Economic

Vol, 83, 1988, pp. 1368-1378

SedimentaryRock-HostedDisseminated
PreciousMetal Mineralizationat
PurlsimaConcepci6n,YauricochaDistrict, Central Peru
ANGEL ALVAREZ A.

Departamento
de Geologfa,
CENTROMIN-PERU
S.A.,La Oroya,Perd

AND DONALD C. NOBLE

MackaySchoolof Mines,Universityof Nevacla-Reno,

Reno,Nevada89557

Abstract

Sedimentary rock-hosteddisseminated goldoreslithologicallyand chemicallysimilarto

thoseof Carlin-typedepositsofthewestern UnitedStatesarepresentin theYauricocha district,
centralPeru. The PurlsimaConcepci6ndepositis locatedin the core of a steeplyplunging
anticlineseveralhundredmetersbeyondlarge pipe-shapedCu-Zn-Pb-Ag-Aureplacement
orebodies in limestoneborderinga late Miocenegranodiorite stock.The centralpart of the
stockispotassium-silicatealteredandcontains high-salinity
fluidinclusions.
Mineralizedimpurelimestoneis generallydecalcifiedand silicifiedand appearsto have
beencarbonaceous. Originallaminatedbeddingandothersedimentary structuresare locally
preserved. Characteristicmineralsincludequartz,rhodochrosite, pyrite,calcite,sericite,
and
barite.Pyrrhotite,arsenopyrite,
plagionite (PbsSbsS17),
andaltaitc(PbTe)havebeenrecognized
locally.Although thechemical composition oftheoresisgenerally similartothatoftheCarlin
deposit,rocksof PurlsimaConcepci6n havehigherFe, Mn, Te, Ag, andT1 andlowerHg
contents.Mostof the Au-bearingrockscontainbetween3 and6 wt percentFe, andTe (•4
ppm)andMn (•4 wt %) are abouttwo ordersof magnitude higherthanat Carlin.These
elevatedelementalconcentrations are all epigenetic;thereis no regionalor localgeologicor
texturalevidencefor a syngenetic and/ordiageneticorigin.The Ag/Au ratio of the oresis
about2.5. Gold correlatespositivelywith Ag, As, Hg, Mo, Sb,Te, andT1 andAg strongly
with Mn. Porous,leached,but not silicified,bedstendto carryhighergoldvaluesthansilicified
rocks.
Thepresence ofenargite,
tetrahedrite,
andhighScoppersulfidemineralsin thereplacement
oresandof pyrophyllite,
diaspore,
alunite,anhydrite,andhigh-temperature
(•400øC), corn-
positionally
complex,hypersalinefluidinclusions
in alteredrocksborderingenargiteveinsin
the stock,andthe intensedissolution
of limestoneduringdepositionof the polymetallicore-
bodiessuggest thatthe fluidsinitiallyhadlow pH andhighf o, andj•, values.The magmatic
hydrothermal system mayhavebeensimilarto thatofJulcani andotherenargite-tetrahedrite
districtsin Peru, with the differencesin ore typesat leastin part reflectingthe carbonate
composition of the hostrockat Yauricocha.
The elementalchemistry of the PurlsimaConcepci6n orescanbe qualitatively explained
by a process of hydrothermal differentiationin whichselectiveprecipitation of basemetal
andAgsulfides andsulfosalts depletedthefluidsin thesecomponents andproduced a decrease
in Cu/Zn,Cu/Pb,As/Sb,basemetal/precious metal,andAg/Auratios.Themoderate pH and
lowfo•andj• valuesimpliedbythemineralassemblage ofPurisimaConcepci6n presumably
reflectin part the presenceof carbonaceous material.
Similardeposits canbeexpected elsewhere in theWesternCordilleraofcentralandnorthern
Peruwherehydrothermal fluidsrelatedto Neogene stocks
encountered impurecarbonaceous
limestonebedsof thePariatambo
andJumasha Formations
andotherunits.Certainsedimentary
rock-hosted,disseminatedAu-Agdepositselsewheremay havea similargeneticrelationto
porphyry,skarn,and/orlimestone-replacement
systems.

Introduction 1980; BagbyandBerger,1985; Bonham,1985; Tin-

DURINGthe past two decadessedimentaryrock- gleyandBonham,1986;Percivalet al., 1988),similar
hosted,disseminated preciousmetal depositshave deposits
arepresentin otherpartsof the world,for
becomean importantsourceof gold, and to a lesser example,China(Geng,1985; Liu andGeng, 1985;
extent, silver. Although most known sedimentary Cunningham et al., 1987).
rock-hosted depositsarelocatedin thewesternUnited CentralPeru, a majorregionof baseandprecious
States,andparticularlyin Nevada(e.g.,Radtkeet al., metalmining(Petersen,1965), possesses
impurecar-

