stock. Early hydrothermal alteration was dominantly potassic and followed by propylitic alteration. Chalcocite, often associated with hematite, account for the ore-grade copper, while chalcopyrite, bornite, quartz, epidote, chlorite and calcite constitute the typical gangue assemblage. Other minor opaque phases include pyrite, marcasite, native gold, electrum, hessite, hedleyite, volynskite, galenobismutite, covellite and goethite. Fluid inclusion data indicate that the formation of this porphyry copper deposit is thought to be a result of cooling followed by mixing with dilute and cooler meteoric water with time. In stage II vein, early boiling occurred at 497$^{\circ}$C was succeeded by the occurrence of halite-bearing type III fluid inclusion with homogenization temperature as much as 100$^{\circ}$C lower. The salinities of type 1II fluid inclusion in stage II vein are 54.3 to 66.9 wt.% NaCI + KCI equiv. at 383$^{\circ}$ to 495$^{\circ}$C, indicating the formation depth less than 1 km. Type I cupriferous fluids in stage III vein have the homogenization temperatures and salinity of 168$^{\circ}$ to 365$^{\circ}$C and 1.1 to 9.0 wt.% NaCI equiv. These fluid inclusions in stage III veins were trapped in quartz veins containing highly fractured breccia, indicating the predominance of boiling evidence. This corresponds to hydrostatic pressure of 50 to 80 bars. The $\delta$$^{34}S$ value of sulfide minerals increase slightly with paragenetic time and yield calculated $\delta$$^{34}S_{H2S}$ values of 0.8 to 3.7$\textperthousand$. There is no mineralogical evidence that fugacity of oxygen decreased, and it is thought that the oxygen fugacity of the mineralizing fluids have been buffered through reaction with magnetite. We interpreted the range of the calculated $\delta$$^{34}S_{H2S}$ values for sulfides to represent the incorporation of sulfur from two sources into the Xiaoxinancha Cu-Au hydrothermal fluids: (1) an isotopically light source with a $\delta$$^{34}S$ value of I to 2$\textperthousand$, probably a Mesozoic granitoid related to the ore mineralization. We can infer from the fact that diorite as the host rock in the Xiaoxinancha Cu-Au deposit area intruded plagiogranite; (2) an isotopically heavier source with a $\delta$$^{34}S$ value of > 4.0$\textperthousand$, probably the local porphyry.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.46 no.6
• /
• pp.561-568
• /
• 2013

The copper mineralization in Peru is intimately associated with porphyry Cu deposits and subdivides into three porphyry Cu belt as Paleocene, Eocene-Oligocene, and Miocene. Up to now, the total copper production from them reach 28 Mt Cu. The total copper production from the Paleocene Cu belt, including Toquepala, Cuajone, and Cerro Verde, accounts for approximately 57% of total copper production from Peru. But focusing mineral exploration on middle southern (Eocene-Oligocene) and northwestern part (Miocene) of Peru results in new discoveries, including La Granja, El Galeno, Las Bambas, Toromocho, and Rio Blanco, which have an estimated annual production more than 200,000 t Cu. In addition to them, thirteen Cu deposits are discovered from the Paleocene, Eocene-Oligocene, and Miocene Cu belts. Thus, Peru is supposed to produce Cu production from 2014 and increases annual production from 143 Mt Cu in 2012 to 490 Mt Cu in 2019. Due to new discoveries, it is expected that mineral exploration activities in Peru are likely to move from Paleocene Cu belt to Eocene-Oligocene and Miocene Cu belts.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.17 no.1
• /
• pp.17-34
• /
• 1984

The Ordovician limestone and dolomite was mineralized by the intrusion of quartz porphyry to form hydrothermal ore deposit along the fault shear zone, which trends $N30^{\circ}-40^{\circ}W$ dipping $60^{\circ}-70^{\circ}SW$. The primary manganese carbonates in the upper part of the deposit were oxidized to form supergene manganese ore deposits. The quartz porphyry is plotted mainly in granite region of the triangular diagram of normative composition. The granite phase contains more copper and lead, but less zinc, nickel and chromium than the granodiorite phase which occupies the northwestern part of the quartz porphyry. The content of copper, lead, zinc, nickel and chromium in the quartz porphyry is lower compared with the granitic rocks from the copper province in the Gyeongsang basin. But the granitic rocks from the lead-zinc province has lower content of copper and nickel than the quartz porphyry. The primary distribution pattern of trace elements in the country rock of limestone and dolomite has close relation with the hydrothermal mineralization, showing anomalous or high content near the fault shear zone. The secondary distribution pattern of trace elements in soils shows close relation with the solubility of the carbonates of the elements under weathering condition.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.50 no.4
• /
• pp.313-324
• /
• 2017

