EconomicGeology

Vol. 83, 1988, pp. 1159-1169

Geologyof the DeLamar SilverMine, Idaho A VolcanicDome Complex

and GeneticallyAssociatedHydrothermalSystem
SID P. HALSOR*,THEODOREJ. BORNHORST,
Departmentof Geologyand GeologicalEngineering,MichiganTechnological
University,Houghton,Michigan49931

MATT BEEBE, KIM RICHARDSON,

NERCO MineralsCompany,DeLamar SilverMine, P. 0. Box52, Jordan Valley, Oregon97910

AND WILLIAM STROWD

PioneerMetalsCorporation,228 SouthCole Road, Boise,Idaho 83709

Abstract

The DeLamar silver mine, locatedin southwestIdaho, producedover 17 million ounces

of silverand 230 thousandouncesof goldby bulk miningmethodsbetween 1977 andlate
1987. The mine occurswithin the Silver City rhyolite--an extensiveandcomplexsequence
of middle Miocenesilicicvolcanicflowsand domesthat unconformablyoverlie a thick pile
of Miocenealkaliolivinebasalt.The basaltoverliesLate Cretaceousgranitewhichis correl-
ative with the Idaho batholith. All three major rock types containepithermalsilver-gold
veins,althoughrhyolitessuchasthoseat DeLamar, are the only hostsfor low-grade,large
tonnage mineralization.
The DeLamar mine occurswithin a sequenceof six pervasively altered silicic volcanic
units. From oldestto youngesttheseunits have the followinginformaldesignations: (1)
porphyriticlatite, (2) quartz latite, (3) tuff breccia, (4) porphyriticrhyolite, (5) banded
rhyolite, and (6) millsiterhyolite. The porphyriticrhyolite unit is spatially,temporally,and
geneticallyrelated to silver-goldmineralizationand is the principalhostrock at DeLamar.
This unit was emplacedas coalescingand overlappinglava domesand was precededby
cogeneticeruption of tuff brecciain the form of tuff rings.The emplacementof tuff rings
and lava domeswas controlledby structuresrelated to a shallowlevel magmabody and
regionalbasin-and-range faulting.Onlap of bandedrhyolite precededhydrothermalactiv-
ity andservedasan importantcontrolon localizingore deposition.The mineralogiccharac-
ter of ore and alterationat DeLamar is similarto adularia-sericite-type volcanic-hosted
epithermaldeposits,but the geologicsettingis more like that of acid-sulfatedeposits.

Introduction based on the present gold to silver ratio and past

THE DeLamar silver mine, owned and operatedby dollar value of silver and gold ($40,000,000 pro-
the NERCO Minerals Company,Vancouver,Wash- duction prices).
ington, is one of the ten largest producing silver Early descriptionsof veinsand geologyat DeLa-
mines in the United States. The mine was the first mar and vicinity are given by Lindgren (1900) and
bulk-rockoperationto extractsuccessfully low con- Piper and Laney (1926). More recently, Asher
centrationsof silverutilizing conventionalopen-pit (1968) did reconnaissance geologicwork that en-
methods. Located 90 km southwest of Boise in the compassedthe DeLamar region and Pansze(1975)
Owyhee Mountains in southwestern Idaho, the studiedthe general geology and ore occurrencein
mine producesover 1.5 million ouncesof silver per the Silver City-DeLamar-Flint region. Subsequent
detailed work at DeLamar includes numerous un-
year. Since start up in 1977 to late 1987, over 17
million ounces of silver and 230 thousand ounces of published company reports (T. Weitz, J. Knox, B.
gold have been extractedfrom ore averaging2.0 Rodgers, M. Beebe, W. Strowd) and unpublished
oz/ton silver and 0.033 oz/ton gold. Previousun- theses (Halsor, 1983; Thomason, 1983; Barrett,
derground lode-vein mining between the years 1985).
1863 and 1914 produced an estimated 42 million Geologic Setting
ouncesof silver and 600 thousandouncesof gold
The DeLamar silver mining area lies within the
western Owyhee volcanicfield. In this region, the
* Present address:Department of Earth and Environmental Owyhee field is broadly composedof middle Mio-
Sciences,WilkesCollege,Wilkes-Barre,Pennsylvania18766. cenebasaltsand youngermiddle Miocenerhyolites.