0361-0128/88/856/1368-11
$2.50 1368
 PUR•$IMACONCEPCIC•N
DEPOSIT,PERU 13 6 9

bonate rocks and calcareous siltstones and shales,

somecarbonaceous (M•gard, 1978b). These rocks,
largelyof Mesozoicage,occurin a transitional envi-
ronmentreminiscentof that of lithologicallysimilar
stratain the western United States(Stewart, 1980)
andare cut by manystocksof Tertiaryage(M•gard,
1978aandb). Unitsof relativelypurecarbonatestrata,
sandstone,and shalemlocally coal-bearing--are
presentin the section,but volcanicrocksare absent.
The impurecarbonatebedsshouldbe goodexplora-
tiontargetsfor disseminatedpreciousmetaldeposits.
The purposeof this paperis to providea prelimi-
nary geologicand geochemicaldescriptionof the
PuHsimaConcepci6ngolddepositandof the intimate
spatialandtemporalassociation of the depositwith a
porphyrysystemand importantpolymetalliclime-
stonereplacementorebodies,featuresthat are critical
in providinginsightsinto the origin of the deposit. FIG. 1. Map showingthe location of the Yauricochadistrict
PurlsimaConcepci6n,locatedin the Yauricochadis- and certainother major miningdistrictsin centralPeru.
trict at an elevation of about 4,700 m in the Western
Cordilleraof centralPeru (Fig. 1), is one of the first
sedimentary rock-hosted, disseminatedprecious The principalorebodies of the Yauricocha district,
metaldepositsto be recognizedin the centralAndes locatednear the westernmarginof the Yauricocha
(NobleandAlvarez, 1988). This firstreport is based stock,arerelatedspatiallyandgenetically to themain
mostlyon informationobtainedduring mining,de- bodyofthestockandtonarrowfingers ofgranodiorite
velopment,and evaluationactivities,supplemented
thatpresumably connectat depthto a westernexten-
by smallamountsof chemicalandpetrographicdata sionof thestock(Figs.2 and3). The orebodiesconsist
obtainedfor this study. ofverticallyelongate
pipescomposed largelyofpyrite
Mineral Deposits andothersulfidemineralsthat replacelimestoneof
GeologicSettingand Associated
the Jumasha Formation.Skarnis developed adjacent
The geologyandmineraldeposits of the Yauricocha to the stockbut doesnot hostappreciableamounts
districthavebeendescribed by Lacy(1949), Thomp- of ore.The pipestypicallyexhibitbothverticaland
son(1960), Petersen(1965), andthe Departamento radialzoningandthereis a pronounced districtzon-
de Geologlade Cerro de PascoCorporation(1970). ing,withaninnerzoneofenargite(theprincipalcop-
The ore depositsof the districtare spatiallyand ge- permineral)givingwayoutwardto anenargite-chal-
neticallyrelatedto the Yauricochastock,a composite copyrite-bornite zone,whichin turnis succeeded to
intrusivebody of granodioriticto quartzmonzonitic thewestby zonescharacterized by sphalerite,
galena,
composition(Fig. 2) that hasbeen radiometrically lead, andsilver(Lacy, 1949; Thompson,1970; Figs.
datedat about7.5 m.y. (Giletti andDay, 1968). The 2 and 3).
stockintrudestightly foldedbedsof the Late Creta- Enargiteveinsthatcutthe Yauricocha stock(Fig.
ceousJumasha (Coniacian)andCelendln(Santonian) 2) aresurrounded by granodiorite
alteredto a mixture
Formationsand the overlyingCasapalcaFormation of pyrophyllite,diaspore,alunite,andsmallamounts
(latestCretaceousandPaleocene?) (M6gard,1978a; of anhydrite.Largequartzgrainsin theserocksalso
Noble et al., 1979). containabundantsecondaryfluid inclusions,some
The centralpart of the Yauricochastockisaffected whichcontainhaliteandasmanyas14, andperhaps
by K silicatealteration.Abundanthigh-salinityand 16, other daughters, includingtwo phaseswith ex-
vapor-dominated inclusionsarepresent,with the hy- treme birefringence,probablycarbonate,and a va-
persalineinclusions commonly containing sylviteand riety of othermoderatelybirefringentminerals.Va-
carbonatedaughtersand in somecasesone or more por-dominantinclusionsaccompanythe daughter-
moderately birefringentmineralsandchalcopyrite(?) bearinginclusions, andsmallamounts of liquidCO2
in additionto halite.The K silicate-altered granodi- havebeententativelyidentifiedin a few inclusions.
orite contains0.1 to 0.2 wt percentCu andlocallyas Preliminary heating- and freezing-stagemeasure-
much as 12 ppm Mo (Wright, 1966); veinlets in ments(P. C. Gibson,pers.commun.,1988) reveala
quartz-sericite-altered granodioriteexposedat the stronglytelescoped fluidinclusionassemblage, with
surfacecontainas muchas 0.02 to 0.03 oz/ton Au onetype of hypersaline inclusionhavingvaporho-
and0.5 to 1 oz/tonAg. mogenization temperatures in excessof 400øC and
1370 A. ALVAREZ A. AND D.C. NOBLE

•55' -t-

t- -+-
+
+
-t-
+
CARMENCITA
.f-
•, ,•oo -1-
+

!
I
T.C.O

t %ASCOT?
AO.,ANA'•
PURISIMA CONCEPCION-,.