Tsogttsetsii area, an intrusive complex associated with Cu mineralization, is located in the South Gobi, Mongolia. We performed the cross geochemical and extended exploration survey in Tsogttsetsii area. Cu mineralization in Tsogttsetsii area is porphyry Cu type related with alkali granite intruded in Late Carboniferous to Early Permian. In the concentrated occurring to malachite appears extensively prophylitic alteration zone having a chlorite and epidote. As results of the survey, Cu contents of potable XRF and of chemical composition for altered rocks ranges 1.08 to 18.3% in the 30 points and 1.08 to 32.9% in the 13 points, respectively. Ore minerals identified in XRD analysis and polarizing microscope that samples of copper oxides were composed mainly of malachite, azurite, permingeatite and cuprite and the other minerals are pyrite, chalcopyrite, pyrargyrite, dickite, calcite, chlorite and epidote. Mineralization can be considered occurring to selectively some granite of the surrounding aplite and faults in the only upper part coming up the hydrothermal solution of the remaining residual magma after the aplite intrusion.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.48 no.1
• /
• pp.15-24
• /
• 2015

Extensive base-metal and/or gold bearing ore mineralizations occur in the Pacitan mineralized district of the south western portions in the East Java, Indonesia. Metallic ore bodies in the Pacitan mineralized district are classified into two major types: 1) skarn type replacement ore bodies, 2) fissure filling hydrothermal ore bodies. Skarn type replacement ore bodies are developed typically along bedding planes of limestone as wall rock around the quartz porphyry and are composed mineralogically of skarn minerals, magnetite, and base metal sulfides. Hydrothermal ore bodies differ mineralogically in relation to distance from the quartz porphyry as source igneous rock. Hydrothermal ore bodies in the district are porphyry style Cu-Zn-bearing stockworks as proximal ore mineralization and Pb-Zn(-Au)-bearing fissure filling hydrothermal veins as distal ore mineralization. Sulfur isotope compositions in the sulfides from skarn and hydrothermal ore bodies range from 6.7 to 8.2‰ and from 0.1 to 7.9‰, respectively. The calculated ${\delta}^{34}S$ values of $H_2S$ in skarn-forming and hydrothermal fluids are 0.9 to 7.1‰ (5.6-7.1‰ for skarn-hosted sulfides and 0.9-6.8‰ for sulfides from hydrothermal deposits). The change from skarn to hydrothermal mineralization would have resulted in increased $SO_4/H_2S$ ratios and corresponding decreases in ${\delta}^{34}S$ values of $H_2S$. The calculated ${\delta}^{18}O$ water values are: skarn magnetite, 9.6 and 9.7‰; skarn quartz, 6.3-9.6‰; skarn calcite, 4.7 and 5.8‰; stockwork quartz, 3.0-7.7‰; stockwork calcite, 1.2 and 2.0‰; vein quartz, -3.9 - 6.7‰. The calculated ${\delta}^{18}O_{water}$ values decrease progressively with variety of deposit types (from skarn through stockwork to vein), increasing paragenetic time and decreasing temperature. This indicates the progressively increasing involvement of isotopically less-evolved meteoric waters in the Pacitan hydrothermal system. The ranges of ${\delta}D_{water}$ values are from -65 to -88‰: skarn, -67 to -84‰; stockwork, -65 and -76‰; vein, -66 to -88‰. The isotopic compositions of fluids in the Pacitan hydrothermal system show a progressive shift from magmatic hydrothermal dominance in the skarn and early hydrothermal ore mineralization periods toward meteoric hydrothermal dominance in the late ore mineralization periods.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.44 no.1
• /
• pp.1-10
• /
• 2011

The geology of the Pacitan district which occupies Southern mountain zone in the southwestern margin of East Java, Indonesia, consists of a pile of clastics and pyroclastics grading upwards into a series of sediments of Middle Miocene age which are intruded by a number of quartz porphyries and subvolcanic dacitic to andesitic bodies in after that time. The geochemical exploration in the Pacitan district to find out anomalous areas related with metallic mineral dispersion from the concealed ore deposits had been carried out using traditional exploration techniques of geological mapping, stream sediment, panned concentrate and outcrop sampling. The anomalous zones of each element were detected in the following areas: Gempol for Cu; Jompong for Au; Kasihan for Cu-Pb-Zn. The strongest Cu-Pb-Zn anomalous values are overlapped at the Kasihan area. The geochemical survey of soil was conducted with the geological survey at the Kasihan area. The statistical values were calculated by the statistical analysis method. The patterns for Cu, Pb and Zn are similar to the normal distribution. The anomalous values of copper-lead-zinc and/or copper and zinc are overlapped at five zones surrounding quartz porphyry at the central part of the Kasihan area. The area was interpreted and chosen as an anomalous zone related with stockwork and skam mineralization, extending to approximately NNW-SSE direction.