J.W.

Hedenquist

Epithermal vein deposits

Epithermal Au-Ag vein deposits: Critical characteristics, variations, and exploration

Terminology: metal variation Background: features, variations and causes LS deposits: Back-arc IS deposits: Intrusion-centered (vs Mexican) Exploration

Jeffrey W. Hedenquist
Ottawa, Canada

Ares, January 2005

Zacatecas, Mexico

Epithermal types: Alternative terminology

Largely synonymous
Type 3
Gold (Te, Se)-qtz veins Hot spring Adularia-sericite, low sulfur Low sulfidation Type 1 ad-ser Western andesite High sulfidation 1999, 01 2000, 03 evolving - - -

Examples of epithermal deposits

1903-33 1977 1981 1982 1986-89 1987 1991, 93

Type 2
Ag, bms veins Alkaline epithermal Epithermal

Type 1
Goldfield type, Au-al, 2nd qtzite Acid epithermal Au-enargite Acid sulfate, high sulfur, al-kaol High sulfidation

LS veins: Midas, Sleeper, Mule Canyon, Lewis-Crofoot; El Limn;

Beroen; Ares?; El Pen; Cerro Vanguardia, Esquel; Hishikari; Balei LS veins, alkalic: Cripple Creek, Emperor, Porgera, Ladolam

IS veins: Comstock, Creede; Tethys, e.g., Rosia Montana,

Sacarimb; Victoria, Baguio, Philippines (adj. lithocaps); Toyoha, Sado, Kushikino, Japan; Kelian; Arcata, Orcopampa, Cordilleran, e.g., Julcani, Colqui & Quiruvilca (w/ HS), all of Per, ; vs. Mexican Ag:Au:bms, e.g., Tayoltita, El Oro, Guanajuato, Pachuca, Fresnillo, Zacatecas

Low sulfide/bms, Type 2 ad-ser Bimodal basalt-rhyolite

High sulfide/bms, High sulfidation

Low sulfidation (LS)

LS, LSa (alkalic)

Intermediate (IS) High sulfidation (HS)

IS zoned, IS Mex HS, HS-IS zoned

Ransome, Emmons, Lindgren, Nakovnik, Sillitoe, Buchanan, Ashley, Giles, Bonham, Bethke, Heald et al., Berger, Albino, John, Hedenquist et al., Einaudi et al.

HS replacements:

J.W. Hedenquist

Metal Budgets: Function of salinity and volcanotectonics

LS Au-Ag:
<1 wt% NaCl (high CO2 + H2 S?) 100 Au <1% LS IS ~3% IS IS 10-20% 100 Ag

IS AgAu PbZn:
3-7 & 10-20+ wt% NaCl 4-20% (<3%, Au) HS Pb-Zn or Cu

HS CuAuAg:
4-20 (en) & <3 (late Au) wt%, 1-40 (qtz) wt% NaCl
Hedenquist and Henley, 1985; Albinson et al., 2001; Sillitoe and Hedenquist, 2003

Henley, 1985, 1990

Types of epithermal deposits

3 (5) endmember types (cf. Lindgren)

Epithermal alteration, gangue minerals

LS veins: Au-Ag bonanzas, sulfide poor, bimodal extension

LS veins: Au-Ag-Te, sulfide poor, alkalic association

LS veins: illite, clays; chalcedony, adularia, calcite (roscoelite) IS veins: sericite (muscovite); quartz, rhodochrosite, barite,
anhydrite (local advanced argillic, e.g., kaolinite, alunite, etc.)

