Discovery vs dogma: Epithermal Au deposits SEG-SGA Student Chapter, U.N.

Bogotá,
29 May 2020

Exploration for epithermal gold deposits:

Discovery vs. dogma

Salares Norte, Chile:

to east, ~4500 m

Jeffrey W. Hedenquist
SEG Student Chapter, U.N. – Bogotá Ottawa, Canada

Indice y resumen
• Sistemas magmático-hidrotermales sobre intrusiones ígneas
• Separación de una fase vapor a 2+ km profundidad (pórfido)
• Condensación cerca de la superficie à altn. argílica avanzada
• Intrusiones tipo pórfido asociadas al ambiente epitermal
• Amplia zona de alteración argílica avanzada (‘litocap’), estéril
• Episodio clorita-sericita + Cu-Au: niveles pórfido y epitermal
• Ejemplos de exploración de yacimientos epitermales
• Exploración por 2/más compañias necesario en muchos casos
• Observaciones geológicas son la clave para entender terreno
• No hay soluciones técnicas mágicas: solo buen desempeño
geológico
• No se puede forzar la evidencia del terreno a modelos teóricos
• Aplicar ‘pensamiento lateral’ (basado en experiencia) à targets

Jeffrey W. Hedenquist 1
Discovery vs dogma: Epithermal Au deposits SEG-SGA Student Chapter, U.N. Bogotá,
29 May 2020

Epithermal systems: subduction settings

Intrusion-centered global budget: >70% Cu (porphyry), ~40% Au

bonanza

Cu-Au

High & Intermediate Low

sulfidation

sense... or - Grapefruit, apples

oranges
– describe characteristics
(names NOT important)

Modified
Modifiedfrom
fromR.
R.Goldfarb,
Goldfarb,after
afterGroves
Grovesetetal.
al.(2005)
(2005)

Residual quartz lithocap

Epithermal level
± high-sulfidation Au-Ag-Cu
Lacustrine beds

Intermediate
sulfidation vn
Au-Ag (Pb-Zn)

Advanced
Diatreme
argillic lithocap
related
IS veins,
polymetal

Porphyry
Cu-Au
Porphyry
system
Sillitoe, 2010
Economic Geology

Jeffrey W. Hedenquist 2
Discovery vs dogma: Epithermal Au deposits SEG-SGA Student Chapter, U.N. Bogotá,
29 May 2020

2004 drowned White Island, New Zealand:

fumaroles Quiescent eruption, 1988

pH 0.2

pH ~0.6 stream;
dissolved “andesite”

Colloidal silica

10 cm

Acid moat lake around dacite

dome, laminated
siliceous sediments,
paleosurface...

Yanacocha,
Peru: >1200 t Au

Chaquicocha

Jeffrey W. Hedenquist 3
Discovery vs dogma: Epithermal Au deposits SEG-SGA Student Chapter, U.N. Bogotá,
29 May 2020

Volcanic vapor condensation à hypogene acidic fluid à

hypogene advanced argillic alteration, but barren (sterile) !
4SO2 + 4H2O à 3H2SO4 + H2S GSJ
H2SO4 à H+ + HSO4-
HCl à H+ + Cl-
Cooling (<250oC), increased reactivity

quartz (≤97% SiO2),

alunite, <2 – 29 ppb Au residual quartz
(vuggy), barren

Satsuma Iwojima, Japan:

pH ~1.5 springs

Porphyry systems steam-

Residual quartz (vuggy),
heated barren

pH 1-2,
H2SO4 Quartz-alunite,
barren
HCl

Base of lithocap

Porphyry
Cu (Au)
Sillitoe, 2010

Jeffrey W. Hedenquist 4
Discovery vs dogma: Epithermal Au deposits SEG-SGA Student Chapter, U.N. Bogotá,
29 May 2020