T.
COAGZ\ CO½•:;T
J•- --I.-
I/ESTERN •
CONTACT SGZ ',, \Xf"{"
-.I-
"HTrn9.j
'
EXPLANATION VIRGINIA
.•._•\ '. -!' '{'
T.[•TRANSPORTED
OXIDES. COPPERENARGilTE'CHALCOPYRITIr
ECBZ=
BORNITE
ZONE
x\ 4- ,•,'-+ +
-•'l OREBODY $GZ
= 4-\
T•'•']
GRANDDIORITE
CELENDIN FORMATION
AGZ
=SILVER
ZOHE i-I- ENARGITE VEIN$.•-•,
• FRANCE
LIMESTONECHERT
JUMASHA FORMATION

r;--I
STIPPLE
INDICATES
SLATE BED

v•'• BASALT
SILL ß

EZ = ENARGITE ZONE
.L. I \ +T.,• +/• +
•- +/ ,• , + +
¾ Io ,7o ,7o ,• ,7o,.

FIC.2. Mapshowing theprincipalorebodiesandzoningpatternof theYauricocha

district.Modified,
with additions,frommappingby K. E. Sicgrist(unpub.)andThompson(1960). Line A-A' showsap-
proximatezoneacross whichthe generalizedcrosssection(Fig. 3) wasdrawn.

,•3oo level ++

FIC. 3. Generalizedcrosssectionshowingthe geologyand mineraldepositsof the Yauricocha

district.Modified,with additions,
fromThompson
(1960). SeeFigure2 for symbols
andabbreviations,
Kp?possible Pariatambo Formation.
 PURlfSIMA
CONCEPCI(•N
DEPOSIT,
PERU 13 71

