RESEARCH GROUP

button mineral resources
Mineral Resources and Geofluids
 

Ore Deposits Introductory Course

Prof. Lluís Fontboté and collaborators

 

Slides to Chapter I

Extrusive rocks II: Continental and subaereal environment

Examples: Epithermal Au and Ag deposits

[Marte mine, Marcicunga Belt] [Lobo mine, Marcicunga Belt]
[argillic alteration] [Liesegang]
[acid high sulfidation fluids]
[Coipa mine, Marcicunga Belt] [Colquijirca, Peru]
[Rodalquilar, Spain] [Almadén, Spain] [Sulphur, Nevada]

 

Epithermal High Sulfidation Systems High Sulfidation Systems at Maricunga Belt, northern Chile
(see Vila & Sillitoe, 1991, Economic Geology, 1991, v. 86, p. 1238-1260 and references therein).

Salar of Maricunga

Salar of Maricunga, about 10 km north of the Marte Mine, northern Chile, view to the east.
Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1994.10-1/05 Copyright © 1999 - Lluís Fontboté - All Rights Reserved.

Marte

Field trip group at the Marte Mine, Maricunga Belt, northern Chile.
Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1994.10-1/17 Copyright © 1999 - Lluís Fontboté - All Rights Reserved.

Marte

General view of the Marte Au-deposit, Maricunga Belt, northern Chile, view to the northeast.
Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1994.10-1/36 Copyright © 1999 - Lluís Fontboté - All Rights Reserved.

Marte

Au-rich porpyry at Marte Mine, northern Chile.
Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1994.10-3/1 Copyright © 1999 - Lluís Fontboté - All Rights Reserved.

Marte

Typical hard relief formed by vein with core of residual or vuggy silica (advanced argillic alteration)
Marte Mine, Maricunga Belt, northern Chile.
Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1994.10-1/20 Copyright © 1999 - Lluís Fontboté - All Rights Reserved.

Marte

Residual silica ("vuggy silica") with late native sulfur. Marte Mine, Maricunga Belt, northern Chile.
Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1994.10-1/24 Copyright © 1999 - Lluís Fontboté - All Rights Reserved.

Marte

Residual silica ("vuggy silica") with late native sulfur. Marte Mine, Maricunga Belt, northern Chile.
From left to right: Jorge Spangenberg, Robert Moritz, Jeff Hedenquist. (Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1994.10-1/32).

Lobo

General view of the Lobo Mine Mine, Maricunga Belt, northern Chile.
View to the southwest. (Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1994.10-3/19).

Lobo

General view of the Lobo area, Maricunga Belt, northern Chile. View to the west.
Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1994.10-3/23 Copyright © 1999 - Lluís Fontboté - All Rights Reserved.

Lobo

Hard relief formed by vein with core of residual silica at the Lobo Au-deposit, Maricunga Belt, northern Chile.
View to the south. (Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1994.10-3/14)

Lobo

Detail of the residual silica of the same vein. Same silicification is also visible.
(Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1994.10-3/11)

 

Lobo

Typical sample of the residual silica flanked by kaolinite-alunite samples representing a typical advanced argillic alteration.
(Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1994.10-3/13) Copyright © 1999 - Lluís Fontboté - All Rights Reserved.

Lobo

Liesegang rings following fractures on an altered volcanic rock at the Lobo Au-deposit, Maricunga Belt, northern Chile.
Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1994.10-3/06 Copyright © 1999 - Lluís Fontboté - All Rights Reserved.

Refugio

Typical zonation formed by very acid high sulfidation fluids.
From center to flanks: Residual silica (dark brown), kaolinite-alunite (white), kaolinite-sericite light brown.
Refugio Mine, Maricunga Belt, northern Chile. (Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1994.10-4/06).

Coipa

General view of the Coipa Au Mine, Maricunga Belt, Northern Chile.
Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1994.10-4/37 Copyright © 1999 - Lluís Fontboté - All Rights Reserved.

