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Using mineral chemistry to detect the location of concealed porphyry deposits - an example from Resolution, Arizona
conference contribution
posted on 2023-05-23, 10:55 authored by David CookeDavid Cooke, Jamie Wilkinson, Michael BakerMichael Baker, Agnew, P, Wilkinson, CC, Martin, H, Chang, Z, Chen, H, John GemmellJohn Gemmell, Shaun Inglis, Leonid Danyushevsky, Gilbert, S, Hollings, PPorphyry-related mineral districts can host many major ore deposits of diverse styles and metal associations, including porphyry, epithermal and skarn deposits. In these deposits, hydrothermal alteration is typically zoned, and alteration zoning has long been an important tool used in their exploration (Fig. 1). However, the various mineral assemblages and textures that characterize each alteration zone are also present within barren hydrothermal systems, and in some cases may also be produced by non-mineralizing processes such as regional metamorphism. Discriminating mineralized and barren systems, being able to locate well-mineralized hydrothermal centers, and recognizing the distal footprints of mineralization continue to be great challenges to explorers. In this abstract, we demonstrate how the combination of epidote and chlorite chemistry can be used to successfully detect the location of a porphyry deposit, using the Resolution porphyry Cu-Mo deposit as a case study. The results presented in this paper are derived from a blind site test submitted to AMIRA International project P765A by Rio Tinto Exploration (RTX).
Funding
AMIRA International Ltd
Lakehead University
History
Publication title
Proceedings of the 27th International Applied Geochemistry Symposium 2015Pagination
1-6Department/School
School of Natural SciencesPublisher
Association of Applied GeochemistsPlace of publication
Arizona, USAEvent title
27th International Applied Geochemistry Symposium 2015Event Venue
Arizona, USADate of Event (Start Date)
2015-04-20Date of Event (End Date)
2015-04-24Rights statement
Copyright unknownRepository Status
- Restricted