salinitiesof greater than 50 wt percent. These are Au andAg contents,high Au/Ag ratios,andlow base
accompanied by a varietyof other inclusions having metal contents.
a very wide range of temperaturesand salinities. On the basisof Iten's (1952) assays,
CENTROMIN
Basedon the alterationassemblage andthe very com- beganareevaluation ofthePurlsima Concepci6n
zone
plexcationandanionchemistry of the fluidsindicated in 1986. It wasrecognizedthat, in additionto the
by the manydaughters (cf.Metzgeret al., 1977),the lithologicalcontrol,the plunginganticlinein con-
hydrothermalfluidsresponsiblefor the sulfideore- junctionwitha sillofbasaltandandesitcandtheshear
bodiesappearto havebeenrelativelyacid,oxidized, zonesprovidedstructural controlforthe mineralizing
andrich in sulfurandprobablyCO•. The alteration solutions.The Departamentode Geologlarealized
is anexcellentexampleof advancedargillicalteration that the deposithad geologicandgeochemical simi-
producedby hot, salineascendantfluidswhichprob- laritiesto sedimentary rock-hosteddepositsof the
ablyincludedanimportantmagmatic component (cf. western United States.
Bruha and Noble, 1983; Drexler and Noble, 1983).
The Yauricochamagmatic-hydrothermal systemis Lithologyand mineralogy
interpretedasa highO• andS• fugacitysystemthat Carlin-typeores:The oresof the PurlsimaCon-
wasemplacedinto carbonatestratarather than into cepci6ndepositare sedimentary rock-hosted,dis-
dominantlyquartzofeldspathic rock. The solutions seminated oreshavingphysicalcharacteristics
typical
were highlyreactiveandintenselyattackedthe car- oftheCarlin-typesubset ofsedimentaryrock-hosted,
bonatewallrock,producing the pipe-shapedchannels precious metaldepositsofBagbyandBerger(1985).
within whichthe rich sulfideorebodieswere rapidly Thegeologic settingandthephysicalfeaturesof the
deposited(Lacy, 1949; Thompson,1960). Baseand depositare inconsistentwith a syngenetic
or diage-
preciousmetalswere largelyprecipitatedwithin sev- netic originsuchas that proposedfor sedimentary
eral hundredmetersof the stockrather than being rock-hosted, stratiform base metal deposits (e.g.,
carriedupwardalongstructuresinto anoverlyingge- Gustafsonand Williams, 1981) or gold-bearingbut
neticallyrelatedvolcanicpile as,for example,at Jul- basemetal-poormassive
sulfidedeposits(e.g.,Barnett
cani (Petersenet al., 1977; Noble and Silberman, et al., 1982).
1984). Theoresarelargelyunoxidized
andconsist
mostly
of decalcifiedand silicified impure carbonaceous
PurlsimaConcepci6nGold Deposit limestone (cf.Armstrong et al., 1987),whichin places
is hydrothermally brecciated and/or sheared. Al-
The Purlsima Concepci6ndisseminateddeposit
thoughsomebedspossess well-preservedthin bed-
(alsoknown as PurlsimaConcepci6nOeste), one of
dingwith certainlaminaepreferentiallyreplacedby
severalbulk-mineablepreciousmetal depositsin the rhodochrosite(Fig. 4A), the depositdoesnot exhibit
Yauricochadistrict(Alvarezet al., 1989), is located the texturalandstructuralfeatures,for example,sul-
outsideof the sphalerite-galena
andsilverzonesabout fidebanding,of sedimentary exhalativedeposits.Ox-
300 m from the outermostpart of the enargitezone idized zonescontainingabundantlimonite also are
(Figs.2 and3). Althoughthe orebodyis in the early locallypresent,but quartzveinletsandbodiesofjas-
stagesof exploration,about200,000 metrictonsat a
perold are uncommon.It is not presently clear
grade of about 0.1 oz Au/metric ton have been
whetherthe oxidizedoresare hypogene,supergene,
proven.Columntestshaveyieldedabout90 percent
or of mixedorigin.The averagegradefor the deposit
extractionof Au and 45 percentextractionof silver.
appearsto be somewhathigherthanthe median(3.3
Preliminaryresultsof a pilot heap-leachingoperation
have been favorable. ppm)for the sedimentary rock-hosted depositsof the
westernUnited States(Bagbyet al., 1986). About 5
Previous work percentof the ore consists of bedscomposed largely
of soft,porous,fine-grained,decalcifiedbut not silic-
The first recordedstudyof the Pur•simaConcep- ified, and in part carbonaceous, materialthat com-
ci6nareawasthatofIten (1952),whowasprincipally monlycontainshighpyrite contents(Fig. 4B). These
interestedin evaluatingthe potentialfor lead ores. rockstypically have higher gold contentsthan the
Iten recognizedthat metal valueswere presentin a silicified rocks.
subunitof impure limestone(the "slate bed") that Most mineralizedrock is composedlargely of
formsthe coreof an anticlineplungingabout50ø to quartz,withlesseramounts of veryfinegrainedrho-
the southeastandwere localized,particularlyin crush dochrosite,pyrite,calcite,andsericite_+bariteand
and shear zones within the subunit. The slate bed is _+ carbonaceousmaterial and traces of detrital(?)
probablya subunitof the JumashaFormation,but it tourmaline, sphene,andzircon.Preliminary X-raydif-
maybelongto the underlyingPariatamboFormation. fractionstudysuggests thatsomeor all of the sericite
Iten (1952) alsoobtainedassaysfor Cu, Zn, Pb, Ag, maybe muscovite ratherthanilliticmaterial.Quartz
andAu on20 specimens that clearlyshowedelevated istypicallyveryfinegrainedandapparently largely
13 7 2 A. AL VAREZ A. AND D.C. NOBLE

arsenopyrite,
andboulangerite,2.5 percenteachof
pyrrhotiteandgalena,1 percentchalcopyrite andal-
taitc, and tracesof sphaleriteand nativegold in a
ganguecomposed largelyof microfractured quartz.
Plagionitealsohasbeenreported(Iten, 1952). The
nativegold,whichoccursassociated variouslywith
the majorminerals,in somecasesfills fracturesin
quartz,pyrite,andboulangerite, suggesting late de-
positionand/orremobilization. It is unclearff these
veins and veinlets,which do not comprisean eco-
nomically
important
partofthedeposit,
wereformed
before,after, or contemporaneous
with the dissemi-
nated ores.

