Economic Geology Vol. 80, 1985, pp.

1544-1565

Porphyry Copper and TourmalineBrecciasat

Los Bronces-Rio Blanco, Chile
FRED W. WARNAARS,
EssoPapuaNew GuineaInc., P.O. Box 2174, Lae, PapuaNew Guinea

CARMEN HOLMGREN D., AND SERGIO BARASSIF.

Compadia Disputadade las Condes S.A,Casilla16178, Correo9, Providencia, Santiago, Chile
Abstract

The Los Bronces-Rio Blancodepositis locatedon the west side of the Andesin central Chileabout69 km fromSantiago. LosBronces isa breccia complex superimposed onthe west sideof an earliermajorporphyry copper system. The Rio Blanco minecurrently exploits the north-central part of thisporphyry deposit andhasstarted operating a largecopper-bearing tourmaline breccia,Sur-Sur,about2 km southof the presentmine. The Los Bronces-Rio Blancodepositwas formed on the east side of the San Francisco batholith. Thisintrusion is strongly peraluminous andhasa calc-alkaline composition with an alkali-calcic affinity. The batholith tooka minimum of 11.5 m.y.to formfromthe earlyMiocene (20.1 m.y.) to the late Miocene(8.6 m.y.). The porphyrycoppermineralization, alteration, and coppertourmaline breccias were formedover a period of at least2.5 m.y. between7.4 and 4.9 m.y. ago. A postmineral volcanic neckor diatreme at La Copaeruptedwithin,andremoved a large segment of, the northern part of the porphyrycoppersystem, thusmarking the lastevidence of magmatic activityin the area.K-Ar age determinations of biotitesindicatethe diatreme eruptedin the earlyPliocene between4.9 and3.9 m.y. ago. The prebreccia porphyry system exhibits propylitic, sericitic, silicic, andpotassic alteration. A uniquealteration featureof thissystem is the replacement of maficminerals by specularitc and/ortourmalinewithin the propyliticzone.The porphyrysystem contains disseminated and stockwork copper-iron-molybdenum sulfidemineralization within an areaof about12 km2. LosBronces iscomposed of at leastseven differentcopper-bearing tourmaline breccias that form one large contiguous kidney-shaped body about2 km long and 0.7 km wide, at the presenterosion surface. The brecciabodycropsout at elevations between4,150 and 3,450 m. The various breccias are characterized by their locations, matrices, clasts, shapes, types, anddegrees of mineralization andalteration. The breccias are usually monolithic but in some cases are bilithic or heterolithicwith mostclasts consisting of quartz monzonite or andesitc with locallyminor amounts of quartzlatite porphyry,monzodiorite, and vein quartz.The brecciamatricesconsist of variableamounts of quartz, tourmaline,specularitc, anhydrite, pyrite, chalcopyrite, bornitc,molybdenite, sericite,chlorite,androckflour. The seven differentbreccias typesare identifiedfromoldestto youngest asGhost,Central, Western, Infiernillo,Anhydrite, FineGray,andDonoso. The breccia complex hassharp contacts with the surrounding intrusive rocks andandesites. Internally,the breccia contacts are locally well defined, but elsewhere theycoalesce, interfinger, or display gradational contacts. Breccias at Los Bronces are interpretedas being emplaced explosively, followedby collapse after pressure releaseof hydrothermal fluids. The primarymineraldistribution is bestknownin the Donoso brecciawhichhasbeen the centerof mining activitysince itsdiscovery in 1864. In spiteof the coarse andirregular nature of the sulfides in the matrix,chalcopyrite, pyrite, and specularitc at the 3,670-m, open-pit operating level showa tendency to be distributed in irregularshells in whichoneof the three mineralspredominates in any one shell. The transitions between shellsare rapid. Several semiellipsoidal shellsof alternatinghigh and low coppergradesare alsoapparentfrom the copperdistribution of underground level 3640 andfromvarious cross sections. The shells are approximately vertical,subparallel to the Donoso brecciacontacts, whichdip inward. Secondary enrichment enhanced the primary gradein the southern two-thirdsof the Los Bronces breccia complex andin much ofthesurrounding porphyry copper system. Thedegree anddepthof enrichment are a function of breccia andfracturepermeability andextend to a depthof morethan500 m in certain favorable sectors. The shape anddepthof theenrichment blanketandoverlying leached capping suggest-that the enrichment process is relatedto the presentground-water regimeandis still active.
0361-0128/85/442/1544-22 $2.50 15 4 4

LOS BRONCES-RIO BLANCO: Cu& TOURMALINE BRECCIAS

Introduction

1545

THE Los Broncesmine owned by CompafiiaMinera Disputadade LasCondesS.A., a subsidiary of Exxon Minerals Company, islocated in the highAndes about 69 km from Santiago (Fig. 1). The presentopen pit

vvv
v v

t.. ./ vJ
v

isat the northendof a hydrothermal breccia orebody

at an elevation of about 3,600 m above sealevel. Pro-

Bronces ,V-12

o cp

ductionamounts to about10,000 metrictonsper day at an average gradeof 1.25 percentCu, with a 0.75 percentCu cut-offgrade. Rio Blancois an underground mineownedandoperated by the Andina Division of the state-owned Codelco-Chile.Presentproductionat Rio Blancois 14,000 metrictonsper day, at an average gradeof about 1.2 percent Cu. The mine is about 800 m east
of Los Broncesin the headwaters of the Blanco River,

/ ' [ - J,. . E ' 'A-ccl / v R/o Bcb/ / Bxl /

"n/I/oX Sn Enrlque Bx- *[. -}1

%> :.'_

draining northward,whereasLos Broncesis in the headwaters of the San Francisco River draining southwestward (Fig. 2). At present, Andinahasstarted operating alargecopper tourmaline breccia, Sur-Sur, nearly 2 km southof the presentRio Blancomine,

-L

Co

8- Smple Iocmion

........

L tte dQcite

Housing, offices

porphyries . River
breccls
tholith
Farelnes

with anaverage gradeof 1.98 percentCu for the first four yearsof production. Augustln Nazario E. wasthe firstto discover copper at Los Bronces in 1864. High-gradedirect-shipping

Hydrothermol Bx Breccio
Outer hmlt of the

Blanco porphyry
Inferred

formation Escondida fault ore containing10 to 20 percent copper was mined and transportedon muleback intermittently until FIG. 2. Simplifiedgeologic mapof the LosBronces-Rio Blanco 1920. By that time, the grade had dropped to 4.5 area,modifiedfromIrarrazavalet al. (1979) andStambuk (1982). percentandthe firstof several flotationconcentrators
Compafiia MineraDisputada delasCondes S.A.was formedin 1916. It acquired a distant mine,E1Soldado, northwest of Santiago in the early 1950s.ExxonCorporation,through a subsidiary, purchased over 90 percentof Disputada's shares in early 1978. At present, ExxonMineralsCompany operates the company's two minesand a coppersmelter.Exxoncarried out a
mineral
Scale
0
i

vAndesites of e copper deposit

was installed near the mine site.

71

70

32

resource

evaluation

at Los Bronces from

50
i

t00Km
i

Explanation

River Recent volcanoes

[- Tertiary intrusive

, Forellones formation
i [--'] Abonico formation :54
..........................

'B
o

LoVoile volcanics

:'i Cretaceous intrusive

']1 C retoceo ussediments and volconics :55 --l Poleozoic basement
MO. 1. Locationmap and simplifiedgeologyof central Chile modifiedafter Drake et al. (1982).

February1978 to May 1981. A totalof 558 holes was drilled in and around the ore depositwith a total meterage of over121,000 m. The present papersummarizes the geology asunderstood from thisdrilling programandfrom surface andunderground mapping of old workings since1977. A uniformnomenclature and loggingtechniquewas introducedduring the evaluation program because fifteengeologists participatedin it. The terminology andnomenclature used is explained in AppendixI. The geologic frameworkof the Los Bronces breccias waspresented ona preliminary basis at the annual meetingof the AmericanInstitute of Mining, Metallurgical, andPetroleum Engineers in 1980. Since then petrological, geochemical, andmineralogical studies haveenhanced the understanding of the depositand elucidated the mineralzoning.The depthprojection
of each of the breccias has been better documented.

Severalagedatesnearthe depositandin the region

1546

WARNAARS, HOLMGREND., AND BARASSI F.

havebeen determined, establishing the localandregionaltime frame of the deposit.

Regionaland Local Setting
The central Andes between El Teniente and Acon-

the area, such as that at Colorado-La Parva about 15

km southof Los Bronces(Drake et al., 1982).