0361-0128/88/843/1159-11 $2.50 1159

1160 HALSOR ET AL.
Upper Cretaceousgranite forms the basementfor
the Owyheevolcanicfield andis exposedlargelyin
the easternsegmentof the DeLamar region (Fig. 1).
The granitevariesin compositionfrom quartz mon-
zoniteto granodiorite(Asher,1968; Pansze,1975).
Radiometricage datesof about 65 m.y. and petrol-
ogic similaritiessuggestthat the granodioriteis cor-
relative with the Idaho batholith (Asher, 1968;
Pansze, 1975). East of Silver City, granodiorite
formsWar Eagle Mountainwhere it is cut by north
and north-northwest silver-bearing epithermal
veins.
Nonconformablyoverlyingthe graniticbasement
rock is a thick sequenceof Miocene age, predomi-
nantly alkali olivine basalt flows. The basalt is ex-
posed largely in an elongate zone that trends
throughthe centralportion of the DeLamar region
(Fig. 1). The basaltflowswere erupted onto a topo-
graphicallyirregular granite surfaceand have vari-
able thicknesses(Asher, 1968; Pansze,1975). Just
northeastof DeLamar, Asher (1968) reports that
the maximum known thickness of basalt exceeds
800 m. Whole-rock potassium-argon datesyield an
averageage of 16.6 _ 4.3 m.y. (Pansze,1975).
The remainingvolcanicstratigraphyin the DeLa-
mar region is composedmainly of rhyolites with
somelatite. For clarity the rhyolite group is subdi-
vided into pre- and postmineralizationseries.The
premineralization series includes the Silver City
rhyolite of Asher (1968) and the upper rhyolite and
quartz latite units of Pansze(1975) (Fig. 1). In the
DeLamar region the complexlyinterrelated Silver
FIG. 1. Generalizedgeologicmapof the DeLamarregion.Compiledfromvarioussources,especially
Ekren et al. (1981).
City rhyolites consistof an undetermined number
of separateandoften coalescingrhyolite flowsfrom
many volcanic sources.The rhyolites are domal
flows,localto extensivelavasandpyroclasticflows,
and tuff breccias.These rockscover the tops of
DeLamar and Florida Mountainsand other high-
landswithin the area. Pansze(1975) reports five
dates from Silver City rhyolite flows that cluster
around 16.0 m.y., but other unpublisheddatesin
the districtsuggesttheserhyolitesmaybe asold as
17.8 m.y.
The postmineralizationtuff of SwisherMountain
(Ekren et al., 1981) is exposedin the western De-
Lamarregion.The tuff hasbeen describedby Ekren
et al. (1981) asa compositionallyzoned, compound
coolingunit that containsseveralinterveningvitro-
phyres. The tuff has a maximum thicknessthat ex-
ceeds 200 m and flow directional studies indicate a
source60 km to the south of DeLamar at Juniper
Mountain. Neill (1975) reports two potassium-
argon age determinationsof 13.4 + 0.2 and 14.1
+ 0.4 m.y. on the correlative rhyolite of Poison
Creek.
The DeLamar region is cut by north-northwest-
trendinghigh-anglefaultswith predominantlyver-
tical displacement (Pansze, 1975; Ekren et al.,
1981; Thomason,1983) (Fig. 1). Movement of up
to severalhundredmetersalongthe faultspre- and
postdatesthe emplacementof basaltsandrhyolites.
Pansze(1975) suggeststhat the faults are related to
both crustalextensionin the BasinandRangeprov-
ince and rifting of the SnakeRiver Plain.
.• Alluvium
i3clud•g
landslide
deposits
and terrace gravels
Tertiary
Post-mberalization
ß i:• Tuff
of
Swisher
Moutain
ß Pre-m•eralization
• Silver
City
Rhyo#te
Cretaceous
•r• •a•e
 DELAMAR
Mineralization in the DeLamar Region area,suggesta probableageof 13.9 to 14.8 m.y. for
DeLamar, Florida, and War Eagle Mountains are the millsiterhyolite (Strowd, 1982b).
the three principal areasof epithermal silver-gold Structure
mineralization.The four majorrockgroupsfoundin
the region all serve as host rocks: granite at War
Eagle Mountain, granite-basalt-latite-rhyolite at
Florida Mountain, and rhyolite-latite at DeLamar
Mountain. Host-rock lithology appearsto control
the styleof veining.Ore in the graniticrocksoccurs
in discrete veins with little or no mineralization
outsidethe veins. As the host rock changesfrom
graniteto basaltto latite to rhyolite, alterationand
mineralizationbecome more pervasiveand lessre-
stricted to major veins. The size and extent of the
different veins and vein systemshave been de-
scribed in detail by Lindgren (1900), Piper and
Laney (1926), and Asher (1968).
Ore mineralogyvaries little between the host-
rock lithologies and consistsprimarily of native
silver and gold acanthite, proustite, pyrargyrite,
polybasite,miargyrite, and naumannite(Piper and
Laney, 1926). At DeLamar, sulfidessuchaspyrite
and marcasite with minor or trace amounts of chal-
copyrite, galena,sphalerite,and jamesoniteocca-
sionally accompany the precious metal-bearing
minerals.Principal ganguemineralsin the veinsare
quartz and adularia, with lesseramountsof calcite,
barite, fluorite, siderite,and vivianite at War Eagle
and Florida Mountains. Potassium-argondates on
adularia from veins on Florida and War Eagle
Mountains range from 15.2 to 16.6 m.y. These
dates are consistent with stratigraphic relations
which bracket the age of mineralizationbetween
about 16.6 m.y. for host-rockagesand 13.9 m.y: for
postmineralization rock ages.
Geologyof the DeLamar Silver Mine
Volcanicstratigraphy
The Silver City rhyolitesat the mine consistof a
sequenceof sixflows,eachof which hasbeen infor-
mally named (Strowd, 1982a; Halsor, 1983; Tho-
mason,1983). From oldestto youngesttheseflows
are porphyritic latite, quartz latite, tuff breccia,
porphyritic rhyolite, banded rhyolite, and millsite
rhyolite. Descriptionsof the flow units (Table 1)
accompanythe geologicmap in Figure 2.
The oldestflow, porphyritic latite, overliesalkali
olivine basalt in the north and northwest areas of
the map. Porphyritic rhyolite is correlative with
Pansze's(1975) upper rhyolite which he dated at
16.0 to 16.1 _ 0.3 m.y. Using these dates,the por-
phyritic latite, quartz latite, and tuff breccia are
bracketed by 16.6-m.y.-old basalt and 16.1-m.y.-
old porphyriticrhyolite. Stratigraphicrelationships,
with respect to dated units outside the mapped
AgMINE,ID 1161
Structure in the DeLamar mine area is character-
ized by high-anglenormal faults and widely dis-
persedfracturezones.The Northwestfault,named
to emphasizeits parallelismwith the regionalstruc-
tural trend, strikes northwest acrossthe northern
mapareaandis well exposedin the North DeLamar
pit. The West, Central,andEastfaultshaveshorter
strikelengthsand trend in a northerly,subparallel
fashionwithin the Sommercampzone (Fig. 2).
The Northwest fault is a fault zone developed
prior to the earlieststagesof volcanismon DeLamar
Mountainand is thoughtto be related to other re-
gionalbasin-and-range faultsthat evolvedduringa
period of extensionaltectonismin early middle
Miocenetime. Movementalongthe Northwestfault
continuedthrough and postdatesthe volcanicsuc-
cessionin the mine area. A preponderanceof sym-
pathetic and antithetic fracture attitudes in the
North DeLamar pit and Sommercampzonessug-
geststhat the Northwestfault is actuallya fault
zone. Fracture orientations in the DeLamar mine
area can be explained by movement along the
Northwest fault over a broad zone with subsequent
and concurrent movement associated with the Som-
mercampfaults.
Volcano-tectonicsetting
DeLamar Mountainoccupiesthe northeastrim of
a roughly circular, 3.5-km-wide topographically
prominentlandform.Sourceventsfor rhyolite lavas
are generallycoincidentwith this feature (Fig. 3).
This led Halsor (1983) to suggestthat the landform
is composedlargely of overlappingand coalescing
rhyolite domeserupted alonga ring fracture.Ring
fracturesare typical structuresformed over rising
plutons (Anderson, 1936; Koide and Bhattacharji,
1975). Though suchfracturesare commonlyasso-
ciated with collapsedcalderas,the lack of predome
pyroclasticflows at DeLamar suggeststhat there
wasno caldera-formingevent. Pyroclastictuff brec-
cia is present, but it is a small-volume,near-vent
faciesinterpreted to be a tuff ring formed prior to
dome emplacement. Thus, the volcano-tectonic
structureat DeLamar is dominatedby an inferred
ring fracture developedduring the emplacementof
a shallow-levelbody of magma(Fig. 3). Because
only relatively small volumes of silicic lavaswere
erupted, the rock directly overlyingthe magmare-
mainedintact and did not collapse.Similarfeatures
are present at Mono Craters, California (Kistler,
1966), and E1 Chichon,Mexico (Roseet al., 1984).
Regional faults are important in that they con-
 HALSOR ET AL.