Geochemistry
The followingsectionsummarizes the resultsof a
largenumberof assaysfor the preciousmetalsanda
lessernumberof analyses
forthe commonbasemetals
madeduringevaluation of PurisimaConcepei•nplus
a muchsmallernumberof analysesfor a wider range
of minor elementsobtainedfor geochemicalchar-
acterizationof the deposit.Theseresultsare com-
paredwith dataavailablefor the Carlinsediment .a.•
rock-hosteddepositof the westernUnited States
(Radtke,1985), for which the mostcomprehensive
geochemical coveragein the publicdomainis avail-
able. It shouldbe emphasizedthat the data base
availablefor sedimentary rock-hosted, disseminated
precious metaldepositssuggests anappreciable range
in traceelementcomposition (e.g.,BagbyandBerger,
1985).A moredetaileddiscussion of the geochemistry
FIG.4. Handspecimens of ore fromthe PurlsimaConcepci6n
of the Purlsimadepositwill be presentedelsewhere.
deposit.A. Finelybeddedsilicifiedrockcontaining light layers Figure 5 summarizesanalysesfor Ag, Au, and a
composed largelyof rhodochrosite; specimenis 12 cm long.B. wide rangeof otherminorelementsobtainedon 12
Porousalecalcified
rock;specimen is 10 cmlong. specimens of mostlyunoxidized,alecalcified,and si-
licified ore from diamond drill hole PC-1-86 in the
replacescarbonateremovedby hydrothermalsolu- northernpart of Pur{simaConcepci•nandcompares
tions. It is unclear to what extent carbonaceous ma- thesedatawith averagevaluesreportedfor the Carlin
terial hasbeenaddedto and/orredistributedwithin deposit.(Althoughthe Purlsimadataare notnormally
the deposit.Pyrite is the principalopaquemineral, distributed,the arithmethicmeanisusedsoasto pro-
occurringassmallirregulargrains,in partframboidal, vide a moredirectcomparison with thosefromCar-
disseminated withinthe rock.Inclusions of pyrrhotite lin.) Meanvaluesfor Bi andCd at PurlsimaConcep-
havebeenidentifiedin pyrite in onespecimen. He-' ci•n are 1.7 andabout0.5 ppm,respectively.
Analyses
matitc,limonite,and/or Mn oxideshavebeen iden- for Cu, Pb, and Zn availablefor 33 specimens from
tifiedin severaloxidizedsamples, andgalenahasbeen otherpartsof the depositconfirmthe verylow con-
identifiedin severalspecimens.Grainsof nativegold tents of these elements.Concentrationsof As, Cu, K,
4 to 6 t*min diameter,associated preferentiallywith Mo, Pb, Sb, Se, and Zn are similarto thoseof the ores
quartzandoxideminerals,havebeen observedin two from the mainpit at Carlin. Fluorinecontentsof a
of ten specimens of ore-gradedrill corestudied.A smallsuiteof samplesrangefrom 0.06 to 0.46 wt
portionof the goldappearsto occuralongfractures percent,with a medianof 1.10 wt percent.Kfilb ratios
andin otherreadilyaccessible sites. of about500 are muchhigherthanthoseof the meta-
Sulfide-quartzveinlets:In the southernpart of somatizeddaciticlavasthathostenargite-tetrabedrite
Purlsima Concepci6n theslatebediscutby veinsand veinsat Julcani(Scherkenbach andNoble, 1984).
veinletscomposedlargely of sulfideand sulfosalt Analyses for morethan150 specimens containing
minerals.A vein cut by drill hole PC-4-$6 contains •0.01 oz/ton Aushow that mostof the mineralized
about40 percentpyrite,10percenteachofmarcasite, rockscontainbetweenabout3 and6 wt percentFe,
 PURfSIMACONCEPCIdNDEPOSIT,PERU 1373

relationwith Ag, with samples with morethan0.1

oz/tonAu havingan averageAg/Auratioof about
•10 • 2.5. Silverexhibitsa strongpositivecorrelation
with
_
Mn (Fig.6). Manganese, mostcommonly asrhodonite,
bJ
rhodochrosite, and/oralabandite,is typicalof Ag-
¸
z
o
10 •
bearingveinsin Peru,andthecloserelationship be-
tweenAg andMn at Purlsimasuggests a closeasso-
ciationof theseelementsduringhydrothermaltrans-
•, 10•
--

port and deposition.

/ ct' ,0ø6'/ • Onebulksampleof soft,porous,andfine-grained
black,barite-bearing
materialselectedfor chemical
andmetallurigical
studycontainedabout2.7 oz/met-
ric ton Au, 1.0 oz/metricton Ag, 730 ppm As, 5.0 wt
percent Ba, 10.4 wt percent Fe, 78 ppm Hg, 240
ppmMn, 26 ppmMo, 460 ppmSb,10 ppmTe, 0.23
10 -= 10 -• 1 10 10 = 10 • 10 * 10 •
wt percentnoncarbonate carbon,and lessthan 10
ppmeachofCuandPb.Thethalliumcontentisabout
MEAN CONCENTRATIONS,
CARLIN MAIN PIT (ppm)
0.6 wt percent(basedon replicateanalysesby Geo-
•C. 5. •1ot comparingmean concentrationsof selectedele- chemicalServices,Inc., and BarringerLaboratories,
mentsfor the •urisima Coneepei6nore zone with meanvMues Inc.);twosimilarrocksfromotherpartsofthe deposit
for the Oarlinmainpit (Badtke,1985). The 1• PurisimaConeep- have thalliumcontentsof 2,600 and 3,800 ppm. Al-
ei6n specimens consistof siliei•ed impurelimestonefrom drill
hole •O-1-86. The Te and TI vMuesfor •ur•sima Coneepei6nare thoughthesiteofthethalliumin notclear,thesesam-
the mean of duplicate anMysesby OeoehemieMServices,Inc., ples demonstrate that very high concentrationsof
andBondarClegg,Inc., and6SI •d •ringer Laboratories,Inc., thalliumcandevelopin a disseminated formin fine-
respectively.Other values•e basedon analysesby GSI, Hunter grained,homogeneous, and unfracturedrock.The
Minin½Laboratory, Inc., and CEN•OMIN-PEBU. carbonaceous materialis apparentlyactive,because
only2 percentof the goldpresentwasextracteddur-
ing a standardcyanideroll test.
severaltimesthe averageof about1.5 wt percentfor Discussion and Conclusions
normaloresfrom Carlin. The 12 core specimensof
ore from PC-1-86 average3.5 wt percent Fe. Man- Comparison
with deposits
in thewestern
ganesecontentsare morethan 100 timeshigherthan United States
at Carlin(Fig.5). The averageforthe 12 coresamples, The ores of the PurlsimaConcepci6ndepositare
5.3 wt percent,is supportedby fouranalyses of other similarin generalappearance,
lithology,mineralogy
rocksrangingfrom2.3 and3.6 wt percentMn. Based andchemicalcomposition to thoseof the sedimentary
on XRD study of representativesamples,the man- rock-hosteddepositsof the westernUnited States
ganeseis presentmainlyas fine-grainedrhodochro- (e.g.,BagbyandBerger,1985;Radtke,1985;Bakken
site. The high silicacontentsof the rocksare sup-
portedby routinelyobtainedinsolubleresiduevalues
mostlybetween60 and 80 wt percent. - i I i i liii I I t • I IIII I I I , f • I

