Economic Geology Vol. 70, 1975, pp.

993-995

DISCUSSIONS

GEOLOGIC, FLUID

INCLUSION,
B UENO

./tND ST./tBLE ISOTOPE

TUNGSTEN-BISE METIL

STUDIES

OF THE PISTO

ORE DEPOSIT, NORTHERN

PER U

unless,of course,it occursrestricted 3'ir: The paper by G. P. Landis and R. O. Rye assenlblages, (1974) presents someinteresting new data on Pasto to the sericite lattice. Fluorite, topaz, and other Bueno, but it containsenoughvagariesand mislead- such fluorine mineralstypically soughtin greisen ing generalizations so that the averagereader should are eithernot presentor are too rare to permit use of the term greisen in the Compaccha phylliczone. havean opportunity for a more balanced view. A few commentsconcerningthe Pasto Bueno Figure 2 of the Landis and Rye paper includes are alsoin order. PastoBuenois a distinct Mundo Nuevo-Tamboras-Compaccha-La Victoria, greisen and page 1026 lists Mundo Nuevo (and presumably center of mineralizationseparatefrom Compaccha these others) as "subordinatesettlements" in t.he and its zoned district. The phyllic zone a.t Pasto occurs onlyin the wallsof some of the veins. PastoBuenominingdistrict.In onesense this is mis- Bueno leading since Mundo Neuvo-Tamboras-Compaccha-The cross section shown in the Landis and Rye La Victoria are all part of one large zoneddistrict. figure 4 is in reality a longitudinalprojectionfor Ofelia Compaccha is a molybdenum por. phyry, while these veins passingthrough the Consuelo-Maria area. The walls of veins in this area have the disother mentionedareas (mislocatedon their fig. 2) phyllic zone. Had the section are in copper,zinc-, or lead-richparts of this district, trict's best developed in a typically zoned arrangementaround the heat been drawn half a kilometer to the east or west, the quartz-sericite-pyrite alteration source. From the molybdenum porphyry outward amountof pervasive less. The absence of the basemetal zoning (in tungsten-bearing quartz would havebeen significantly veins) is copper (as sulosalts), sphalerite,and alterationzoning in the Landis and Rye figure 3 plan may let the casual readerassume that galena. In terms of geographic size and volumeof geologic vein material, Compaccha and its zoned district is the phyllic zone is more pervasivein the district the phylliczone is more important than Pasto Bueno, which is a dis- than it really is. Volumetrically in and near Sec.A-A (fig. 4); it is tinct, separate, and smallercenterof mineralization. mostsignificant featuretypifyinga porphyrydeposit. Compaccha is described onpage1034of the Landis not a pervasive Within the fairly restrictedarea where phyllic and Rye paper as "a low-grade molybdenite porphyry". Deep oxidation at Compaccha has de- alterationexists,greisendoesoccur. However, since comprises only part of the phylliczone,and stroyed much o the near-surfacemolybdenite,and greisen the oxide.molybdenum mineralsare difficultto detect the phyllic zone is not everywhere present perveins, visually.Grade is not, however,the decisive param- vasivelyin the walls of all tungsten-bearing to the geoc. hemist eter in determining the economics of t'hisporphyry the greisenis a disappointment who links tungstenwith large volumesof fluorine. molybdenum deposit. La Victoria and Tamboras are stated to be "minAt the times I visited the district (from 1955 to of the exposed greisenin the eralogically similarto Mundo Nuevo" on page1034. 1962) the inadequacy This statementoverlooksthe obviousmetal zoning district was more noteworthy than its presence. present in the district, and it makes one wonder if Landis and Rye couldhave helpedthe reader with this point by showingalterationzoning in the wall Landisand Rye examined the mine workings. Neither Compacchanor the tungsten-bearing rocks of their Chabuca and Consuelo-Manuelita vein quartz veins around it 'havea prominentgreisen. longitudinal projection (mislabeledcross sectional Tourmaline,whichappears to be a characteristic of levelmapsin their fig. 5.) The mention of MagistraI on page 1034 as a the Pas{oBueno greisen,is almostentirely absent depositis so casualas to be misleading. in Compaccha and its zoned district. The very scheeli.te mineralized large .quartz-sericite-pyrite (phyllic) zone coex- Magistral is a chalcopyrite-molybdenite tensively developed with the Compaccha deposit also skarn and associated intrusive center and constitutes is noteworthy by the rarity with whic,h fluorinemay the third major centerof mineralization(after Combe identified as a distinctelement present in mineral pacchaand Pasto Bueno) for this region. Scheelite
993