TABLE1. Featuresof the VolcanicRock Units Recognizedin the Vicinity of the DeLamar Silver Mine

Mode of
Unit and Phenocrystand rock emplacement
symbol Thickness(ft) fragmentdata Description andpossiblesource Comments

Millsite 0 to 500+ 5 percentsubhedral Purplishred; flowbreccias Lavaflow(s)from Postmineralization

rhyolite sanidineandquartz are commonat top and north-northwest- onlyminor
(Tms) phenocrystsup to base;massiveto flow- trendingdikesat alteration
3 mm across banded interior with Louse Mountain
columnarjoints; (sec22, T 5 S,
lithophysaeare common R 4 W)
Banded 0 to 300 Lessthan i percent White, pink, or purplishred; Low-viscositylava 50 to 70 ft of basal
rhyolite phenocrystsof stronglydevelopedfolded flow or possiblyan vitrophyre was
(Wbr) roundedsanidine flow bands;commonly ashflow, probably altered to form a
and quartz pervasivelyaltered; from a local vent clay layer that
hydrothermallybrecciated ponded
andveinedby quartz hydrothermal
solutions

Porphyritic 100 to 850 3 to 8 percent Buff to white; generally Rhyolitedomeor One of manyrhyolite
rhyolite subhedralto homogeneous and massive, thick lava flow domes in the
(Tpr) euhedral quartz seldombanded;commonly lobe from a regionassociated
and sanidine silicifiedwith quartzveins nearbyburied with north-
phenocrysts and brecciation in altered source;it may northwest-
zones coverits own vent trendingfaulting
Tuff 0 to 170 Angularfragmentsof Green; predominantly Near-ventoutfall Unit is not laterally
breccia altered Tlb and TI beddedlapilli tuff; beds from continuous;
(Ttb) up to 10 cm across vary from severalinchesto phreatomagmatic pervasive
in a fine, altered several feet thick and are explosionsthat alteration;some
matrix moderatelysortedby size probably fragmentsreplaced
but are not graded culminatedin Tpr by pyrite
extrusion

Quartz 0 to 350(?) Sparsephenocrystsof Blackto greenishgray; Lava flowsmainly Unit of regional

latite quartz, sanidine, weathersto orangeor red; from Florida extent exposedin
/Tql/ and minor andesinc commonlyaltered to red or Mountainand the Glen Silver pit
and clinopyroxene white; producesplaty Cinnabar and nearbyin
less than i mm fragmentsand extensive Mountain and Louse Creek
aCFOSS taluson slopes other sources