The averageHg contentof the core specimens is

morethananorderof magnitudelowerthanat Carlin
and Ag, and to a lesserdegree Ba, Se, and T1, are
higher.Tellurium (•3-4 ppm) averagesabouttwo
ordersof magnitudegreaterthanthe meanfor Carlin,
which is consistentwith the presenceof altaite. All
the elevatedconcentrations,includingthoseof Fe and
Mn, clearlyrepresentepigeneticadditionof the ele-
ments.

The elementsAg, As,Hg, Mo, Sb,Te, andT1show +

a positivecorrelation
withAuin the smallandspatially
very restricteddata set availablefrom PC-1-86. The 1 10 10 •
covarianceis similarto that reported by Joralemon Mn (wt. •)
(1951), Wrucke and Armbrustmacher(1975) and
Harris and Radtke (1976). Basedon more than 200 FIG. 6. Plot of Ag versusMn for specimens
from drill hole
fire assays,Au showsa general,but scattered,cor- PC-1-86.
1374 A. AL VAREZ A. AND D.C. NOBLE

and Einaudi, 1986; Birak and Hawkins, 1985; Rom- inner part of the zoning pattern contain Cu, with
berger, 1986; JohnsonandAbbott, 1987; Percivalet lesseramountsof Au, Ag, Zn, and Pb, and have an
al., 1988). With an averageAg/Auratio of about2.5, Ag/Au ratio of about 100, althoughenargite-rich
the Purlsima ores are similar to those of the Bald specimens commonlyhaveAg/Au ratiosof lessthan
MountainandStandarddeposits, whichprovidea link 20 (Table 1). Progressiveremovalof Cu, Zn, and Pb
betweenthe typicalsedimentary rock-hosteddeposits in the enargite, enargite-chalcopyrite-bornite,and
of the westernUnitedStates,in whichgoldgreatly sphalerite-galena zonescouldhave largely depleted
exceedssilver and silver-dominantsystemssuchas the solutionsin basemetals.Silver to gold ratiosof
Taylor(BagbyandBerger,1985). Notabledifferences 100 to 500 in the sphalerite-galenazone, and the
betweenPurlsimaConcepci6nandthe U.S. deposits presenceof orescontaining10 or moreoz/tonAg and
includethe intimateassociation with pluton-related lessthan 0.02 oz/ton Au in the silverzone, suggest
hydrothermal activity and large-scalebase metal that the Ag/Au ratio of the solutionswere progres-
mineralization,and basedlargely on the data from sivelyreducedasthe oreswere deposited.The rel-
Carlin, the higher concentrationsof introducedFe, ativeabundanceof silverin the PurlsimaConcepci0n
and particularly,Mn and Te. depositis consistentwith the generallysilver-domi-
nant natureof mineraldepositsin centralPeru (e.g.,
Model for the origin of the Purfsima C. E. Vidal and D.C. Noble, in prep.) and with the
Concepci(;n deposit closeness of the depositto the probablesourceof the
Althoughigneousrocksare exposed at or nearmost hydrothermalsolutions,which appearto havebeen
sedimentaryrock-hosteddeposits,the connection salineandthusgoodcarriersof Ag.
between igneousactivity and mineralizationis in The elevatedTe contentsappearto reflecttheclose
manycasestenuous(e.g.,Romberger,1986; Percival proximityto the Yauricochastock(cf. Afifi et al.,
et al., 1988). In contrast,at Yauricochathere existsa 1988). The stocksand associated
volcanicrocksof
clearandcompellingconnectionbetweenmagmatic the main part of the late Neogenemagmaticarc are
activity.andmineralization. not alkalic,althoughalkalicrockswere eruptedeast
The low Ag to Au andbasemetalto preciousmetal of the volcanicfront (Thompson,1960; Noble et al.,
ratiosof the Pur•simaConcepci0noresrelativeto the 1975; Noble and Bowman, 1976; Beckinsaleet al.,
sulfide-richorebodiesof the districtcan reasonably 1985). AlthoughelevatedTe contentsare conven-
be interpretedin termsof progressive differentiation tionallyconsidered to be associated
with alkalicrocks
of hydrothermalsolutions.The enargiteoresof the (e.g.,Wattersonet al., 1977;Bonham,1988;Hastings,

