Characteristics of High~temperature,

Carbonat~hosted Massive Sulphide Ores

..
In United States, exico and Peru

Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721,

Titley, gR, 1993, carbonaie~hosted massive ores in tt-£

United States, il;1exico and Pent, in Sinclair, WD" Tlu)rpe, RI and J.M" ede"
Mineral Deposit Modeling: Geological A_ssociation of Canada, Spenal Paper 40, ,0, 585-814.

Abstract

Resume
£,se,m,ml;S de rem placement a temperature elevee dans des calc-aires que ron trouue aux
au 1¥1Lt'4ut: et au PeTOu forment urn: classe genitique distincte_ L'abondance de ce genre de mi.nerms dans
eire utilise dal1-S d'autres
!P;"Tl1~"Ssont des
superieure
une evolution cordillerienne et de leur lien. Leurs
sont constitues de

encore inconnues permeabilite

probablement d'autres {acteurs de de la mineralisation; les contrastes !tLfUne;'Y!rlLU--S
encaissantes nr.ueaux vermeabilite et
secandaires, Dans' certains des au des ant servi
interet au leur valeur intrirL5eque~ [exploration de ces gisernents est diffieile et
complexes problemes geochimiques geometriques tridimensionnelles~

585
 the United States and Mesa
Central and Sierra Madre Occidental of northern
carbonate-hosted massive sul- and the Andes, The
compose a distinctive is limited
historical economic
the Western
are not

the
Great Basin and southern Basin and
and habits of mineralization and
lustrated

sense of other
,3

The

'55
'JO
~----~
':; ,.,.--, >"Yl
and
more than most
"informed and flexible
block
on them,

The sections review some charac-

teristics of these ores and outline their habit in the
context of other ores of similar habit
and occurrence, Considered as well of the
and ,vorK on these ores,
that bear
ore occurrence and

586
 HIGH CARBONATE-HOSTED MASSIVE SULPHIDES

some those of Mexico

resulted in the but with features of

constitute their resource. De- discordance and local that
of methods of froth flotation and means of elude their
copper, zinc and lead other than
1900s resulted in These observable features of
be linked with results of
to be younger than host
in some districts in of
and Peru and Colorado. in excess that in a few
Some of the earliest focussed of the cases reveal their formation waters of
United derivation. Their alteration is
devoid of calc-silicate alteration
takes the form of of carbonate
host rocks. of skarn has
occurred in many ricnAQHc considered
here are carbonate-hosted atoneend
of carbonate-altered ores whose other
skarn-localized ores.

was described Gmmons et at.

Utah district was described
and Morris (
The ores
Crawford and Gibson
{

of the United States and crustal rocks rather than at the crustal surface.
L Some The metal habits of ores \.-VJlLJO.'U<OL
or 1n- lar to those of certain
ores et ai.,
the stratabound and carbonate-hosted Missis-
are
e1e-
vated silver content and a
The ore districts and mines described of Bauchau noted silver contrasts as a useful
Phanerozoic age. similar orcs basis for
may have formed in older rocks. no values for
have been ores, 197

as a more term
nitive" because there exists a group of not to some

587
 Production
Mine/Biutl'ict (t) (%) (%) (%)

Basin

() (K·Ar)
0 150Ji
production 39,B68,OOO
Total production from limestone
deposits (to I USO) 0.44

UT and LDUghlin (1919),

Ttntic grade 0.82 '1.8 0 (l\·Ar) Cool, (1%7), (1968),
Tmtic 038 10.3 509 II at. (l9GB),
production (to 090 100 (1979),
.sinuous

Park UT and (1968),

!.liut.rict production l:l,300,OOO 4.5 Nasi> (]973),
King 0 in Carboni!'erouB Nort.on
pronounced fuulUold
c.ont.rol
Oplm,f.J'1'

unit. unk. unk. ollk.

struct.ural conlrol
Gold HlIl, UT 170,847 87 l.86 a/. (1920),
(lfll41Y3~) Nolan (lfI35)

Fish LJ'J' 16,745 0 !Jutl,,, ai. (I9:W)

NV 1.81 1,(120 Mid· t!! II"", 1'1 01. (ID7G)