Porphyritic 50 to 200 Xenocrystsand Dark gray to black;weathers Mainly vesicularlava OccursaboveTlb at

latite xenolithsof quartz; to brownish red where flows from the DeLamar
(Tl) feldspar,granite, massive and to various Sullivan Knob silver mine;
and basalt; 3 colorswhere platy; near DeLamar and regionalstudies
percent 1-mm-size commonlyaltered to red or Florida Mountains indicate TI is
quartzandfeldspar white; commonlyhasplaty intercalated within
phenocrysts structureandred amygdules upperpart of Tlb
elsewhere

Lower 0 to 2,500+ Commonlyhas Blackto gray-green;generally Numerouslava Flowstypically are

basalt labradoritclathsup massivebut locally flows;probably 50 to 150 ft thick
(Tlb) to i cm long; local scoriaceous,brecciated, fissureeruptions and are quite
olivine phenocrysts palagonitic,and pillowed; from north- continuous
commonlyhaspoorly northwest- laterally
developedcolumnar trendingdikes
jointing

trolled sites of silicic volcanism.This close spatial trolled the emplacement of a magma body that
relationshipis clearly shown in regional mapping evolved the ring-domecomplex.
where rhyolitic bodies commonly border major As an alternative to ring fractures, Strowd
faults (Fig. 1). Sourcevents at the DeLamar mine (1982b) hassuggestedthat the systemof coalescing
fall on the trend of the Northwest fault which is a rhyolite domes and associatedtuff breccia were
segmentof a regionalfault zone (Fig. 3). The posi- vented alonga N 60 øW flexureon a regionalN 15ø
tion of the DeLamar domecomplex,with respectto W normal fault. The regional structure can be
the Northwestfault and related extensionsstrongly traced for more than 7 mi in both directions from
suggeststhat this fault system structurally con- the mine (Strowd, 1982a). The 2-mi flexure on this
 DELAMAR Ag MINE, ID 1163

TIb •, ?
I I I I I •-....., • // J Tpr) Ttb.,,,___._•

t faults d -- • .Ttb '/,.•';•.•-.•"•W

--
.....................
•:5.T_q
3o
'•ø
..... - "•,Tpr.,•,,
"-• • •...lpr t eo Tbr __

'..'""...".....•'
Tpr Glen '"'::i•
Silver
Zo Tbr•.eo
............................. '
Sommeroom
Zone
// Tms

Infeet 1

::o;l F ::,:
..._.,..
/ •6000
Glen Silver Zone North DeLamar Zone

FIG. 2. Generalizedgeologicmap and crosssectionsof the DeLamar silvermine. See Table I for
identityof geologicunits.The ore zonesin the crosssectionsare shownby stipplingand the "cz"
symbolrefersto the clayzoneat thebaseof the bandedrhyolite(Tbr).Additionalfaultsare shownin the
crosssectionthathavebeenomittedfromthe mapfor clarity.Note alsothat the crosssectionsaredrawn
at an enlargedscale.

structure comprisesthe DeLamar dome complex exploited not only by silicic volcanismbut also by
and its attendant orebodies. The intensified ten- mineralizing hydrothermalfluids (Fig. 4).
sionalstresslocalizedat the flexureis exhibitedby
Mineralization and alteration
numerousnorth-strikingnormal faults and a domi-
nant pervasivenorth-strikingfracture set intersect- The DeLamar mine consists of three localized
ing the main northwest regional fault along the zones of economic mineralization. Two of them are
flexure.The locationand pattern of domeextrusion the North DeLamar zonewhich is about335 by 150
wasthereby controlledby both the main northwest m (Fig. 9.) and the Sommerville zone which covers
flexure and its intersecting subsidiarynortherly an approximate area 300 m long by 180 m wide.
structures.Strowd (1982b) suggeststhat vent dis- The North DeLamar zone is elongate along the
tribution at DeLamar, therefore,may reflect a par- trend of the Northwest fault; the Sommercamp
tially enclosedparallelogramalongthe flexure with zone is subcircular,flattening along the margin of
the southeasterlyend open (Fig. 3). the West fault. The base of economic mineralization
The abundanceof faultsat DeLamarpreparedthe in these two areas is 100 to 121• m below the sur-
rocks and guided subsequentore-bearing fluids, face.The ore zoneshavebeen describedashaving
thus resultingin the bulk tonnagemineral occur- wedgelike or conelike shapesthat flare upward
rence. Most veins at DeLamar trend north and (Thomason, 1983). Reference crosssectionsare
northwest, whereas other orientations are infre- shown in Figure 2.
quent. The dominant northerly vein direction Low-grade,bulk tonnageore is composedof pre-
occursat all of the other major producerswithin the viouslyworked major veinsinterspersedwith high-
regionaswell. Likewise,the regionaldistributionof densityfracture fillingsand veinlets. Underground
rhyolite vents in the Owhyee Mountainsis gener- venturesduring the early history of DeLamar min-
ally disposedalong northerly and northwesterly ing extracted rich ores from veins up to several
trending normal faults contemporaneous with meters wide. Bulk mining has removed the defini-
basin-and-rangeextension(Pansze,1975). At De- tive portionsof major veins and only a few veins
Lamar,a localizedflexureon one of theseregional (clearlydistinctfrom the wall rock with appreciable
structures induced a focus of structural weakness widths) are exposedalongbench faces.The nature
1164 HALSOR ET AL.

