Structural, lithological controls and mineralization of the carbon-rich sedimentary

rocks hosted epithermal Shahuindo deposit (Cajamarca, Peru)

Brigitte Berna Rumiche1 , Jean Vallance1 , Macneill Balboa1, Omar Cabrera2 , Camille Baya3, Patrice
Baby3, Gleb S. Pokrovski3
1
Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, Lima, Peru, 2Pan American Silver Corp, Cajamarca, Peru,
3
Géosciences Environnement Toulouse, Université de Toulouse, CNRS-IRD-OMP, Toulouse, France

The Shahuindo gold deposit located in Cajamarca Region (Northern Peru) is hosted by
carbonaceous siltstone and sandstone of the Chimu, Santa, Carhuaz, and Farrat
Formations (Lower Cretaceous Goyllarisquizga Group). As other major epithermal gold
deposits of this region (e.g. La Arena and Lagunas Norte) it belongs to the Marañon
Fold-Thrust Belt (Mégard, 1984; Scherrenberg et al., 2016). The sedimentary sequence
of the Marañon Fold-Thrust Belt was deformed by late Cretaceous-early Eocene thin-
skinned thrust tectonics (Benavides-Caceres, 1999) and subsequent ore formation was
likely caused by the intrusions of andesitic to dacitic stocks emplaced in thrusts, fold
axial planes, and tear faults during the Oligo-Miocene (26 to 16 Ma, zircons U-Pb
dating, Bussey y Nelson, 2011 in Defilippi et al, 2016).
Most of the ore is hosted by siltstone and sandstone rich in organic matter and more
exceptionally by igneous intrusive bodies. The gold mineralization shows diverse
structural and lithological controls (Defilippi et al, 2016, this study). The main control is
NW-SE thrusts and axial planes of related anticlines. Fractures parallel to the fold
hinges in the competent sansdtones of the Farrat Formation are particularly well
mineralized. Locally high-grade gold mineralization occurs in NE-SW tear faults.
Mineralized breccia rich in pyrite formed at contacts between sedimentary rocks and
intrusive bodies. The mineralization hosted directly by intrusives occurs as
disseminations, filling of veins, and locally as breccia cement. Permeable organic
matter-bearing sandstones and siltstones overlying and/or capped by impermeable
horizons of pyrite-bearing carbonaceous shales host frequently mineralization as
disseminations and fillings of veinlets.

