EconomicGeology

Vol. 85, 1990, pp. 1447-1461

AmphiboliticCu-Fe SkarnDepositsin the Central Coastof Peru

CfSARE. VIDAL C.,
Perubar,S.A.,Juande Arona 830--Oficina 901, Lima 27, Peru

JORGEINJOQUE-ESPINOZA,
ChevronMineral Coporationof Chile,AvenidaEl Golf183, Santiago,Chile

GARY B. SIDDER,
U.S. Geological
Survey,
DenverFederalCenter,Box25046,Mail Stop905,Denver,Colorado
809.9.5

AND SAMUEL B. MUKASA

Department
of Geological
Sciences,
University
ofMichigan,
1006C.C.LittleBuilding,
AnnArbor,Michigan
48109-1063

Abstract

Monterrosas,Eliana,Ra61,and Condestableare the mostimportantcopperminesin the

centralcoastof Peru,betweenlat 12030' and 14030' S. Their relatedgeologicsetting,close
agerelation,andsimilarmineralogy andgeochemistry arguein favorof theirgroupingtogether
asamphiboliticCu-Fe skarndeposits.In the Lower Cretaceouscontinentalmargin,100 to
120 Ma, incipientriftingaccompanied by batholithicgabbrodiorite intrusionsat depthgave
riseto an elongatedtroughin whichsubmarine volcanicandsedimentary rocksaccumulated.
Skarndeposits developed in associationwiththe intrusiveactivityarecharacterized by chal-
copyriteconcentrations with low Ti magnetiteand/orpyrite in actinolitegangue;minorcon-
stituentsare amphibolesof hastingsiticandtschermakitic varieties,apatite,pyrrhotite,and
sodicscapolite.
Copperoresarefracturecontrolled andhostedby Albiangabbrodiorite plutons
at MonterrosasandEliana.Volcanogenicstrata-boundmantos,aswell asdisseminated sulfide
stringersand minor veins, occur at Ra61and Condestablein Hauterivian to Albian volcano-
sedimentaryrocks.Geochronologic K-Ar dataidentifya Lower Cretaceousepisodeof metal-
Iogenesis for Ra61,Condestable,andEliana.Geologicallyrelatediron depositsof Hierro Acarl
and Marconaare dated asLower Cretaceousand Upper Jurassic,respectively.
Petrographyand major element chemistryof the gabbrodioritesuite at Monterrosasand
Eliana indicatea low K tholeiitic characterwith calc-alkalineaffinitiesand high Na20/KO
ratios.Late magmaticandhydrothermalactivitydevelopedin the roof zonesof the plutons
and formedamphibole-magnetite-chalcopyrite deposits.Mineralizationat Elianainvolvedin-
troductionof Cu, Fe, and P alongfracturesand contactsto form ore shoots.The scapolite
alterationhalo is characterizedby Si, Na, and Ca enrichment.The hydrothermaldepositsof
Ra61formedmainlyat subvolcanic levelswith a dominantseawatercomponent(Ripleyand
Ohmoto, 1977, 1979). Geologiccorrelationwith Eliana and Monterrosasindicatesthat both
magmaticandseawatercomponents
coincidedto formamphibolitic
Cu-Fe skarndeposits,
which spanthe plutonic and volcanicenvironments.
Leadisotopecompositions
of chalcopyrite,pyrite,andgalenadefinea primitivetrendfor
theseskarndepositscomparedto that of porphyryCu depositsin southernPeru and Chile
andSndeposits in Bolivia.Theisotopic
contrast
isinterpretedasa resultofriftingandextreme
crustalthinningduringthe Lower Cretaceousalongthe continentalmarginof centraland
southernPeru. This tectonicand metallogeneticenvironmentcontinuedinto northernand
centralChile whereamphiboliticFe andCu depositsof the sameagerangeare known.

Introduction andElianatogetherwith the volcanogenic skarnde-

THE coastof Peru is a well-knowncopperprovince positsof Ra61andCondestable(Fig. 1). The latterare
with majorporphyryCu-Mo depositsof Paleocene-
Eoceneage suchas Cerro Verde, Cuajone,Quella- AI silicatesand form by igneousand hydrothermalmetasomatic
veco,andToquepala.Secondin productionafterthese processesat temperature rangesbetween 300 and 700C. Min-
aretheplutonicrelatedskarn deposits
ofMonterrosaseralizingfluidsevolvefrompredominantlymagmaticto predom-
inantlymeteoric.Skarnrocksare alsoformedby water-rockin-
l Followingthe definitionof EinaudiandBurt (1982), skarn teractionin a variety of environmentsunrelatedor distalto caus-
oredepositsoccurin a gangueof coarse-grained,
Fe-rich,Ca-Mg- ative ilutons (Meinert et al., 1980).

1447
1448 VIDAL C., INJOQUE-ESPINOZA,
SIDDER,AND MUKASA

I
ferous depositswith the Upper Jurassicto Lower
+ s. s. v v
Cretaceousirondepositsat MarconaandHierroAcar[.
The MonterrosasDeposit
"v
. v
The Monterrosasvein depositis located at the
foothills of the Western Cordillera, 15 km northeast
--12' v vvv NUANCA of Ica, at elevationsrangingfrom 1,000 to 1,200 m
(Fig. 1).
s-m-v vv
PUCUSANA4
* +' v Geologicsetting
Copper ore is hostedby gabbrosand dioritesof
the Patapsuperunitwithin the Arequipasegmentof
the Coastalbatholith (Moore, 1984). Diorites and
gabbrosin the Monterrosasarea consistof abundant
andesine-labradorite anddiopsidicaugite,with minor
P v amountsof magnetite,ilmenite,hornblende,sphene,
apatite,andzircon.Zonesof lae magmaticto hydro-
thermal alterationin the Patapintrusionscommonly
replace magmatic clinopyroxeneand plagioclase
v vVv
feldsparby hypogeneactinoliteandchalcopyrite with
RECENT v V
variableamountsofchlorite,epidote,scapolite,tour-
ALLUVIUM EOUC SANDS v maline,sphene,apatite,magnetite,andtracesof alkali
v['l SUBAERIAL VOLCANI v feldspar,calcite,and white mica.
Linga granodioritesand quartz monzodioritesin-
I-'--I ..s,~.,o.,c, s,,. ,,- ,e.., , __
truded the ore-bearingPatapdioritesin the Monter-
x NHLAS N {c400.a)

