The Las Minas area corresponds to an exhumed geothermal system considered a proxy for the deep part of the nearby Los Humeros active geothermal system. The stratigraphic succession is made up of: Palaeozoic-Miocene granitoids, a thick Jurassic-Cretaceous carbonate succession, Neogene lava flows and volcano-sedimentary deposits. Linked to a Miocene magma intrusion, marble and skarn rock-volumes developed by contact metamorphism and geothermal fluid flow. Faults are arranged in SW-and NNW-striking systems. These controlled the morphological evolution and favored Neogene-Quaternary dyke emplacement. Faulting gave rise to a tectonic depression where lacustrine sediments and pyroclastics deposited. Skarn rocks are mainly located at fault intersections and along pre-existing discontinuities, suggesting the role of bedding and/or fractures in channeling deep fluids. Results give inputs for exploration at depth of Los Humeros geothermal system.
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