San Francisco Batholith

The LosBronces-Rio Blanco porphyrycoppersystem and associated breccias are within the eastern

caguapeak are underlainby Jurassic to Cretaceous marine stratathat are exposed alongthe border with Argentina(Fig. 1). These are discordantly overlain by continental volcanic rocksandminorcontinental sediments of the Abanico and/orCoya-Machal{ Formations(Aguirre, 1960; Klohn, 1960). These formationsare largely time equivalent (Drake et al., 1982). The easternbelt of the Abanico Formation may be as old asPaleocene (62 m.y.). The western belt of the Abanico Formation maybe middleto late Oligocene.After a period of deformation, uplift, and erosion,renewed volcanism producedandesitcflows and pyroclastics interbeddedwith continentalsediments.Theserepresentthe FarellonesFormationof late Oligoceneto Miocene age (Vergaraand Drake, 1978; Drake et al., 1982). Widespread intrusive magmatism alongthe central high Andesformed numerousintrusions within the
volcanic terrain. One of these, the San Francisco batholith, hoststhe Los Broncesand Rio Blancomines. The present undergroundRio Blancomine is in the

part of the SanFrancisco batholith.This intrusionis

exposed overan areaof about200 km2, 20 km in a

north-south direction and 10 km in an east-west di-

centralpart of a porphyrycoppersystem(Fig. 2). This system exhibitspropylitic,sericitic,silicic,and which is on the border between calc-alkaline and alpotassichydrothermal alteration assemblages with kali-calcic magma affinity.Keith (1978) distinguished disseminated and stockwork copper-molybdenumtypesof magma suites based on KgO/SiO2 diagrams. sulfide mineralization over an area of about 12 km 2. In his classification, a calc-alkaline magma is defined The limitsof the porphyrycopperasoutlined in Fig- ashavinga KgO percent between 1.2 to 2.5 at 57.5 ure 2 mark the boundary beyondwhichno mineral- percent SiOg. Plotting the available chemical analyses ization nor hydrothermalalterationis visiblein the on a KO/SiO diagramandinterpolating the results intrusivehostrock. The porphyrycoppersystem is Q irregularlyovalshaped, with itslongest axistrending
northeast.

rection.The batholithis largelycomposed of quartz monzoniteand quartz monzodiorite(Fig. 3) in the nomenclatureof Streckeisen(1976). Aplitic and syenitic phases are probablylate magmatic differentiatesand form mostlydikes.The texture and compositionof the batholithare highly variable.Grain sizes varyfromfine to coarse andtextures from equigranular to porphyritic.Whole-rockanalyses of agedated rocks are given in Table 1 and their sample sites areindicated in Figure2. The AIOa/CaO+ KO + NagO ratio varies between 1.37 and 1.57, suggestingthat the rock suite is stronglyperaluminous (Shand,1927). Five new analyses of unalteredspecimens of the SanFrancisco batholithcombined with two analyses of Oyarzun(1971) anda few of Blondel(1980) and Lopez and Vergara (1982) from unaltered samples givean alkali-lime index(Peacock, 1931) of about56

The Los Broncesmine is within the northern part

of a largekidney-shaped hydrothermal copper-tourmalinebrecciacomplexthat was emplaced in, and superimposed on,the western part of the earlierporphyry system. In addition,several hydrothermal copper-tourmaline breccias occursouthof the Rio Blanco mine(Fig. 2) including the Sur-Sur breccia (Stambuket al., 1982), and the Monolito, San Enrique, Rio Blanco, Cascada, and Don Luis brecciasshownin Figure 2. Thesebreccias mayhavebeen part of a second contiguous brecciabody that wasdisrupted by late and postmineral daciticto latiticintrusive quartzporphyries. Elsewhere, in the vicinityof the Los BroncesRio Blanco systemare other brecciassuch as San Manuel,Sur, andAmericana. A postmineral volcanic neck,or diatreme,at La Copa,northof the Rio Blanco mine,probably removeda significant part of the center of the initialporphyry coppersystem. Thisdacitic neckis time equivalentwith other silicicvolcanics in

6O

Equigranular

Textu
X Porphyritlc
4O

I0

55

65

90

FIG. 3. Rock composition of 53 samples of the SanFrancisco batholithcollectednearLosBronces andplotted on Streckeisen's (1967) classification diagram,after Cuadra (1980).

LOS BRONCES-RIO BLANCO:Cu & TOURMALINEBRECCIAS

T,BLE1. Whole-RockAnalyses of IgneousRocksnear Los Bronces
Sample
no. LB- 1 LB-2 LB-3 LB-7 LB-8 LB- 10 LB- 11

1547

LB- 12

SiO2

59.9

65.3

60.5

63.06

69.61

67.80

69.50

66.13

AI20 FeO
FeO CaO

17.1 1.40
4.28 4.24

15.8 1.20
2.41 3.04

16.8 2.08
3.00 5.42

15.40 3.65
1.41 3.43

14.20 1.25
1.42 1.58

15.70 0.83
0.83 2.52

15.50 0.63
0.91 1.75

16.40 3.77
1.10 0.12

MgO
NaO KO PO5
MnO

2.44
4.72 3.16 0.23
0.11

1.53
4.68 3.55 0.15
0.08

3.05
4.60 2.22 0.20
0.09

1.74
4.24 2.95 0.24
0.08

0.95
4.26 3.23 0.10
0.05

0.33
4.38 2.57 0.23
0.11

0.41
4.75 2.43 0.28
0.02

3.28
0.11 4.90 0.34
0.011

TiO2 H20

0.78 0.11

0.46 0.16

0.65 0.12

0.098

0.21

0.01 0.17

0.09 0.19

0.40 0.61

HO +
C1

0.11

0.20

0.13

0.26
0.027

0.60
0.01

1.50

0.66

1.58

A/CNK

1.41

1.40

1.37

1.45

1.57

1.66

1.74

3.20

A/CNK, molecular ratioofAlOa/CaO + Na20 + KO;if ratioisgreater than1.1, the rockisperaluminous (Shand, 1927) Locations of samples aregivenin Figure2; LB-1 = quartzdiorite,LB-2 = granodiorite, LB-3 = granodiorite, LB-7 -- granodiorite, LN-8 = quartzmonzonite, LB-10 -- daciticfragmental breccia, LB-11 -- daciteporphyry dike,LB-12 = mineralized sericitized quartz
monzonite

givesa K57.,5 index of about 2.0, indicatinga calc-al- pearance.Fragments of mineralizedbreccias,mineralized andesite,and mineralizedquartz monzonite are common.Fragmentsof sedimentaryrocks also Late and Postmineral Rocks occurandwere probably derivedfroma deepsource. Dacite, latite, and quartz porphyrieswere em- Dacite porphyrydikescut throughthe diatremebut placedduring the waningof or after the porphyry do not cross its perimeter. copper mineralization, south and north of the Rio The chemicalcompositions of sampleLB-10 and Blanco mine.Cepeda(1981) referredto someof these LB-11 (Table 1) from La Copa, in additionto three rockssouthof the Rio Blancomine astonalitepor- samples by Latorre (1981), suggest a slightlylower phyries.Stambuket al. (1982) introducedthe term alkalinitythanthe SanFrancisco batholith.The alkaliRio Blanco Formation, subdividing the postporphyry lime index of Peacock(1931) is around59. The incopperrocksinto three members(as if they were terpolatedK57.5 index is about 1.5 and is lower than stratigraphic units): Don Luis, Rio Blanco, and La the index of the batholith, suggesting a slightlyshalCopa.The Don Luis intrusive phase consists of dacite loweroriginof the magma (Keith,1978).The La Copa porphyriesbut alsoincludessomemineralized tour- rockshave a higher peraluminous index (1.66-1.74)
kaline nature for the San Francisco batholith. maline breccias located southeast of the Rio Blanco
than those of the San Francisco batholith. Radiometric Dates

Initial dating of mineralizedand unmineralized rocksnear Los Broncesand Rio Blancowas done by VergaraandDrake (1979). They concluded that the SanFrancisco batholithwasemplaced between 13.6 and 8.4 m.y. ago based on K-Ar determinationsof of the RioBlanco minewherethey cutthe porphyry primarybiotite from three differentrock samples. copper depositsuggests that this intrusionwas emNew agedeterminations (Table2) support a period placed afterthe mainphase of porphyrycoppermin- of at least11.5 m.y. for the formation of the SanFraneralization and alteration and as such is a late mineral cisco batholith, from20.1 m.y.to 8.6 m.y.ago.Sample emplacement.The volcanic neck or diatreme of La LB-1 is from fresh unmineralizedquartz monzonite Copaisthe youngest magmatic eventandformssteep taken from a recent road cut on the south side of the walls,becoming only slightlysmallerat depth. The batholith, about 10 km from the Los Bronces mine neckconsists of fragmentals andvolcanic breccias of (Fig. 2). The hornblende(20.1 m.y.) yieldsan appardacitic composition with an aphaniticgroundmass ent age 4.2 m.y. older than the biotite (15.9 m.y.) with sparse smallphenocrysts of quartz,biotite, pla- from the same sample. Sample LB-2 representsa

mine. The Rio Blancointrusionis largelya quartzlatite and daciteporphyrydike a few hundredmeters wide oriented north-south andintermittently exposed overa strikelengthof at least3 km. Igneous breccias with fragmental textures are recorded by Stambuk et al. (1982) aspartof thisintrusive phase. Minor copper staining in weakly alteredporphyries in the vicinity

gioclase, and/orsanidine. Flow textures andlayering quartzmonzonite froma winterrefugeadit along the at the southsideof the neckgive an ignimbritic ap- road betweenthe concentrator and the mine. Only

1548

WARNAARS,HOLMGREN D., AND BARASSI F.

TABLE 2. Agesof Nine Mineral Samples from LosBronces-Rio the heat source of the porphyrycopperor of the volBlanco,Chile (for analytical information seeAppendixII) canicneck (Hart, 1964; Warnaarset al., 1978). The Sample type
Quartz monzonite
Quartz monzonite Quartz monzonite
Hornblende
Hornblende

Sample no.
LB-1 Hb
LB-1 Bi LB-2 Bi
LB-3A Hb
LB-3A Bi

Age (m.y.)
20.1 q- 2.0
15.9 q- 0.6 11.3 q- 0.4
18.5 ___ 1.7
12.0 q- 0.5

diorite
diorite

Granodiorite
Granodiorite

LB-7 Hb
LB-7 Bi

8.6 _+0.9
7.9 q- 0.4

Dacite porphyry Dacite porphyrydike Sericitized quartz monzonite

LB-10 Bi LB-11 Bi LB-12 Se

4.8 q- 0.2 4.9 ___ 0.2 5.2 q- 0.3

Abbreviations: Hb -- hornblende, Bi = biotite, Se = sericite

biotite could be dated (11.3 m.y.) as insufficient hornblende wasavailable. Sample LB-3 wascollected 600 m northeast of the openpit at Los Bronces and 100 m westof the daciteneckjustbelowthe andesitc roofpendant. The ageof the hornblende wasdetermined as 18.5 m.y. and the biotite as 12 m.y. The youngest datesof the batholith comefroma sample (LB-7) collectedin the DoloresValley north of the
San Francisco concentrator 5 km west of Los Bronces.