"i'orliary'i

NV 0:1 OJ't.Js tho Nolan (1902),

lowvr lJulpowtc 8t!Cr.I.UU; fault (II. (1867),
Hunt (HJGS)
dulomitization

9 Marysvale, UT 14 ,,1. ([920),

Trail O.G lflO (K·Ar) ,,/.(1886)
(s"lphidc)
 ~lanlo8
controlled by (1976)
0.1 0.01
](J NV ul1d discordant fUllits;
Cambrian host rocks 1n

et (1976)
1,1,17
11 Taylor NV nil
((0

(1976)
O.Ob 0.3 470
Ward NY wilh
(to 1968)
(1976)
II 15,O()()
l:l White NY (KAr) lower lJuli;:oZOI.C
(l,u 19G8) 111 atoop und low·
Llllita
(1968),
and Knight (1979),
nil 4 11.8 Sbutlks Heinthal (l985)
nil J.l

in

(l~l79)
NV 688,794 0.:32
cllrbolltltes with
with
with

Mountains
sulpLides with
Pb 7,n·Ag mantos and
0.9
Malltoa '),801,791
:1.0
(1926),
(l927 ),
7,7l! ,073 6807 NO
Tweto (19611),
Nil DeVoto (1983),
j02
Pb·~.l\Ag·Au Ilulph (1924·1lI57) 0O" control und (lODO)
I'D Zn·Ag·Au ualp!! (197 NH
(18f!8),
0.05 306.4 Vanderwlit (19,17),
18 in
8ll1; 0070\.
dolomitization. silicification I1I.lI890)
Koschtnann and Wells (19·\6),
0.07 7,0
Tenillile (Kokwmo), CO aml 1\.u1:Idunann
(1905·1965) (1071 )
 Prodllction ell Pb
(t) (%) (%1

CO
Wellington
(lfJ08·1928)
0.08

21 MonarchTomichi, 1191~1 ),
Madonna Mme 0.02 12, 0.68 Vanderwdl (19·[7),
(l8g"·1911) Jacobson (l9b5)

Ilko, Henderson (1926),

Vanderwilt. (1(147),
Md{nighl ([974)
(UI

23 Mid· distrid Vanderwilt (19·17),

0 0.15 290 of. (l~·19)

eu

Ariwna" New Mexit:()

180 (190·1),
(l90~ 1932) 101 (KArl EIBltIg and Heinemann (1936),
(J8S01948) 4.90 0.2 Wilson (1950),
(1966)
Cu

Uohnson), 0.3 :l.a 001

(1907 W59) (K Ar)

AZ (non,porphyry) 1,17G,250 70 Wilson (19500), Wilson (1960),

( W(J719,S) Keith (197-1), Tilley

Washington AZ Sf) ;\1 7() Heplocemcnt in Keith (11l75),

1970) (KAt) Pttlt:ozoic caruoDllLes in Lehman (UI80),
With 70 Ma UUlholi!h; flt'llh 01. (1983)
skarn; WIdespread
of carLon ate

Turquoise, 015 16.6 Wilson (192'7),

(I:JU8 lind Heinemann (l936)
of
 and (193G).
Middle Puss, 0.20
Wdbl)[l (l9Sla),
(lS981979) Keith (1973)
in

Wilson (l950b)
0.3-1
(lYOlI971)

fdults
in Keith (1974),
Waterman, ai. (l flB:J)
(1(1011960)
2:1,840,H22 01
Mid·
o/.
(198:3)
und Heinl'lllnnl1 \19:36),
0.81
(K Bolll'f Hod IVils"o I
(1983)

Bell, 0.06 001 oOOx (1936),

(19081933) (J U66)

Heinemann ([8:16),
Swisshelm, liZ 45,:360 OJ 40-1
(K·Ad Galbraltil and Luring ( ),
(tu 19(3) (1973)

)9 .1 10) "I(J'I
Empire l

(iu 1\1831

HcplaccmonL Ort'S in
NM Misstssippian carbunates, fault· and
fuld control; carbonate·hostod
(l ~1[)7),
Tilley (l96 IJ

G e(L
NM 90,718
Hill
!tmlJhlLullllli

g unk. (19·17)
0
and Wasp

llnk. Dunham
40 unk.

only
'1.6 unk. Anuerson W157l,
Cooks Peak, NM uo.k. 0.2
TiLley (H157 not'''1
compO~lltt~

f-~
 Production
(t)

VicLol'lo, NM Ul1k,
,OOr(),GOO

Mexico
t,(l()O,OOO (1U09),
(1950)

Fushug (l)J~14),
and G,les (1986)

1,~J()O,O()O 8,0 113 0 (1964),

(to HJ7a) Escandon (1971,
and f()ld,fault control
46 Santa Eulalia 37,000,000 It, :{66,8 192G),
(to 1982) (K,Ar) Hewitl (194:J, 1%8),
White (l080),
Maldonado and (983),
(l 08Gb, 1990.)