TABLE1. AverageCompositionsof Ores from the Enargite,Enargite-Chalcopyrite-Bornite,

Sphalerite-Galena,
and Silver Zonesand the PurlsimaConcepci6nOrebody

I 2 3 4 5 6 7

Au 0.35 0.038 0.049 0.061 0.030 0.020 0.12

Ag 5.9 3.4 4.3 6.8 4.6 16.5 0.30
Cu 16.4 2.4 1.7 1.2 0.68 0.4 0.0025
Pb 3.0 3.8 3.6 4.4 8.5 0.0035
Zn 4.3 6.5 7.5 7.9 8.1 0.009
As 0.43 0.16 0.046
Sb 0.05 0.05 0.017
Ag/Au 17 89 88 111 153 808 2.5
Ag/Cu* 1.2 4.9 8.7 19.4 23 141 411
Ag/Pb* 3.9 3.9 6.5 3.6 6.7 294
Au/Cu* 0.07 0.06 0.08 0.18 0.15 0.18 165
Pb/Cu 1.3 2.2 3.0 6.5 16 1.4
Zn/Cu 1.8 3.8 6.3 12 20 3.6
Pb/Zn 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.6 1.0 0.39
Sb/As (very low) (low) (low) 0.12 0.33 0.38

Specimens: 1, meanof 12 bulk specimens of rich enargiteore, Main Catasorebody;2, meancomposition,Cuye orebody;3, mean
composition,Main Catasorebody;4, meancomposition,EasternContactorebody;5, meancomposition,Antacacaorebody;6, mean
composition, WesternContactorebody;7, meancompositionof 12 samplesof PudsimaConcepci6norescut by drill hole PC-1-86
Au and Ag in oz/ton, other elementsin wt percent;data compiledfrom varioussources;exceptasindicatedvaluesfor columns2
through6 are calculatedore-blockaverages;Au, As, and Sb valuesfor EasternContactand Western Contactorebodiesare analyses
of speciallypreparedcompositesamples;ratiosare weight ratios,thosemarkedwith an asteriskhavebeen multipliedby 1,000; the
qualitativeSb/Asratiosin columns1, 2, and 3 are basedon concentrateassaydata
 PUR[SIMA
CONCEPCI6N
DEPOSIT,PERU 13 7 5

1988), it appearsthat a significantTe signaturecan Pointerdeposit(Smithet al., 1988),whichis closely

