Geochemical and geochronological constraints on the genesis of Au-Te deposits at Cripple Creek, Colorado

Kelley, Karen D.; Romberger, S. B.; Beaty, D. W.; Pontius, Jeffrey A.; Snee, Lawrence W.; Stein, Holly J.; Thompson, Tommy B.

doi:10.2113/gsecongeo.93.7.981

Cited by 75 publications

(66 citation statements)

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“…The Laughlin Peak-Chico Hills complex was emplaced just before or at the beginning of Rio Grande rift extension (22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29)(30)(31)(32)(33)(34)(35)(36)(37)). The Laughlin Peak-Chico Hills igneous complex consists of a variety of alkaline extrusive (trachyandesite, 32.3 ± 1.5, K/Ar; basalt, trachybasalt, rhyodacite) and intrusive lithologies (Figure 4a) [79]), and carbonatite dikes [44].…”

Section: Laughlin Peak Districtmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Gallinas Mountains intrusions were emplaced at or just before the beginning of Rio Grande rift extension (27)(28)(29)(30)(31)(32)(33)(34)(35)(36)(37)(38)(39). The oldest intrusion is the porphyritic andesite, which has been dated as 39.74 ± 0.058 Ma ( 40 Ar/ 39 Ar methods [110,111]).…”

Section: Gallinas Mountains Districtmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Supporting evidence for a magmatic-hydrothermal origin of GPM mineral deposits include the following: (1) fluid inclusion data, age determinations, and stable isotopic evidence from the Capitan quartz veins [122,[126][127][128] and Nogal-Bonito deposits [136][137][138]140], (2) nature of stockwork molybdenum deposits at Sierra Blanca [131], (3) close spatial association of the nine types of deposits with igneous rocks [44,108,125], (4) presence of skarn deposits along the contacts of the igneous rocks [44,108], (5) similar age determinations between igneous intrusions and associated mineralization and alteration [23,24], (6) geochemistry, fluid inclusion and geochemical modeling studies in the Gallinas Mountains district [106][107][108][109][110] and (7) similarity of New Mexico deposits to other deposits at Cripple Creek, Colorado and elsewhere where a magmatic origin is favored [26,35,89,90,201]. GPM are found along a long, linear, cratonic boundary (Great Plains and Rocky Mountains) that has a geologic history spanning hundreds of million years [24,27].…”

Section: Origin Of Gpm Depositsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Several studies have attributed changes in the chemistry and source of the magmas to the tectonic transition between Eocene-early Oligocene subduction (Laramide, 36-75 Ma) and mid-Tertiary extension (20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29)(30)(31)(32)(33)(34)(35)(36) [124,199,200] that was triggered by changes in the subducting Farallon plate. As the Farallon slab fragmented [166,207], the asthenosphere filled gaps between the sinking slab and overlying lithosphere, producing magmas and thereby accounting for slight differences between chemical compositions of the exposed igneous rocks within the GPM belt.…”

Section: Origin Of Gpm Depositsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Rare Earth Elements (REE) Deposits Associated with Great Plain Margin Deposits (Alkaline-Related), Southwestern United States and Eastern Mexico

McLemore

2018

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W.G. Lindgren in 1933 first noted that a belt of alkaline-igneous rocks extends along the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains and Basin and Range provinces from Alaska and British Columbia southward into New Mexico, Trans-Pecos Texas, and eastern Mexico and that these rocks contain relatively large quantities of important commodities such as, gold, fluorine, zirconium, rare earth elements (REE), tellurium, gallium, and other critical elements. In New Mexico, these deposits were called Great Plain Margin (GPM) deposits, because this north-south belt of alkaline-igneous rocks roughly coincides with crustal thickening along the margin between the Great Plains physiographic province with the Basin and Range (including the Rio Grande rift) and Rocky Mountains physiographic provinces, which extends into Trans-Pecos Texas and eastern Mexico. Since 1996, only minor exploration and development of these deposits in New Mexico, Texas, and eastern Mexico has occurred because of low commodity prices, permitting issues, and environmental concerns. However, as the current demand for gold and critical elements, such as REE and tellurium has increased, new exploration programs have encouraged additional research on the geology of these deposits. The lack of abundant quartz in these systems results in these deposits being less resistant to erosion, being covered, and not as well exposed as other types of quartz-rich deposits, therefore additional undiscovered alkaline-related gold and REE deposits are likely in these areas. Deposits of Th-REE-fluorite (±U, Nb) epithermal veins and breccias are found in the several GPM districts, but typically do not contain significant gold, although trace amounts of gold are found in most GPM districts. Gold-rich deposits in these districts tend to have moderate to low REE and anomalously high tungsten and sporadic amounts of tellurium. Carbonatites are only found in New Mexico and Mexico. The diversity of igneous rocks, including alkaline-igneous rocks, and associated mineral deposits along this boundary suggests that this region is characterized by highly fractionated and differentiated, multiple pulses of mantle-derived magmas evolving to lower crustal magmas related to the subduction of the Farallon plate. The differences in incompatible trace elements, including REE and beryllium, between the different granitic to rhyolite rocks are likely related to either differences in the crustal rocks that were assimilated during magmatic differentiation or by potential minor contamination from crustal sources and/or magma mixing. Deep-seated fracture systems or crustal lineaments apparently channeled the magmas and hydrothermal fluids. Once magmas and metal-rich fluids reached shallow levels, the distribution and style of these intrusions, as well as the resulting associated mineral deposits were controlled by local structures and associated igneous rock compositions.