47 Prescott
(to 1(73) H,OOO,OOO 196 0 DUi\rle(1973). White (I)18iJ)
(lh,,,d U179) 0,J6 47(1

(bkuru) 1,300,000 Lujun (1D75),

Mantua 2(J,O
Cllln1ru:ytt 1,700,000 () carbtwt(tes
49 Mo)adu 9,OOO,()OO 1I 500 M,d, Muicoim8oo 1190]),

50 2fl,OOO,OOO (I9G4),
Skarn gTll.de 0 0 ao (KArl (19Ii6),
Mantos eo Hye (lflGG)
6 ,0' ZOO
Mopimi
G,OOO,OOO 0.1 100 Q 3.0 ]67 (I\M)
(tv 19'1'l)
(\\lorce [',OOO,OOO tr, 6.1 80
aod (l 9(5)
 HIGH TEMPERATURE, CARBONATE·HOSTED SULPHIDES

extent those recorded for a

Gustafson and
the

~ >
-0 :-::
~ :;£
":;; 1.1
...:;;s

00
exposures
0
~
::J
0 believed to lie above or
"'
"
'"g "' 6"'
~
~
c;
i:
'" a'" ~
:0 ~
-"
~
"-,
;: C 0

] 23"
'b
X W

"'"
Q Q
~
Q
~
'" V
0 C,

c
C 0
Q'-x C
C,

~ g'"
""'
m 0
a 0"
Q

8~ w

s "cc " ~ " .~

"
~
~
'~ ~

~ -e;j
0
~
" :s
.~ ~ 'n"' -'"
a
"5
c
x U 0:: ::..
'""
~,

~
~,

c C The maSSive carbonate-hosted ores of the United

-6 ;;
::E
~
:2
~
-0
-;
::E s States and Mexico
c:: y
c-' E-

o
,""
~

ern
0

0 0
5S 0
k."") ~

"" 0 ~ which may be related most if not all of the

azoic concentration of ores, One
shown distribution of districts
0 that these ores lie above cratonic
for certain as of accreted
terranes or island arcs,
l.."'") N
An of tbese ores IS that
0 0
rather than as
'"
around cratonic
0 0
MVT ores of the United Involved are
(5
:3 0
0 0 basins of central Colorado
6 6 6
°
0.
0
a ~ zoic successions of the Cordilleran and
'YO'
C10
the Mesozoic succeSSIons that host the ores of
Mexico, This may bear
on

Belt
Viewed
ado are
c
~
and stockwork ore of the Colorado
~ mineral as reviewed and
w
'"c "
C
Tweto and Sims their
;'l CfO
~
c,

" ~
"
">
~
U "

C'J ~ '<{:I
tilted around the Sawatch two
u> k'O
'" tional districts of the mineral belt extend southwest-

593
TITLEY

\vard toward and onto Colorado Plateau. Most found west of

ores of the circum-Sawatch belt occur in lower Paleo- as
ZOiC shallow-shelf strata of Devonian
and but strata OZOlC rocks.
Paleozoic shelf strata
cline host most

a few direct ages

, fission-track ages at Gilman:
other ages seem well constrained
dated and
tr,')vpr"v attends the m- are in carbonate and some clastic sections
that from Cambrian to Permian in age. In
of the Colorado mineral
ment
intrusions and
formation
Late
of the Great Basin are
of ores that include stock-

the
art

the Sau'atch m cent ral Col-

2. map southwestern bonate rocks around the

Mexico. ment districts aTe shown in bold letters.
location,

594
 HIGH TEMPERATURE. CARBONATE-HOSTED MASSiVE SULPHIDES

associated with cn,,,,,·,,"""

and districts of southeastern Ari- among which are
from those of the Basin a Generalized boundaries of these terranes
ores are Mexico are shown m 2. which also shows
in successions of Chihua-
and Sierra Madre Occiden-
Harcuavar mountains_ tal terranes. :Ylost of these ores may be linked with
form strata across this thermal events at Ma or 27 Ma and are
inferred from Peirce et al, Jurassic or Cretaceous age.
Mesozoic erosion.