three systems.The North DeLamar zone contains

two vein systems;the Hamilton-Wilson-No. 9 vein
systemthat strikesabout N 25 ø W and dips 45 ø to
66 ø W on the fourth level, and the 77 vein that
strikesN 62 ø W and dips 35 øW on the fourth level.
The Sommercampzone includes one vein system
'• GlenSilver• •,
',•...•e zone • •, composedof ten interlinked veinsthat strike N 18 ø
W and dip 65 ø to 80 ø W. Dips steepenwith depth
in all systemsand veinscommonlymerge with each
A other in both the horizontal and vertical planes
(Piper andLaney, 1926). Quartz veinsexhibit sharp
contacts with the wall rock, but in their widest
ivan Knob
zonesare often gradationaland marked by quartz
stringers alternating with silicified country rock
(Asher, 1968). The major veinsoften displayfinely
laminated banded textures. The richest ore shoots
are developedat vein intersectionsand near where
veinsterminate at the clay zone.
Low-grade mineralization occurs in porphyritic
rhyolite where closelyspacedveinletsand fracture

1 km
, fillingsprovidebulk tonnageore. Most of the vein-
lets are less than 5 mm in width and have short
lengthsthat are laterally and vertically discontin-
i• pørphyritic
rhyølitevent(s) uous.In somezonesalong bench facesthe density
of veinsapproacheseight to ten per meter and they
ring
fracture form branchingor crude stockworkstructures.Lo-
FIG. 3. Map showingthe spatialrelationshipsbetweenpromi- cally, small veins can form pods or irregular zones
nent topographicfeaturesenclosedby solid lines, porphyritic up to 1 to 9.cm wide that persistfor severalcenti-
rhyolite sourcevents, an inferred ring fracture, ore zones,and meters before pinching down to more restricted
major faults.
widths. In highly silicifiedzones,porphyritic rhyo-
lite is commonlypermeated by anastomosingmi-
of the major veinsis well documentedin the early croveinletstypicallylessthan 0.5 mm wide. Most of
and prebulk mining literature (Lindgren, 1900; the minute veining displayswell-defined contacts
Piper and Laney, 1926; Asher, 1968). with the enclosingrock and in someinstancesveins
Reconstructedmajor veins can be divided into can be seen to sharply cut phenocrysts.Still, in

DeLamar
A Mtn A'
sw • NWFault NE

Tbr

TIb TIb

lq'IG.4. Idealized crosssectionthroughthe DeLamar dome complexat the time of hydrothermal

activity.Emplacementof the shallowlevel magmabodyis controlledby the regionalNorthwest(NW)
fault. Magmaevolvesporphyriticrhyolite lavasand setsin motionconvectivecirculationof meteoric
waters(shownby arrows).Approximatelocationof this crosssectionis shownin Figure 3.
 DELAMARAgMINE,ID 1165

other zones, microveinlets are less distinct and dif- in the minerals(up to 7.8 wt % Se) which indicates
ficult to distinguishfrom groundmass silicification. that hydrothermalsolutions wererelativelypoorin
Networks of high-density,quartz-free fractures sulfur(Barrett, 1985). Arsenicsubstitutesfor anti-
are the sites for supergenemineralization. Major monyin polybasite, pyrargyrite,andstephanitc. Py-
fracturesgenerallytrend north-northwest,but less rite is the mostwidespreadmetallicmineral occur-
prominent intervening and crosscuttingfractures ringin veinsandalteredcountryrock.Pyriteoccurs
are present.Major fracturescommonlyhave steep alongthe edgesof veinsbut alsoascoatingson some
dipsandshowreversalsin directionof dip vertically of the youngerminerals.Polymorphicmarcasiteis
along faces.Fracture fillings commonlyconsistof commonlyassociatedwith pyrite, forminglath-
thin coatingsof goethite and jarosite but occasion- shapedcrystalsandanhedralaggregates surround-
ally canbe filled with seamsof sericiteandkaolinitc ing pyrite. In somezones,marcasite is intimately
up to several centimeters wide. Above the clay intergrownin irregularclotswithpyrite.A general-
zone, veining is characterizedby narrow, chalced- ized parageneticsequenceis given in Figure 5. In
ony-lined fracturesof irregular extent. the Sommercamppit, an ore mineral transition
In the Sommercamppit, the principal ore zone in occursin the deepestpart of the pit. Detailed pit
porphyriticrhyolite occurredbeneaththe clay zone mappingindicated trace amountsof galenaand
asa distinctshootstrikingnorth-northwest,dipping chalcopyrite
from aboutthe 6020 level to pit bot-
40 ø E; and plunging9%ø SE. It was 27 m thick at tom at the 5990 level.
the south end and thickened to 90 m at the north Vein ganguemineralsconsistalmostentirely of
end. The ore-waste boundary at the base of the quartz,with minoramountsof mosaicintergrowths
shootwas sharpwith ore-gradematerial (>2 oz Ag) of adularia.Texturally, quartz can be divided into
in the shoot abruptly dropping.to waste acrossa three varieties: (1) cloudy, massive,fine-grained
single 1.5-m sample interval. The base of the ore quartz, (2) lameliarquartz, and (3) clear, crystal-
shootwas remarkably planar but dipped 40 ø E as line, coarse-grainedquartz (Fig. 5). Cloudly, fine-
mentionedabove.The top of the ore shootwasun- grainedquartz, includinga chalcedonicvariety, is
dulatoryand more or lessdefinedby the baseof the the dominanttype in veinsand veinletsthat consti-
clay zone over the porphyritic rhyolite. Generally, tute ore. This quartz is characterizedby turbid an-
major mineralized shootsin the Glen Silver, North hedral grains(<0.005 mm) rich in solidinclusions.
DeLamar, and Sullivan Gulch zones all plunge 10 ø Lameliar quartz forms a distinctivemodifiedbox-
to 15 ø to the southeast.Determining the plunge in work structurecomposedof thin plates that inter-
the North DeLamar pit proved difficult due to a sect and join each other at variousangles.Micro-
very complexcrossfaultingpattern. scopically, a singleplateis composed of a mosaicof
Ore mineralogyis reported by Thomason(1983) cryptocrystalline quartz grainsthat gradeoutward
and Barrett (1985). Naumannite(Ag,zSe)is the dom- into largerdrusyquartzcrystalsarrangedalongthe
inant silver mineral and acanthite (Ag,zS) and sidesof a medianline representingthe center of the
acanthite-aguilarite[(Ag,zS)-(Ag4)(Se,S),z]
solid solu-
tion are the secondmost abundant.Remaining ore
Hypogene Supergene
mineralsconsistof lesseramountsof argentopyrite
(AgFe,zS3),Se-bearing pyrargyrite [Ag3Sb(S,Se)al, Naumannite -

