Mineral. Deposita (Berl.

) 10, 141--151 (1975)

by Springer-Verlag 1975
The Porphyry Molybdenum Deposit of Compaccha, Peru,
and Its Geologic Setting
V. F. HOLLISTER
Vancouver , Canada
Compaccha, in Peru, is a zoned molybdenum, copper, zinc, lead, antimony-
arsenic district which has historically been i mport ant because of tungsten
product i on derived from all zones. Wolframite, the principal tungsten mineral,
is zoned compatibly with the sulfides. Manganese tungstate occurs in the
mol ybdenum zone, while i ron replaces the manganese increasingly importantly
as distance is gained away from this zone. The alteration zoni ng in and around
the mol ybdenum zone is typical of that of a porphyry copper deposit, in that
fluorite, topaz or other fluorine rich silicates are not common. The molyb-
denum zone does include a porphyry mol ybdenum deposit, however, and
this is characterized by intense silicification and quartz veining (stockworks).
Within the area of the deposit, east of the coastal batholith, no Mesozoic arc
type or basic volcanics can be inferred. A cratonic setting is postulated for the
deposit.
Introduction
Compaccha is a zoned pol ymet al l i c di st ri ct
cont ai ni ng a mol ybde num por phyr y i n its core
whi ch is s ur r ounded by t ungst en, zinc, l ead
and a nt i mony deposi t s i n its out er limits. I t is
l ocat ed at 77 5 9 ' W, 8 02' S i n Sant i ago de
Chuco pr ovi nce, La Li ber t ad Dpt o, Per u, vi a
Qui r uvi l ca on t he Past o Bueno (Conzuso)
road, an all weat her di rt road.
These studies wer e compl et ed bet ween 1961
and 1964 and no addi t i onal expl or at i on has
been under t aken since t hen.
Hi st ori cal l y, Compaccha is a wol f r ami t e ( t ung-
sten) pr oducer , (MALAGA SANTOLALLA 1954)
wi t h t he pr oduc t i on c omi ng f r om large, i ndi -
vi dual quar t z vei ns cont ai ni ng mi nor amount s
of t ungst at es and sulfides. MALAGA SANTO-
LALLa (1954) refers t o Compaccha as Ta m-
bor as and Mu n d o Nuevo. Thi s paper combi nes
bot h areas i nt o one zoned district. It s f ut ur e
pot ent i al , however , appears t o be l argel y as a
mol ybde num- t ungs t e n pr oducer , wi t h t he Mo
c omi ng f r o m a mol ybde num p o r p h y r y pr esent
i n t he hear t of t he district.
Geol ogi c Setting
Regional Geology
Fi g. 1 (after HOLLISTER 1974) shows, i n out l i ne
f or m, t he general geol ogi c set t i ng of t he
Compaccha district. I t lies i n an area of out -
cr oppi ng Mesozoi c shelf sedi ment s, t h o u g h
t he appearance of pr e- Mesozoi c t o t he east,
nor t h and nor t hwes t suggest s t hat t he Meso-
zoi c sedi ment ar y sect i on is errat i c i n t hi ckness
and di st ri but i on.
Pr ecambr i an met asedi ment s have been i dent i -
fied i n t he pr e- Mesozoi c rocks. These are
Pr ot er ozoi c schists t o t he east and nor t hwes t
and undat ed gneisses and schists t o t he east.
Per mi an phyl l i t es occur i n t he pr e- Mesozoi c
out cr op t o t he west of Compaccha, near t he
coast. Mi ddl e Pal eozoi c as wel l as Per mi an
sedi ment s have been identified i n t he pr e- Meso-
zoi c t o t he east. A cr at oni c basement is t here-
f or e i nf er r ed t o exist f or t he Mes ozoi c sedi-
ment ar y sequence, and t he absence of basi c
vol cani cs i n t he vi ci ni t y of Compaccha sug-
gests t he or oge n t o be essentially ensialic.
142 V.F. HOLLISTER
80 70"
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iomorco
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T e r ' t i a r y ( U n d i v i d e d )
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M e s o z o i c ( U n d i v i d e d ) .