'--'Clla.H£~, Naica and Parrai

a thick succession of carbonate rocks

with the ores lv1cxico. ceous strata of this basin extend into the southwest-
host carbon- ern United States. where
terrane, the
of Lara-

near

terranes.

e
or
contrasts that may be considered
4
The into tectonic zinc four
elements rock considered. The districts of Mexico within the thick
successions and crustal carbonate sections of the Chihuahua and Coahuila
terranes are ~Vli;:'Vl'-U.V~i'"
the
6 N.MEXiCC
+ So. ROCKY MTNS.
III GRE;\. T 8;\.SiN
ratios
o CORDiLLERA
southern Basin and
Znratio IS
the Great Basin tend toward enrichment
relative to copper and zinc. Inasmuch as the process
of ore formation appears be simiiar in mines and
districts across these a reasonable inter-
of these differences is that are due to
contrasts in metal contents of source
crustal environments. Contrasts in
um of North American and Mexican crust are
seen in lead In
obtained from various ores of these
constrained trends of

Two occurrences of ores in Peru

are considered because of their similarities to

595
TITLEY

and because of
of occurrence
of these and other
Petersen '1"
1 ne discussed here have broad ",>"'nY'''w''''

and
Leadville ores in
The successIOn and common fea-
other clastic strata as well are described below
as volcanic units of IVIes azoic the discussiofls of ore
cOP~istent observa-
above basement in thick
carbonate sections are
asso- those in lower Paleozoic strata have
age. copper contents.

coherent bodies of massive sul-

and dense with little open

favourable
o shows
bons of some common and
habits of bodies.

A 8
C 0

tion slwws a ratws

between lvfexican and thl£ Cordilleran-southwestern
in
shallow crust. The two
transitional
Deleuaux in
aL Gerleralized ore occurrence at Gilman
Leadville

596
 HIGH TEMPERATURE, CARBONATE-HOSTED M..i\SSrVE SULPHIDES

A nomenclature has
these ore bodies. The term manto
stratabound 7. In this
units within a Ju-

ton, in mine are

defined on the basis of the presence of massive su
ores, and disseminated ores with skarn are
alluded to as mantas.
It is not a purpose of this review to add
or to define
term, which now limited
of ore. For the most

so
remain unaddressed here.

and coherent masses;

or brecciated masses_
en vironment
ore bodies have Metal scale. Different kinds of

and a constricted lateral

of selected elements and
metal ratios around massive ores of the East
Most notable is the presence of oxidized tin are in the
upper levels
Stone a contrast at Naica betweer:
In

This contrast is not

section, wrvere copper ore bodies
Vertical projectwn amounts of
arcuate vertical
obsC'Jre_ Ores lie
than the capping volcanic rfxl?S. and siderite.

597
 orebodies from a few The metals metals
hundreds of tonnes to tens of VH'VU0UUV'0

and

man
the order of milliorIS of ton.nes have been

mineralization.

et al. The association of silver and

Tennantite and com- with base metals is not consistent. In many ores,
Iron sul- contents varj
but marcasite has been
a common gangue sul- In
at Santa Eulal ia and Cerro de Pasco.
tant

IS
has been
\A/ere more

Modtfied from SlIlvely(/952.

4-5
CHIMNEY 18-1
CHIMNEY

Collapse breccia
Alteroo Gilmon siIW<-Tl
Cu-Ag ore Belden ShllP)
Pb-Zn Pol. Ls. and del.
P:r Po, (Sid.)

