Fontbot, L., and Bendez, R.
, 2009, Cordilleran or Butte-type veins and replacement bodies as a deposit class in porphyry systems. In: Williams et al., P.J. (ed)
Proceedings of the 10th Biennial Society of Geology Applied to Ore Deposits Meeting, Townsville, Australia, p. 521-523.
Cordilleran or Butte-type Veins and Replacement
Bodies as a Deposit Class in Porphyry Systems
Llus Fontbot
Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Geneva, rue des Marachers 13, CH-1205 Geneva, Switzerland
Ronner Bendez
Bilbao 295, Lima, Peru
Abstract: Cordilleran or Butte type polymetallic
mineralization in a porphyry-related setting is known
in numerous districts. Most of it is largely
epithermal, is found in the upper part of the systems,
cuts earlier veins with potassic and phyllic alteration
assemblages, and occurs as veins, massive
replacement bodies, and sulfide-cemented breccias.
Keywords: porphyry, epithermal, polymetallic
1 Introduction
In magmato-hydrothermal porphyry systems one or
more of the the following main deposit types may
occur: 1) porphyry copper deposits, 2) intermediate
and high sulfidation epithermal Au and Ag deposits,
3) Cu, Cu-Fe, Au, and Zn-Pb skarn deposits, 4)
Cordilleran or Butte-type polymetallic veins and
replacement bodies, 5) "distal" Au deposits.
Cordilleran or Butte type polymetallic
mineralization in a porphyry-related setting is known
in numerous districts. Most of it is largely
epithermal, is found in the upper part of the systems,
cuts earlier veins with potassic and phyllic alteration
assemblages, and occurs as veins, massive
replacement bodies, and as sulfide-cemented breccia
bodies. This kind of mineralization is known among
others in Butte ("Main Stage veins"), Magma,
Superior, Bisbee and Tintic, USA; Yauricocha,
Morococha, Julcani, Quiruvilca, Huarn, Hualgayoc,
Colquijirca and Cerro de Pasco, Peru; Bor, Serbia;
Erstberg, Indonesia. Specially in carbonate host rock,
as it is the case of several Miocene Peruvian deposits,
the mineralized volumes may be very important.
2 Main characteristics
The main characteristics of Cordilleran ore deposits
can be summarized as follows (largely after Sawkins
1972 and Einaudi, 1982; Bendez et al. 2008): (1)
close association in time and space with calc-alkaline
igneous activity, i.e., same geological environment as
most porphyry Cu and high-sulfidation epithermal
AuAg deposits. Several Cordilleran base metal
deposits (e.g., Butte, Morococha) are superimposed
on porphyry deposits, where others have no obvious
link to a porphyry. (2) Deposition late in the
evolution of the porphyry system (as seen from
abundant cross-cutting relationships and sparse
geochronological data; later than porphyry Cu, skarn,
and high sulfidation Au (-Ag) deposits). Polymetallic
mineralization frequently postdates an early quartz
sericite stage that may deposit important pyrite
volumes. (3) Deposition mostly under epithermal
conditions at shallow levels beneath the paleo-
surface. (4) Cu-Zn-Pb-W-Sn-(Ag-Au-Bi) metal
suites, very rich in sulfides (up to more than 50 wt.%
total sulfides). (5) Frequently, but not always, well-
developed zoning of ore and alteration minerals (see
below). (6) The main occurrence as open-space
fillings (veins, breccia bodies) in silicate host rocks
and as replacement in carbonate rocks. (7)
Cordilleran ores display notably higher Ag/Au ratios
than high-sulfidation epithermal Au-(Ag)
mineralization. (8) Fluid inclusion data consistently
point to moderate to aqueous fluids of (moderate) to
low salinity and trapping temperatures below 375C
(e.g., Baumgartner et al., 2008, Bendez et al., 2008,
Beuchat et al., 2004, Catchpole et al. 2008, Deen et
al. 1994; Friehauf, 1998; MacFarlane et al., 1994,
Prendergast et al., 2005, Rusk et al., 2008).
3 "Late" character
As already pointed out by Einaudi (1982), those
Cordilleran polymetallic deposits studied in detail
appear to be systematically "late" in the life of the
spatially associated magmato-hydrothermal systems.
For instance, in Butte "the Main Stage veins always
cut the porphyry Cu-Mo veins" and the pyrite-quartz-
sericite veins (Rusk et al., 2008). In Morococha,
similar observations are made (Kouzmanov et al.,
2008). In Colquijirca, in addition to cross-cutting
evidences (Bendez and Fontbot, in press), absolute
age determinations suggest that the Cordilleran
polymetallic mineralization postdates by 0.3 My and
as long as 0.8 My the high-sulfidation epithermal
Au-(Ag) disseminated ores. Also in porphyry
systems in which no economic polymetallic
mineralization is known, late polymetallic veins are
recognized (e.g., "third hydrothermal event" at La
Escondida, Padilla et al., 2001).