Pre M e s o z o i c ( U n d i v i d e d )
S c o | e
I 0 0 2 0 0 4 0 0
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K i l o m e t e r =
Fi g. 1. Ge ol ogi c I ndex Map Compaccha, Per u
The Porphyry Molybdenum Deposit of Compaccha 143
The regi on around Compaccha contains st rong-
ly fol ded Jurassic Chicama shales and Creta-
ceous quartzites and limestones. Bot h are con-
sidered shelf sediments deposi t ed on the pre-
Mesozoic basement . Bot h are variable in
thickness, but pr obabl y come to less t han
20,000 feet (or 7,000 meters) in aggregat e
near Compaccha. No thick or repeated arc
volcanics are indicated to exist east of the
Coast bat hol i t h in this part of Peru in the
Mesozoic, suggesting the absence here of the
Mesozoic arch-t rench sequences so well devel-
oped in Chile and Ecuador. Fol di ng believed
to be Upper Cretaceous in age has affected all
the Mesozoic rocks. Post folding Tert i ary
Calipuy (?) andesitic continental volcanics
occur bet ween the bat hol i t h and Compaccha.
The Compaccha district is localized al ong a
N 50 W trending, multi-strand, strike-slip fault,
the Compaccha fault. General l y the Jurassic
Chicama shales lie west of this fault, and the
Cretaceous lies to the east, t hough bot h occur
on each side. Flat lying Tert i ary andesitic
volcanics may also be seen most l y on the east
as irregularly shaped erosional remnants.
Though not dated, these seem to be Calipuy
equivalent (within the useage of STEWART et aL
1974). However , NOBLE et aL (1974) not e
volcanics in central Peru wi t h frequent dates
younger t han the Calipuy and containing a
similar pet rography. Tert i ary volcanics at
Compaccha are thus not well established in
age, t hough a mi d-Tert i ary age for t hem is
preferred at this time. STEWART gt aL (1974)
also r epor t numerous age determinations on
pl ut ons sout h of Compaccha (Cordillera Blanca)
wi t h dates in the 9 to 10 m. y. range. Compaccha
may have an age comparabl e wi t h these dates,
or be 9 - 1 0 m. y.
St rong compressi onal folding preceded the
devel opment of the Compaccha strike-slip
fault, since this fault cuts fol d axes in the
Mesozoic sediments. The fault trends south-
easterly f r om Compaccha, and the copper-
t ungst en district (enargi t e-wol frami t e-mol yb-
denite) at Pasto Bueno (see Fig. 4) lies on it,
22 km to the southeast. Magistral, (see Fig. 5)
a maj or copper - mol ybdenum district, lies 30 km
southeast of Compaccha, also on the fault. No
specific offset has been assigned to the fault,
but Tert i ary Calipuy (?) volcanics i mmedi at e-
ly nor t h of Compaccha are identical to ot her
volcanics west of the fault, 10 km to the nort h-
west. Post -vol cani c erosi on of the volcanics
makes correl at i on hazardous, but a west bl ock
nor t h movement appears logical in this setting.
The mai n strand of the fault appears t o dip
steeply east in Compaccha and Past o Bueno,
t hough it dips west in Magistral, and in each
of these districts, mineralization was accom-
panied by a compl exl y shaped, fault cont rol l ed
quartz monzoni t e intrusion. For additional
details on Magistral, please see TERRONES
(1958). MALAGA SANTOLALLA (1954) provi des
backgr ound on Past o Bueno (Conzuso).
District Setti ng
Wi t hi n the Compaccha district itself, i nt ru-
sions, alteration and minera]ization all are
pri mari l y cont rol l ed by faulting. The various
strands of the Compaccha fault pr ovi ded most
favorabl e access to the surface; hence the
intrusions and hydrot hermal product s prefer-
entially occupy these fractures.
Pfutonfc Rocks
Wi t hi n the district, all i gneous rocks shown
on Figs. 2 and 3 are pyritized and propyl i t i zed
to some degree, so t hat composi t i ons of feld-
spar are not determinable. Two pl ut oni c types
are identifiable, however. These are an older
andesite, and a younger quartz monzoni t e
por phyr y. So t hat the size of the district may
be appreciated, the coordinates in bot h Figs.
2 and 3 are in meters.
The andesite occurs as small bosses and dikes
i nt rudi ng Chicama shale. Though commonl y
propylitized, these do not have met amor phi c
or alteration zones around them. Nor are t hey
frequent l y associated wi t h vei n deposits. These
appear to be part of a clearly pre-mi neral
peri od of vol cani sm, and the andesitic Tert i ary
flows near the district may be comagmat i c
wi t h these intrusions. The older i mpl i ed age
is compat i bl e wi t h a Calipuy designation for
the andesite.