centre Tn inera lization

and 13elden Shale breadth aT'.AL width

598
 HIGH TEMPERATURE, CARBONATE-HOSTED IvL\SSIVE SULPHIDES

to their sparseness and to the

and expense of assays when most of ores were
extracted, Distinctive habits
discrimination of coasid-
ered here, This distinction the spec-
carbonate rocks extends
calc-s iIi ca te -a1 tered
carbonate-altered
the oxide zone, The was outlined for the lime-
"Yveathered to distinctive of Mexico et oJ"
gossans, which add another mmer- some districts considered
alization and

near-surface environment or across the zone

The economic minerals

stimulated scientific research' 20th cen-
UiJ'LClU'JU.., gave coherence to the

the first

nose at
currence at Santa Eulalia, Silver IS concentrated ganese as a trace element or
distal manifestation
districts,
In
various combinations in m&'lY systems,
known, The most alteration in these ,","CT,pn"
modification of carbonate

UU.'-o"'" and
alent to chloritization of pre-ore andesite. Ores of
Gilman and Leadville lie within belt extensive
dolomitization of
dolomitization
the

intrusion-alteratwn
carbonate-

of Arizona and
to show assocations with non-silicated carbonate alteration.
tlu?rmal sources,

599
TITLEY

An of the alteration of carbonate

rocks alteration of po-
tassium-silicate rocks within these For the
this alteration may have resulted from
with conversion of
Hunt and Peacock
These
the distribution some
the orcs of
lie the volume of
vaSlve of calc-silicate alteration
O'Ne;ll scribed in the contact aureole Atkinson and
that the Einaudi and within which the ores are
pre-ore, nated copper.
mal processes that took beneath the sill in the The known mantos occur in Penn-
carbonate hosts. strata. Hunt and Hunt and Peacock
described a second control exerted both low~
of faults radial
to
10 in the U.S. fvline area south of the
me!ln As shown in section Hunt
The occur in districts with a vari-
these ores occur as mantos that
of kinds of association and control. intnlsive centre to
These variations involve contrasts in association
folded downward
contrasts in the nature of
with dis-

north\vard from volcanic cover to

or near a buried thermal source. These ores
and

The elevated

ac-
have been dated suffi-
BiNGHAM CANYC'N,
establish that relation- UTAH
districts described below are some
of known or inferred
mineralization. The inferences
that range from direct
to mineralization oc-
zone of metal associ a-
well established to
with an

600
 HIGH CARBONATE-HOSTED M.ASSI'VE SULPHIDES

mmany upon a basement of lower Paleozoic

include Morris and the Excelsior Series.
al. At a ores at which underlie area of
about 50 have been described in papers of the
Pasco

Potosi Formation of local use or

of wider rD,~"'''''-''T'''n
intersections intrusions. The ores, with fault
to both and or vein intersections in these favourable strata, are
intersections with and dominated copper, but with
Cambrian dolomites are the dominant control sets at zinc and silver. The bvdies occur within
East Tintic. the San Francisco
al. barren of calc-
two of alteration in silicate rich and
various strata. The association crJoritization with are dominated vein or disseminated habits. The
dolomitization has been addressed this bar- bodies are ShO'Nll in the level
was succeeded of sericite and areas of small cross-section within the
in certain of the pre- zone.
of These ore bodies are 12 reveals a common and
shells surrounded many habit of occurrence of this are type. Mantos are
dolomite. concordant but inclined within strata that
their vertical
with that are cross -sections of mantos. These cross-
Morococha is dominated an the in a surface
intrUSive core surrounded strata whose alteration
is zoned and also controlled host rocks
from the intrusions volcanic rocks into a Cerro de Peru. The ores of Cerro have been
carbonate section The Mesozoic section lies known and mined for centuries. are

an intrusive-breccia com-
Cerro

IS dominated
with :vlorococha and
are would be considered

a crescentic
and coherent masses of lead-zinc
ore were later

is considerable copper at
much of it localized in velDS in the intrusion and
the massive ores in carbonate rocks and
basement schist.

A associations ores with

crustal features lend to a
1S uncommon

601
TITLEY

maSSIve ous shales~

of formation and
variations in con-
%control'~ of occurrence to centres of sections occur
to of metals
have been shown~ This section addresses features
related to control within thermal and
districts~

Host-rock controls. The association with carbonate

sections is and shallow-shelf and
form facies may be involved one another.
there IS no common
tional environment that may be
these limestone or dolostone hosts
to subordinate~ On
carbonate

/
I
/

/
I

TERATION TYPES ZONING

400 LEVEL - MOROCOCHA, PERU
PERVASIVE ALTERATiON METAL-MINERAL

Cu (en,!n)
K ydro! ed s katn
IT
Anhydrous skarn/morble
III Zn-Ag (s',!n,gnJ
NON-PERVASIVE ALTERATiON
4

12. alteration types and mineral-metal

with alteration their maps and
tree author:" tree soutlu:ast not shown. San FranCLsco stock
central the calc-silicate Toro ji,[ocho centre is level intersecti.on copper
SVSUJffl

t:CAjJV"";;lk at thee AbbreueiatioTk'J; cpy, en, gn, tn, tennantite.