Coipa

View of the Coipa Au Mine, Maricunga Belt, Northern Chile.
Yelow-whitish rocks denote advanced argillic alteration with abundant alunite.
Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1994.10-5/06 Copyright © 1999 - Lluís Fontboté - All Rights Reserved.

Coipa

View of the Coipa Au Mine, Maricunga Belt, Northern Chile.
Yellow-whitish rocks denote advanced argillic alteration with abundant alunite.
(Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1994.10-5/11).

 

High sulfidation system Marcapunta-Smelter-San Gregorio-Colqujirca, Colquijirca District, Central Peru
(see Fontboté and Bendezú, 1999, 5th Biennial SGA Meeting, London, and references therein)

Colquijirca

Typical vuggy (or residual) silica in the central part of the Marcapunta Au-Ag prospect, Colquijirca District, Central Peru.
Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1998.3/11 Copyright © 1999 - Lluís Fontboté - All Rights Reserved.

Colquijirca

Alunite-filled former K-Fd phenocryst in vuggy silica, Marcapunta Au-Ag prospect, Colquijirca District, Central Peru.
(Photo Lluís Fontboté, 11998.3/06) Copyright © 1999 - Lluís Fontboté - All Rights Reserved.

Colquijirca

Enargite star in the Smelter mine, Colquijirca District, Central Peru.
Photo Lluís Fontboté, 11998.3/20 Copyright © 1999 - Lluís Fontboté - All Rights Reserved.

 

High sulfidation system at the Rodalquilar Au-Mine, southeast Spain

Rodalquilar

Typical vein with vuggy silica flanked by kaolinite-alunite altered rocks
Open pit 2, bottom level, view towards the NE, Rodalquilar Au-Mine, southeast Spain.
Photo François Martin, 20 07.05/54.
Click on the picture for an enlarged version of this photograph.

Rodalquilar

Typical vein with vuggy silica flanked by kaolinite-alunite altered rocks
Open pit 2, bottom level, view towards the NE, Rodalquilar Au-Mine, southeast Spain.
Photo Lluís Fontboté, 2004.06/1924
Click on the picture for an enlarged version of this photograph.

Rodalquilar

Typical vein with vuggy silica flanked by kaolinite-alunite altered rocks
Open pit 2, bottom level, view towards the NE, Rodalquilar Au-Mine, southeast Spain.
Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1998.5/04 Copyright © 1999 - Lluís Fontboté - All Rights Reserved.

Rodalquilar

Typical vein with vuggy silica flanked by kaolinite-alunite altered rocks
Open pit 2, bottom level, view towards the NE, Rodalquilar Au-Mine, southeast Spain.
Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1998.5/05 Copyright © 1999 - Lluís Fontboté - All Rights Reserved.

 

Almadén Hg District, Spain

Almaden

Cinnabar rich ore with native mercury, Entredicho mine, Almadén district, Spain.
Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1998.5/26 Copyright © 1999 - Lluís Fontboté - All Rights Reserved.

Almaden

Native mercury in the Las Cuevas Mine, Almadén district, Spain.
Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1998.5/20 Copyright © 1999 - Lluís Fontboté - All Rights Reserved.

Almaden

Photographs of a painting (Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1998.5/30) ...

Almaden

... and of the old installation to obtain mercury from cinnabar mine, Spain. (Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1998.5/28)

Almaden

Detail of the cooling system of the old installation to obtain mercury from cinnabar ore, Almadén Spain.
(Photo Lluís Fontboté, 1998.5/29) Copyright © 1999 - Lluís Fontboté - All Rights Reserved.

 

Low sulfidation epithermal deposit

sulphur gold mine

The Hycroft Sulphur Gold mine, Sulphur, Humboldt County, Nevada, USA.
Photo Pierre Perroud, 2 Aug. 1993 Copyright © 2000 - Pierre Perroud- All Rights Reserved.

 

 

[Mineral Resources and Geofluids]

 


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