The most i rregul arl y shaped and largest i nt ru-
sions compri se the younger quartz monzoni t e
por phyr y compl ex of dikes, sills, bosses and
stocks. These intrusions also are altered wher-
ever f ound in out crop, and fresh specimens
are not available. The quartz monzoni t e is
144 V. F . HOLLISTER
30,000
%
C u ~l
Zo n e
\
\ . q b o : Z
k X , : t - \ \
~it~....
+*,~ % -~
+ +.-',.*" + .-.g
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xXx+ ~ ~ +xN+x
<~%X+ ~ x +
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\ + + \ + +
, - ~ ;/(_~
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P b- Zn
Z o n e
L e g e n d
- Li mi t o f M o l y bd e n um Zone ~
~ - - - - Li mi t of C o ppe r Zo n e
. . . . . - Li mi t o f L e a d - Z i n c Zo n e
~
- T e r t i a r y Qua r t z M o n z B n i t e P o r phy r y
~
-Tert i ary Andesi t e Int rusi ve
~@d-" ~ - S t o c kwo r k Showi ng t r e n d o f V e i n l e t s
~ . f ' ' ' ~ - Fau{ t
~ - Ve i n s
Pb - Z n ~
S o n e
. >
\
\
\
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Pb -Z n ~ /
~ Zo n e + +
~.~ . , ~
Sb Zo n e
\
/
~ !
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/ Sb Zone
/-
- ~ .
Fi g. 2. Di st ri ct Geologi c Map, Compaccha
The Porphyry Molybdenum Deposit of Compaccha 145
52,000 N.
52,000 N,
+(-
+
, . . \
. \ \ , \ \ \
\ \ \ , ,
51,000 N.
. Y ; " J J . . . .
z \ \ . A ~ . - - - - j
uJ
N
Fig. 3. Stockwork Area, Compaccha
o ~
o o .
51,000 N.
~ Quartz Monzonite Porphyry
[ _ - - ~ Chlcama Shale
~ ' ~ Limit of Sericite(Phyllic)Zone
~ Limit of Argillic Zone
Areas of Stockworks
Showing Veinlet Trend
characterized by euhedral to subhedral quartz
and euhedral feldspar phenocrysts. Incl uded
wi t h the quartz monzoni t e por phyr y are small
aplitic and pegmat i t i c dikes. Thermal meta-
morphi c halos are largely missing ar ound these
intrusions.
No volcanics havi ng a composi t i on approach-
ing t hat of quartz monzoni t e have been de-
tected. Thei r absence is considered significant,
since andesite extrusives believed to be comag-
matic wi t h the pre-quart z monzoni t e andesite
plugs exist, while no such extrusive equivalent
of the younger quartz monzoni t e has been
found. Thi s omi ssi on in the volcanic sequence
suggests the possibility t hat few, if any, extru-
sives accompani ed the quartz monzoni t e plu-
tons. The absence of extrusives identifiable as
bei ng comagmat i c wi t h the quartz monzoni t es
at Past o Bueno and Magistral conforms to the
setting at Compaccha.
District Structure
The various strands of the Compaccha fault
may be occupied by pl ut oni c rocks in i rregul ar
146 V. F. HOLLISTER
but elongate bodies. By pr ovi di ng planes of
weakness i nt o which the magmas could be
injected, the Compaccha fault largely cont rol -
led the l ocat i on and ul t i mat e shape of the
i gneous intrusions. Fig. 2 shows the mai n
strand of the Compaccha fault and the mineral-
ized strands which are the district' s principal
veins. Where the fault strands are not occupi ed
by either i gneous or vei n material, they are
not easily detectable in the shales, and are
omi t t ed f r om the figure. Some small quartz
monzoni t e dikes t rend N45E in the mol yb-
denum zone, suggesting t hat a N45E cross
fault occurs in this area in addi t i on to the NW
t rendi ng Compaccha fault. The i mpl i cat i on
exists that bot h the N45E cross fault and the
Compaccha fault were active duri ng i nt rusi on
of the quartz monzoni t e. Though most dikes
are t oo small to show in Figures 2 or 3, the
largest are shown on these figures. Fault straie
on the wails of the largest NE t rendi ng dike
are nearly horizontal, suggesting hori zont al
fault movement . The mol ybdenum zone there-
fore appears to occur at the intersection of
N50W and a N45 E t rendi ng strike-slip faults.