Porphyry systems steam-

Residual quartz (vuggy)
± HS enargite, Au
heated

Quartz-alunite
IS veins

Base of lithocap

Porphyry
Cu (Au) Intermediate: Lower T
Sillitoe, 2010 magmatic, <10 wt% NaCl
• Transitional Chl-”Sericite”
• White mica (up to
pyrophyllite) (≤350oC)
• Straight qtz veins, halo
• Metals (shallow HS, IS)

Mankayan district, Philippines: relation between

epithermal and porphyry deposits
Mohong Hill
quartz-alunite
lithocap

Looking NW
dacite pyroclastics

volcaniclastic
basement

Jeffrey W. Hedenquist 5
Discovery vs dogma: Epithermal Au deposits SEG-SGA Student Chapter, U.N. Bogotá,
29 May 2020

Most (~70%) ore

Lepanto epithermal ores (grey) in lithocap
roots (Lepanto
~150 m, 4% Cu, 5 g/t Au fault or its splay
branches)

Lepanto
fault

basement

Hedenquist et al., 1998;

Chang et al., 2011

Dickite ±
kaolinite

Quartz-
alunite

Dickite ±
kaolinite Spanish workings:
1 km luzonite-enargite (Cu-
As sulfosalts)-Au
X Silicic structures, 1-4 g/t Au Chang et al., 2011

Jeffrey W. Hedenquist 6
Discovery vs dogma: Epithermal Au deposits SEG-SGA Student Chapter, U.N. Bogotá,
29 May 2020

Lepanto epith: >0.9

Mt Cu & 102 t Au

Alteration and
Mineralization
Buaki FSE porphyry: 892
porphyry Mt @ 0.5% Cu &
0.7 g/t Au

Victoria epith veins,

11 Mt @ 7.3 g/t Au
+ Ag-Cu-Pb-Zn
Guinaoang
porphyry, 500
Teresa veins, 0.8 Mt Mt @ 0.4% Cu
@ 5.74 g/t Au & 0.4 g/t Au

Nayak veins
1 km
Mohong Hill
porphyry + HS
Chang et al., 2011

Lepanto epithermal - Far Southeast porphyry

deposits: long section NW-SE, along Lepanto Fault

1.8-2.2 Ma

2 cm

1.45 Ma
1 g/t Au

0.7% Cu Mo

Concepcion and Cinco, 1989; Garcia, 1991;

Gaibor et al., 2013 (Goldfields)

Jeffrey W. Hedenquist 7
Discovery vs dogma: Epithermal Au deposits SEG-SGA Student Chapter, U.N. Bogotá,
29 May 2020

Far Southeast porphyry, Lepanto-Victoria

Residual (vuggy) qtz

Qtz-alun (py), dick-kaol

1500 m
Victoria Au-
Ag veins
1.4 Ma alunite

Lepanto enargite-Au
1.3 Ma
500 m illite
500 m
FSE Cu-Au
porphyry
1) Residual quartz, barren; sea level
vapor coupled to potassic stage
1.4 Ma
2) Enargite-Au; chlorite- biotite
white mica overprint stage – 400 m
Arribas et al., 1995, Chang et al., 2011

Ejemplos de descubrimientos a pesar del

dogma prevalente

Muchos depósitos fueron descubiertos por

compañías que vinieron después de que otros
grupo(s) anteriores fallaran - ¿por qué?

Algunos depósitos fueron descubiertos por la

primera compañía - ¿cómo?

Jeffrey W. Hedenquist 8
Discovery vs dogma: Epithermal Au deposits SEG-SGA Student Chapter, U.N. Bogotá,
29 May 2020

Yanacocha, Peru:
world’s largest (enargite, oxidized) – gold
mining district (~1200 t Au prod.)