LZOC /
AREIK F

,
I
(6-ZOO0

75
i
FIe. 1. Simplifiedgeologicmap of the central coastof Peru
showingthe locationof Cu-Fe skarndeposits(triangles)and ku- sistof quartz,calcite,epidote,andpotassium
roko-typedeposits(round-topsquares).CrosssectionAA' shown veinletswith tracesof pyrite andchalcopyrite.
in Figure 6.
briefly describedin the presentpaper with special
emphasis on their Lower Cretaceousgeologicframe-
work and their peculiarmetasomaticnature. Similar
depositsare known from Chile and the SovietUnion
(Zharikov,1970; Frutos,1982). In Peru previousat-
temptsto define the ore-formingagentshave been
directed at individualdeposits.Evidencehere pre-
sentedidentifiesa similarmetalcontent,tight K-Ar
agecorrelation,commongeotectonic framework,and
a distinctPb isotopesignaturefor Monterrosas,
Eliana,
Ra61, and Condestable.
Thiscontribution isbasedonrecentgeologic,geo-
chemical,andgeochronologic research carriedoutby
the authorsin the centralcoastof Peru (Vidal, 1980;
Mukasa,1984; Sidder, 1984; Injoque, 1985). Pre-
viousscientificworkwasnonexistent
for Monterrosas,
superficial
concerning
Eliana(Hudson,1974; Agar,
1978; Ponzoni and Vidal, 1982), and controversial
regardingthe depositsof Ra61-Condestable
(Ripley
and Ohmoto, 1977, 1979; Wauschkuhn, 1979; In-
joqueet al., 1982; Cardozo,1983). Atkinet al. (1985)
discussed the geneticcoherenceof all thesecupri-
rosasarea about 92 Ma and provide a minimumage
for mineralization(Sidder,1984). Bothrocktypesare
in turn cut by east-westsinistralwrenchfaults.Frac-
ture fillingswithinthe youngerLingasuperunitcon-
feldspar
Similar
veinletscut the dioritic Pataphostrocksand the ac-
tinolitic chalcopyriteore.
The ore zone
Reserve estimates at the Monterrosas mine have
fluctuated from 0.4 to 1.9 million tons with 2.0 to 1.1
wt percentCu (Todd, 1983, 1984). The orebodyis a
fracture-controlledvein depositwithin a complex
fault belt characterizedby en echelonfracturesori-
entedaboutN 70 W and dippingalmostvertically.
The main ore shootmeasures430 m in length,3 to
20 m in width, and 150 m in depth (Fig. 2A).
Petrographictexturesin the hostdioritesand the
ore indicate that metasomaticreplacementwas the
principalmodeof oreformationwith minordeposition
by fillingof fractures(Fig.3). Criteriaforreplacement
origin include eutaxial overgrowthsand pseudo-
morphismof actinolite after pyroxenesand horn-
blende;scapoliteveinletsarewidespreadandtendto
replace plagioclasecrystalswith variousstagesof
pseudo-morphism at a microscopicscale.The pre-
dominantore assemblageconsistsof chalcopyrite,
magnetite,pyrite, and actinolitein variablepropor-
tions;smalleramountsof sodicscapolite,tourmaline,
quartz,pyrrhotite, and cubanitcare common.
 AMPHIBOLITIC CU-FE SKARN,CENTRAL COASTPERU ! 449

x x x x 1900 E N
x x x x x x x x x x
A X X
x
::-.?*-
."b
x x x x x x x x

x x x .,;,- :-...:.... x x x x x x x
x x x -!.'" x x x x x x x
x x x ,-..:.0 x x x x x x x
x x x x--,i._:., x x x x x x
X X X X ',.-...,. X X X X X X
X X X ,,....X X X X X
x xx xx x x x--
x xL-...---'.'.
,...:%x x x x x xx x

X X X X X X "-'- X X
' x-- x x x x x ---x x
X X X x X X x x.-. x x 50 #

CHALCOPYRITE
(E x x x x x x x Xx\x x
x x x x x x x x x x
:; AIdPHIBOLE
-CAPOLITE
ALTERATION
PATAP
6AESRO-
DIORITE 0 m EO0
--"" FRACTURES& FAULTS

B x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
N

.x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

x x x x x x

x x x XxXx
x x x x
x x x x
x x x x

x x

x x x x x
x x x x x x
x x x x x

__x__ ,.x __X__X_- X ,. X X

--4900 N

z x x

x x x x

x x
x x x
;- IdAGNETITE
- AMFIB(X.E
ZONE x x
x x x x

x x
VOLCANICLASTIC
SEQUENCE 0
I
x x

DIABASE
DYKE
TONALITE

x' PORPHYRY
STOCK
CALCAREOU
SEQUENCE
..""tVOLCAIqiCI,.AIC
F.,QU!XCE
-'.4.4MAOR
FAULT

FIG. 2. Plangeologicmapsof the (A) Monterrosasmine (1070 level); (B) E!ianamine (1200 level);
and (C) Condestablemine (120 level).

Undergroundmappingrevealsa transitionalzo- ization and veinletsof scapolite.The outermostpor-

nationfromdioriticwallrocksinwardto theorebody. tionsof the amphibolitizeddiorite passinwardto a
Contactsare indistinctdue to widespreadamphibol- zone of crystallineactinolite,which in turn grades
1450 VIDAL C., INJOQUE-ESPINOZA,
SIDDER,AND MUKASA

PY ''-

. A

PY ,

//

FIG. 3. Microphotographic evidenceof mineralogyand texture.A. Monterrosas: intergrowthof

magnetite(mg) and actinolite(at). B. Monterrosas: supergenemartitizationof magnetite(shadesof
gray) replacedby pyrite (py). C. Eliana:apatite(ap) andactinolite(ac)embayedby chalcopyrite(cp)
and veinedby pyrite (py). D. Eliana: enlargeddetail of C. E. Condestable:actinolite(ac) intergrown
with chalcopyrite(opaques),apatite(ap),andquartz(qz). F. Condestable: zonedamphiboleassociated
with ore, white actinolitecoresrimmedby blackhastingsiterims.Lengthof barsis 1 mm.

into a zone of magnetitepredominance(Fig. 3A). and swellalongstrikeand may differ significantlyin

Stringersandblebsof sulfidesincreaseaxiallyandde- sizeon either sideof the axialore. Supergeneeffects
fine a centralzoneof massiveto nearlymassivechal- includereplacementof chalcopyriteby covelliteand
copyriteore. Silicate,oxide,andsulfidezonespinch martitizationof magnetite(Fig. 3B).
 AMPHIBOLITIC CU-FESKARN,CENTRALCOASTPERU 1451