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Section: Laughlin Peak Districtmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Gallinas Mountains Districtmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Origin Of Gpm Depositsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Origin Of Gpm Depositsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Rare Earth Elements (REE) Deposits Associated with Great Plain Margin Deposits (Alkaline-Related), Southwestern United States and Eastern Mexico

McLemore

2018

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“…Experimental studies have showed that magnesium has the capacity to increase the rate of hydrogen dissociation, slow down its adsorption kinetics, and lead hydrogen-bearing gases to condense (Swartz et al 1999). This hypothesis is supported by the presence of magnesium minerals in the most studied Ag-Au-Te ore deposits such as: dolomite-talc-brucite (Panormos Bay; Tombros et al 2004Tombros et al , 2005Tombros et al , 2007, Mg-chlorite (Acupan; Cooke et al 1996;Cooke and McPhail (2001), dolomite (Cripple Creek; Thompson et al 1985;Kelley et al 1998), dolomite and Mg-chlorite (Emperor, Tuvatu; Ahmad et al 1987;Scherbarth and Spry 2006), roscoelite and dolomite (Porgera; Richards and Kerrich 1993;Ronacher et al 2004) and Mg-chlorite and manganese ores (Sunnyside mine; Casadevall and Ohmoto 1977).…”

mentioning

confidence: 92%

Later stages of evolution of an epithermal system: Au–Ag mineralizations at Apigania Bay, Tinos Island, Cyclades, Hellas, Greece

et al. 2008

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Precious metals accompany all types of epithermal deposits. In general, the largest of these deposits occur in intrusive or extrusive rocks of alkaline or calc-alkaline affinity. The Apigania Bay vein system and Au-Ag mineralization is hosted in Mesozoic marbles and schists, and is composed primarily of five nearly parallel, high-angle quartz veins that extend for at least 200 m. Gold-silver mineralization, in association with more than thirty ore and vein minerals, is developed in three stages and occurs at the contact of marbles and schists. Zones of epidote-chlorite-calcite and sericite-albite alteration are associated with precious metal-bearing milky and clear quartz veins. Fluid inclusion studies suggest that hydrothermal mineralization was deposited under hydrostatic pressures of~100 bars, at temperature of 120-235°C, from low to moderate, calcium-bearing, saline fluids of 0.2 to 6.8 equiv. wt.% NaCl. Calculated isotope compositions (δ 18 O=−4.7‰ to 1.7‰ and δD= −120‰ to −80‰) for waters in equilibrium with milky and clear quartz are consistent with mixing with dilute, low temperature meteoric ore fluids. Calculated δ 13 C CO2 (0.6‰ to 1.1‰) and δ 34 S H2S (−7.3 to −0.3‰) compositions of the ore fluids indicate exchange, in an open system, with a metasedimentary source. Gold and silver deposition was associated with degassing of hydrogen due to intense uplift of the mineralizing area. The physicochemical conditions of mineralization stages I to III range between 200°C and 150°C, f S 2 ¼ 10

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Tellurides in Au deposits: Implications for modelling

Cook

Ciobanu

2005

Mineral Deposit Research: Meeting the Global Challenge

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Geochemical and geochronological constraints on the genesis of Au-Te deposits at Cripple Creek, Colorado

Cited by 75 publications

References 0 publications

Rare Earth Elements (REE) Deposits Associated with Great Plain Margin Deposits (Alkaline-Related), Southwestern United States and Eastern Mexico

Rare Earth Elements (REE) Deposits Associated with Great Plain Margin Deposits (Alkaline-Related), Southwestern United States and Eastern Mexico

Later stages of evolution of an epithermal system: Au–Ag mineralizations at Apigania Bay, Tinos Island, Cyclades, Hellas, Greece

Tellurides in Au deposits: Implications for modelling

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