1980-1990s, all (known) gold deposits outcropped (>0.5 g/t Au)

Chaquicocha

clay, residual qtz, Au (oxidized

pyrite enargite) in lithocap

Carachugo

Photo and discovery: Tony Longo

Chaquicocha (>120 t gold at 5 g/t)

Chaquicocha Alta
Quecher High Au 25 m below Chaquicocha
barren SG2 Sur
Au below
barren SG3
Hydrothermal
breccia
Au in bx and
marginal veins

Chaquicocha
Norte
SG = “granular silica” (supergene Gold in SG3
oxidized qtz-pyrite-alunite)

Jeffrey W. Hedenquist 9
Discovery vs dogma: Epithermal Au deposits SEG-SGA Student Chapter, U.N. Bogotá,
29 May 2020

Teal and Benavides, 2010 Cerro Chaquicocha

barren granular qtz 120+ t Au
(oxidized qtz-alun-py)

qtz-alun-py, w/ structure-
controlled residual qtz

Discovery histories: (Mis-)use of exploration models

http://www.iamgold.com/presentations2006.asp

Jeffrey W. Hedenquist 10
Discovery vs dogma: Epithermal Au deposits SEG-SGA Student Chapter, U.N. Bogotá,
29 May 2020

1970s: British GS sampling for base metals

1991: COGEMA defined Au anomaly, drilled 10
10 holes, 1869 m, av. 185 m
holes, 1869 m
1993: JV COGEMA w/ Newmont, TVX, drilled
7656 m (av. 93 m, inclined; 2 m @ 83 g/t Au)
1999: JV COGEMA w/ IAMGold
2002 end: IAMGold starts drilling (av. 330 m)
2004 July: 40th hole, 101 m at 9.5 g/t Au
2005 Oct: 87 t Au initial resource

Yanacocha, Peru

clay, vuggy qtz, Au

pyrite
Carachugo

Diatreme
breccia w/
porphyry Cu
fragments

2 km

Alteration
distribution: large
district, structural
control

Jeffrey W. Hedenquist 11
Discovery vs dogma: Epithermal Au deposits SEG-SGA Student Chapter, U.N. Bogotá,
29 May 2020

“Stacked” lithocaps!

100 m

Strong lithologic
control to
residual quartz
llithocap: tuffs

“Stacked” lithocaps, upper barren...!

Jeffrey W. Hedenquist 12
Discovery vs dogma: Epithermal Au deposits SEG-SGA Student Chapter, U.N. Bogotá,
29 May 2020

Longitudinal section, N-S

Loma Larga: Reserves 59 t Au at 5.0 g/t Au, 2 g/t cutoff; 28 g/t Ag,
0.3% Cu + indicated resources, INV Metals
Drill sufficiently deep to test system

Miocene volcanic Year discovery (production)

arc, Peru: mid 80s (1993)

>3000 t Au discovered in 2000 (2005)

lithocap-hosted deposits in
north Peru over ~16 years
1996 (1998)
Southern Peru known as
a Ag region; no Au mines
until 2002, now >300 t
(Moquegua, Puno, Cusco,
Apumayo, Apurimac)
Arcata, etc.
Ag veins 1997, 2000
Alto Chicama, Peru: 430 t Au, siltstone hosted
(2002, 2004)
ARUNTANI

2008: CHUCAPACA

Jeffrey W. Hedenquist 13
Discovery vs dogma: Epithermal Au deposits SEG-SGA Student Chapter, U.N. Bogotá,
29 May 2020

Late Miocene epithermal (enargite)-Au deposits

of the Aruntani district, southern Peru

Loayza et al., 2004

Recent discovery of a new ore type in an abandoned

Pb-Zn-Ag vein mining district

Aruntani: Landsat TM, alteration, and lineaments (A. Crosta)

0.4 Moz Au
2 Moz Au

High sulfidation
High sulfidation

Ag-Pb-Zn veins,
intermediate sulfidation

Morche et al., 2004

Jeffrey W. Hedenquist 14
Discovery vs dogma: Epithermal Au deposits SEG-SGA Student Chapter, U.N. Bogotá,
29 May 2020

Tucary, looking north: dacite intrusion host to

residual qtz, alunite halo; Au in oxide

5240 m

NW-SE section
through dome
>0.25
g/t Au

south slope: colluvial

scree, 1.5 g/t gold

Discovery of Santa Rosa (1997, 12 t Au) led to

Tucary (2000, 60+ t Au)
Reawakened interest in region...