The hornblende andbiotiteages of thisrock,8.6 m.y. and 7.9 m.y., respectively, are within the limits of analyticalerror. Hornblendeisthe bestmineralto retainradiogenic argon (Hart,1964).Thedifference between theoldest hornblendedated (20.1 m.y.) and the youngest (8.6 m.y.) represents the minimumtime spanfor the emplacementand coolingperiod of the San Francisco the formation of the Los Bronces breccias. These batholith.A periodof 11.5 m.y. for the emplacement breccias musthavebeenemplaced withina shorttime and coolingof the batholith seems long. However, period,between5.2 and4.9 m.y. or lesswhenthe
intrusions on the west flank of the Andes from E1 Ten-

lower ageof the biotite suggests that reheating took place at a lower temperature. Previously published age datesfrom mineralized rock at Los Broncesand Rio Blanco (Vergara and Drake, 1979; Blondel,1980) giveages of 7.4 and5.2 m.y.Blondel selected a sample fromthe centerof the porphyrysystem and datedsecondary biotite (5.2 m.y.). Vergaraand Drake'ssample wastaken from well-mineralizeddrill core below the presentopen pit in theDonoso areain oneoftheyoungest breccias atLosBronces. Theydated thebiotite,aswas verbally confirmed by Drake, andnot the plagioclase, aswas stated in their publication. Thisbiotiteis almost certainto beprimary, since nosecondary biotiteisknown to occurin that part of the orebody.Because of Ar degassing, the age musthavebeen fully resetand represents the minimumageof the startof the hydrothermal activity. Alteration and mineralization couldhavestartedearlier,before7.4 m.y., basedon the assumption that no time periodshould existbetweenthe startof the hydrothermal activityandthe endphase of the cooling periodof the batholith as represented by the youngest dates (8.6 and7.9 m.y.) from unmineralized intrusiverocks(LB-7), collected 5 km awayfrom the deposit. Hydrothermal sericite(sample LB-12) wasdated from a drill core of a well-mineralized,pervasively sericitized quartzmonzonite located between the Los Bronces brecciabodyandthe Rio Blancomine.The ageof 5.2 m.y. represents the feldspar-destructive phase of porphyry copper alteration, whichpredated

Batholiths are known to form and consolidate over

postmineral La Copadacitic neckwasemplaced. We iente throughLos Pelambres (Fig. 1) and possibly concludethat the Los Bronces-Rio Blanco hydrofarthernorthandsouth,maybe part of onelargeTer- thermalsystem, including the brecciaformation, retiary batholith that was only recently unroofed. quiredat leasta time span of 2.5 m.y. to form,between 7.4 and 4.9 m.y. ago.
Structure

longperiods of timesuch asthe Sierra Nevada batholith (about 131 m.y., Albers, 1981) and the Jurassic to CretaceousAndino batholith (about 104 m.y., Zentilli, 1974). Samples LB-10 andLB-11 (Table2) are from the postmineral La Copadaciteneck.Sample LB-11 is a daciteporphyrydikewithinthe neck.The ages of 4.8 and 4.9 m.y. are comparable to the agesof biotites fromthe diatremedetermined by Quirt et al. (1971) andVergaraandDrake (1978), whichrangefrom4.9
to 3.9 m.y.

Ona global platetectonic scale it may be significant that the LosBronces-Rio Blanco system is locatedat the intersection of the Andes mountain rangeandthe eastwardprojection of the east-northeast-oriented JuanFernandez ridgesouthof the Nazcaplate and the Challenger fracturezone,off the coast of central Chile (Minsteret al., 1978;Frutos,1981). The structuralintersection mayhavecaused a zoneof weakness for a fecundmagma to riseintothe upperpart of the

The discrepancy of 6.5 m.y. between the horn- crust. The most prominent geologi. c structuraltrend blendeandbiotite agesin sample LB-3 (18.5 and 12 m.y., respectively) canbe bestexplained by postu- within and adjacentto the depositis generally as joints or fractures latingdegassing of radiogenic Ar in biotites close to N 60 E, typicallyexpressed

LOSBRONCES-RIO BLANCO:Cu & TOURMALINE BRECCIAS

1549

dip inward on the north, west, with only sporadic minor fault movements. These The brecciacontacts structures were mineralizedbefore, during, and/or andsouthmargins. The easterncontactis nearlyvera westwardtilt of the complexof after the emplacement of the various breccias. Early tical, suggesting veins that follow this N 60 E orientation contain about 15 after emplacement. Each breccia at Los Bronces has its own charactermostlyquartz and tourmaline,with only a minor amount of sulfides. istic matrix,clasts, shape,vugs,type, and degreeof
Late, postbreccia mineralizedfaultsand late veins cut the brecciawall and surrounding rocks.Several pebbledikesalsofollowthiseast-northeast direction. They mostlycontainrock flour and occasionally sulfidesandrepresent a phaseof late-stage venting.
Another structural orientation, N 10 to 30 W, is
mineralization and alteration. One of the most im-

portantparameters usedin distinguishing the various

breccias at Los Bronces is the nature of the breccia

matrix. The matrix consists of varying amountsof quartz,tourmaline,specularite, pyrite, chalcopyrite, bornite, molybdenite,chlorite, anhydrite, sericite,

more prominentin the andesites east and southeast and rock flour. of the brecciacomplex, but it is weakerandlesswell The breccias are generallymonolithic but in some developednear Los Bronces.This persistence away cases are bilithic. Most of the clasts are composed of from the system suggests that the N 10 to 30 W quartz monzonite or andesite, rarely with minor direction is older than the N 60 E trend characteristic amounts of quartz latite porphyryandmonzodiorite. The relativeproportions ofclasts depends onthe host of the orebody(Barassi et al., 1979). A majorinferred fault, the Escondida, hasan N 40 rock within which the breccia was formed. Clasts E orientationand runs parallel to and southof the generallyrangefrom coarse to very coarse (50-250 tensof metersacross, upper part of the San Francisco River (Fig. 2). By mm). Some,however,measure dextralmovement, it juxtaposed strongly alteredand especially along the outeredgeof thebreccia complex mineralizedquartz monzonites on the southeastern or alongthe contact betweentwo interfingered brecside againstless altered and sparselymineralized cias.The clasts are mostlyangular to subangular, sugquartz monzonites on the northwesternside. gesting minorabrasion, rapidemplacement, andquick The Escondida fault must have been active prior coolingof hydrothermal fluids.Smallerclasts, particto the emplacement of the coppertourmalinebrec- ularly thosein partsof the Centralbreccia,are more cias, because the overall outline of the breccia com- roundedand more hydrothermally altered. plex is not offset.The fault was,in fact, floodedand The presenceof fragmentsof one breccia type sealed by abundant quartzandtourmaline duringthe within anotheris the best criterionfor ascertaining between breccias.Crossearly barrentourmaline phase.Because of poor ex- relative age relationships posure,the fault is difficultto recognize in the field. cuttingrelationships are lessuseful,particularlyin drill cores,becauseit is generally not clear which Breccias at Los Bronces phaseis younger.Rarely, a fragmentof onebreccia, Tourmaline breccias form the most favorable host containing a clastof older breccia,formsa clastin a rock for copper and molybdenum mineralization thirdbreccia. Thisbreccia, in turn, iscutby apophyses a clearrelwithin the majorLos Bronces-Rio Blanco porphyry of a fourthbrecciatype, thusestablishing copper system. At Los Bronces, seven different in- ative agerelationship. terfingering coalescing breccias have beenrecognized An early stageof barrentourmalinization occurred (Cuadra,1980; Warnaars, 1980, 1982). At the pres- west, southwest, and east of the Los Bronces breccia Thisphase isapparent in clasts in the Central ent erosion surface, theyformoneelongated kidney- complex. shaped bodythat extends about2 km north-south and brecciaand in clastsof the deeper parts of the Inreaches a maximum widthof 750 m asshown in Figure fiernilloandWesternbreccias. The phaseconsists of 4. They are identified chronologically asthe Ghost, barren quartz-tourmaline veins and nestsor aggrein quartzmonzonite andwasimCentral,Western, Infiernillo, Anhydrite, Fine Gray, gatesof tourmaline andDonoso breccias. Thebreccia complex isnotfully portant in sealingand partly obliteratingthe major exploredat depthbut is knownto extendbelow the northeast-southwest Escondida fault zone.The early 3,050-mlevelin itscentral eastern part,about1,100 quartz-tourmaline phasedevelopedlocally into sulm belowthe highest breccia outcrop whichis in the fide-poor breccias wherethe intrusive fragments were southeastern partofthecomplex near Infiernillo peak. rotatedandcemented by quartzandtourmaline. This Geologic projections of drill-holeinformation onvar- type ofbreccia is named Casino breccia asaninformal ious crosssections suggest that somebrecciasmay field term. It has an erratic distribution and was inhaveseveralroot zones,muchlike the rootsof a molar tersected in a few drill holes southwest of the main tooth. brecciacomplex. The outline of the brecciacomplexat aboutthe The LosBronces breccia typesarebrieflydescribed 3,250-m elevation is smaller than that at the surface. in chronological orderin the paragraphs that follow.

1550

WARNAARS, HOLMGREN D., AND BARASS1 F.