Pyrite is the major sulfide at Shahuindo and shows a close spatial relationship with gold
mineralization. Our optical microscopy and SEM study allowed the recognition of four
pyrite stages (Fig. 1).
Stage I (pyrite I) was only observed in sandstones, siltstone and shales. It is fine-grained
(ranges from 10 to 50 µm in size) with framboidal texture. This framboidal pyrite shows
a continuous transition to anhedral coarse pyrite crystals. It is not accompanied by other
sulfide minerals and occurs only as disseminations, suggesting a diagenetic origin.
Stage II pyrite (py II) is the most abundant pyrite type within the deposit and occurs
generally as subhedral to euhedral ≤2 mm disseminated crystals showing overgrowth in
place forming aggregates or <5 mm veinlets infill in permeable sedimentary layers and
to a lesser extent in intrusive bodies. In sandstone and siltstones, its abundance tends to
increase with the organic matter content locally showing replacement of organic detritus
and/or bioclasts. Locally, transition between pyrite I and pyrite II appears to be
continuous as evidenced by direct nucleation of euhedral pyrite on framboids. Blebs of
pyrrhotite (<50 µm in size) appears typically as inclusions in pyrite II. In places, pyrite
II constitutes the main cement of breccias occurring at the contact between igneous
bodies and sedimentary rock as well as in tear faults.
Stage III (pyrite III) arsenic--rich-pyrite occurs as rims and replacement zones on pyrite
II. This pyrite generation shows a complex zoning with As- and mineral inclusion-rich
bands (with chalcopyrite, arsenopyrite, sphalerite, galena, tetrahedrite-tennantite)
alternating with As- and inclusion-poor growing zones. Preliminary LA ICPMS results
indicate a positive correlation between arsenic and gold in this pyrite generation (Baya,
2018, Vallance et al., 2019) and suggest that most of the Au content is chemically
bound with pyrite in accordance with the apparent absence of visible gold particles.
Arsenopyrite and later chalcopyrite, sphalerite, Bi-minerals, galena, stibnite, and minor
quartz and carbonates postdate pyrite III deposition. Tetrahedrite-tennantite shows
crystal zoning because of fluctuation of the As/Sb ratio. Sphalerite shows also local
zonation in its Fe-content.
Stage IV (pyrite IV) is the latest generation of pyrite and occurs as rims on gold-rich
pyrite 3 but shows much lower gold and arsenic contents. This pyrite generation is
postdated by enargite and minor digenite replacing chalcopyrite, tetrahedrite-tennantite
and arsenopyrite. Gangue minerals include pyrophyllite, kaolinite, and aluminium
phosphate-sulfate minerals.
The general paragenetic sequence (Fig. 2) and the mineralogical assemblage suggest an
evolution from conditions of low-intermediate sulfidation during gold deposition, to
late, more, local high sulfidation conditions.
References:
Benavides-Cáceres, V., 1999, Orogenic evolution of the Peruvian Andes: the Andean
Cycle. In: Skinner, B.J. (Ed.), Geology and Ore Deposits of the Central Andes. Society
of Economic Geologists Special Publication 7, p. 61–107.
Defilippi, C.E., Muerhoff, C.V., Williams, T., 2016, Technical Report on the Shahuindo
Mine, Cajabamba, Peru. NI 43-101 Technical Report Tahoe Resources, 307 p.
Mégard,F, 1984, The Andean orogenic period and its major structures in central and
northern Perú. Journal of the Geological Society of London, 141, 5, 893-900.
Scherrenberg, A.F., Konh, B.P., Holcombe, R.J., Rosenbaum, G. ,2016,.
Thermotectonic history of the Marañón Fold–Thrust Belt, Peru: Insights into
mineralisation in an evolving orogen. Tectonophysics. 667, 16-36.
Vallance J., Balboa M., Berna B., Cabrera O., Baya C., Baby P., Pokrovski G.S., 2019,
Links between organic matter and gold-bearing arsenian pyrite at Shahuindo
(Cajamarca, Peru): an integrated analytical and modeling study. Conference abstract. XI
Congreso Internacional de Prospectores y Exploradores, Lima, Peru. Extended
abstracts, p. 78-82.
Fig. 1. A) Transition from framboidal pyrite I (py I) to euhedral pyrite II (py II) with sphalerite and
pyrrhotite inclusions; B) Chalcopyrite (cpy) and tetrahedrite (tt) filling interstices between graphite (C)
and pyrite II (py II); C) Pyrite III (py III) contains abundant chalcopyrite inclusions (cpy) and is postdated
by tetrahedrite (tt). Tetrahedrite was later partly replaced by enargite (eng); D) Pyrite III is zoned do to
fluctuation of its As content and contains abundant inclusions. Pyrite IV is also zoned bur is almost free
of inclusions and shows tipically euhedral terminations.
 Stage
paragenetic Stage I Stage II Stage III Stage IV
minerals
graphite
pyrrhotite
arsenopyrite
chalcopyrite
pyrite
gold *
sphalerite
tetrahedrite-tennantite
stibnite
galena
bismutinite
tellurobismuthite
boulangerite
kobellite
carbonates
enargite
digenite
calcocine
kaolinite
APS minerals **
* Gold chemically bound in pyrite and arsenopyrite
** Aluminum phosphate–sulfate minerals

Fig 2. Paragenetic sequence of the Shahuindo gold deposit. Thick bars indicate higher and dashed bars
lower abundance.