Tukari base, 2002: 4980 m

Jeffrey W. Hedenquist 15
Discovery vs dogma: Epithermal Au deposits SEG-SGA Student Chapter, U.N. Bogotá,
29 May 2020

Aruntani discovery awakened interest in the region

Lago
Titicaca
Chucapaca

Aruntani

50 km

Chucapaca: Dacite dome, lithocap alteration,

… but low grades (largely barren)

Canahuire pseudo-gossan 2-3 km NW,

intermediate sulfidation ore

• Discovery Sept 2008: Buenaventura

• Gold Field resource, mid 2011: 230 t Au eq.

Jeffrey W. Hedenquist 16
Discovery vs dogma: Epithermal Au deposits SEG-SGA Student Chapter, U.N. Bogotá,
29 May 2020

Canahuire (San Gabriel) resource model & pit shell

W E

1.3 km

350 m
100E

300W

g/t Au 700W

Looking North

• Intermediate sulf’dn Au-Ag related to diatreme (tn, cp,

sph), 2-3 km from sterile quartz-alunite altered dome
• Piensa lateralmente (figurativa y literalmente)

Arribas et al., 2005

La Coipa, Chile, lithocap-hosted Ag-Au deposit
dacite dome

>180 t Au eq.

dacite dome

Steam-heated blanket over Coipa Norte

Jeffrey W. Hedenquist 17
Discovery vs dogma: Epithermal Au deposits SEG-SGA Student Chapter, U.N. Bogotá,
29 May 2020

La Coipa, Chile, mining district:

View of the Puren discovery (early 2000s, 90+ t Au eq.)

Puren North Target

Puren South Target

Section 1050 NE: Alteration

SH

>60 g/t Ag Steam-heated (SH) kaolinite

chalcedony blanket; paleo groundwater table

Arribas et al. (2005)

Discovery of Salares Norte, Chile

THE DISCOVERY AND GEOLOGY OF THE SALARES NORTE

EPITHERMAL GOLD-SILVER DEPOSIT, NORTHERN CHILE
AME ROUNDUP 2017, VANCOUVER

Nathan Brewer, Francisco Azevedo, Diego Huete Verdugo, Teresa Guevara, Fernando Rojas,
Juanita Rodriguez Melo, Christian Lagos, Claudio Cerda, Constanza Moreno, Regina
Baumgartner, Alex Trueman and Andrew Foley

Jeffrey W. Hedenquist 18
Discovery vs dogma: Epithermal Au deposits SEG-SGA Student Chapter, U.N. Bogotá,
29 May 2020

Salares Norte, Chile

to east

Dacite dome
steam-heated alteration

Diatreme

Indice y resumen
• Sistemas magmático-hidrotermales sobre intrusiones ígneas
• Separación de una fase vapor a 2+ km profundidad (pórfido)
• Condensación cerca de la superficie à altn. argílica avanzada
• Intrusiones tipo pórfido asociadas al ambiente epitermal
• Amplia zona de alteración argílica avanzada (‘litocap’), estéril
• Episodio clorita-sericita + Cu-Au: niveles pórfido y epitermal
• Ejemplos de exploración de yacimientos epitermales
• Exploración por 2/más compañias necesario en muchos casos
• Observaciones geológicas son la clave para entender terreno
• No hay soluciones técnicas mágicas: solo buen desempeño
geológico
• No se puede forzar la evidencia del terreno a modelos teóricos
• Aplicar ‘pensamiento lateral’ (basado en experiencia) à targets

Jeffrey W. Hedenquist 19