Thi s intersection also coincides wi t h the center
of magmat i c activity.
Districf Metal Zoning
The core of mineralization in the district is
the mol ybdenum zone. Laterally around this
is a zone where occasional enargite, apparent l y
accompani ed by lesser tetrahedrite and chal-
copyrite, occurs in the quartz vei n structures.
Adjacent to the enargite zone at the suface is
a large area where spalerite and galena occur
in the veins. Out si de of the zinc-lead zone,
ant i mony (as stibnite) and arsenic (as realgar)
can occasionally be seen. The areas where
these metals occur as vei n constituents are
shown on Fig. 2, modified after MaLaGA
SANTOLALLA (1954).
Wol frami t e occurs in all met al zones and in
the past has been the most i mpor t ant economi c
mineral pr oduced in the district. I n the mol yb-
denite zone it occurs as deep red hubnerite,
and in the out er margi n of the Zn- Pb zone it
occurs as an i ron rich ferberite (HoLLrSTER
1970). A cont i nuous lateral change f r om the
manganese t ungst at e to the i ron may be ob-
served in movi ng out war d f r om the core area.
The manganese: i ron ratio is a funct i on of
distance f r om the core area where the mol yb-
denite occurs. Because of the gradational char-
acteristics of wol frami t e zoning, it is omi t t ed
f r om Fig. 2.
The mol ybdenum- hubner i t e zone is located at
the intersection of the Compaccha fault and
the N45E fault. The ot her zones are elongate
wi t h the Compaccha fault, successively sur-
roundi ng the mol ybdenum zone.
District Mineralization
Sulfide (molybdenite, enargite, tetrahedrite,
chalcopyrite, shalerite, galena, stibnite) and
oxide (wolframite) ore minerals are al most
entirely f ound in quartz filled fractures. The
quart z: ore mineral ratio normal l y is 10 or
greater. Pyrite also occurs erratically in the
quartz veins. Vein walls are always sharp,
t hough they may either be "f r ozen" or fault
bounded. The l arger veins usually show re-
peat ed openings, while the smaller veins and
veinlets may show onl y one peri od of openi ng
and filling.
Within the mbl ybdeni t e and enargite (copper)
zones, well devel oped st ockworks out crop,
and the principal t rend of the stringers is
N50W. A subsidiary t rend strikes N45E. Fig. 3
is the detailed map of the st ockwor k area.
Molybdenum Zone
The mol ybdenum zone occurs whol l y con-
tained wi t hi n the onl y place in the district
where N45E fractures occur t oget her wi t h
the domi nant l y N50 W fractures. Since each
set can be seen cutting and also bei ng t runcat ed
by the ot her set, simultaneity of movement is
indicated for each set. Mol ybdeni t e occurs as
vei n filling in the fractures, and since fracture
density is adequate to qualify use of the t er m
st ockwork, the mol ybdenum zone is charac-
terized by a st ockwor k of quartz-sulfide vein-
lets.
The host rocks, as shown in Fig. 3, consist
only of quart z monzoni t e por phyr y i nt rudi ng
Chicama shale. I n detail the i nt rusi on is very
compl ex since it is pri mari l y cont rol l ed by
numerous strands of the Compaccha fault, and
it silled out fol l owi ng beddi ng in the shale as
well. The shales appear to have been cont or t ed
by forceful injection of the magma as well as
by draggi ng duri ng fault movement s.
The Porphyry Mol ybdenum Deposit of Compaccha 147
Alteration Zoning
Fi g. 3 present s t he al t erat i on zones as i ndi cat ed
on t he surface. No readi l y identifiable pot assi c
zone, consi st i ng of ort hocl ase, bi ot i t e or chl o-
rite has been f ound at t he surface. One may
have existed, but super gene al t erat i on, result-
i ng f r om t he oxi dat i on of pyri t e, has appar-
ent l y dest r oyed any near surface or t hocl ase
and mas ked such a zone, if it had i ndeed any
surface expressi on.
A ver y l arge quart z-seri ci t e-pyri t e zone exists
over muc h of bot h t he copper zone and mol yb-
de num zone. As s hown i n Fi g. 3, it is i r r egul ar
i n out l i ne and i ncl udes hydr ot her mal l y serici-
t i zed shales as well as quar t z monzoni t e. The
sericite zone associ at ed wi t h mol ybde num does
not appear t o car r y pr omi nent fluorite, t opaz
or ot her fluoro-silicates t ypi cal of greisens.