J J v vv v vv v v v v v vv
v v v v v v v v v v v v v v

EXPLANATION

vv

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'-
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"RHYOLITE - DACITE NECK DaNaso BRECCIA

ANHYDRITE BRECCIA
FINEGREY BRECClA

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v v v v

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o

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INFIERNILLOBRECCIA

--- WESTERN BRECCIA &'' CENTRAL BRECClA

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BRECCIA..

GHOST BRECCIA

'1LaMA BRECCIA
IATITE DKE
INTRUSIVE

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0'5 Km
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STOCK

(Quartz

,- ANDESITE OF THE MIOCENE FARELLONES FORMATION

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ENTRAL

WESTERN<
o o o

o&

BRECCIA

v v/v

v v v v v

BRECCIA

v[v v v v v v v v v. v v v v v v v v v v v ' v v v v v v v v

V V V V V V V v v v v v v v ....

INklERNILLO

Inflernillo

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SECCIA

Mountain
4,190 ' v v
v v v v v
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(SRECCIA ,;i I
GHOST
BRECCIA

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FIG. 4. Outlineof the LosBronces breccias simplified fromoutcrop anddrill holeinformation.

Table 3 lists some of the characteristics of the indi-

vidualbreccias andthe photographs in Figure5 illustratevarious typicalbrecciatypes.

quartz monzonite isdifficult to recognize; hence the name. Often, theprimary copper and/or molybdenum grade in the Ghost breccia ishigher thanin the adjacentmineralized quartz monzonite rocks. Ghost breccia Ghost breccias do not formoneseparate bodyand Clasts of the Ghost breccia consist of fine to coarse arenotwellexposed at thepresent surface. Theyare peripheral to the whole fragments of quartzmonzonite. Theseclasts often foundasbrecciaremnants complex, if onedisregards the younger containdisseminated and sometimes stockwork, por- LosBronces breccia (Figs. 4, 6, and7). Remnants arealso phyry-type mineralization. The Ghost breccia matrix Donoso
is characterized by rock flour and ground quartz monzonite with smalldisseminated crystals of quartz, tourmaline, specularitc, andsulfides. Bothclasts and matrixfrequentlyshowhomogeneous, moderate to strongquartz-sericite alterations that obscure the
distinctionbetween them. For this reason,the contact between the breccia and nonbrecciated mineralized
common in the area between the Rio Blanco mine

andLosBronces within the porphyrycoppersystem.

The Loma breccia located between Los Bronces and

RioBlanco (Fig.4) outside themain breccia complex

has some of the characteristicsof the Ghost breccia. Ghost breccias are considered to be the earliest

breccias because theyareobserved asclasts in nearly

LOS BRONCES-RIO BLANCO: Cu & TOURMALINE BRECCIAS

1551

ams.

ams.

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"'

AD

'

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45

6 cms.

FIG. 5. Typical brecciatypesof Los Bronces. A. Ghostbreccia(DDH FF6). B. Central breccia (DDH FF.7). C. Westernbreccia(DDH 4.5). D. Infiernillobreccia(tunnelR5). E. Anhydritebreccia (DDH II9.5). F. Fine Gray breccia(DDH 5). G. Donoso breccia(handspecimen from open pit). For
abbreviations, see Table 3, DDH = diamond drill hole.
1552

LOS BRONCES-RIO BLANCO: Cu & TOURMALINE BRECCIAS

1553

#- I01,000
OUTLINE LOS

BNECCIA COMPLEX

EXPLANATION

SURFACE OUTLINE

OUTLINES INTERPRETED

FROMDRI.L HOLE
INTERCEPTS

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SURFACE

:::]1: $$5 LEVEL

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SUBSURFACE

FIG. 6. Interpreted outline of the Ghost brecciasat different elevations.

hydrothermally altered and show theeffect ofquartz- are stillexposed because of the steep topography of

monzonite, except on its south side, where somean- (Fig. 8). The northern part of this cone has been desiteandlatite clasts occur.As a rule, the clasts are eroded or mined away. Remnants ofthesouthern part

allother breccias andform large fragments orbreccia creases the overallgradein severaldrill-hole interremnants that were brokenup by the emplacement cepts. of youngerbrecciabodies. The Central breccia,developedafter the Ghost breccia, became clasts in, or wascutby, all the later Central breccia brecciatypes.A projection of the Centralbrecciaat Clasts of the Centralbreccia are mostly quartz different levels outlines anoval-shaped inverted cone

izedby a highvolume of blackto darkgraymatrix, below the 3,310-m level. composed of fine-grained tourmaline crystals with minor amounts of quartz, specularite, sericite,sul- Western breccia

otherbrecciatype. The Centralbrecciais character- lines 5 and8. However, itsextent at depthisunknown

mostly subangular and morerounded thanin any breccia liesbetweendrillinggridlines B andE and

sericitic, silicic,andargillicalterations. The clasts are InfiernilloMountain. The deeperpart of the Central

fides, andrarely, anhydrite. Sulfides aremostly dis-

Next, the Western and Infiernillo breccias were

seminated andrarelyformthecoarse aggregates that formedalonga northwest-southeast axis.Their emare so common in the matrix of the Donoso breccia. placement shattered a largepart of the southern and Pyrite is moreabundant than chalcopyrite. Chalco- westernpart of the Central breccia. pyrite in veinlets,and asdisseminations in clasts, inMostof the clasts arequartz monzonite fragments

1554
I 2

WARNAARS, HOLMGREND., AND BARASSI F.

$ 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 II 12 I$ 14 15

N-101,000
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EXPLA NATION

SURFICE OUTtilE
34 LEVEL * DRILL HOLE
,

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C

B
A

BB CC DO

EE

G(

II dJ

__ N 99,000 ;:: 0 0-5Kin

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OC

SCALE

J0 II

12 13 14 15

FIG. 7. Interpreted outline of the Donoso,Fine Gray, andAnhydrite brecciasat different elevations.

that displaypredominantlychloritic alteration and replacementof the maficmineralsby chlorite, specularitc, and/ortourmaline.Other alterationminerals in the clastsare rutile, leucoxene,calcite, and sporadically,epidote.Magnetiteis stableandplagioclase is weakly altered to sericiteand quartz. PrimaryKfeldspar israrelyaltered.The clasts aremostlyangular andrarely mineralized.The Westernbrecciais characterizedby a green matrix with abundantchlorite and rock flour. Tourmalineand specularitcare less common than in other breccias. Open vugsare rare. Pyrite andchalcopyrite are mostlyfinelydisseminated
in the matrix.

The matrixvolumevaries between2 and15 percent andis generallylessthanin any of the otherbreccias. The matrix consists predominantlyof chlorite and quartzwith lesseramounts of specularitc, tourmaline, epidote, pyrite, chalcopyrite,and magnetite. Open vugsare ubiquitous. The Infiernillo brecciais almostentirely confined to the andesites in the southern part of the breccia complex.The contactwith the nonbrecciated andesites to the east and south is very sharp and nearly
vertical. Contacts with other breccias to the south,

Infiernillo breccia

Angularto subangular andesitc fragments with minor amounts of subangularquartz monzonite and quartz latite porphyriesform the clastsin the Infiernillo breccia. Mafic minerals in these clasts are

strongly chloritized,andin certainareas, manyof the clasts are silicifiedandhave argillizedfeldspars.

west, and north are not well exposed on the surface. Underlyingthe andesitc breccias in the Infiernilloarea are quartz monzonitebreccias similarto the Western breccia(Fig. 9). The similarities suggest a geneticrelationshipbetween the two types. Differences in amountandtype of matrixmightbe explained by the different behavior and competenceof the various clastsduring breccia formation. Lesser amountsof tourmalineand specularitc in the matrix of the Western brecciamay reflect mineralzoning.

LOS BRONCES-R10 BLANCO:Cu & TOURMALINEBRECCIAS

i i i i i i

1555

.EXPLANATION

--

N-IOta,000

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SURFACE OUTLINE

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OUTLINES INTERPRETED FROM DRILL HOLE

INTERCEPTS

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-SURFACE OUTLINE --

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LOS BRONCE S

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BRECCiA COMPLEX

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12 13 14 15
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FIG. 8. Interpreted outlineof the Central brecciaat differentelevations.

Anhydrite breccia

ent.Sulfides in thefragments arepresent in veinlets

The Anhydritebrecciais a smallcolumnar breccia and as fine disseminations ofpyrite and chalcopyrite. body within theInfiernillo breccia (Figs. 7 and9). The Fine Graybrecciaisnamedafterthe natureof whichis typically graycolored andmicroFragmentsof Infiernillo and Central breccias are itsmatrix consisting ofrock flour, fine-grained tourcommon in the Anhydritebrecciaand are evidence crystalline

These minerals areusually more euhedral andcoarse Central, Infiernillo, and Western breccias. grainedthan in the adjacent Infiernillobreccia.In
Donoso surface outcrop, the anhydrite ishydrated togypsum. breccia

acterized by abundant coarse-grained anhydrite.minor amounts. TheFineGray breccia has anirregular outline with apophyses projecting intothe adjacent inthematrix. Themost common opaque minerals are abundant breccias. It cuts across and contains fragments ofthe specularitc, pyrite,chalcopyrite, andmolybdenite.
Openvugs arenormally absent. Thereisnorockflour

maline, sericite, and quartz. Thematrix comprises 10 of relatively young empiacement. Weakly altered chloritized andesitc comprises most to 40 percent of the breccia volume. In someareas areapparent. Fine-grained chlorite, of theclasts, at least in theupper part.Thematrix flowstructures specularitc, andsulfides arepresent in volume varies between 5 and60 percent and ischar- tourmaline,

TheDonoso breccia islargely amonolithic breccia. The majority of theclasts arequartz monzonite and Clasts in this breccia aremostly quartz monzonitesome arequartz diorite, syenite, andrarelyandesitc. and,sporadically, quartz latiteporphyries andan- Thefragments aremostly angular tosubangular. Not desites. Most clasts show strong quartz-sericite alter- much abrasive movement took place during brecciaFine Gray breccia

ation. Silicification and chloritization are locally pres-

tion, as rounded clastsare rare. The matrix volume

1556

WARNAARS, HOLMGREN D., AND BARASSI F.