Alteration line with subordinate east-west folds in the western

limb.
Alteration of the Patap diorites and gabbrosis
widespreadandmoreintensetowardthe mineralized The easternlimb of the synclinehasbeenintruded
zone. Hydrous ferromagnesianmineralssuchas ac- by the Elianagabbrodiorite;youngermonzoniticplu-
tinolite, epidote, and chlorite predominate in wall tonsof the Linga superunitintrudeboth the gabbro-
rocksadjacentto the ore zone; they replace augite diorite and the volcanicrocks.In the vicinity of the
in associationwith magnetiteandchalcopyrite.Pseu- Elianadeposit,the Lingaplutonsare generallyfresh;
domorphicreplacementsof amphiboleafter augite hydrothermalalteration is sparseand consistsof
are mostcommonnearestsulfide-bearingrocks.Pla- quartz andK feldsparveinletswith sericiteselvages.
gioclase feldspars show resorption along grain Texturally,the gabbrodioriteisvariablewith areas
boundaries;they are riddied with sodicscapoliteof of coarsecrystallizationandfine-grainedchilledmar-
dipyre variety (Me2?),epidote,clinozoisite,andcal- gins.Net veinsandpatchesof hydrothermalalteration
cite. Penninite, sphene,magnetite, alkali feldspar, are widespreadand consistof secondaryamphiboles
quartz, and white mica are minor constituentsof the with chlorite,calcite,andsphene.One suchalteration
zone lies above and to the east of the San Martin
alterationzone.Scapolite,in particular,hasa system-
atic distributionwith respectto the ore zone in that manto. Here, the otherwise steep-sidedpluton be-
comes a sill which is situated above the central inter-
dioritesfromwall rocksadjacentto ore containup to
65 percentscapolite. calation of tuffs and sediments(Ponzoniand Vidal,
A comparison of whole-rockgeochemistry between 1982).
freshandaltereddioritesandgabbrosat Monterrosas The San Martin manto
reflectsgeneraltrendsof metasomatic changesasdis- The San Martin manto is located at the contact be-
cussedby Sidder (1984, 1987). Total iron increases
towardthe ore zone, whereassilicais antipatheticto tween the Eliana gabbrodioritesill and the volcanic
this trend. Metals suchas copper and cobalt are at sequencein the form of a fiat-lyingand moderately
backgroundlevelsin the dioritic wall rocks;anoma- folded tabular structure (Fig. 2B). This manto has
been mined for Cu ores at varioustimes in the past;
lousconcentrations of theseelementsplusgold,silver,
andmolybdenumcharacterizethe actinoliteandsul- over 400,000 tons averaging 2.7 percent Cu were
fide zones. extractedduringthe period 1967 to 1972 from this
Fluid inclusionandsulfurisotopestudiesin quartz deposit (E. Ponzoni, pers. commun.).The richest
and pyrite-chalcopyrite,respectively,indicate tem- concentrations of chalcopyrite ore occur within
perature rangesfor hydrothermalalterationand ore coarse-grained amphibolitic gangueand are located
depositionof about 300 to 500C, salinitiesof 30 at antiform hingesof the manto below the gabbro-
diorite sill.
to over50 equivwt percentNaC1,andi34S valuesof
1.6 to 3.3 per mil. High-temperature,saline,mag- Accordingto Ponzoniand Vidal (1982), the out-
matic fluidsexsolvedfrom the Patapgabbrodiorites crops of the SanMartin mantoare characterizedby
severallenticularmasses which definea single,gently
are advocatedto accountfor the origin, transport,
and deposition--by decreasesof temperature and folded horizon. Thicknesses vary from 0.5 to asmuch
acidity--of amphiboliticCu-Fe ore at Monterrosas as 12 m. Small discordant veins are present in the
(Sidder, 1984). hanging wall; their mineralogy resembles that of the
stratiformdeposits.
The footwallcontactsare in mostplacesgradational
The Eliana Deposit from bandedamphibolitesto unalteredtuffsandsed-
The Eliana depositis located50 km eastof Pisco iments.The hangingwall is generallyoutlinedby ir-
and 230 km south of Lima, at an elevation of 1,200 regularmasses of breccia,where fragmentsof ore and
m in a mountainousdesertterrain (Fig. 1). wall rock are cemented by comminutedmaterialand
calcite.Thesebrecciasgradelaterallyinto mylonites
Geologicsetting anddisplaywedge-shaped rootswhichcut acrossthe
ore-bearingstructure.Sulfidestendto be moreabun-
A gentlyfoldedvolcanicsequence of Albianageis dant toward the west, whereasmagnetitepredomi-
intruded by early gabbrodioritesof the Coastal nates eastwardin the gabbrodioritehost (Fig. 2B).
batholith(Fig. 2B). The volcanicrocksconsistof an- Actinolite and magnetite are the predominantmin-
desiticlavasandagglomerates at the basewith a cen- erals in the gabbro-hostedMojador deposit, 2 km
tral intercalation of silicic tuffs and calcareous sedi- southeast of the San Martin manto.
ments,which in turn are overlainby andesiticlavas
Alteration
(Hudson, 1967). The entire sequenceis metamor-
phosedto assemblagesof lowergreenschistfaciesand The footwall contacts between the San Martin
hasbeenfoldedintoa northwest-trending opensync- mantoand the enclosingrocksare in mostcasestran-
1452 VIDAL C., INJOQUE-ESPINOZA,
sitional(Fig. 2B). Towardthe west,a verticalzonation
pattern showsmassivechalcopyriteore becoming
finergrainedanddisseminated at depthandgradually
changinginto pyritic amphibolitesand chertsover a
distanceof 4 to 8 m. Disseminations, pods,andvein-
lets andbandedpyrite and chalcopyriteoccurin the
footwall. Unaltered tuffs, shales,and cherts are several
metersawayfrom the chalcopyritezone.Zoningpat-
terns of ore and wall-rock alteration have been traced
up to 10 m beneaththe SanMartin manto.
Eastward,where the mantois flooredby the gab-
brodioritepluton,there are patchydisseminationsand
stockworksof amphibole, apatite, and magnetite.
Within this aureole scapolite of marialite variety
(Me]4) and subordinateCu-Fe sulfidesalsooccur.A
terminalstageof fracture-controlledbrecciasinfilled
by calcitecutsthe zonationdescribedabove.Late-
stagecrystallization
of the Elianagabbrodioriteover-
lappedwith the paragenetic sequencerecognizedfor
the SanMartin manto(Figs.3C and D and 4A).
The Ra61-CondestableDeposit
The mines of Ra61 and Condestable are located 90
km southeast of Lima at elevations from 120 to 300
m (Fig. 1).
Geologicsetting
Stackedlenses,disseminations,
and stringerore of
strata-boundchalcopyriteoccur over 600 m of the
Hauterivian-Barremian Chilca Formation in the Ra61
and Condestablemines(Fig. C).The Chilca succes-
sion intercalates submarine andesitic lavas and vol-
canoclasticrockswith fossiliferoussandylimestones
and shales.The entire sequenceforms a southwest-
ALBITE
HORNBLENDE
SCeOUT
APATITE
RUTILE
PYRRHOTITE
PYRITE
QUARTZ
ACTINOLITE
APATITE
MAGNETITE
"UT
FIG. 4. Comparativemineralogyandparageneticsequence
(B) deposits.Bar thickness ysis(Ripley and Ohmoto, 1979; Injoque, 1985). Am-
the Eliana (A) and Ra61-Condestable
indicates relative abundance.
SIDDER,AND MUKASA
dipping monoclineof variable thicknessunderlain
conformablyby the NeocomianMorro Solar shale,
sandstone,and quartzite formations.The volcanic
componentof the Chilca Formationdiminishesout-
wardandespeciallyto the northinto the Limaregion,
where the succession is predominantlycalcareous
(Riveraet al., 1975). A shallowmarineenvironment
is indicatedby the sedimentologic studiesand strati-
graphiccorrelationsof Injoqueet al. (1982) andOs-
terman et al. (1983). Regionallow-grademetamor-
phismaffectsthe ChilcaFormationandthe overlying
CasmaFormation(Aguirreand Offier, 1985). Uplift
and block tectonicsalong northeast-trending faults
characterizethe structuralgeologyof the area.
Dacitic porphyrystocksintrudethe abovesucces-
siondefiningelongatedbodies,1 to 5 km long.Minor
sillsand dikes of the samecompositionare alsocom-
mon in the mine area. Plagioclase(An20_40),horn-
blende, and quartz phenocrystsoccurembeddedin
a fine-grainedmatrix of similarmineralogy.Argillic
and sericitic alteration is widespreadwith sericite
flakesin plagioclaseand chlorite-calciteaggregates
after hornblende.Postoreintrusionsare represented
by a tonalitic stock and by a diabasedike swarm
(Fig. 2C).
Copper mineralizationis presentmainly as strata-
boundmantos,stringerzones,and disseminated ore-
bodieswith subordinateveins (Ripley and Ohmoto,
1977). Individual mantos are tabular to lensoidal
structuresup to 250 m alongstrike and 200 m along
dip. Their mineralogyis dominatedby actinolitewith
grossularandraditegarnet and diopsidicpyroxenein
the lower parts of the Condestablesuccession(In-
joque et al., 1982; Fig. 5); commonaccessories are
apatite,scapolite,magnetite,pyrite, and chalcopyrite
(Fig. 3E).
Alteration
A
Throughoutthe miningdistrict,metasomaticrocks
andassociated mineralizationform irregularzonesof
marble and calc-silicatehornfelses.At outcropscale
the alterationis zoned showingamphibolitic,pyrox-
ene, and/or garnet-richcoreswhich are surrounded
by marble and oligoclase-andesine hornfelses.Mag-
netite and sulfidesrepresentstagesof metallicmin-
eralization superimposedon the silicate stage(Figs.
B 3E and 4B). Common textural features include re-
placementof amphibolesby magnetiteand multiple
veinletsof chalcopyriteandpyrite in both amphiboles
and magnetite.
Amphibolesare major mineralogicconstituentsof
the ore zones.Their compositionisvariableandzoned
(Fig. 3F). Tremolite, actinolite, actinolitic horn-
blende, ferrohornblende, and ferrotschermakite va-
of rietieshavebeen determinedusingmicroprobeanal-
phibolitic skarncomprisesup to 90 percent of the
 AMPHIBOLITICCU-FESKARN,CENTRALCOASTPERU 1453