994

DISCUSSIONS

have attackedfor the benefit is present but,volumetrically andeconomically (un- Landis and Rye coul.d lessdemonstrated otherwise by drilling), evaluation of all in the profession.Their speculations on this matter would still be of interest. of thesurface indicates it to bea chalcopyrite-molybdenite deposit.The question of why a chalcopyrite The data supplied by Landis and Rye on the deposit should existsoclose to copper sulfosalt ores Pasto Buenoarea do add considerably to our underdominant in Compaccha andPasto Bueno, especially standingof this type of ore deposit,and it is hoped whenthe sizeof Magistral is coupled with its more that eventually otherworkersmay complement their
effort. typidal porphyry copper mineralogy (as against

porphyry molybdenum affinities for bothCompacc.ha

and PastoBueno), becomes oneof broadinterest.

V. F. HOLLISTER

Compaccha, PastoBueno,and Magistralare all

linked by a branchingand multistranded dextral

DUVAL INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION 355 BUVaARD STREET

fault. Why this fault should havebeena major regional control for tungsten an'd porphyry molybdenurn-type mineralization at both Compaccha and

VANCOUVER, B.C., CANADA V6C 2G8 December 27, 1974

REFERENCES

PastoBueno, but not for a moretypical porphyry copper mineralization at Magistral, is a question that

Landis, G. P., and Rye, R. O., 1974, Geologic,fluid inclusion, and stable isotope studies of the Pasto Bueno tungsten-basemetal ore deposit, northern Peru: EcoN. GFOL., v. 69, p. 1025-1059.

GEOLOGIC, FLUID INCLUSION, AND STABLE ISOTOPE STUDIES

OF THE PASTO B UENO TUNGSTEN-BASE METAL ORE

DEPOSIT, NORTHERN

PERU

.4 REPLY

Sir: V. F. I-Iollister's comments are appreciated. similarto PastoBueno (fig. 6, p. 1033). A similar A pointby pointreplydoes not appear to be justi- argument also can be made for structural control

fiedas we feelthe "vagaries andmisleading gen- having localized Pasto Bueno and the three
similar deposits to the southwest. Possiblegenetic relations between more typicalporphyrycopperminare mineralogically similar, in spite of the obvious eralization (Majistral) and tungsten-porphyry mozoning,in contrast to Pasto Bueno. T.he process lybdenum mineralization (Compacchaand Pasto and product, greisenization and greisen, are terms Bueno) remain an important question. But strucused as defined by Shcherba,and construction of tural controlcannot be considered of primary genetic figure4 is subjectto well-specified restrictions (p. significance.Deep structuralfeaturesin the vicinity 1029). Majistral is not mentioned casually as a of the Consuzo quartz monzonite stockappearto be scheelite deposit (p. 1034). T,he existenceof a an essential part of the hydrothermal circulation northwest-trending branching andmultistranded dex- systemallowing "magmatic"and meteoricwaters to tral fault linking Compaccha, PastoBueno,and Ma- mix. But primary geneticimplication for the style
example,La Victoria, Tamboras,and Mundo Nuevo

eralizations" are clearlyspecified in the paper. For

j istral is basedupon rather tenuous assumptions.of mineralization

remains unclear.

We 1.ookforward

Although the possibleexistenceof this fault was to ruttirepublications dealingwith Compaccha. considered, the first author ('GPL) was unableto GARY P. LANDIS document field evidence suggesting this fault during ROBERT O. RYE four months of field work (1969-1970). Com- G. P. L. paccha and Pasto Buenoare occurrences geoehemi- DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY

callyandtemporally related to the quartzmonzonite phaseof the CordilleraBlancaintrusivecomplex.

Majistral is associated with an earlier granodiorite emplacement phase. Approximately 50 kilometers to the southwest near QuebradaRio Manta exist three additionalknown W-Cu deposits reportedly

UNIVERSITY

OF NEW MEXICO

ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO87109

R. O. R. U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

DENVER, COLORADO 80225 February 20, 1975