IS veins: Ag-Au Zn-Pb, sulfide rich, volcanic arcs

Zoned and/or complex mineralogy (intrusion related, diatreme) Monotonous sulfides, variable Au:Ag:bms (Mexican)

HS replacements: silicic host, quartz-alunite halo; alunite,

barite, anhydrite

HS bodies: Cu-Au (Sn-Ag), sulfide rich, andesite arcs

Barren lithocaps: advanced argillic zones over porphyry systems

Barren lithocaps: silicic core, quartz-alunite halo

J.W. Hedenquist

LS deposits: sulfide assemblages

Temperaturedependent alteration mineralogy

LS veins: AuAg, bonanzas Pyhigh-Fe sph asp or po, Se or Te Distinctly related to volcanotectonic setting
Barton et al., 1977, John, 2001, Einaudi et al., 2003, others

IS and HS deposits: sulfide assemblages

Einaudi, Hedenquist and Inan, 2003

Sulfidation states IS veins: AgAu PbZn Pylow-Fe sphtn/tdccpgn, Te (Bi, Sn, In)

HS replacements: Cu-Au-Ag Initial leaching, vuggy qtz-py Early pyenargitelz-fm Late Aulow-Fe sph tn/tdccpgn, Te-Bi-Sn

J.W. Hedenquist

Ya
Einaudi, Hedenquist and Inan, 2003

Sulfidation state evolution Vi To

RMt

r ffe bu ck ro all W
HS IS LS

Hedenquist et al., 2000

Sillitoe and Hedenquist, 2003

Low sulfidation vein setting

Champagne Pool, Waiotapu, NZ

J.W. Hedenquist

Lewis-Crofoot, NV: LS veins, steam-heated overprint (falling water table) (NB: remnant qtz veins + Au within overprinted zone)

Low-sulfidation schematic model

Hedenquist et al. (2000), modified from Buchanan (1981), Sillitoe (1993)

Sulphur, NV, near paleosurface

McLaughlin, CA: LS sheeted veins beneath sinter with Hg

McLaughlin, CA: Atypical LS host

Sherlock et al. (1995)

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Hydrothermal breccia with sinter

Mineral deposition in conduits, pressure increases above hydrostatic, hydraulic fracturing, and hydrothermal eruption: mineral (+Au) deposition

Sheeted vein

Sherlock et al. (1995)

Sherlock et al. (1995)

Sleeper banded ore: Au dendrites

Hishikari, S Kyushu

LS epithermal veins:

Extreme disequilibrium
Rapid ascent Rapid boiling Rapid cooling Rapid supersaturation, silica, Au

Exploration implications
Extensional setting, fault offsets

cf. Saunders 1994; Saunders et al., 1996; Sillitoe and Hedenquist, 2003

J.W. Hedenquist

Hishikari, S Kyushu >8 Moz Au Hishikari, S Kyushu: Geological and geophysical discovery, LS veins in greywacke basement
Izawa et al., 1990

Hishikari, S Kyushu 500 m

Hishikari long section

Izawa et al. (1990)

Paleoisotherm reconstruction

Izawa et al. (1990)

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Zuisen vein, -10 mL

late truscottite

Patagonia, Argentina

Midas, NV: Ken Snyder LS mine

from Goldstrand and Schmidt, 2000

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Ken Snyder mine: Long section

El Peon, Chile
Robbins, 2000

1 km

<1 g*m

(10-50 g*m)

300 m

Schematic relations: IS and (HS) epithermal deposits, adv arg alteration:

Summary: LS veins

relation to porphyry systems

Sillitoe and Hedenquist, 2003

Distinct setting: rifts, bimodal volcanics, seds Paleosurface: sinter, steam-heated blanket Alteration may be limited: zoned clays Narrow veins, pinch and swell: local dissem. Discontinuous bonanza zones
Can be very localized IF present Ore zones tend to have flat tops/bottoms

Outcrop may be low grade

Must drill test through chalcedony zone (to paleo 200-220 C) Ore zone typically 100-300 m vertical

J.W. Hedenquist

Surface projections: Lepanto, Far Southeast and Victoria

Hedenquist et al., 1998

From Palidan slide

Hedenquist et al. (2001)

Claveria (2001); Hedenquist et al. (2001)

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J.W. Hedenquist

Arribas et al. (1995); Sajona et al. (2001); Claveria (2001); Hedenquist et al. (2001)

Alunite 1.40-1.45 Ma

Bt 2.2-1.8 Ma

Hydro Biot 1.40-1.45 Ma Ser ~1.35 Ma X Horn 1.45 Ma

Surface projection of Lepanto HS, Far Southeast porphyry, and Victoria-Teresa IS vein ores, and ages
Teresa veins