Fl uor i ne may be pr esent i n t he sericite, but
t he l ack of t opaz or ot her fluoro-silicates does
not qual i fy this phyl l i c zone as a greisen. Silici-
fication, as a per vasi ve r epl acement al t erat i on
pr oduct , is vari abl e i n t he quart z-seri ci t e-
pyr i t e zone. The east ern par t of zone carries
t he mos t i nt ense, wi despr ead silicification i n
t he di st ri ct t h o u g h ot her part s of t he sericite
zone are also silicified. Mos t silica added t o
t he rocks, on t he ot her hand, occur s i n vei ns
as quart z, apar t f r om t he per vasi ve silicification.
Pyr i t e account s f or about 4% of t he phyl l i c
zone r ocks, as a di ssemi nat i on i n t he sericite-
quar t z mat ri x. I t occurs bot h i n al t ered shale
as wel l as al t ered quar t z monz oni t e por phyr y.
An argillic zone consi st i ng mos t l y of bl eached
but not sericitized shale s ur r ounds t he sericite
(phyllic) zone.
A pr opyl i t i c zone be yond t hat consi st s mos t l y
of par t l y bl eached shale or chl ori t i zed i nt ru-
sive.
The cor e of t he al t erat i on sequence is clearly
t he i nt er sect i on of t he Compaccha and t he
N4 5 E faults. Thi s i nt er sect i on is n o w encom-
passed by t he seri ci t e-quart z-pyri t e zone, wi t h
t he ot her zones occur r i ng peri pheral t o it.
Structure
I n t he mo l y b d e n u m zone, t he s t oekwor k of
quart z-sul fi de vei nl et s domi nat es and t ends t o
mask all ot her st ruct ure. For t he mos t par t it
consi st s of t wo sets of veinlets, mos t of whi ch
are under one cm wi de, and mos t of whi ch are
less t han 10 cm apart. The veinlets appear t o be
sub-parallel i n each set. Vei nl et i nt ersect i ons
suggest t hat t he N5 0 W set may t er mi nat e
vei nl et s i n t he N4 5 E set, t h o u g h t he reverse is
also true. The l ogi cal concl usi on of this obser-
vat i on is t hat t he t wo sets f or med si mul t aneous-
ly. Mos t of t he vei nl et s t r endi ng NW di p st eepl y
east, and wher e fault straie are visible, are nearl y
hor i zont al . A f ew of t hese vei nl et s do have
vi si bl e vert i cal striations, suggest i ng some
vert i cal mo v e me n t at some t i me on a f ew st ri ng-
ers.
Faul t straie on t he NE t r endi ng set also are
nearl y hor i zont al , and one possi bl e i nt erpret a-
t i on of t he i nt ersect i ons visible i n out cr op be-
t ween t he NE and NW t r endi ng vei nl et s is t hat
t he nor t h side of t he mi neral i zed f r act ur e mo v e d
east hori zont al l y.
Clearly t he t wo pri nci pal vei nl et sets do not
make a conj ugat e pair. Each is a shear, r at her
t han a t ensi on fract ure, t hat has opened and been
filled wi t h mi neral , and f or mos t of t he veinlets,
t he openi ng occur r ed onl y once. The set t r end-
i ng N5 0 W appears t o be an i nt egral par t of t he
Compaccha fault, wi t h each vei nl et a separate
st r and of t he faul t itself. I n this case, t he mi neral -
i zat i on is clearly par t of a maj or t r anscur r ent
st ruct ure.
The s t oc kwor k occupi es t he i nt er sect i on of t he
t wo maj or faults, and it is t he hear t of i gneous
act i vi t y, mi neral i zat i on and alteration. The
s t oc kwor ki s a p r o d u c t of mi neral i zat i on dur i ng
si mul t aneous, r epeat ed move me nt on t he t wo
faults over a pr ol onge d per i od of time.
Mineralization
Wi t hi n t he mol ybde num zone, mol ybdeni t e
and pyr i t e appear t o const i t ut e about 90% of
t he t ot al sulfide, t h o u g h part i al oxi dat i on t o
300 met ers or mor e bel ow t he surface makes a
preci se fi gure difficult t o const r uct . Enar gi t e
appears t o have const i t ut ed muc h of t he remai n-
der of t he sulfide. Occasi onal copper st ai ni ng i n
some vei nl et s are all t hat n o w r emai n of this
mi neral at t he surface.