,f///l ''r,,,,., 'e

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;;/ -+ + +

.
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LI[.ILLO
'Ci' OUARTZ

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+ +

CEntRAL eRgccm

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+ +
ZONE

WONZONITE GHOST BRECCiA

.... 'ECDARY ENRICHMENT HOLE

FIG. 9. Geologicinterpretationof east-west crosssection(line II) throughthe southpart of the breccia complex.

Donoso brecciaandof the northernandwesternpart of the Westernbrecciaare weaklyto moderately hydrothermally alteredto a propyliticassemblage. They containchloritized,epidotized,specularitized, and/ or tourmalinized hornblende, primarybiotite, and/or deutericchlorite.Magnetiteis mostlystable.Plagioclaseis slightlysericitized andprimaryK-feldspar is breccia. largely unaltered. The Donosobrecciais the youngest andnorthernThe breccias that were formedcloserto the (west) mostbrecciaof the LosBronces complex. It is ellip- centralpart of the porphyry system contain fragments soidalin plan and was developedon a northwest- that exhibit strongquartz-sericitealteration.These southeast axis,with inward-dippingnorthern, west- are the Fine Gray, Ghost,and most of the Central ern, and southern contacts. The eastern contact is breccias. The clasts in the southern andwesternpart nearlyvertical(Fig. 7), suggesting a possible westward of the Donoso breccia also contain more sericite and tiltingafterbreeeia formation. The roots of thebreecia quartzfrom the alterationof feldspars, chlorite,and/ pipe lie in the area between east-west drilling grid or biotite. The clasts of the Infiernillo breccia are lines H and E, and north-south lines 6.5 and 8.5. The mostlystrongly chloritizedand/orpartly epidotized. breeeiais open at depth. The contactwith the sur- Toward the northernpart of the Infiernillobreccia are more silicifiedand the feldspars more roundingquartz monzoniteis remarkablysharp.In the clasts places,the contact with the adjacent Central and sericitizedand/or argillized. Western breeeia also is sharp, but elsewhere the Secondary K-feldsparand secondary biotite have in intrusive rockswithin or pebreeeia fragmentsare thoroughly mixed and the rarelybeenobserved ripheral to the Los Bronces breccias. However, secboundary canonly be approximated. ondary biotite is commonly observed in andesites closeto the contactwith the quartz monzoniteintruHydrothermal Alteration
sion in drill core from holes east of the breccia com-

rangesbetween 5 and 25 percentof the rock mass andconsists of blacktourmaline, quartz,pyrite, chalcopyrite,specularitc, and rarely, anhydriteand bornitc. Sericite, chlorite, and rock flour are typically sparse. Open vugsare common. The primarycopper content is higher than in any of the other breccias except, perhaps,for someparts of the Infiernillo

The clasts of the variousbreccias generallywere notalteredduringthe breccia-forming stages, except for somenarrow alterationrims or more pervasively in smallclasts.Mineral deposition took place after brecciation andprobably formedunderrelativelylowpressure conditions andrapidcooling of hydrothermal fluidsdid not allow adequatetime to alter clasts. The degree and type of hydrothermalalteration of the clasts depended largelyonthe location of the breccia in relationto the earlier developed porphyrysystem. The clasts of the northernand easternpart of the

plex. In the Rio Blancomine, secondary biotite and secondary K-feldsparare common. A uniquealterationfeatureof the LosBronces-Rio Blancodepositis the replacement of maficminerals as well as secondary chlorite by specularitc and/or tourmaline within and inside the propylitic zone. Many aggregates of specularitc, with or withouttourmaline, form pseudomorphs after hornblende,secondary chlorite, and/or magnetite. These pseudomorphsare preservedwithin the quartz-sericitealteration zone.

LOS BRONCES-RIO BLANCO: Cu & TOURMALINE BRECCIAS

1557

Mineralization

The porphyrycoppermineralization that preceded the brecciaformationis centeredin the vicinity of theRioBlanco mine.Unusually hightenorof primary copper mineralization in the formofchalcopyrite and minor bornite occursin a roof pendantof andesires and in the underlyingquartz monzonite.The estimated grade of the firsteightyears of production after 1970 at Rio Blancowas 1.9 percent Cu. The highgradeore obtainedin the first years(2.4% Cu) was partlydueto the mining of a segment of hydrothermal brecciain the southernpart of the Rio Blancomine. The northernpart of the high-grade porphyrycopper center hasbeen removedby a youngerdaciterhyolite volcanicneck or diatremenorth of the Rio Blanco cave.Strong primarycopperandmolybdenum mineralizationwas intersectedby diamonddrilling The mineralization in the Western breccia consists below the western edge of the volcanicneck and probably occurs southeast of the neckbelowthevalley of finely disseminated pyrite andchalcopyrite in the bottom of the Blanco River. matrix.The primarycoppercontentis generallylow, The pyrite/chalcopyriteratio increases westward rangingfrom 0.3 to 0.6 percentCu. The brecciais from the Rio Blanco mine toward the Los Bronces considered wasteexceptwhere upgraded by secondbreccias. Disseminated mineralization decreases and ary enrichment. Molybdeniteoccurs irregularlyalong
mineralization in veinlets and on fractures increases.
the eastern contact with the Central breccia.

velopedin a propyliticalteration zone,suchasin the south andsouthwest of the breccia complex, the Ghost brecciacontains low copperand molybdenum values in the matrix.Ghostbreccias that developed between drillinggrid linesB and C (Figs.4 and 6) are more central to the prebrecciaporphyry copper deposit and often containhigh-gradeprimary molybdenum and coppermineralization. The Central brecciais to a large extent disrupted by younger breccias,preventing reconstructionof possible mineraltrends.Also,the Central brecciais more complexthan mostbecauseit consists of multiple phases. In earlier phases, the mineralization occursascoarse-grained aggregates in the matrix.The last phasemay representa fiuidizationstagewith abundant (up to 80%) matrixmaterialshowing flow structuresand important amountsof disseminated pyrite and sparse amounts of chalcopyrite.

are not significant andmostclasts are unmineralized. The Infiernillo brecciatypically contains strongsecondarycopper enrichment,consisting of chalcocite coatings on chalcopyrite and pyrite. Covellite is less frequentlyobserved.Native copperand cuprite are commonthroughoutthe breccia. Northwest of the Escondidafault, mineralization The amountof chalcopyrite presentbelow the enoutside the breccia complex issparse andisrestricted richment zone and the amount of chalcopyritestill mostly to fractures. Mineralization increases,how- visiblewithinthe enrichment blanketsuggest a higher ever, towardthe volcanicneck at La Copa. gradeof primarymineralization alongthe eastern and Supergene copperenrichment is economically sig- southern contacts of the Infiernillo breccia. This nificantin the southerntwo-thirdsof the deposit, highergraderind is possibly due to inherentbreccia south of the SanFrancisco River (Fig.4). The copper permeabilities beforemineralization andmayindicate content hasbeenupgraded two or moretimesitspri- areasof morerapid cooling. Partsof thisbrecciaare maryvaluein the Ghost,Central,Western,Infiernillo, of economic importancesolelybecause of goodpriandFine Graybreccias. Therefore,primarymineral marygrades, whichrangebetween0.25 and0.9 perdistribution andpyritechalcopyrite ratios are difficult centCu andwith pyrite to chalcopyrite ratiosvarying
to reconstruct in these breccias.
from 1:1 to 1:3.

This porphyry style of mineralization is apparentin the quartz monzoniteclasts in the centraland southern partof thebreccia complex. Mixingofclasts within the breccias precludesadequately reconstructing a zoning pattern of mineralizationof the prebreccia porphyry system.The copper gradesof clastscontribute to the overall coppercontentof mostof the Ghost,Central,andFine Graybreccias, andin certain partsof the Infiernillo, Western,and Donoso breccias, in particularin areasof supergene enrichment. In the intrusive rockssouthwest andperipheralto the brecciacomplex,pyrite is more abundant than chalcopyrite andboth occurmore asstockworks than asdisseminations. The primary gradeshere vary between 0.2 and 0.5 percent copper, but supergene copperenrichment hasdoubledor tripled the grade.

The gradeof the primarycopper mineralization of the Fine Graybreccia musthavebeenlow but cannot be ascertained because of the strongoverprintof secondarycopper enrichment.Pyrite and chalcopyrite with chalcocite coatings are finelydisseminated with a low totalvolumepercentage mostly varyingbetween
one and three.

Sulfidemineralsin the Infiernillo brecciaare generally present as irregular aggregates in the matrix.
Disseminated mineralization and mineralized veinlets

Much of the primary copper and molybdenum

within the matrix of the Ghost breccia is related to

Molybdenite mineralization is significantwith gradesover 0.1 percent Mo, particularly near the

breccia was formed. For instance,where it was de-

the areasof the porphyrycopperdeposit wherethe eastern andsouthern margins of thebreccia. It isconfined to the matrix and was emplacedafter the de-

1558

WARNAARS, HOLMGREN D., AND BARASS1 F.

Mineral Distribution in the Donoso Breccia

position of pyrite andchalcopyrite. Ferrimolybdite is ubiquitousin weathered surface outcropsand is

abundant in the leached zones.