X Biot 1.18 Ma X Illite 1.15 Ma

Bulalacao ? porphyry

Hedenquist et al. (2001)

Ya

Y. Watanabe (2004)

Kyushu epithermal deposits: LS and IS veins

RMt

Vi

To

HS

IS

LS

Metallogenic provinces in Kyushu Type, age and geology of epithermal Au deposits Tectonic interpretation

Hedenquist et al., 2000

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J.W. Hedenquist

Au provinces in Kyushu

Y. Watanabe (2004)

Volcanic setting of Kushikino IS deposit, Kyushu

(Izawa and Zeng, 2001)

55 t Au production

Kamuridake, capped by silicic zones Kushikino veins (insets), 2 - 4 km west Temperaturedependent epithermal alteration mineralogy

compiled by Hedenquist et al. (1996)

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J.W. Hedenquist

Arcata, Per: IS Ag-Au vein: ~100 Moz Au, 1 Moz Au (local Zn)
adv. argillic vein halo at surface

Arcata, Per: IS Ag vein: qtzrhodochrosite

Comstock Lode, NV 6000 t Ag, 257 t Au

Con Virginia: 1.13 Mt @ 87.4 g/t Au, 1834 g/t Ag
Hudson (2003)

2 km

Propylite: Richthofen, Becker

Ad: 12.7-14.1 Ma, Al: 15-16.3 Ma

SH Al to pyrop diasp to kaol dick to illite

2M mica

after Candiotti et al. (1990)

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1 km

500 m

Comstock Lode: Ag-Au IS bonanza veins; long section plus reconstruction pre-faulting (?), with S lateral flow

Quiruvilca, Peru: Zoned IS bms vein system

Prod. 1987, 8 Mt: Reserves 5.8% Zn, 2.0% Pb, 2.8% Cu, 230 g/t Ag
1 km inner stib
Calipuy Fm

outer tn-td

outer en

Vikre (1989), flincs, Hudson (1993, 2003)

Bartos (1987)

Alto Chicama ~5 km east

Sillitoe and Hedenquist (2003), modified from Einaudi et al. (2003)

IS vein deposits

Principle IS deposits: Ag-Au (Zn-Pb, Cu)

Simple sulfide mineralogy & gangue: Mexico Complex sulfides/sulfosalts, zoned: intrusion related

Up to many km long and 800 m vertical

Tops and bottoms not uniform

Common on margin of HS deposits (barren lithocaps?): associated w/ adv. arg. alteration

Typically small (Rodalquilar, Rio del Medio at El Indio), but exceptions (Victoria-Teresa)

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Zacatecas, Mexico: IS veins with multiple pulses of saline fluid

Mexican Ag-Au bms veins:

Depth below paleosurface and Au:Ag:bms relationship

Albinson et al. (2001)

Pachuca fractures, dikes, ore, surface alteration

Pachuca, Mexico: IS vein and fault pattern 45,000 t Ag, 220 t Au
4 km
Simmons et al. (2005) after Geyne et al. (1963)

Wisser (1948) 2360 m datum

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Pachuca:
Cross and long sections
Drier, 1982 Geyne et al., 1963 500 m

LS
Creede

IS

LSa

from Simmons et al. (2005), with permission

LSa

LS

IS

10 km HS IS IS LSa

2 km HS

from Simmons et al. (2005), with permission

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IS w/ lithocap

HS w/ IS to N

HS

Schematic relations: HS and IS epithermal deposits, and porphyry systems

Sillitoe and Hedenquist (2003)

LS

from Simmons et al. (2005), with permission

LS

IS w/ adv arg
+

1 km LS LSa, VII

+ +

Fresnillo, Mexico: Major IS deposit, Ag-Au veins

13,600 t Ag, 22 t Au

Ag bms 10 kt Ag, 18 t Au, 0.5 Mt Zn, 0.5 Mt Pb San Luis shaft Co. Proao Simmons et al. (1988) Sillitoe (1977) Low salinity (buoyant) Higher salinity (dense)

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