602
 HIGH TEl\lPERATURE, CARBONATE-HOSTED l\1?~SSI SULPHIDES

carbonate rocks are unknown processes. an obser-vable characteristic is

a that has been that carbonates are the hosts.

loads focus of interest

sponse to stress is of discussion
tent. These observed "Observations on Ore
selves consistent
troL
some succeSSIOns contrasts between dolomite-and
calcite-rich

a
to 70DGe and under pressures
bar ::: WO results In per-
to four orders
OREBOD
Pb-
,--

o lOO?OO 300
~~E"."~~_~~?
metres metres

CENOZOIC
I~--- ~- - - - - - - - - ~ ~-- ----~-----~~--~------------------

Quam monzonite por: Rumiailooa

MESOZOIC PALEOZOIC
Exceisior

ana
beheued to be a border
nature
intn..LSion and massiue at Cerro de PaFico.

603
 water content of carbonates: renee within
conductive would result In a zone silver-dominant lead to reasonable
increased to a source. faults related to areal
Dolomitization may result in enhancement of stresses associated the shallow
magmas. But in some are systems
the scale of ore bodies or individual mantos or
neys, the manifestation of stnlcture is rare or so
subtle as to leave uncertain its identification. In a few
faults or COf-
relative location have been
are discussed further.

and
cussed the variation of dolomite and limestone asso-
ciations with ores Mexico. The age Mesozoic strata
of dolomitization are of little conse-
Hl'",,-,,aOULl0LH enriched
quence from this that the age localized in upper Paleozoic
as Mesozoic strata, over
the trace of fault intersections
Structural controls.
intrusion-centred
rococha or Tintic reveal p"rrocnVllCiC,.1\.G

faults or vems strata.

and

stone is rare.
healed in limestones at Santa have
been as controls of localization of both

TOMBSTONE.
Sec Lon A -A'

C 20 40 50 80 ~

Paleozoic rrx/:;;s at
zona. Butler alw
Orebodies contrast to the structural detail ex/.J05:ea
Dykes
[1)ith
Fissures are localization exerted pre-ore
contrasts in
Anti s

604
 HIGH TEMPERA..TURK CARBONATE·HOSTED l'vlASSIVE SULPHIDES

mantas and Structural is that the ores

control is al., formation a
m the abundance of manganese·
in limestones at the sur· exists
the of that the location of the ores was con-
trolled in some way the e:dstence of old karst
of east- disconformities. The

carbonates
shale in which a pre-
some 15 m above base.
rocks lie above a lower Paleozoic
section that includes at its base a mineralized car-
bonate bed within Cambrian orebodies west southwest of the Breece Hill stock
This district in common with
an intrusive core with

sections into Precambrian orebodies

localize base- and radial to the intrusive core.
Breccia bodies are common these
three levels
basement structure and
and linear correspon· the
extraor- the
the
of
LONGITUDiNAL SECT!ON-
(lookinG N()(t~-t)

Karst caves, breccias and other controls. A con-

ventional view and mid-20th

GILMAN, COLO.

me t res

605
 on
ment ores has been considered

breccia in many
solution breccias. fault intersec-
loci of breccia columns has been
but few vlorkers have been able to demon-
strate such features carbonate rocks heal
their scars
processes, the notion of
sion at the million-tonne scale of the ores considered
here is reconcile with observation.

In his review the

carbonate-hosted ores
151) was led to observe and been described in an earlier section,
the contrasts
in alteration in carbonate rocks further
No human eye slow deposition of elaboration. 9 shows the of
in the rocks. F...eason alone can in part reconstruct the
process from the collected fragments of fact.