Se-bearing polybasite [(Ag,Cu)•6Sb2(S,Se)11], cer- Acanthite ?

argyrite [AgCI], Se-bearing stephanitc [AgsSb- Pyrite - - -
(S,Se)4],native silver, and native gold and minor Marcasite ......
Se-bearingbillingsleyite[Ag7(Sb,As)(S,Se)6], pyro- Argentopyrite -.?-?-?-
stilpnite [Ag3Sb(S,Se)3],and Se-bearing pearceitc
[(Ag,Cu)]•As2(S,Se)]•].Ore minerals are generally Pyrargyrite
very fine grained; 65 percent of the minerals aver- Native gold
age 62 # in diameter, with the remainder averaging Native silver -? --
200 # (Rodgers, 1980). Naumannite, the dominant Cerargyrite --
silver mineral, commonlyoccursas finely dissemi- Quartz:
nated grains in quartz veinlets and within some
fractures. It is also found as crystal aggregates Cloudy
growing on drusy quartz that lines vugs.Acanthite, Lameliar

the second most abundant silver mineral, occurs as Coarse

anhedralblebs in quartz gangueand hydrothermal Time ß
clayscommonlyassociatedwith naumannite.It also
is frequentlypresentasa late-stagemineralcoating FIG. 5. Generalizedparageneticsequenceof mineralization
drusyquartz in vugs.Seleniumsubstitutesfor sulfur for the DeLamar silver rhine(Halsor, 1983; Thomason,1983).
1166 HALSOR ET AL.

plate. Lamellar quartz probably formed by the quartz [• Lameliar

Vuggy quartz
pseudomorphicreplacementof an earlier formed
vein mineral, probably. either calcite or barite N=10
(Piper and Laney, 1926; Asher, 1968). It is barren
of silver-gold mineralization except in zones af-
fectedby supergenealterationwhere it is enriched
in gold. Clear, crystallinequartz, up to severalmil-
limeterslong, occursin cavities,vugs,andtiny open
spacesin massivevein quartz. The quartz crystals
are sometimescoatedby late-stageore minerals.
Ore mineralogy and fluid inclusionshave been
usedto constrainthe temperature of ore deposition.
Thomason(1983) reporteda minimumtemperature
of ore deposition of 133øC based on the crystal 2.0 2.6 3.2 3.8 4.4