20%
Sps
- AIm

Ad
5O%

Jo

Di Hd
5O%

FIG.5. Top:Grossular (Gr)-andradite

(Ad)-spessartine-almandine
(Sps-Alm)
diagramfor garnetsof
the Rafl-Condestable deposit.Bottom:Diopside(Di)-hedenbergite
(Hd)-johansenite
(Jo)diagramfor
pyroxenes of theRafl-CondestableandMonterrosasdeposits.
Shadedareascorrespondto compositional
fieldsof Cu and Fe skarndepositsdeterminedby Einaudi and Burt (1982).

ganguematerial; granoblastictextures and fabrics Two distinct metallic associations can be recog-
suchaseutaxiticovergrowthpredominate. nized within a variety of host-rocktypes,namelyCu-
Calcareousand volcanicrockswere the protoliths Fe and Pb-Zn. Economic concentrations of the Cu-
replacedby amphiboles.The amphibolitesof calcar- Fe associationdefine strata-bound mantos, dissemi-
eousorigin still retain patternsof originalbedding natedand stringerorebodies,and minor veins.This
with abundantsynsedimentary faults,loadcasts,and associationis dominatedby magnetite,pyrite, chal-
in someareaspyritized fossils.They are banded,tex- copyrite, and pyrrhotite; accessorymineralsare il-
turally homogeneous, andfree of sphene.Amphibo- menitc,molybdenite,bornitc, mackinawitc,vallerite,
lites of volcanicorigin occurasirregularlayerswith electrum, and marcasite.Copper is by far the most
gradationalmargins;they haveaccessory spheneand importanteconomicelementwith gold and silverre-
their texture is moderately heterogeneousshowing coveredasby-products.The Pb-Zn association occurs
relics of either pyroclasticor porphyritic textures. in late-stageveinletsof galena,with tracesof sphal-
Veins and breccia zonesshowingmetasomaticef- erite, chalcopyrite,pyrite, tetrahedrite,melnicovite,
fects similar to those described in the Chilca For- rutile, and goldin calcitegangue.It is volumetrically
mationare rarely presentin the intrusions.However, insignificantandwarrantsno separatemining.
the daciticdikesandsillsarestronglyalteredin certain Data presentedfor the Ra61depositby Ripley and
areas.A zoningpatternwith brown actinolite-ferro- Ohmoto(1977, 1979) demonstratequartz-magnetite
hornblende in the ore zone and actinolite-epidote- isotopetemperaturesof 380 to 414C, fluid inclu-
scapolitehalosadjacentto the daciticstockshasbeen sion filling temperaturesof 320 to 360C, and
describedin the Ra61deposit(Cardozo,1983). stratigraphically
variable8a4S
valuessuggestive
ofsea-
water derivation. Modified or evolved seawater is ad-
Mineralization
vocatedto explainthe sulfur, oxygen,and hydrogen
Metallic mineralizationis superimposed on the sil- isotopesignaturesof this particulardepositand the
icate alteration described above. The metallic min- relativelyhigh salinitycharacterof its fluid inclusion
erals showdisseminated, infilling, and replacement population.Accordingto the sameauthorsprecipi-
textureswithin a silicate-oxide-sulfide sequencetyp- tation of ore minerals occurred as a result of a decrease
ical of skarnformationandsubsequent hydrothermal in temperatureaccompanied by increasesin oxidation
alteration(Fig. 4B). stateandpH of the fluid.
1454 VIDALC.,INJOQ
UE-ESPINOZA,
SIDDER,ANDMUKASA