Hubner i t e occur s erratically wi t h t he mol yb-
deni t e i n t he quar t z veins. The aver age rat i o of
Mo t o WOa appears t o be 10, wher e t he st ock-
wo r k will aver age mor e t han 0. 2% Mo. The
vast pr edomi nance of quar t z i n t he vei nl et s does
not per mi t f r equent exposures of mol ybdeni t e
148 V. F. HOLLISTER
in contact with hubnerite, but those not ed
suggest the hubnerite to be younger.
The mol ybdeni t e occurs as gray smears on walls
of veinlets, as very fine grained material clouding
vein quartz, and occasionally as continuous
veinlets of ver y fine grained sulfide wholly
within the quartz.
The st ockwork extends beyond the mol ybdenum
zone to the east. I n this area, the sulfide cont ent
of the veins increases, t hough complete oxida-
tion at the surface prohibits a precise description
of the hypogene mineralogy. It woul d seem
likely that enargite woul d be one of the princi-
pal hypogene minerals present in this area. The
st ockwork may also be very well developed,
gi vi ng the rock an overall quartz cont ent of
80 %, but the molybdenite may be almost entire-
ly missing at the surface.
Di s cus s i on
The Compaccha fault is mineralized in three
areas: Compaccha, Pasto Bueno and Magistral.
Each district contains mineralization associated
with a calc-alkalic, quartz phenocryst porphyry,
and in each district, volcanics that may be
assigned a role comagmatic with the quartz
monzoni t e are missing. All three pl ut ons i nt rude
Mesozoic sediments, and in each district miner-
alization may be closely tied to the pl ut on
spatially and temporally t hr ough a structural
interpretation of the setting of the pluton,
distribution of the ore minerals and alteration
zoning. Fr om the nort hwest to the southeast
these are dominantly mol ybdenum-t ungst en,
t ungst en-copper-mol ybdenum and copper-
mol ybdenum. Some speculation i s justified
to explain the change in metallogeny along the
fault, since bot h a mol ybdenum por phyr y
(Compaccha) and a por phyr y copper (Magistral)
occur along it.
The regional geologic setting of Compaccha
and the area to the nort h, east and west is that
of a craton with a thin cover of folded but
unmet amorphosed Mesozoic sediments. Erratic
but small exposures of Tert i ary andesite near
Compaccha indicate a short peri od of pre-
mineral, arc type volcanism may have existed
in the middle Tertiary.
The Compaccha fault offsets granite por phyr y
(granite of MALAGa SANTOLALLA 1954) and is
mineralized as large quartz veins at Pasta Bueno,
as shown in Fig. 4. The quartz veins carry
mi nor wolframite and enargite, and lesser
amounts of sphalerite and pyrite. Molybdenite
also occurs in quartz veins in this district.
Mineralization closely fol l owed intrusion.
At Magistral, the N4 5 W trending Compaccha
fault intersects the east-west striking Magistral
fault, with the intrusion elongated along the
Magistral fault. TERRONES (1958) notes that the
Compaccha fault (t hough unnamed in his des-
cription) has reverse movement . Chalcopyrite-
molybdenite mineralization occurs most impor-
tantly in a skarn which surrounds the pluton,
t hough ore occurs in the stock as well. Fig. 5
shows evidence for closely associated fault
movement , intrusion and mineralization at
Magistral.
Pre-Mesozoic rocks are unknown southwest,
west or sout h of Magistral, which itself is
surrounded Upper Cretaceous limestone. A wide
surface cover of Cretaceous shelf sediments is
exposed, however, with only a small percentage
of the surface covered with Tert i ary igneous
rocks. A cratonic setting which includes Pre-
cambrian cannot be demonstrated to exist on
the basis of surface exposures. The same peri od
of middle-late Tert i ary volcanism present to
the nort h of and near the Compaccha exists to
the south of Magistral.
The difference in metallization along the fault
f r om Compaccha to Magistral may possibly be
ascribed to a change in the composition or
thickness of the crust where it is penetrated by
the Compaccha fault, provi di ng the fault had
the same dept h of penetration in each district.
If the crust thinned significantly f r om Com-
paccha to Magistral, then the fault coul d have
tapped a different source of fluids in each case~
Had the Compaccha fault a different dept h o~
penet rat i on at Magistral than at Compaccha,
t hen conceivably the product s of metaUization
woul d also be different. The structural link
binding the t wo deposits together, the Com-
paccha fault, conceivably may have had a dif-
ferent dept h of penetration in each district,
t hough such a speculation is not favored in
such a short distance for a major strike-slip
fault. _A_distance of only 30 km separates the
Magistral por phyr y copper, a chalcopyrite
dominant Cu-Mo por phyr y with well developed
skarn mineralization, f r om the Compaccha
por phyr y mol ybdenum deposit.