habit of naumannite.Stephaniteindicatesa temper- Equivalent weight percent

ature of ore depositionof greaterthan 197øC (Bar- NaCl

rett, 1985). The cloudy, fine-grainedcharacterof

vein quartz was lessthan ideal for fluid inclusion
studies. Most of the inclusions were very small
(•0.009 mm) and of limited distribution.Inclusions
lessthan 0.001 mm could not be analyzed.Nearly
all of the inclusionsare simpletwo-phasegas-liquid
with fillingratiosof 0.70 to 0.85. Relativelyisolated
inclusions are interpreted as primary in origin
whereas those that clearly followed fractures are
interpreted as secondary.Only end-memberinclu-
sions were studied. Our limited data indicate that
the late-stage lameliar quartz was deposited be- 170 195 220 245
Homogenization temperature
tween about 200 ø and 240øC (not corrected for
pressure) while the vuggy quartz was between FIG. 6. Histogramsof homogenization temperatures(A) and
about 170ø and 220øC, suggestiveof a slight cool- salinities(B) for relatively isolatedfluid inclusionsin late-stage
ing with time (Fig. 6). Since both lameliar and lameliar andvuggyquartz.No pressurecorrectionwasappliedto
the homogenizationtemperatures sinceit is likelyto be lessthan
vuggyquartz were relatively late stage,it is proba- 10øC basedon curvesof Potter (1977).
ble that the principal silver mineralizationat DeLa-
mar was deposited at temperatures above about
220øC. This is consistentwith representative tem-
peraturesduringpreciousmetal depositionof 230 ø rhyoliteis overlainby a clayzonewhichconsists of
to 290øC for Tertiary volcanic-hostedepithermal variable quantities of mixed layers of illite and
depositsfrom westernNorth America(Heald et al., montmorilloniteclayswith 5 to 7 vol percenteuhe-
1987). dral pyrite in fine-grainedaggregatesor ascrystals
Salinity of relatively late-stage hydrothermal up to a few millimetersacross.In lessalteredareas
fluids at DeLamar range from 2.8 to 3.8 equivalent relic perlitic structurecan be seen, demonstrating
weight percent NaC1 (Fig. 6). This is similar to Ter- that the clay zone was a basal vitrophyre of the
tiary depositssummarizedby Heald et al. (1987) bandedrhyolite. Above the clay zone, feldsparin
which range from I to 7 equiv wt percent NaC1. the bandedrhyolite is altered to kaolinite and the
The host rocks at DeLamar are pervasively al- groundmass containsfinely disseminated hematite,
tered. The tuffbreccia is alteredto an assemblage of trace amountsof epidote, and patchesof crypto-
quartz, illite, pyrite, and marcasite.The alteration crystalline quartz. Sparsechemical data (Halsor,
of the principal host of mineralization, porphyritic 1983) indicate that at least someof the DeLamar
rhyolite, is vertically zoned. The alteration assem- rockswere potassiummetasomatized.
blage is quartz, illite, pyrite, and marcasiteand lo- Scatteredzonesof breccia in the bandedrhyolite
cally in the upper portions there are complex as- occur most frequently near the base of the unit.
semblagesincludingjarosite, and mixturesof alun- Thesebrecciascrosscutflow layering, someranging
ite, goethite, and kaolinite; hematite with kaolinite; up to severalmetersin lengthby severaldecimeters
and illite plus kaolinite (Thomason,1983; Barrett, in width. The brecciasconsistof close-packedangu-
1985). The latter style of alterationproducesa very lar fragmentsof flow-bandedrhyolite in a chalce-
conspicuousglaring white rock that overlies the donicmatrix.The fragmentsshowlittle rotationand
principal ore zones at DeLamar. The porphyritic this, together with the crosscuttingnature of the
 DELAMARAg MINE, ID 1167

breccias, suggestsa hydrothermal origin and not thermal fluids. It is conceivablethat the early con-
primary featuresrelated to flow. version of the vitrophyre to an impermeableclay
In summary,the main stageof ore mineralization restrictedfluid flow and that this played an impor-
at DeLamar is characterizedby sericitic alteration tant role in localizing ore deposition in the por-
which gradesupward into argillic-propyliticalter- phyritic rhyolite. Main-stage mineralizing fluids
ation (see Heald et al., 1987, for alteration termi- were about 250øC, of low salinity, and relatively
nology).We tentativelyinterpret the advancedar- rich in Se. The localized zones of hydrothermal
gillic (alunite-bearing) at DeLamar alteration as brecciaandthe pervasiveargillicalterationare sug-
primary supergene(Hayba et al., 1986). gestivebut not conclusiveevidenceof boiling.Per-
hapslocalpressurebuildupunderthe clayzonewas
Volcanismand Ore Deposition followedby breachingof the clay zone,formationof
The present spatial distribution and thicknessof hydrothermal breccia in the overlying banded
middle Miocene basaltsuggeststhat the DeLamar rhyolite, and possibly,boiling in responseto the
region, prior to silicicvolcanism,was dominatedby consequentdramaticdrop in pressure.Yet, the De-
a vastcoverof basalticrocks(Fig. 7A). Regionally, Lamar systemwas probably water dominatedand
basaltoccursalonga broad north-northwest-trend- boilingmaynot haveplayeda significantrole in ore
ing band that bordersthe DeLamar area and forms deposition.A pressureof about40 barsis necessary
the lower eastern and northern flank of DeLamar to suppressboiling of the hydrothermal fluids
Mountain. In the DeLamar area basaltis exposedto (Haas, 1971). This correspondsto a simplelithosta-
the north in the footwall and is inferred to be tic headof about125 m or a simplehydrostatichead
present at depth where it is downdroppedalong of about450 m. Heald et al. (1987) and Hayba et al.
major north-northwest-trendingfaults. It appears (1986) estimateda paleodepthof 100 m for DeLa-
that the prebasaltsurfacein the DeLamar region mar. A paleodepth of about 300 to 600 m as pro-
wasmostlyoverwhelmedby basaltflows (up to 800 posed for other similar deposits by Heald et al.
m thick) transforminga topographyof moderatere- (1987) may be more appropriate.Subsequentto ore
lief into one of relatively low relief. Structurally deposition,the area was eroded to its present to-
controlled silicic dome complexes,such as DeLa- pography(Fig. 7E).
mar, developedon this low relief surface(Fig. 7B DeLamar providesan exampleof a depositwhich
and C). may refute the mutual exclusivity of the deposit
Ore depositionat DeLamaris shownto be spa- typesproposedby Heald et al. (1987) and Hayba et
tially, temporally,andgeneticallyrelatedto an epi- al. (1986). They have subdividedvolcanic-hosted
sodeof silicicvolcanism(Fig. 7D)--a structurally epithermal deposits into two mutually exclusive
controlled dome complex.Alteration and mineral- end-membertypes on the basisof a variety of char-
ization closely followed porphyritic rhyolite em- acteristics:acid-sulfateand adularia-sericite.They
placementandwasmostintensein structurallypre- placed DeLamar into the adularia-sericite deposit
paredzonesat the intersectionof the ring fracture type but recognizedthat "DeLamar, which is rich
or north-south-trendingfaults and the regional in silver and selinidebut poor in base metals,may
Northwest fault. That lesser amounts of mineraliza- alsomerit recognitionas a distinctsubtype" (Heald
tion are presentin bodiesof porphyriticrhyolite et al., 1987, p. 3). DeLamar is similar in many, but
outsidethis Northwestfault zone (Henrietta mine, not all, respectsto the typical adularia-sericitede-
GoldenCycle mine) demonstrates the spatialrela- posit. MineralogicallyDeLamar fits quite well into
tionshipbetween host-rocktype and ore deposi- the adularia-sericitegroup with no enargite, a seri-
tion. There is a closetemporal association
between cite (illite)-dominant alteration, quartz-adularia
the eruption of porphyritic rhyolite ("-16 ___0.3 veins, and selenides. However, selenides are much
m.y.) and the mineralizing event ("-15.7 ___ 0.5 more abundant at DeLamar than other deposits.
m.y.). These data are identical within the uncer- The argillic alteration found at DeLamar, which is
tainty.The relationshipshelp to establisha genetic likely related to the ore-mineralizingevent, is un-
associationin that the shallowmagmabody which commonin adularia-sericitedeposits.Kaolinitc at
producedporphyriticrhyoliteflowsalsoprovided DeLamarisformedby the breakdownof plagioclase
the heat source to drive convective cells of metal-
in rhyolite as describedat other deposits.The host
bearingwaters. rock at DeLamar is a porphyritic rhyolite dome
At the onsetof thermal activity at DeLamar, the
which is characteristicof acid-sulfatedepositsand
water tableis at somedepthbetweenthe paleosur- not adularia-sericite deposits. Stratigraphic and
faceandthe basalvitrophyrein the bandedrhyolite K-Ar ageconstraintssuggesta closeconnectionbe-
(Fig. 7D). The intensityof alterationat the clay tween magmatismand mineralization. The environ-
zone suggeststhat the precursorbasal vitrophyre ment of acid-sulfatedepositsis a shallowhydrother-
wasparticularlysusceptibleto alterationby hydro- mal systemin the core of a volcanicdome (Heald et
 A
south