MetallogenicCorrelation complishedby tectonic transportand that reconsti-

tution occurred in subvolcanic environments due to
Geologicframework
volatileintroductionfrom externalsources.Dry gra-
Crystallinebasementof the Arequipamassifis ex- nitic magmasof the Coastalbatholith were subse-
posedsoutheast of Piscoalongthe CoastalCordillera quentlyemplacedandlinked to compressive tectonic
of centraland southernPeru (Fig. 1). It consistsof events.The greaterpart of the batholithemplacement
granulitesand gneisses of Precambrianageintruded corresponds to a well-recognizedperiodof rapidsea-
by granitic plutons of the Paleozoic San Nicolfis floorspreadingandsubduction of the Nazcaplatebe-
batholith. Northward continuation of this metamor-
tween 108 and 80 Ma (Moore, 1984). Subaerialvol-
phicbasement hasbeenconfirmedby offshoredrilling canicrocksof Paleoceneto Miocene age cover the
and a combinationof geophysical methods(Kulm et uplifted Mesozoic record of basinal volcanicsand
al., 1981). DuringJurassic andLowerCretaceous time batholithic intrusions.
the massifwasemergentandcontrolledthe westward
extensionof an inlandseawhere the predominantly Igneouspetrology
volcanicbasinalsequenceaccumulated.Gabbrosand
granitesof the Coastalbatholithwere eraplacedalong Five samplesof the Eliana gabbrodioriteand two
the axisof the basinmainlyduringmiddleandUpper of the Lingamonzogranites havebeenstudiedpetro-
Cretaceous time. graphically and geochemically(Table 1). Gabbro
The Lower Cretaceousmarginalbasinin the region varieties consist of plagioclase(Aris-2_4?), olivine
formedby incipientrifting and a terminalgabbroic (Fo6o-64), andhypersthene;accessoryconstituentsare
phasewhich created new mafic crust within an ex- ortho- and clinopyroxene,biotite, and apatite.Fresh
tensionalensialicsetting(Athertonet al., 1983, 1985). dioritesconsistof plagioclase(An5o_36),
hornblende,
Submarinevolcanism,sedimentation, andburial-type and minor quartz;plagioclaseshowsprotoclasisand
metamorphism coincidedin the marginalbasinwhich normalzoning.Hornblendeiscommonlyreplacedby
rested on thinned crust and prompted geothermal actinolitepseudomorphs altered by combinations of
systemsof high heat flow (AguirreandOfi]er, 1985). hastingsite,epidote, tourmaline,magnetite,and il-
Present-daycrustalconfigurationpreservesan anom- menite. Quartz is myrmekiticand hostshypersaline
aloushigh-densitycore flankedto the west by the fluid inclusions.Wall-rock alteration halosare scap-
Arequipamassifandto the eastby the Coastalbatho- olite rich; here plagioclaseis veined,brecciated,and
lith (Fig. 6; Couch et al., 1981). replacedby sodicscapolitein association
with abun-
The gabbroprecursorof the batholithhad a com- dantactinoliteandapatite.Scapolitizedsamples(e.g.,
plex evolution:cumula/ecrystallizationwasthe dom- 25213, Table 1) showSi, Ca, andNa enrichmentwith
inant processat depth with variabledegreesof de- depletionof Fe, P, and Cu when comparedto fresh
formationat high temperaturesand, in many cases, dioritesand gabbro.Patap sample25229 has a po-
late-stagepervasiveamphibolization.This led Regan tassiccharacterdue to the alterationimposedby the
(1985) to postulatethat final eraplacementwas ac- youngerLinga plutons.

DENSITY SEISMIC

PISCO HUANCAYO VELOCITY

Krn/s

, ... .'-:'..' .' . x m

6.3 J-------1
6.7 .'
o'.'.'.::: -.: :::::::::::::::::::::::
o o*...'. .' : .' : ::'.:'.':,'.'. :.'.'.:
50 o
ok'.'. :. :.......
..............
:. :.-.:.'....
: .......
o ' '2'.':' } :. :'..':?i /': J;
0 Km I00 o o o %- %- - -
I I I o o .

FIG. 6. Diagrammaticgeologicframeworkof the Cu-Fe skarndepositsin the centralcoastof Peru.

Crustalstructurein termsof densityandseismicvelocityafter Couchet al. (1981). 1 = Arequipamassif,
2 -- SanNicoltsbatholith, 3 = Patapgabbro-diorites,4 = Cu-Fe skarndeposits,5 = Coastalbatholith
granitoids,6 = Cenozoic volcanics.
 AMPHIBOLITIC CU-FE SKARN, CENTRAL COAST PERU 1455

TABLE 1. Composition
of PatapandLingaIntrusionsin the ElianaMine Area

Patap Linga

Gabro Diorite Dioritet Diorite 2 Diorite Granodiorite Monzodiorite

25206 25189 25213 25229 25230 25207 25227

Major elementchemicalcompositionin wt percent, Cu in ppm

SiO2 47.12 56.11 60.23 57.78 56.51 61.00 57.44
AI2Oa 19.57 16.87 16.43 16.66 16.86 15.34 16.62
TiO2 0.94 1.32 0.91 0.81 1.09 0.87 0.95
FeaOa 1.19 3.22 0.49 1.94 4.50 4.33 3.72
MgO 9.26 2.45 3.32 3.23 3.05 2.12 2.55
CaO 7.78 7.85 9.38 6.92 7.74 5.05 5.81
NaaO 3.19 4.78 5.68 3.51 4.47 4.05 4.14
KzO 0.51 0.61 0.33 1.82 0.39 2.31 2.73
MnO 0.23 0.05 0.09 0.16 0.05 0.07 0.12
PaO5 0.20 0.61 0.05 0.17 0.33 0.23 0.32
LOI a 0.11 1.24 0.52 0.21 0.64 0.97 0.51
FeO 9.03 4.32 2.35 6.17 4.28 3.08 4.82
H20 0.11 0.88 0.47 0.21 0.64 0.60 0.51
Cu 43 26 6 71 32 17 61

Total 100.13 99.91 100.05 100.07 100.38 99.77 100.28

CIPW normative mineralogiccomposition

Quartz 8.40 5.86 9.20 10.18 16.36 7.26
Corundum 0.11
Orthoclase 3.01 3.61 1.95 10.76 2.31 13.65 16.14
Albite 26.99 40.44 48.06 29.70 37.82 34.27 35.03
Anorthite 37.29 22.78 18.37 24.33 24.79 16.86 18.71
Diopside 9.87 22.28 7.37 9.17 5.29 6.56
Hypersthene 1.13 4.50 0.19 13.07 5.64 3.56 7.61
Magnetite 1.73 4.67 0.71 2.81 6.52 6.28 5.39
Ilmenite 1.79 2.51 1.73 1.54 2.07 1.65 1.80
Apatite 0.47 1.44 0.12 0.40 0.78 0.54 0.75
Nepheline
Olivine 26.51

Patapscapolitealteration,sample25213
aLingapotassicalteration,sample25229
a LOI = losson ignition

The Linga monzodioriteconsistsof plagioclase hornblende,and/orpyroxenefractionation(Agarand