"
GIS-
sys-
whose missing
and direct further search for truth
de-
apparently completed stn-lcture may be entirely scribed Einaudi
"baseless fabric vision." Contrasts between calc-silicate-altered and
silicate-altered reveal that
skarn ores are low in total 8 2 , are and
advent of many kinds of instrumentation and
have iron contents with those of the non-
since Ransome's time has
skarn ores; the non-skarn ores are
of many charaderis-
but have as
This information has both led

alteration,

The nature of these ores remams a

sometimes bothersome
the

habit of their
ever, the absence of a OO.C",QH"VVV'

of the of
visible manifestation of young minerals in the
of old minerals in a leads in some in-

a
lead-zinc-silver ores in
rocks and

606
 HIGH TEMPERATURE, CARBO~ATE-HOSTED lVLASS!VE SULPHIDES

In a

in total S2- volume,

These and sili-

to the results of
Gruner ( and more recent deductions
b~ ilie
crustal
source for at least some of the carbon, varia-
were attributed to either fluctuations at the

presence of siderite in the massive ores of

thal there were
calc-silicate formation
ranges of siderite at these

tion genesis
intrusion-centred ores of this
such
the

a
source for
source for lead,
of lime and alkali contents of fluid inclu-
SIOns from Santa Eulalia and in
Mexico and indicated that ore
solutions were sodium-dominated brines: those at
of ore
Introduction of various led to recent

1 n au·.., Y""..,
the data of
One further controversial

remobilizations or modifications of mm-

eralized karst Similar uncertainties about
age and discussed for Nevada
Rein-

607
thaI ( events
that to the
model must accommodate a wide range of re-
sole- lated or associated affiliations with rocks.
Whereas sufficient data are to reveal that
of attended the processes, a few
occur in districts
controver-
fact that the ores are associated
with a thermal event, the nature and effect of that
event are . On the
that waters of direct
of even in many in-
rocks are not observed other-
On the other 81m-
related to
related to excess heat
for Car-
and metal histories of these CTIC~'Jrr,,,
Basin and

data available do
between a the ores of Mexico are associated with and the
the fluids. remain can- at Santa Eulalia is believed to be
associated
calderas~

address the still-

of
stated the
you can use a strati-
once it is estab-
that

therTnal events of
None of the of the
occur in accreted elements of former active
and the is not
deformed stable craton.
around as seems the habit of MVT ores:
most appear to occur within where the
accidents of of localized thermal anoma-
are controls than the association

A model must deal with many

a
considered here are of Meso-
zoic or younger age, there is no reason to believe the
and necessary events and environment
did not elsewhere at times. The ores slOns
western United may have reactions on a
succession of
may
sources.

608
 HIGH TEMPERATURE, CARBOP,;ATE~HOSTED MASSIVE SULPHIDES

control of manto
favourable

tures,
in carbonate
and the effects of structural intersections,
lead down-

atten-
discontinuities and uncon- district \vith a contribution on the
f' ',- ~J.D'i
ed., Ore Deposits of the Unlted States, 1933-1967;
rormltles.
Graton·Sales Volume: American Metal-
NY,

The model must address kinds of

carbonate alteration~ consid-
ered here have minimal amounts of calc~silicate
be indicative of

tion are common

distal effects of the
these
p, 1932·1952.
and Thompson. T.E.. 1990a,
Sulfide Deposits of the Centra! Colorado
Silicification is the most '-'C.VU'VHHC- Geology,

the alteration this alteration Beaty, D.W.. Landis. G.P. aIld Thompson,
ate-hosted sulfide deposits the central Colorado mineral
al to ore in some districts and and summary.
entire others. silver
and manganese are the most useful as
surface indicators of the carbonate-
ores. Dolomitization In some
districts, but in some it may mark the
of a not its ores.

This paper has been the comments of

D.\N. R Kirkham and an anonymous re- Colorado:
viewer. Paris of some Association
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66.196 p.
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tp,-rRI1W,,'
and Ruiz. J" eds.~
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Le8.d~Zinc-Silve:r Carbonate-hosted LJt"Jt'~i11"
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and ~line Excursions, p.
Colorado l\1ineral Eco-

609
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Duarte, E.A,. 197;), de los

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p. 192-224.

610

x
 HIGH TEMPERATURE, CARBONATE-HOSTED l\1ASSIVE SULPHIDES

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611
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6 1')
i~

•
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613
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614