4 Zoning
The zoned character of these deposits is a frequent,
but not compulsory characteristic of the class. Two
Fontbot, L., and Bendez, R., 2009, Cordilleran or Butte-type veins and replacement bodies as a deposit class in porphyry systems. In: Williams et al., P.J. (ed)
Proceedings of the 10th Biennial Society of Geology Applied to Ore Deposits Meeting, Townsville, Australia, p. 521-523.
end members can be distinguished. Strongly zoned
deposits have cores dominated by enargite, pyrite,
quartz(tennantite, wolframite, chalcopyrite,
covellite, chalcocite, alunite, dickite, kaolinite) and
external parts by Fe-poor sphalerite, galena(sericite,
kaolinite, dickite, hematite, siderite). Weakly zoned
deposits consisting of internal parts bearing
pyrrhotite, pyrite, quartz(chalcopyrite, arsenopyrite,
tetrahedrite, carbonates, sericite, chlorite, quartz) and
external parts of Fe-rich sphalerite, galena,
pyrrhotite(rhodocrosite, siderite, and other
carbonates, sericite, chlorite, quartz). Both end-
member styles are present in the same deposit,
Figure 1. Schematic position of Cordilleran polymetallic deposits and other porphyry-related ore deposit types.
Similarly, the existence of very acidic host
rock alteration zoning depends to an important
degree of the proportion of vapors which are
degassed coetaneously with the aqueous low saline
fluids thought to be responsible of the polymetallic
mineralization. If the proportion of acidic oxidized
vapor-derived fluids is high, up to adavanced
argillic alteration can develop and hence a zoned
alteration pattern may occur. However, if the low
saline, less acidic aqueous fluids dominate, i.e., the
fluids thaught to be responsible for the Cordilleran
mineralization (e.g., Baumgartner et al., 2008;
Bendez and Fontbot, in press; Catchpole et al.,
2009), no acidic alteration is developed. This may
explain that several deposits that share the main
characteristics of Cordilleran ore deposits,
including their "late character" in the life of a
magmato-hydrothermal system, show only weak
zoning (e.g., San Cristobal vein in Central Peru,
Campbell 1984, Beuchat et al., 2004, large parts of
the Morococha veins, Catchpole et al., 2008). If
carbonate-hosted high-temperature, carbonate-
hosted Ag-Pb-Zn(Cu) deposits in Northern Mexico
(Megaw et al., 1988) also to weakly or non-zoned
indicating that mineralizing fluids strongly fluctuated
in terms of pH and sulfidation states from highly
acidic and very high sulfidation states, to mildly
acidic and low sulfidation states. It appears that the
sulfidation state in Cordilleran ore deposits depends
on several factors, including the temperature and
spatial path followed by the ore forming fluids and
their interaction with the host rock (e.g.,
Baumgartner et al., 2008). Therefore, the same type
of fluids originated by similar magmato-
hydrothermal systems may develop or not metal
zoning.
Cordilleran polymetallic deposits remains to be
evaluated.
5 Nomenclature issues and conclusion
This class of ore deposits have been traditionally
named Cordilleran or Butte-type base metal veins
or lodes (e.g., Meyer et al. 1968; Sawkins, 1972;
Einaudi, 1982; Guilbert and Park, 1985; Bartos,
1987; Macfarlane and Petersen, 1990; Hemley and
Hunt, 1992; Bendez et al., 2003 and 2008; Dilles
et al., 2004, and Baumgartner et al., 2008).
"Epithermal polymetallic veins", "intermediate"
or "high sulfidation polymetallic veins" (e.g.
Hedenquist et al., 1998) are other terms that have
been used recently. We prefer to keep the classical
terms of "Cordilleran" or "Butte-type" for these
polymetallic veins and replacement bodies. In our
view, the main distinctive features of the class are
the "late" character within the evolution of a
porphyry system, specifically post-dating quartz-
sericite-pyrite veins, a well as the sulfide rich
polymetallic, i.e., Zn-Pb-Cu-W-Sn-(Au-Ag-Bi),
mineral assemblages. As discussed above, the terms
Fontbot, L., and Bendez, R., 2009, Cordilleran or Butte-type veins and replacement bodies as a deposit class in porphyry systems. In: Williams et al., P.J. (ed)
Proceedings of the 10th Biennial Society of Geology Applied to Ore Deposits Meeting, Townsville, Australia, p. 521-523.
"epithermal" and "intermediate" or "high
sulfidation" can be applied to many Cordilleran
deposits. However they are not sufficiently precise
and, in the porphyry context, these terms bear the
danger of favoring an abusive assimilation with the
acid-sulfate or high-sulfidation epithermal Au-(Ag)
disseminated ores, that in several deposits appear to
form coetaneously with the quartz-sericite-vein
stage (e.g. Muntean and Einaudi, 2001). These
veins when present, are systematically cut by
Cordilleran base metals veins. The term "zoned
base metal veins" (Einaudi et al., 2003), again, can
be applied to a number of Cordilleran polymetallic
deposits, including to some of the most
representative, but a well-developed zoning is not
an intrinsic feature of the class.
It is important, also for exploration purposes,
to recognize Cordilleran or Butte-type polymetallic
mineralization as an specific class, which may
produce very large deposits (e.g., Cerro de Pasco,
Colquijirca, Butte) in the late stages of the life of
porphyry systems. Ongoing research (e.g.,
Catchpole et. al. submitted) examines the question
if the low saline aqueous fluids responsible for the
Cordilleran polymetallic mineralization represent
single phase magmatic fluids in the sense of
Heinrich (2007) or are magmatic brines diluted
with meteoric water and, by acquiring a lower
density, are able to ascend to upper parts of the
hydrothermal system.
Acknowledgements
This work is financed by the Swiss National
Science Foundation project 200020-116614.
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