(An35_25),
orthoclase,biotite,andquartz.Plagioclase Le Bel, 1985; Injoque, 1985).
is weaklyalteredto sericiteandK feldspar;biotite is
Geochronologicinvestigation
replacedby chlorite and sericite.Granodioritevari-
etiesconsistofplagioclase(An4s_26),
hornblende,and Samples,analyses,and results:K-Ar age determi-
quartz; hornblendeis weakly altered to actinolite, nationswere made usingwhole-rocksamplesor 95
magnesianhornblende,and edenitc. percentpure samplesof alterationmineralsfrom the
Patap and Linga intrusionsfrom Eliana and Mon- Ra61,Condestable,Eliana, Hierro Acarl, and Marcona
terrosasplot predominantlyin the calc-alkalinefield deposits.Whole-rock sampleswere all fresh, unal-
of the AFM diagram(Fig. 7). However,on the KaO tered igneousspecimens;hypogenealteration min-
versusSiOadiagramthe Patapgabbrodiorites showa eralsusedwere actinolite,hastingsite,
phlogopite,and
cleartholeiiticaffinity;the monzoniticLingasuiteis sericite. Sampleswere all collectedin underground
of high K character(Fig. 7). Na20/KaO ratiosfrom workingswhere no supergenealteration is visible.
6.2 to 17.1 for Patapgabbrodiorites are in sharpcon- They were ground and sieved to -60, +120 ASTM
trast with the low values of 1.5 to 1.9 which charac- mesh.An aliquot of 0.5 gm of each samplewasused
terize the Linga monzogranitesand their alteration for the determinationof potassium by XRF spectrom-
zones.REE patternssuggestthat the Patap rocksare etry; duplicatesof each samplewere analyzedrou-
plagioclasecumulateswith someclinopyroxenefrac- tinely. Analyseswere carriedout at the Department
tionation;the Lingarocksinsteadevolvedby feldspar, of Geology,Universityof Nottingham,usinga Philips
 456 VIDAL C., INJOQUE-ESPINOZA,SIDDER, AND MUKASA

F
tions,the spikecalibration,andthe isotoperatio mea-
surements.For details see appendix 5 in Injoque
(1985); K-Ar datapluscalculatedagesand errorsare
given in Table 2.
Data interpretation: The ages obtained for the
Marconaand Hierro Acarl deposits(Fig. 1) are in-
cludedhere to enlargethe databasefor discussion.
At Marcona, two distinct events are recognized;
coarse-grained phlogopiteand sericitegangueasso-
ciated with the strata-boundmagnetiteore servedto
date mineralization at 154 and 160 Ma. The dike
A M
swarm data confirm postoreemplacementbetween
118 and 137 Ma. Thus, Marconaformedduringthe
Upper Jurassicin associationwith the Ro Grande
volcanicevent;the Tungadikeswere emplacedlater
in the Cretaceous.

%K20.....o
20 -

1.0
.
High K
.........--

Cal- allaline
Amphibole samples dated from the Rafil and
Condestable
depositsidentifya Neocomianageof al-
teration andmineralizationat 127 and 128 Ma (Table
2). There is a close time correlation between this
findingandthe ageassigned by independentpaleon-
tologicstudiesto the Chilca Formation,which hosts
the amphiboliticcopper ores (Rivera et al., 1975).
50 55 60 %$10 Z Four samplesof monzodioriticto trachyandesitic
FIG. 7. AFM and K20 vs. SiO2 diagramsfor Patap gabbro- stocksand diabasedikesreveal a group of postmin-
diorites(solidsquaresandcircles)andLinga monzogranites (open eralizationagesthat variesfrom 95 to 107 Ma. Postore
squares andcircles)fromthe depositsof Eliana(circles)andMon- igneousactivityis concentrated duringthe Albianpe-
terrosas(squares). riod. However, monzodiorite whole-rock sample
24644 (Table2) givesan ageof 124 Ma that is indis-
tinguishable,within analyticalerror, from the Neo-
PW 1400 spectrometerwith a rhodium X-ray tube. comianhydrothermalalterationdates.It isinterpreted
Isotopeanalyseswere undertakenat the BritishGeo- that at leastsomeof the stocksemplacedin the Rafl-
logicalSurvey;argonwasdeterminedby isotopedi- Condestablemine areasoverlapin time with hydro-
lution using an MS 10 massspectrometerin static thermal alteration and ore deposition.
mode.Errorsappliedto the calculated agestakeinto Actinoliteandhastingsite ganguesamples fromthe
accountuncertaintiesin the potassiumdetermina- Eliana deposit were dated 115 _+5 and 113 _+3 Ma,

TABLE2. K-Ar Dataonthe Amphibolitic

Cu-FeSkarnDepositsof the PeruvianCentralCoastandAssociated
IgneousRocks

Material Ar radiogenic
Locality Sampleno. Rocktype dated K (%) (nl/g) Age (Ma)

Rafil-Condestable 24627 Monzodioriteporphyry Whole rock 3.600 6.313 104 ___

2.9
Rafil-Condestable 24431 Trachyandesiteporphyry Whole rock 0.960 4.111 107 ___
2.8
Rafil-Condestable 24415 Trachyandesiteporphyry Whole rock 0.600 2.458 102 _ 2.7
Rafil-Condestable 24644 Postore monzodiorite Whole rock 3.600 18.030 124 ___
3.0
Rafil-Condestable 24549 Postore diabase dike Whole rock 1.585 6.009 95 _ 2.6
Rafil-Condestable 24527 Hydrothermalalteration Hastingsite 0.860 4.434 128 _ 3.3
Rafil-Condestable 24572 Hydrothermalalteration Hastingsite 0.760 3.887 127 +__
3.1
Eliana 25178 Amphiboliticgangue Hastingsite 1.590 7.186 113 _ 3.0
Eliana 25195 Amphiboliticgangue Actinolite 0.120 0.551 115 - 5.0
Marcona 21721 Postore latite dike Whole rock 3.735 20.730 137 _ 3.0
Marcona 24740 Postore shoshonitedike Whole rock 1.390 7,656 136 _ 3.0
Marcona 24687 Postoreaplosyenitedike Whole rock 6.690 31.660 118 _ 3.0
Marcona 24748 Hydrothermalalteration Phlogopite 7.390 46.200 160 - 4.0
Marcona 24804 Hydrothermal alteration Sericite 8.095 52.810 154 - 4.0
Hierro-Acai 21306 Preore dacite Whole rock 0.250 1.092 109 _ 4.0