Mineral zoningis difficultto recognize because of the irregularnature andthe coarse grainsizeof the sulfideminerals in the matrix.Often, the analysis of a split core is not representative, becauseone side mayconsist of matrixwith massive sulfideaggregates andthe otherside,a largebarrenintrusiveclast.Mineral distributionis important, particularly in grade predictionat the variousproductionbenchesand in anticipatingcopper recovery problems (Holmgren and Marti, 1984). A studyof the distribution of chalcopyrite, pyrite, andspecularite wasmadeof various production levels on the north sideof the Donoso brecciaby collecting dust samples from bench productiondrill holes on a 25 X 50-m grid. Representative samples were mountedinto polished briquettesfor point counting. area in 1864. This breccia has remained the center The resultsof productionlevel 3670 are illustrated of miningactivityever since.Mineralizationismainly in Figure 10 and showthat chalcopyrite and pyrite confined to the breccia matrix and occurs as coarse are distributed in anirregularshell-like patternwithin aggregates or irregular patches of pyrite,chalcopyrite, which one of the two predominates.Note that the andoccasionally bornite.Minor sulfide disseminations limits of the studyarea do not necessarily coincide
The Anhydritebrecciahasstatistically the highest total molybdenum content(0.051%) compared with the otherbreccias (Table3). Its average coppervalue isthe lowest,0.47 percentCu, because nosupergene enrichmenthas taken place. The degree of copper enrichment is a function of permeability andporosity and both are very low becauseanhydritesealedall the openspaces. This brecciais thusneither leached nor enrichedbut is surrounded by a circularleached zone over 300m deep (Reyes, 1980; Warnaars, 1982).The surrounding Infiernillobreccia hasa much higher permeability.It is stronglyleached and enrichedasdeep as500 m belowthe surface (Fig. 9). The high primary copper mineralizationin the Donosobrecciaattractedthe first prospectors to the
and stockwork mineralization are found in the clasts on the southwestern side of the breccia. The chrowith the breccia outline.

nologicalorder of mineralizationin the matrix is quartz,black tourmaline(dravite),pyrite, chalcopyrite, and finally specularite. The order of crystallizationsuggests a decreasing sulfidation state with time and/or an increase in oxygenfugacity. The currently knownextent of secondary copper
enrichment is small in the Donoso breccia. One reason

A copper distributionof all availableassay informationof the 3,460-m level (the Pommerantz or main haulage level) suggests an irregularellipsoidal distri-

bution(Fig. 11). The assay dataare from old horizontaldrill holes,underground channelsampling, and
more recent vertical drill holes. The several semiel-

isthatbetween100 and200 m of the original Donoso ridgeisassumed to havebeenminedawaysince1864. Nevertheless, supergene enrichment is, andprobably was,lesssignificant than in otherbreccias because of
the coarse nature of the sulfides in Donoso. The

coarser the grain size,the smalleris the surfacearea which is availablefor replacement.A thin film of chalcocitecoatingchalcopyriteor pyrite may cause significant enrichment if the primarysulfide particles are very small. Late mineralveins,formed after the emplacement of the various breccias, containchalcopyrite, molybdenite, luzonite, enargite, tennanite, valleriite, sphalerite, galena,arsenopyrite, barite, calcite,tourmaline,alunite, and/or pyrophyllitein a quartz-sericite gangue.Theseveinsare not of economic significance. They are typicallyfoundalongthe periphery of the breccia complex,both inside and outsidethe
actual contact.

Pebble dikes are probablythe last signsof mineralizationrepresenting late-stage or postmineral venting. The pebbles are mostlycountryrockandlocally brecciapebbles.In somecases, they containpyrite in the rock flour matrixbut rarely coppersulfides.

lipsoidalshellsof alternatinghigh and low copper grades suggest multiplephases of mineralization. The copper distribution in each shell is not uniform, showing strong localvariations, depending onthe size of clastsand on the amountof chalcopyrite in the matrix. The order of crystallization in the matrix is recognized as follows: quartz, tourmaline, pyrite, chalcopyrite,and specularite.Mineral zoning and paragenetic relationships in the matrixtypicallyare not fully developed. Permeability is animportantfactor for mineral deposition.Some open spacesmay havebeen rapidlyfilled andsealedoff with minerals early in the sequence, preventingaccess of mineralizing fluidslate in the sequence. On the otherhand open spaces in certain areas might have become available for mineraldeposition onlyat the endof the mineralizingsequence. Since the formationof the Donosobreccia was probably a multi-phaseevent, this mineral sequence, with somevariations,wasrepeatedseveraltimes.Thesecircumstances might explainwhy pyrite, total sulfide,and chalcopyrite and thus the copperdistribution are erratic on a small scale andalso ona largerscale of several channel samplesor drill hole assay intervals. The various shells in the northernpart of the Donosobreccia are interpreted to be nearly vertical or

LOS BRONCES-RIO BLANCO: Cu & TOURMALINE BRECCIAS

1559

of the Donoso breccia.

FIG. 10. Distribution ofchalcopyrite and pyrite ofoperating bench level 3,670 rninthe open pit

slightly inclined toward thesoutheast andperpendic- variousstagesof pressurereleasewith concomitant ularto the N 30W direction. Thisconfiguration co- precipitation whereboiling occurs or different stages incides with the general ellipsoidal shape of the entire of decrease in temperature. Donoso breccia withsteeply dipping, inward-dipping Interestingly,copperplotsof variouslevelsabove outerlimits(Fig.7). The shell-like or onion-ring pat- the Pommerantz level (andbelowthe currentproternisalso apparent in cross sections H-H' andJ (Figs. duction levels)show that highergradeshells are not 12 and 13); the crudelyconcave configuration indi- easilyprojectablefromonelevel to the next.Instead, cates that the shells are steeply dipping inward.The they are slightlyoffsetto the westor to the east,exmultiple shell-like copper distribution mayrepresent hibiting a tendency to spiral vertically.

1560

WARNAARS, HOLMGREN D., AND BARASS1 F.

Summaryand Discussion
2 3

The Los Bronces-Rio Blancodepositwas formed

on the east side of the San Francisco batholith.
/ --

This

o
i

ioo
I METERS

BB

CC

LEGEND:
) 1.5O%cu Ill 1-01 - 1.50

[] < 0.40

intrusionis stronglyperaluminous and has a calc-alkaline composition with a alkali-calcicaffinity. The batholithtook a minimumof 11.5 m.y. to form, from 20.1 m.y. (earlyMiocene)to 8.6 m.y. (lateMiocene). The hornblende ageof 20.1 m.y. is the oldestage determined so far from a Tertiary intrusion in this part of the Andesof central Chile. A numberof intrusionsalong the central Andean mountainrange were emplacedduring a period of Tertiary magmatic activitythat startedabout25 m.y. agowith extrusions of large quantitiesof andesites of the FarellonesFormationand/orpart of the AbanicoFormation. This igneous activityfolloweda periodof magmatic quiescence between 62 and 25 m.y. ago as documentedby Drake et al. (1982). The hiatusmayhave been a consequence of flatteningof the subduction plate similarto the model of Jordanet al. (1983) for the present-day situation of the section of the Andean mountainrangebetween 28 and 33 15' S. The renewedmagmatic activitythat started25 m.y. agomay have been caused by a steepening of the subducted plate in this part of the Andes. The last magmaticactivity in the area under study gave rise to dacitic (flow) brecciasand dacite porphyries fromthe volcanic neckor diatreme ofLa Copa with agesrangingfrom 4.9 to 3.9 m.y. An area of
similar acid volcanism lies about 15 km south of Los

Broncesat Colorado-LaParva.No youngerageshave FIG. 11. Copper distributionat the 3,460-m level (Pommer- been determinedin igneousrocksnorth of 33015' S
antz).

in thispart of centralChile. The youngest ageof 3.9

3600

3500

:: ::::' )+

EXPLANATION
:" Cp 29- 43/oW

c
o

3400

:::::
33oo

+
i

O M
SCALE

50

IO m

32o

q.

FIG. 12. Chalcopyrite distribution in aneast-west section (H-H') through the Donoso breccia (looking north).

LOS BRONCES-RIO BLANCO: Cu & TOURMALINE BRECCIAS

1561

SCALE

I00 200 300 m

andeachcontributed in a differentwayto the copper and molybdenum mineralization. Los Bronces givesevidenceof both explosive or collapse phenomena. The initialbreccia-forming process at LosBronces isinterpretedto havebeena consequence of hydrothermalpressure buildup that resuitedin an explosive, disruptive,upwardmovement. This conceptis consistent with the presence of intrusive clasts and boulders in the andesitc breccia on

...4. 5-5

75 8*5

I.' . .fl
'. .'.

'

Infiernillo mountainat an elevationof 4,100 m, approximately200 m above the contactbetween the andesites and the intrusive batholithadjacentto the
breccia.

Collapse features are alsoapparentand probably formedafter releaseof the pressure that initiatedthe brecciation.This would explainthe presenceof andesitc clasts in the Donoso and Central breccias ob-

a,4

+ + + EXPLANATION o v..u.o,. servedin the underground workings of the 3,460-m

ORIEL HOLE

RHYOLITE

level at least 300 m below the andesitc-intrusion contact outside the breccia.