developin nonalkalicterranes(cf. Sillitoe,1988). relatedto the Ruth(Nevada)porphyrysystem.
Althoughwe lackstableisotopedata,the geologic
relations,mineralogy,and chemistryof the deposit Generalimplications for the originof sedimentary
suggest that the initialfluidswere largelyof deep- rock-hosteddeposits
seatedoriginwhichpresumably mixedto greateror Becauseof its clear associationwith a porphyry-
lesserdegreeswith meteoricfluidsprior to and/or skarnsystemandmajorpolymetallicmineraldeposits,
duringdifferentiation.Theseevolved basemetal-poor Pur•simaConcepci6nhasimplicationsfor the origin
residualfluidswere then structurallyfocusedon a and evolution of the fluids from which certain of the
zoneofrelativelypermeable andlithologically
favor- sedimentaryrock-hosted,preciousmetal depositsof
ablestrata.The localpresenceof pyrrhotiteandar- the westernUnited Statesandotherregionswere de-
senopyrite,the scarcityof arsenicsulfides(andthe posited.Ore solutionscompositionally appropriateto
presumedpresenceof arsenian pyrite,arsenopyrite, formAu-, As-,Sb-,T1-andHg-richandAg- andbase
and/ornativearsenic; Rytuba,1985), andthe pres- metal-poor sedimentaryrock-hosteddepositscan
enceof carbonaceous materialsuggest that Au-Ag formfrommagmatically derivedand/orcloselyrelated
depositiontookplaceunderconditions of low S2and hydrothermalsolutions by a processof hydrothermal
O2 fugacitiesmarkedlydifferentfrom thoseof the differentiation(see,for example,Petersenet al., 1977;
initial solutions.
Hackbarthand Petersen,1984). Derivation of metals
The depthof formationwasat least400 m, because and other componentsfrom metal-bearingcarbona-
stronglyglaciallyeroded remnantsof Cretaceous ceousor other sedimentaryrocks(e.g., Dicksonet
stratareachelevations of greaterthan5,000m several al., 1979; Romberger,1986) wouldnot appearto be
kilometers northandwestof the deposit.The coex- requiredfor the formationof all sedimentaryrock-
istinghypersalineand vapor-dominated fluid inclu- hosted deposits.Admixture with meteoric waters
sionsin the Yauricocha stocksuggest anevengreater couldmaskanyhigh•i•80 fluidsinvolved.The high
depth,whichwouldbe consistent with depthsof Au/Ag ratiosof many sedimentaryrock-hostedde-
1,000 m or moreinferredby somegeologists from positsmay largelyreflect a combinationof changes
geologicand fluid inclusiondata for certain of the in the Au/Ag ratio producedduringearlybasemetal
sedimentaryrock-hosteddepositsin the western depositionand subsequentselectiveprecipitationof
United States(Kuehnand Bodnar,1984; Bonham, low concentrations of silverin limestone(seebelow)
1985; Schnorret al., 1986). and perhapsin other rock typesthat were not litho-
logicallyfavorablefor the depositionof gold. The
Relationto contactmetasomatic distaldeposits presenceof hypersalinefluid inclusionssuggestsa
Sillitoe(1983, 1988) and Bonham(1985, p. 72) similar mechanismof formation for the Candelaria,
have discusseda classof bulk mineable contact meta- Nevada,silver deposit(Fosteret al., 1988). Boiling
somaticdistal preciousmetal deposits"believed to (e.g., Cole and Drummond, 1986) may not be re-
be related to graniticintrusiverocksbut which lie quiredto explainthe highAu/Ag ratiosandvery low
beyondthe zoneof well-developed skarnformation," basemetalcontentsof manysedimentary rock-hosted
as,forexample, thegolddeposits at CopperCanyon, deposits.The relative abundanceof carbonate
Nevada (Blake et al., 1984; Theodore et al., 1986; daughtermineralsin the fluid inclusionsobservedin
Wotruba et al., 1986, 1988; see also Orris et al., the potassiumsilicate-alteredportion of the Yauri-
1987).Purlsima Concepci6n wouldappearto blurthe cochastock,andthe localpresenceof pyrrhotite(cf.
distinction between the "contact metasomatic distal Rytuba,1985), wouldappearconsistent with the rel-
deposit"andsediment-hosted disseminated precious- ativelyhighCO2 contents of the solutions
fromwhich
metal depositcategories(a possibilitypresciently the Carlinandothersedimentary rock-hosteddeposits
recognized by Sillitoe,1983),with the termapplied in the westernUnited Stateswere deposited(Kuehn
reflecting thedegreeofassociation ofthedeposit with andBodnar,1984; BagbyandBerger,1985; Schnorr
intrusiverocks,the nature of the host material, and et al., 1986).
the initialcomposition anddegreeof evolutionof the
hydrothermal solutions fromwhicha givendeposit Explorationfor similar depositsin centraland
wasformed.Otherexamples of the closespatialand northern Peru
genetic relationshipbetween sedimentaryrock- Primeexplorationtargetsin theWesternCordillera
hosted,disseminatedores,gold-bearing calc-silicate include localitieswhere thin-bedded,silty to sandy
rocks,andhigh-levelsilicicintrusions are provided carbonaceous siltstone or carbonate rock of the Par-
by the Bau district, Indonesia(Wolfenden,1965; iatamboand JumashaFormationsis cut or underlain
T. J. Percivalet al., in prep.), and the Te-rich Star by stocksor other Cenozoicintrusivebodies.How-
1376 A. AL VAREZ A. AND D. C. NOBLE

ever, the rich distalsilverorespresentlybeingpro- Directorio of CENTROMIN, Guillermo Guanilo,

duced at Colquijirca from the fresh-water Calera Gerente de Minas, Concentradoresy Geologla,Ar-
Limestoneof Paleogeneage (Vidal et al., 1984) and naldoLe6n, Jefe de la Offelnade PlanemientoCor-
the rangeof lithologiesknownto hostdisseminated porativo,and JulioPastor,formerDirector del De-
oresin the westernUnited Statestogethersuggest partamentode Geologla,withoutwhoseinitiativeand
that explorationshouldnot be restrictedto the Par- supportthis studywouldnot havebeen possible.
iatamboandJumasha Formations.Telluriummaybe
a usefuladditionto the standardgeochemical explo- January11, July 7, 1988
rationsuiteof Au, Ag, As,Sb,andHg. Alterationand
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