eooo •-• ; • '" '' .'"-:

•ooo

E
7ooo

FIG. 7. Schematicgeologichistoryof DeLamarMountain.A. ExtensiveMioceneporphyriticlatite

(T1)andquartzlatite (Tql) flowssubmerge Miocenealkaliolivinebasalts(Tlb) andlocalfluvial,arcosic
clasticrocks(Tas).B. Miocenetuff breccia(Ttb) is depositedon the quartzlatite (Tql) by phreaticor
phreatomagmatic explosionsdevelopedalonga northwest-trending basin-and-range normalfault. C.
Basin-and-range normalfaultingaccompanied with Miocenesilicicvolcanism generatesrhyolitedomes
andlavaflows(Tpr)alongthe preexisting northwest trend.A lowviscosity, flow-banded,rhyolitelava
(Tbr) with a basalperliticvitrophyrecoversthe domesandflows(Tpr).The domesandflows(Tbr) and
rhyolitelava(Tpr) are nearlycontemporaneous. D. Continuednormalfaultingfracturesrocksin which
hydrothermal solutions ascend.The rhyolitelavais the probableheatsourceandis the predominant
hostformineralization. Silicicandargillicalterationispervasive.
Perlitein thedomesandttowislocally
alteredto a clayzoneanddamsascending mineralizing solutions.
The millsiterhyolite(Tms)is em-
placedfrom the southeast after epithermalactivity.The ageof mineralization,of the domesandflows,
and of the rhyolitelava is approximately15 to 17 m.y.E. Subsequent erosionhasremovedsurficial
rocksand modifiedthe topography.

1168
 DELAMAR
AgMINE,ID
al., 1987), whereas adularia-sericite depositstend
to be structurally controlled but not spatially or
temporally associatedwith magmatism.The envi-
ronment for DeLamar as depicted in Figures 4 and
7 matchesmore closelythat shownfor acid-sulfate
than adularia-sericite deposits by Heald et al.
(1987, fig. 4). However, the geochemicalenviron-
ment at DeLamar, which is poorly known, mustbe
more like adularia-sericitedepositsbecauseof min-
eralogicalsimilarity.
Acknowledgments
We thank the NERCO Minerals Companyand the
previous owners of the DeLamar silver mine for
providingaccessto the mine and unpublishedre-
ports. Halsor's work was partially funded by an
AIME Henry DeWitt SmithTrust scholarshipgrant,
a U.S. Department of Health, Education,and Wel-
fare fellowship from the Michigan Technological
University, the U.S. Department of Interior's Min-
eral Institute Programadministeredby the Bureau
of Mines under grant Gl174126, and the MAPCO
Minerals Corporation. The manuscript benefited
from comments by two Economic Geology re-
viewers.
November26, 1985; May 25, 1988
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