Duration of Hydrothermal Alteration and Mineralization of the Don Manuel Porphyry Copper System, Central Chile

Amy K Gilmer; R Stephen J Sparks; Dan N Barfod; Emily R Brugge; Ian J Parkinson

doi:10.3390/min11020174

Duration of Hydrothermal Alteration and Mineralization of the Don Manuel Porphyry Copper System, Central Chile

Amy K Gilmer, R Stephen J Sparks, Dan N Barfod, Emily R Brugge, Ian J Parkinson

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Abstract

The Don Manuel porphyry copper system, located in the Miocene–Pliocene metallogenic belt of central Chile, contains spatially zoned alteration styles common to other porphyry copper deposits including extensive potassic alteration, propylitic alteration, localized sericite-chlorite alteration and argillic alteration but lacks pervasive hydrolytic alteration typical of some deposits. It is one of the youngest porphyry copper deposits in the Andes. Timing of mineralization and the hydrothermal system at Don Manuel are consistent with emplacement of the associated intrusions (ca. 4 and 3.6 Ma). Two molybdenite samples yielded consistent ages of 3.412 ± 0.037 and 3.425 ± 0.037 Ma. 40Ar/39Ar ages on hydrothermal biotites (3.57 ± 0.02, 3.51 ± 0.02, 3.41 ± 0.01, and 3.37 ± 0.01 Ma) are associated with potassic alteration. These ages are younger than the youngest intrusion by ~300 k.y. recording the cooling of the system below 350 °C. Such a time gap can be explained by fluxing of hot magmatic fluids from deeper magmatic sources.

Original language	English
Article number	174
Pages (from-to)	1-22
Number of pages	22
Journal	Minerals
Volume	11
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.3390/min11020174
Publication status	Published - 8 Feb 2021

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
Funding: This research was funded by BHP as part of the Bristol PCD Project. The Ar/Ar geochronology was funded by a NERC NIGL/AIF grant IP-1415-1113.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

Keywords

porphyry copper deposit
hydrothermal alteration
mineralization
thermal modeling
geochronology
Chile

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title = "Duration of Hydrothermal Alteration and Mineralization of the Don Manuel Porphyry Copper System, Central Chile",

abstract = "The Don Manuel porphyry copper system, located in the Miocene–Pliocene metallogenic belt of central Chile, contains spatially zoned alteration styles common to other porphyry copper deposits including extensive potassic alteration, propylitic alteration, localized sericite-chlorite alteration and argillic alteration but lacks pervasive hydrolytic alteration typical of some deposits. It is one of the youngest porphyry copper deposits in the Andes. Timing of mineralization and the hydrothermal system at Don Manuel are consistent with emplacement of the associated intrusions (ca. 4 and 3.6 Ma). Two molybdenite samples yielded consistent ages of 3.412 ± 0.037 and 3.425 ± 0.037 Ma. 40Ar/39Ar ages on hydrothermal biotites (3.57 ± 0.02, 3.51 ± 0.02, 3.41 ± 0.01, and 3.37 ± 0.01 Ma) are associated with potassic alteration. These ages are younger than the youngest intrusion by ~300 k.y. recording the cooling of the system below 350 °C. Such a time gap can be explained by fluxing of hot magmatic fluids from deeper magmatic sources.",

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note = "Funding Information: Funding: This research was funded by BHP as part of the Bristol PCD Project. The Ar/Ar geochronology was funded by a NERC NIGL/AIF grant IP-1415-1113. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.",

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AU - Parkinson, Ian J

N1 - Funding Information: Funding: This research was funded by BHP as part of the Bristol PCD Project. The Ar/Ar geochronology was funded by a NERC NIGL/AIF grant IP-1415-1113. Publisher Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

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N2 - The Don Manuel porphyry copper system, located in the Miocene–Pliocene metallogenic belt of central Chile, contains spatially zoned alteration styles common to other porphyry copper deposits including extensive potassic alteration, propylitic alteration, localized sericite-chlorite alteration and argillic alteration but lacks pervasive hydrolytic alteration typical of some deposits. It is one of the youngest porphyry copper deposits in the Andes. Timing of mineralization and the hydrothermal system at Don Manuel are consistent with emplacement of the associated intrusions (ca. 4 and 3.6 Ma). Two molybdenite samples yielded consistent ages of 3.412 ± 0.037 and 3.425 ± 0.037 Ma. 40Ar/39Ar ages on hydrothermal biotites (3.57 ± 0.02, 3.51 ± 0.02, 3.41 ± 0.01, and 3.37 ± 0.01 Ma) are associated with potassic alteration. These ages are younger than the youngest intrusion by ~300 k.y. recording the cooling of the system below 350 °C. Such a time gap can be explained by fluxing of hot magmatic fluids from deeper magmatic sources.

AB - The Don Manuel porphyry copper system, located in the Miocene–Pliocene metallogenic belt of central Chile, contains spatially zoned alteration styles common to other porphyry copper deposits including extensive potassic alteration, propylitic alteration, localized sericite-chlorite alteration and argillic alteration but lacks pervasive hydrolytic alteration typical of some deposits. It is one of the youngest porphyry copper deposits in the Andes. Timing of mineralization and the hydrothermal system at Don Manuel are consistent with emplacement of the associated intrusions (ca. 4 and 3.6 Ma). Two molybdenite samples yielded consistent ages of 3.412 ± 0.037 and 3.425 ± 0.037 Ma. 40Ar/39Ar ages on hydrothermal biotites (3.57 ± 0.02, 3.51 ± 0.02, 3.41 ± 0.01, and 3.37 ± 0.01 Ma) are associated with potassic alteration. These ages are younger than the youngest intrusion by ~300 k.y. recording the cooling of the system below 350 °C. Such a time gap can be explained by fluxing of hot magmatic fluids from deeper magmatic sources.

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Duration of Hydrothermal Alteration and Mineralization of the Don Manuel Porphyry Copper System, Central Chile

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