The Por phyr y Mol ybdenum Deposi t of Compaccha 149
o& " - x _ =-- :-~%~;!,.-@::~
. . . . . . . . . 7: i - f i 5%~%: q- + i'~'e >. g" ; . " -
_ _ _ _ . . - ; ~ . ~ - + + + + x . , ~ q s : . } : . ~ . . . .
~ - - - ~ - = - ~ z ~ z - - X ~ ~- - - - I - ~- I - t - i _ ~ ~ t - - -I- + ~:";-'74- + + + + +)?7,:~.-'&,~' . - - - - -
+ + - ~ + . ~ - . ~ - V . + '. < + + . F_,/, : , , + + + , ~ . ~ , : : , . ~ - . . . .
+ ~+- + - b - - " %i f - + + + - .~..,'":'m.'":~2
+ +*,++.+*,++,~','!, +++.41g',~ , +L++ "*:"V~-----:'-~"
+ + ~ + 7 + T + . ~ - Z + Z + I - - , > * + +:. ::a, ::. . ~. z. aT-+ +
+ ' , + ~ + ' . + ; + ' ~ . , + ' , - + . l z _ ~ ' + + + ~ # : : : : : - . ~ . . . . . . ' + + +
+ +' . +' , t , +' , - ~+, +f - ~ + + :":?.' ~--7"+ + +
- l - + ' ~- ' - ~ . q l ' ~ k ' _ ~ 1,.-_# + .4- + ~.'~7~7_-~ + + +
+ - ~ + + + + \ + l + + + + t - - . - 7 " + + +
+ i + + . + 74- . 4 %. 1 + 4 - - > ~ = - - - + + + +
_ t _ - ~ . + . + . + . + . ~ k l + + + + + + f
t # " + + + 4- 4- "lk + + + + + 4-
~ - + + + + ~ + + + + + +
q - ~ + + + + 4- \ + + ~- + + +
-1- -}- + - i + + + + \ + + 4- + 4- 1-
, + + + + + + + ~ + + + 4 - + +
+ + + + -- \ + + ~ - + +
+ + + + 4- + 4- _ ~ . . a , , ~ + + +
+ - + +" + + + ~ . ~ _ ~ . . + 4 + +
+ ~ ~ ~ ~ + + + +
+ + + ~ ~ 1 + +
+ + +
+ q - +
"J~i~!~:# ~ , . ~ i # . ; , - -
.:>~ ~ -- _ _ ,.,?.:.;j.__--
[ ' + ~ Quartz Monzonite Porphyry
[ - ~" ~ Cretaceous Shale
~ Cretaceous Quartzite
~ Jurassic Chicama Shale
Cornpaccha Fault
I
0 0 . 5 1.0 1.5 2I ) 2 . 5
I f I I I J
K i l o m e t e r s
Fig. 4. Di st ri ct Geol ogi c Map, Pasto Bfleno
An o t h e r f act or c oul d be t he r el at i ve ages of t he
depos i t s , t h o u g h at pr e s e nt nei t her ar e r adi o-
met r i cal l y dat ed. On s t r at i gr aphi c evi dence b o t h
ar e c ons i de r e d Mi oc e ne or younge r , and t o be
pe ne c ont e mpor a ne ous .
NOBLE (1974) suggest s a s ub- cr us t al s our ce f or
met al s such as ar e f o u n d i n Compaccha, Pas t o
Bueno and Magi s t r al , whi l e MITCHELL and
GARSON (1972) t i e such met al z oni ng t o a sub-
duc t i on zone. The s pecul at i on i n v o l v e d i n l i nk-
i ng me t a l l oge ni c change t o an i mpl i e d change
i n cr ust al t hi ckness s houl d be cons i der ed,
howe ve r , si nce LOWELL (1974) fi nds muc h
di f f i cul t y i n a ppl yi ng t he s ubduc t i on or i e nt e d
hypot hes i s of MITCHELL and GARSON (1972) tO
t he Cor di l l er an o r o g e n i n No r t h Amer i ca.