,oo ...
O2 4

OTAL Cu
H16H GRA D HELLS

oooso a[cclA

Also, in the south-central part of the Infiernillo QUARTZ MONZONITE

breccia, the contact between the andesitcbreccia and

elevationthan in other parts of the Infiernillo and Western breccias,probablybecause the pressure releasewas greatestin the center of the breccia.Differentialpressure releasein the centermay alsoexm.y. maymarkthe beginning of igneous quiescence plain why the younger, small, columnarAnhydrite that hasprevailed to the present whichJordan et al. brecciapipe wasemplacedin this low-pressure area (1983) postulated as being due to flatteningof the beforethe Infiernillo-Western breccia wascompletely solidified. subducting Nazcaplate. TheLosBronces-Rio Blanco porphyry copper minSupergene enrichmentand leachingare both sigeralizationand alterationincluding the brecciafor- nificant in the southern two-thirds of the Los Bronces mationwere generated over a period of at least2.5 brecciacomplex. The degreeandextentof both prom.y., between7.4 and 4.9 m.y. ago.This makes the cesses is more a functionof brecciaandfractureperLosBronces-Rio Blanco deposit oneof the youngest meabilitythan of initial primarymineraldistribution. in Chile andis comparable in ageto the E1Teniente The depthof the supergene copperdeposition is not porphyrycopperdeposit (5 m.y., Clark et al., 1983). known in certain areasof the southernpart of the Hydrothermal breccias are commonly associatedbrecciacomplexbut in placesis more than 500 m with porphyry copper deposits throughout theworld. thick. The supergene processes are related to the The breccias of the LosBronces-Rio Blanco deposit, presenttopographyand the presentground-water however, areunique because oftheirabundance (both regime, with large seasonal water table fluctuations to the south of Rio Blanco aswell asat LosBronces), in excess of a few hundred meters. The enrichment theirlargecombined size,complexity, andhightour- appearsto be postglacial and geologically recent, malinecontents. The breccias dominate the system similarto the supergene enrichmentat E1Teniente frombothgeometric andeconomic aspects. (F. Camus,pers. commun.). The Los Bronces breccias were formed after the A postmineral volcanic neckof La Copawhichremainphase of the porphyrycoppersystem. Intrusive moved partof a porphyry coppersystem isnotunique dlasts in the breccias commonly containstockwork to the Los Bronces-Rio Blancoorebody. Other exanddisseminated coppermineralization. The time of amples areE1Teniente(Chile),Toquepala (Peru),and emplacement and coolingof the breccias wasrela- Lepanto(Philippines). The BradenFormationat E1 tively shortin comparison to the time spanfor the Teniente (Camus,1975) is largelya postmineral volformation of the entireLosBronces-Rio Blanco por- canic event that removeda substantial part of the phyrysystem. Eachbreccia hasits owncharacteristicscenterofthe porphyry copper orebody andassociated

FIC. 13. Geologic interpretation and copperdistribution of an et-west cross section(line J) throughthe Donosobreccia.

the quartzmonzonite breccia isgradational andis 250 m belowthe regionallyinferredcontactbetweenthe andesites andintrusions. This changein brecciatype
occurs in the center of the Infiernillo breccia at a lower

1562

WARNAARS, HOLMGREN D., AND BARASSI F.

hydrothermal tourmaline breccias.The tourmaline veins containing specularite, enargite, sulfosalts, breccias are stillpreserved aslargefragments within chalcopyrite, sphalerite,and galenain a gangueof the diatreme andasa rim along the edgeof theBraden quartz,barite, andsiderite. Formation.Toquepalaalsohasa barren intrusiveda5. Hydrothermal activitywascutoffanddisrupted citethatremoved a substantial partof the orebody at by the postmineral daciteporphyries of the La Copa the east side of the current mining operations. volcanic neck or diatreme. MacKibbon,who worked in the Lepanto area, mentioned (pets. commun.)the existenceof a barren
Acknowledgments

We highly appreciate the encouragement of F. J. postmineral diatremethat contains fragments with porphyry-style mineralization southeast of Lepanto Sawkins and R. H. Sillitoe to contribute to this breccia volume.This would have not been possible without andwestof the Tirad porphyrycopperdeposit. Asa summary, Figure 14 presents a schematic dia- the invitation of D. L. Giles, F. H. Bonhamm, and the organizers of the Brecciation Congramof the formation of the LosBronces-Rio Blanco F. J. Sawkins, in September 1983. porphyrycoppersystem andbrecciaemplacements. ferencein ColoradoSprings E. ReyesS. collectedimportantearly geological The verticalaxisrepresents the relative intensityof until his fatal achydrothermal activity.The horizontal scale is alsoan drill hole and regionalinformation approximation because more agedeterminations are cident in 1980. This paper resulted from valuable by manygeologists of Compafiia Minera required to be reallyconfident of the timingof events. contributions W. CuadraC., J. CabelloL., V. Irarrtzaral Figure 14 illustrates the followinginferredevents: Disputada: 1. The hydrothermal mineralization andalteration G., R. Mufioz M., J. Urquidi B., C. Walker A., andJ. tookplaceduringthe lastphase of the cooling of the Wenke H., who were involved in variousstagesof easternpart of the SanFrancisco batholith. the resource evaluationprogram. To them we are 2. The brecciaswere formed in a shortperiod of mostobliged. time as a result of pressure buildup during the retWith great pleasurewe acknowledge the cooperrogression or the waningphaseof the disseminated ationandpermission of Compaia Minera Disputada stockwork porphyrycopperformation. de LosCondes S.A. andExxonMineralsCompany in 3. In the porphyry copper system, pyrite was publishingthis paper; in particularJ. E. Frost who formedfirst, followedby chalcopyrite, bornitc,and stimulatedthe variousstudies,critically read the later molybdenite.Subsequent short-livedbut sub- manuscript, andgavefinal approval for release.Also stantial pulses of brecciation localized new deposition Hans Bosshardt, C. L. Dahl, and William Saegartof of quartz, tourmaline,sulfides, and specularitc. Exxonencouraged us and contributed to the under4. The youngest phases of mineralization are rep- standingof the geologyand mineralizationat Los resented by late, postbreccia mineralizedfaultsand Bronces.We would like to thank E. Klohn H., O. FernandezH., andM. Marti G. of DisputadaandD. HarTourmaline

LI., F. Gonzalez, R. Hein C., R. Le6n B., M. Marti

rison of Exxon for their keen interest and continuous

-----

Pyrite Chalcopyrite Molybdenite Specularite

support. We highlyappreciate the cooperation of M. Humphreysof Esso(Australia) and R. D. McNeil of Esso Papua New Guineafor allocating timeto prepare
the paper.

Many earlyversions of the paperwere reviewed by G. Westra, J. F. McKnight, M. J. Mackenzie, and

o

C. C. Brooks,whose commentaries and suggestions

enhanced the qualityof the paperconsiderably and

to whom we feel most thankful.
.o o -c,

T
._

._>

We are very gratefulfor the excellentdraftingof M. Ubilla R., E. JorqueraC., D. Baine,and M. Keno and to W. Tep who typed numerousversions of the
manuscript.
REFERENCES

]'
o o

Gradua

Ooohngof
bathohth

'
/

Abru
Brecca

./'
8 7 6

Pulses
5

20

Aguirre,L., 1960, Geologia de LosAndesde Chile central,Prov. de Aconcagua: Chile Inst. Inv. Geol., Bol. 9, 70 p. Albers, J.P., 1981, A lithologic-tectonic frameworkfor the metallogenic provinces of California:ECON.GEOL.,v. 76, p. 765790.

Approximate miHon years

before

present

Barassi F., S., Gonzalez, F., and Warnaars, F., 1979, Traverse

FIG. 14. Schematicrepresentationof the sequenceof hydrothermal eventsduringthe formationof the Los Bronces-Rio Blanco porphyry copperand breccias.

mappingin structuraldomains: Santiago, Cia Minera Disputada, unpub. rept., p. 1-17. Blondel,J. R., 1980, P6rfidode composici6n granodioritica de la