Decayconstants:
b -- 4.962 10-a-;e -- 0.581 10-a-;40 k/k (at) = 1.167 10-4mole/mole;
errorsforcalculated
agesquoted
at 2 sigmalevel
 AMPHIBOLITIC CU-FE SKARN,CENTRAL COASTPERU 1457

respectively.
Thisconcordancy isevidencefora mid- thosein the Cenozoicpolymetalliedistrictsof central
dle Cretaceous,Aptian-Albian, ageof oreformation. Peru, Sndepositsin Bolivia,andporphyryCu deposits
At Hierro Acarl the age of 109 _ 4 Ma obtainedfor in Chile and Colombia(Tilton et al., 1981; Gunneseh
a daciticdikerepresents onlya maximum agefor al- and Baumann, 1984; Sillitoe and Hart, 1984). A
terationandmineralization (Atkinet al., 1985). primitive, lessradiogenicsourceis apparentfor the
Lead isotopecompositions Peruvianskarndepositssuperseded onlyby someof
the ColombianporphyryCu deposits.Sourcemate-
Leadisotopecompositionsof sulfidesamples
from rialsfor the Pb seemto havebeen dominatedby the
theMonterrosas,Eliana,Ra61,Condestable,Marcona, "enriched" upper mantlein the senseof Tilton and
andLeonilaoreshavebeendetermined aspartof a Barreiro(1980). Thisuppermantlematerialisin itself
largerstudythat hasisotopically
characterized
min- probablythe productof interactionbetweendepleted
eral deposits
andassociated
igneous
activityin the mantleand subduetedPadfie sediments(Sillitoeand
WesternCordilleraof Peru(Mukasa,1984). The ob- Hart, 1984). The Precambrianbasementrocksdo not
jectivehasbeenprimarilyto testmetallogenetic
cor- appearto haveexertedmuchinfluenceon thesepar-
relationsandto evaluatethe geotectonic
framework tieular deposits.
of centralandsouthernPeruduringthe Cretaceous.
Detailsontheanalytical proceduresareprovidedby ConcludingRemarks
Mukasa et al. (1990)andare,therefore,
notrepeated ClassicCu skarndepositssuchasAntaminain Peru
here.
and Binghamin the United States(Petersen,1965;
Table3 summarizes thePbisotoperatiosobtained Einaudiand Burt, 1982) are different,in termsof the
for sixsulfidesamplesof amphibolitieCu-Fe skarn geologicand tectonicevolutionof their ore-gener-
deposits andonesample fromthecoeval kuroko-type ating systems,to the amphibolitieCu-Fe skarn de-
Leonila-Graeiela deposit(Vidal,1987).Figure8 in- positshere discussed.Granodioriteto quartz mon-
eludesthe fields of known lithoteetonie units in Peru zonite stocksemplaeedin eompressive continental
and trends detected for these Cu-Fe skarnsand other settings,limestonehost rocks,and garnet-diopside
oredeposit groups in thecentralAndeanregion.The ganguemineralstypifyclassicCu skarns.Amphibolitic
Cu-Feskarn27Pb/24pb versus 26Pb/24pbdatade- skarnsin Peru are relatedto parentdioriticplutons
fine a linear trend with a correlation coefficient of emplacedin a tensionalmarginalbasin;volcanoclastic
0.9517 andslopeof 0.2511, corresponding to a Pb hostrocksare predominantand amphiboleis their
isoehron ageof 3.2 Ga (Mukasaet al., 1990).This main gangue.ClassicalCu skarnsare often related to
ageis toooldto havechronologic significance andis porphyry Cu-(Mo) depositsand zone outward into
thoughtto reflectmixingprocesses betweentwo or majorconcentrations of Zn andPb surrounding their
moresource rocks.Onthe2sPb/24pb versus 26Pb/ chalcopyrite core.AmphiboliticCu-Feskarndeposits
24pb diagram themixing arrayisnotaswelldefined. insteadaremorespecialized andshownopolymetallic
Thereareconsiderable departuresfromthelineby zonation.Both types have similarparageneticrela-
ehaleopyritefrom Monterrosas and galenafrom tionshipswith magnetitefollowedby chalcopyrite,in
Leonfla.K-ArdatingoftheCu-Feskarndeposits has turn followedby sphaleriteandgalena.
established a LowerCretaceous (128-109Ma)epoch Veinsandcontactmetasomatic lodesof amphiboli-
of metallogenesis. tic Cu-Fe skarn at Monterrosas and Eliana are hosted
The Pb isotopemixingarrayfor the Lower Cre- by gabbrodiorite plutonsof the Cretaceous Patapunit.
taceousamphibolitieCu-Feskarndeposits showsthat Actinoliteand scapolitetypify the silicatealteration
thereisa cleardifference betweenthesedeposits and stage,which producedmetasomatichalosof Si, Na,

TABLE3. Pb IsotopeData fromOre Depositsin the CentralCoastof Peru

Mineral Age
Oredeposit sample (Ma) 2Pb/24pb 2?Pb/24Pb 2spb/24pb
Leonila L (gn) 106-116 18.734 15.669 38.481
Monterrosas M (cp) 97-107 18.513 15.583 38.492
Monterrosas M (py) 97-107 18.555 15.584 38.471
Eliana E (cp) 113-115 18.683 15.640 38.604
Rafil R (cp) 124-128 18.639 15.633 38.598
Rafil R (gn) 124-128 18.561 15.615 38.463
Marcona Ma (py) 150-164 18.208 15.567 38.381

Abbreviations:
cp= chalcopyrite,
gn= galena,
py-- pyrite;approximate
ageranges
estimated
fromMoore(1984),Vidal(1987),
and Table 2
 40 _

B _Pc
39 _

208
P//204
Pb
Mpy

17.5 18 18.5 19 206Pb/204.

Pb

15.8

15.7'

2O7
P,'204
Pb
15.6

15.5

I
? I
?.5 I
Is I
e.5 I 206Pb/)
Is Pb

FIG. 8. Correlationdiagramfor Pb isotopesof ore depositsin the centralcoastof Peru. Isotopic

dataandabbreviations asin Table 2. Fieldsof Charcanigneisses
(CG) afterTilton andBarreiro(1980)
andNazcaplate metalliferoussediments(NPMS)after UnruhandTatsumoto(1976) andDasch(1981).
Regressionlines defined are BolivianTriassic-Cretaceous ores (B), Chilean Paleocene-Eoceneores
(Ch), andoceanicbasalts(MORB)afterTilton et al. (1981); centralPeruOligocene-Miocene ores(Pc;
Solerand Bonhomme,1987) after GunneschandBaumann(1984); and Upper Jurassicto Cretaceous
ore deposits(P) describedin this paper.