Shoul d t he l i t hophi l e el ement s be de r i ve d f r om
t he cr ust , whi l e t he c oppe r is subcr ust al , t he
s pecul at i ons c onc e r ni ng pe ne t r a t i ons of t he
Compa c c ha f aul t are s t r engt hened. No s uppor t
f or any hypot hes i s of met al sour ce may be
deci si ve, howe ve r , unt i l r u b i d i u m- s t r o n t i u m
r at i os f or t he pl ut ons ar e obt ai ned, and unt i l
st abl e i s ot ope dat a are avai l abl e f or t he or e
mi ner al s.
C o n c l u s i o n s
The Compa c c ha di s t r i ct occur s wher e a N4 5 E
t r e ndi ng cr oss f aul t i nt er sect s t he N 50 W t r e nd-
i ng Compa c c ha faul t . The cor e of i gneous
i nt r us i on, t he cent er of h y d r o t h e r ma l act i vi t y,
a nd t he ar ea of s t o c k wo r k d e v e l o p me n t are
al l ge ogr a phi c a l l y as s oci at ed wi t h t he i nt er -
sect i on and appear t o be genet i cal l y r el at ed t o it.
Al l wer e d e v e l o p e d dur i ng c ont i nui ng s i mul t a-
neous mo v e me n t on b o t h faul t s. Mi ner al z oni ng
s ugges t s t hat t he hear t of mi ner al i zat i on is t he
150 V. F. HOLLISTER
ault
L i mi t / " ~ ~ ~
of skarn 85o~ ~ U ~ D
Meters
0 I00 200 300
I I ' I
0 5 O0 1000
F e e t
Skarn
M a g s t r a l ,
Quar t z Monzoni t e
Por phyr y
Fig. 5. District Gealogic Map, Mapistral
Pe r u
i nt ersect i on, and t he st r uct ur e pr esent i ndi cat es
t hat mi ner al i zat i on cl osel y f ol l owed i nt r usi on
of t he quar t z monzoni t e as one cont i nuous
i gneous - hydr ot her mal event .
Magi st ral , a Cu - Mo p o r p h y r y copper deposi t
wi t h a l arge skarn devel oped a r ound its mi neral -
i zed i nt rusi ve, lies 30 km sout heast of Compac-
cha' s p o r p h y r y mol ybde num- t ungs t e n deposi t .
Bot h occur on t he Compaccha fault, and no
r eady expl anat i on exists f or t he occur r ence of
t wo cont r ast i ng por phyr y t ypes on one r egi onal
st r uct ur e so close t oget her . The Past o Bueno
t ungs t en di st ri ct lies bet ween t he t wo and is
onl y 8 ki l omet ers f r om Magistral. Di fferences
i n mi neral i zat i on bet ween Magi st ral on t he one
hand and Past o Bueno and Compaccha on t he
ot her mos t l ogi cal l y seem expl ai ned by di fferent
levels of t he cr ust or mant l e ser vi ng as t he
met al sour ce i n t he t wo cont r ast i ng t ypes of
deposi t s. Whet her this is a pr oduc t of di fferent
dept h of penet r at i on of t he Compaccha faul t
i n each case, or whet her it is a resul t of a change
i n t he t hi ckness of t he cr ust or of its compos i -
t i on is not known.
Acknowledgements
The manuscript was criticized by Prof. F. J. Saw-
KINS of the University of Minnesota. His comments
helped materially in the clarification of several
points, t hough the speculations advanced are those
of the author.
The Por phyr y Mol ybdenum Deposi t of Compaccha 151
R e f e r e n c e s
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(1974)
LOWELL, J. D. : Regi onal characteristics of por phyr y
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MITCHELL, ~. I-I. G. , GARSON, M. S. : Relationship
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NOBLE, D. C., MCKEE, E. H. , FARRAR, E. , PETER-
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NOBLE, J . A . : Metal provi nces and metaI finding in
the western U. S. Mineral. Deposi t a (Berl.) 9,
1-25 (1974)
STEWART, J. W. , EVERENDEN, J. F. , SNELLINGS, N.
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TEREONES, A. J. : St ruct ural cont rol of contact
metasomatic deposits in the Peruvi an Cordillera.
Mi ni ng Engineer. 365, March 1958
Received Oct ober 15, 1974
V. F. HOLLISTER
Dur a l i nt ernat i onal Cor por at i on Suite 204, The
Marine Building, 355, Burrard Street, Vancouver
British Columbia, V6C 268 Canada