Geology of a Major New Porphyry Copper Center in the Superior (Pioneer) District, Arizona

Manske, S. L.; Paul, Alex H.

doi:10.2113/gsecongeo.97.2.197

Cited by 59 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…3). Proterozoic, Paleozoic, and Mesozoic sedimentary rocks, which are locally important ore hosts in certain Laramide porphyry deposits (e.g., Resolution; Manske and Paul, 2002), were denuded in the study area, most likely by erosion during uplift in the Late Cretaceous (Flowers et al, 2008).…”

Section: Rock Typesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dismembered Porphyry Systems near Wickenburg, Arizona: District-Scale Reconstruction with an Arc-Scale Context

Nickerson¹,

Seedorff²

2016

Economic Geology

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This study combines results from reconnaissance-scale mapping of hydrothermal alteration, rock types, and structures to provide a district-scale cross section and associated palinspastic reconstruction of an area with two previously undescribed Laramide (~70 Ma) porphyry systems at Sheep Mountain and Copper Basin (Crown King). Extension at the district scale is placed in an arc-scale context using an original compilation of strike and dip measurements on Tertiary rocks to reconstruct the Laramide porphyry belt prior to extension. The study area contains five sequential, partially superimposed sets of normal faults that are nearly planar where exposed. Dips of all normal faults initiated at 60° to 70° and rotated during slip to angles as gentle as 20°. A palinspastic reconstruction reveals that two, spatially distinct hydrothermal systems overlie different cupolas of a Late Cretaceous pluton. Hydrothermal alteration is zoned from greisen to potassic to transitional greisenpotassic assemblages from deep to shallow structural levels. The reconstruction is used to identify two covered exploration targets. The prospects may be porphyry molybdenum systems of the quartz monzonitic-granitic porphyry Mo-Cu subclass, joining others in an arc that is best known for porphyry copper deposits. The Laramide porphyry belt prior to extension displays a variably well-defined axis, ~100 km wide, with gaps and clusters of deposits along its 700-km strike length. The majority of deposits lie along the axis, but others lie in fore-or rear-arc positions. The interpreted preextensional geometry of the Laramide porphyry belt resembles other porphyry belts and the distribution of active volcanoes at convergent margins.

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Section: Rock Typesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dismembered Porphyry Systems near Wickenburg, Arizona: District-Scale Reconstruction with an Arc-Scale Context

Nickerson¹,

Seedorff²

2016

Economic Geology

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“…Magma produced enargite and other Cu minerals from high-grade veins and mantos for over 100 years, before Resolution (Inferred Mineral Resource >1.3 Bt grading >1.5 % Cu) was discovered below 800 m of post-mineralisation cover rocks and gravel during exploration for additional veins (Manske and Paul, 2002).…”

Section: Strategy and Tacticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Future Global Mineral Resources

Arndt¹,

Fontboté²,

Hedenquist³

et al. 2017

Geochem. Persp.

132

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“…Recent compilations (Singer et al, 2005a;Seedorff et al, 2005) indicate that most porphyry copper deposits are of Phanerozoic age, were emplaced at depths ranging from ~1 to 6 km (averaging 1.9 km), and have an average vertical thickness of ~2.0 km. With a few exceptions (Manske and Paul, 2002), most known deposits are within a few hundred meters of Earth's surface and part of their 2 km vertical thickness is at the surface, as defi ned by the model calculation (Fig. 2).…”

Section: Application Of the Model To Global Copper Resources Porphyrymentioning

confidence: 99%

Earth's copper resources estimated from tectonic diffusion of porphyry copper deposits

Kesler

Wilkinson

2008

Geol

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Improved estimates of global mineral endowments are relevant to issues ranging from strategic planning to global geochemical cycling. We have used a time-space model for the tectonic migration of porphyry copper deposits vertically through the crust to calculate Earth's endowment of copper in mineral deposits. The model relies only on knowledge of numbers and ages of porphyry copper deposits, Earth's most widespread and important source of copper, in order to estimate numbers of eroded and preserved deposits in the crust. Model results indicate that ~125,895 porphyry copper deposits were formed during Phanerozoic time, that only ~47,789 of these remain at various crustal depths, and that these contain ~1.7 × 10 11 tonnes (t) of copper. Assuming that other types of copper deposits behave similarly in the crust and have abundances proportional to their current global production yields an estimate of 3 × 10 11 t for total global copper resources at all levels in Earth's crust. Thus, ~0.25% of the copper in the crust has been concentrated into deposits through Phanerozoic time, and about two-thirds of this has been recycled by uplift and erosion. The amount of copper in deposits above 3.3 km, a likely limit of future mining, could supply current world mine production for 5500 yr, thus quantifying the highly unusual and nonrenewable nature of mineral deposits.

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Geology of a Major New Porphyry Copper Center in the Superior (Pioneer) District, Arizona

Cited by 59 publications

References 24 publications

Dismembered Porphyry Systems near Wickenburg, Arizona: District-Scale Reconstruction with an Arc-Scale Context

Dismembered Porphyry Systems near Wickenburg, Arizona: District-Scale Reconstruction with an Arc-Scale Context

Future Global Mineral Resources

Earth's copper resources estimated from tectonic diffusion of porphyry copper deposits

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