LOS BRONCES-RIO BLANCO: Cu & TOURMALINE BRECCIAS

1563

Blanco-Los Bronces:Rev. Geol. Chile, no. 15, p. 59-70. Minster,J. B., andJordan, T. H., 1978, Presentdayplate motions: 1372. Jour. Geophys.Research, v. 83, p. 5331-5354. Cepeda,A., 1981, Geologlaecon0mica del distritoRo Blanco- Ossand0n, G., 1974, Petrografa y alteraci6ndel p6rfido dactico Disputada:Inst. Inv. Geol. Chile, Bol. 36, p. 1-43. YacimientoEl Teniente: Unpub. thesis,Santiago, Univ. Chile, Clark, A. H., Farrar, E., Camus,F., and Quirt, G. S., 1983, K-Ar Dept. Geology, p. 1-112. age data for the E1Teniente porphyry copper deposit,central Oyarzfin, J., 1971,Contribution a l'etudegeochimique des roches Chile: ECON.GEOL., v. 78, p. 1003-1006. volcaniques et plutoniques du Chile:Unpub.Ph.D. thesis, Univ. Paris, 195 p. Cuadra,W., 1980, Geologa y petrognesis de la BrechaDonoso, M. A., 1931, Classification of igneous rocksseries; Jour. Mina Los Bronces: Unpub. thesis,Santiago, Univ. Chile, Dept. Peacock, Geology, v. 39, p. 54-67. Geology, p. 1-148. Drake, R., Charrier, R., Thiele, R., Munizaga,F., Padilla,H., and Quirt, S., Clark, A. H., Ferrar, E., and Sillitoe,R. H., 1971, Potassium-argon agesof porphyry copper depositsin northern Vergara, M., 1982, Distribuci6n y edadesK/Ar de volcanitas and central Chile labs. I: ECON.GEOL.,v. 67, p. 980-981. post-Neocomianas en la cordillera principdentre 32 y 36 L.S. Implicaciones estratigrtficas y tect6nicas para meso-Cen- Reyes,F., 1980, Actualizati6nde zona de lixiviaci6n:Santiago, ozoicode Chile central:Geol. Cong. Chile, 3rd, Concepci6n, Cia Minera Disputada,unpub. rept., p. 1-9. 1982, Acta, v. 2, p. D41-D78. Shand,S. J., 1927, The eruptive rocks:New York, JohnWiley, Frutos,J., 1981, Andeantectonics asa consequence of seafloor p. 1-188. spreading: Tectonophysics, v. 72, p. 21-32. Stambuk,V., Blond61,J., and Serrano,L., 1982, Geologla del Hart, S. R., 1964, The petrologyandisotopic-mineral agerelations yacimientoRo Blanco:Cong. Geol. Chile, 3rd, Concepci6n, of a contactzone in the Front Range,Colorado:Jour.Geology, 1982, Acta, v. 2, p. E419-E443. v. 74, p. 493-525. Streckeisen, A., 1976, To each plutonic rock its proper name: Holmgren, C., and Marti, M., 1984, Applied microscopyand Earth-Sci. Rev., v. 12, p. 1-33. metallurgicalforecasting at Los Broncesmine, Chile, in Park, Vergara, M., andDrake,R, 1978, Edades potasio-arg0n y suimW., Hausen, D., and Hagni, R. D., eds., Applied mineralogy plicancia en la geologla regiond de Chile: Univ. Chile, Rev. 1985: New York, Am. Inst. Mining Metall. PetroleumEngineers, Comunicaciones, No. 23, p. 1-11. p. 407-417. -1979, Eventos magmtticos plutonicos en LosAndesde Chile Irarrzaval, V., LeOn, R., Mufioz, R., and Warnaars, F. W., 1979, centred:Cong. Geol. Chile, 2nd, Arica, 1979, Acta, v. 1, p. F19-F30. Reconnaissance mappingin the areaof Los Bronces andAndina: Warnaars, F. W., 1980, Brechas de Cobre y Turmalina en Los Santiago,Cia Minera Disputada, unpub. rept., p. 1-24. Bronces, Chile: Cong.PorphyryCopper Mining, 50th, Santiago, Jordan,T. E., Isacks,B. L, Alhnendinger,R. W., Brewer, J. A., Ramos,V. A., and Ando, C. J., 1983, Andeantectonicsrelated Nov. 1980, Proc., v. 3, p. 175-201. to geometryof subducted Nazcaplate:Geol. Soc.AmericaBull., -1982, Copper tourmaline breccias at Los Bronces, Chile: v. 94, p. 341-360. Am. Inst. Mining Metall. Petroleum EngineersTrans., v. 272, Keith, S. B., 1978, Paleosubduction geometriesinferred from p. 1902-1911. Cretaceousand Tertiary magmaticpattern in southwestern Warnaars,F. W., Smith,W. H., Bray, R. E., Lanier, G., andShafNorth America:Geology,v. 6, p. 516-521. iqullah, M., 1978, Geochronology of igneousintrusions and Klohn, C, 1960, Geologlade la Cordillera de LosAndesde Chile porphyry copper mineralization at Bingham, Utah: ECON. centralProvincias de Santiago, O'Higgins,Colchagua y Curic6, GEOL., v. 73, p. 1242-1249. Chile: Chile Inst. Inv. Geol., Bol. 8, 97 p. Zentilli, M., 1974, Geologicalevolution and metallogenetic reLatorre, M. J., 1981, La formaci6n Rio Blanco en el area de la lationshipin the Andesof northern Chile between 26 and 29 Mina Andina:Unpub. thesis, Santiago, Univ. Chile, Dept. Geolsouth:Unpub. Ph.D. thesis,Kingston,Ontario, Queen'sUniv.,
ogy, p. 1-112.

mina Rio Blanco:Unpub. thesis,Santiago,Univ. Chile, Dept. Geology, p. 1-88. Camus,F., 1975, Geologyof the E1Teniente orebodywith emphasison wall-rock alteration: ECON. GEOL., v. 70, p. 1341-

Lopez, L., andVergara, M., 1982,Geoqulmica y petrog6nesis de rocas granodiorticas asociadas conel yacimiento cuprffero Rio

p. 1-151.

APPENDIX

Nomenclature

It wasessential to agreeon terminology, nomen- ferent rock types and breccia typeswere on display clature, abbreviations, anda computer coding system in the loggingfacility. asearlyaspossible in a resource evaluation program. A breccia at Los Bronces was defined as a fractured Thiswasparticularly critical since 15 geologists were rock with 5 vol percent or more of the rock material involvedin core loggingand mapping at the same consisting of matrix material, which is mostlytourtime in differentpartsof the depositand different maline,quartz,rockflour,sulfides, or specularitc. The geologists were loggingthe samedrill hole during rock fragments mustalsohave been rotated or disalternating shifts using the computer logs.The time placed.The amountof matrix materialis usuallyexfactor was important,because all core drilled each pressedin volume percentage.This is considered daywasdescribed for rockmechanics andgeological moreconvenient thandescribing a ratio of interfragpurposes the sameday prior to calculating core re- mental(I) versus fragmental (F) rockmaterialaswas eovery, core splitting,sampling, and storage.The suggested at the 1983 BrecciaConferencein Coloprogram wasvery intense with coregenerated by 16 rado Springs. drill rigsoperating duringthe lengthof a season. For Breccias at Los Bronces are usuallymonolithic,octhese reasons, reference specimens of most of the dif- casionally bilithic, and rarely heterolithic. Breccias

1564

WARNAARS, HOLMGREND., AND BARASSI F.

are generallyeasilyrecognizable. Brecciacontacts with the countryrock are, fortunately,mostlysharp

and well defined. Contactsbetween variousbreccias, however, are often difficult to define becauseof mix-

ing and interfingering. In contactzones,the relative proportions of the various breccias weredescribed in percentage on the loggingsheet. The logging sheet illustrated on a reduced scale in Figure A1 is designed for descriptions in computer codes.To overcomethe geologist's reluctanceand antipathy to computer coding, ample space isreserved for geologic commentary, to indicatephotostaken,

specimens collected for polished andthin sections, X-ray studies, etc. Usuallyloggingintervalsare selectedfor geologic reasons relatedto changes in rock type, mineralization and alteration, or fault zones.
Otherwise,intervalscoincidewith drill core runs.The

abbreviations givenin TableA1 areusedto quantify the degreeof alterationor mineraloccurrence, indicating theirapproximate percentage ofrockvolume. Estimating sulfidecontents and sulfideratiosin breccias is difficult because of the irregularnatureof
sulfide distribution in the breccia matrix; often the

visual estimates of percentages andratios areverified after receiving the assay results of metalsand occasionally of sulfur.The degreeof supergene enrichmentis equally hardto estimate visually, because in some parts of theorebody thesulfides arefinegrained
and disseminated, and elsewhere they are coarse

grained. In fine-grained sulfides, it is mostly overestimated and underestimated in the coarse sulfides,

because the surface areaavailable for replacingchal-

copyrite andpyriteis greaterwhenthe sulfides are fine grainedthan when the sulfideaggregates are
coarse grained. An agreement wasreached to consider supergene

copperenrichment significant if the ratioof chalcocite/chalcopyrite exceeds 1/lO, whichmeans that at least20 percent of the copper is in the formof chalcocite.

The logging sheet of FigureA1 is largely self-explanatory andshows all variables necessary to characterize the various breccias and their alteration and
mineralization.

T^BLE A1. Abbreviations of Quantitative Estimates of Mineral

Occurrences or AlterationAssemblages Quantity or abundance
Nil
Rare

Abbreviation
NIL
RA

Approximate vol percent

Trace

TR

<0.1

Sparse
Weak

SP
WK

0.1-0.4
0.4-1.0

Moderate

MOD

1.0-5.0

Strong
Intense Total

STR
INT TOT

5.0-15.0
15.0-40.0 >40

LOS BRONCES-RIO BLANCO:Cu & TOURMALINEBRECCIAS

APPENDIX II

1565

K-Ar Analytical Data and Agesof Nine Mineral Samples from Los Bronces-Rio Blanco,Chile
Rad. 4Ar

X10 -2

Rad. 4Ar

100 X Rad. 4Ar

Sample

Average

Sample type
Quartz monzonite Quartz monzonite Quartz monzonite
Hornblende diorite Hornblende diorite Granodiorite Granodiorite

no.
Lb- 1 Hb Lb- 1 Bi LB-2 Bi
LB-3A Hb LB-3A Bi LB-7 Hb LB-7 Bi

wt % K
0.377 7.515 7.608
0.448 6.442 0.306 7.362

mole/g
0.543 8.565 6.148
0.595 0.5547 0.188 4.176

Total4Ar
0.077 0.421 0.358
0.087 0.304 0.0236 0.0206

4K
0.1181 0.0934 0.0662
0.1088 0.0706 0.0505 0.0465

Age (m.y.)
20.1 15.9 11.3 _+ 2.0 ___ 0.6 _+ 0.4

18.5 12.0

___ 1.7 ___ 0.5

8.6 _ 0.9
7.9 ___ 0.4 4.8 _ 0.2

Dacite porphyry Dacite porphyry dike Sericitizedquartz monzonite

Lb-10 Bi LB-11 Bi LB-12 Se

7.468 7.446 6.258

2.584 2.594 2.306

0.205 0.204 0.242

0.0284 0.0286 0.0302

4.9 _ 0.2 5.2 _+ 0.3

Abbreviations: Hb = hornblende, Bi = biotite, Se = sericite,rad. = radiogenic Constants employed: ?,a -- 4.72 X 10- y; ?,e= 0.585 X 10- y; 4K/K = 1.22 X 10-4 g.g