1458
 AMPHIBOLITIC CU-FESKARN,CENTRALCOASTPERU 1459

and Ca enrichmentand depletion of Cu, Fe, and P canism. Subsea-floor water-rock interaction in this
(Sidder, 1984; Injoque, 1985). Intermediate oxide environment,asadvocatedto explainregionalandlo-
stagesare representedby low Ti magnetite,whichin cal metamorphicpatterns,representsthe mainsource
turn are followedby pyrite, pyrrhotite, and chalco- for the ore fluidsthat generatedRa61,Condestable,
pyrite duringthe sulfidestage.Skarnmineralization and Marcona.Ore depositionis envisagedessentially
evolvedfrom tholeiitic to low K calc-alkalineparent asan endogenous processwith little or no hot spring-
magmaswith high Na20/K20 ratioscomparableto related exhalativesedimentaryaccumulations.
iron skarn-related intrusions in British Columbia Marginal basin development,gabbrodioriteplu-
(Meinert, 1984). Interactionof thesemagmasat their tonism,and burial metamorphismare the vital tec-
subvolcanicemplacementlevel with basinaldehy- tonic, igneous,and hydrothermallinksproposedfor
drationpromptedby burial metamorphism mayhave the genesisof the amphiboliticCu-Fe skarndeposits
triggered the mineralizinghydrothermalactivity in in the central coastof Peru. Schematicpositioningof
Peru. On a regionalscale,actinoliteis a major con- thesedepositsin their geologicand geophysicalset-
stituentof the greenshistfaciesassemblage, the per- ting is shownin Figure 6. This model is consistent
vasivealterationof the Patapgabbros,and the dom- with thatproposedfor the magnetitedeposits of Acad
inant ganguein the Cu-Fe skarn deposits(Regan, and Marcona in southernPeru (Atkin et al., 1985)
1985). Geothermalgradientswere high and geo- andRomeralandothersin northernChile (Bookstrom,
graphicallywidespread(AguirreandOffier, 1985). 1977). Amphiboliticskarndepositsdefinetwo main
The geologicevolutionof Ra61and Condestableis belts400 km longsoutheast of Lima and600 km long
complexand indirectly linked to that of Eliana and north of Santiago(Petersen, 1970; Frutos, 1982).
Monterrosas.Skarn formationand ore depositionin They correspondto an episodeof Upper Jurassicto
each stratigraphic unit occurred under different Lower Cretaceousmetallogenesisas evidencedby
physicochemicalconditions (Ripley and Ohmoto, radiometric dating of the main representatives
1977). Within individualhydrothermalevents,gar- (Oyarz6n and Frutos, 1984; this paper).
net-pyroxene skarn and albite-epidote hornfelses Recognitionof the regional distribution,genetic
formedfirst and were followedby amphibole-scap- coherence,andtransitioninto copper-or apatite-rich
olite alteration,magnetite,and chalcopyrite.Host- varieties of major magnetite depositsin Chile and
rockpermeabilityandcomposition representthemain Peru wasdoneby Park (1972). Nevertheless,he pro-
controllingfactorsof strata-boundore deposition. poseda dominantcrustalsourcefor the iron whichis
Limestones andshales arethoroughlyamphibolitized; not in agreementwith the Pb isotopedatahere pre-
locallythey preservecalcicskarnmineralscomposi- sented.Further studyis neededto elucidatein detail
tionallyakin to the Cu-Fe groupof EinaudiandBurt the geochemistryof theseamphiboliticCu-Fe skarn
(1982). Volcanoclasticsandstones and brecciasshow depositsand to confirm their paleotectonicsignifi-
preferential replacement of their matrix with relic canceas markersof marginalbasininitiation along
clasts and phenocrysts.Hydrothermal effects are convergentplate boundariesof centralAndeantype.
fracture controlledin lava flows and porphyritic
stocks. Recurrent circulation of seawater and atten- Acknowledgments
dant hydrothermalmetamorphismas proposedby The authors would like to thank all the staff mem-
Ripley and Ohmoto(1977, 1979) were probablyre- bers ofCa. Minera Pativilca, Ca. Minera Austria Du-
lated to the shallow-marine volcanic center evidenced vaz, Cia. Minera C6ndor, and Ca. Los Montes who
by Ostermanet al. (1983). Bothfindingsfit into the have supportedtheir researchduring the past ten
geothermalschemeof Bird et al. (1984) andprovide years.Specialthanksare due to the followinggeol-
the link with the plutonicrelatedskarnsof Elianaand ogistsand mining engineers:E. Ponzoni, G. Abele,
Monterrosas. V. R. Eyzaguirre,R. Ravello,A. Cosso,
J.Z6iga, and
Isotopicconstraintsfor the seawater-dominatedore C. Rios.Acknowledgedalsoare J. Mendoza,C. Mir-
fluidsat Ra61inferthe presenceof a subduedigneous anda,and P. Solerfrom the InstitutoGeo16gico Mi-
component(OhmotoandRye, 1979). Tectonicsetting nero y Metalurgico (INGEMMET) and Office de la
and gabbrodioriticplutonismakin to the mineralized Recherche Scientifique et Technique Outre-Mer
Patap plutons at Eliana and Monterrosascould have (O.R.S.T.O.M.).
started 10 m.y. before at Ra61and Condestable,as J. Injoque acknowledgesthe encouragementand
suggested by the K-Ar data.However, a distalor hy- technical backing from P. Harvey and B. Atkin. G.
potheticalplutonicsourceis not consideredessential Sidderis especiallygratefulto histhesisadvisorCyrus
for the genesisof thesevolcanogenicdeposits.As in Field. S. Mukasaextendshisgratitudeto G. R. Tilton,
the caseof the UpperJurassic Marconadeposits(Fig. whoseresearchgrantssupportedthe early stagesof
1; Table 2), amphiboliticCu-Fe skarnsof strata-bound the isotopicwork. K-Ar datingwascarried out in the
geometryare interpretedto be closelyrelatedto geo- British Geological Survey with direct support of
thermalsystemsdevelopedaspart of submarinevol- N. J. Snelling.CsarE. VidalthanksWallaceS.Pitcher
1460 VIDALC., INJOQUE-ESPINOZA,
SIDDER,ANDMUKASA

for guidinghis researchon the Coastalbatholithme- -- 1974, Metallogenesisas related to crustal evolution in
southwestcentral Peru: Unpub. Ph.D. thesis,Univ. Liverpool,
tallogenesis
andNorma,hiswife, who patientlytyped 245 p.
the presentcontribution. Injoque, J., 1985, Geochemistryof the Cu-Fe amphiboleskarn
Perubar,S.A., andBuenaventuraIngenieros,S.A., depositsof the Peruvian central coast: Unpub. Ph.D. thesis,
supportedgenerouslythe preparationof the manu- Univ. Nottingham, 357 p.
Injoque, J., Mendoza, J., Miranda, C., Aranda, A., Ramirez, L.,
scriptand illustrations.The manuscriptwasgreatly andAndrade,R., 1982, Petrolog[ay mineralogladel yacimiento
improvedby the effortsof EconomicGeologyreview- Rafil-Condestabley reinterpretaci6nde sugnesis:Lima-Peril,
ers, and the authorswish to give them credit for an Inst. Geo16gicoMinero y Metalurgicounpub. rept., 134 p.
overall improvementof the same. Kulm, L. D., Thornbury, T. D., Schrader,H., Masias,A., Reisig,
J. M., and Johnson,L., 1981, Late Cenozoic carbonateson the
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