Outline

Describing breccias

Overview of genetic
classes for breccias
Emphasis on breccias
from epithermal and
porphyry deposits
Magmatic-
hydrothermal
Volcanic-
hydrothermal
Hydrothermal
(phreatic)
 Definitions

Hydrothermal breccia:
Clastic, coarse-grained aggregate generated by the
interaction of hydrothermal fluid with magma and/or
wallrocks

Infill:
Material that has filled the space between clasts in
breccias
Breccias can have two infill components crystalline
cement or clastic matrix

2 cm
 Breccia Description
and Interpretation

First breccias should be described in

terms of their components, texture,
morphology and contact relationships

The next step is genetic interpretation,

which can be difficult and often leads to
problems
 Breccia Description

Ideal combination:
5 +4 +3 +2 +1
Alteration Internal Components Grainsize Geometry
organisation A+B+C+D

Minimum Combination: 4 + 3 + 2

1) Geometry
pipe, cone, dyke, vein,
bed, irregular, tabular...
Contact relationships:
sharp, gradational,
faulted, irregular, planar,
concordant, discordant

Bat Cave breccia pipe, Northern

Arizona. (Wenrich, 1985)
 Breccia Description
5 +4 +3 +2 +1
Alteration Internal Components Grainsize Geometry
organisation A+B+C+D

2) Grainsize
breccia (> 2mm), sandstone (1/16 2 mm)
or mudstone (< 1/16 mm)

The term breccia is derived from

sedimentology, where it refers to clastic
rocks composed of large angular clasts
(granules, cobbles and boulders) with or
without a sandy or muddy matrix

Monomictic sericite-altered diorite clast breccia with

roscoelite-quartz cement, Porgera, PNG
 Breccia Description
5 +4 +3 +2 +1
Alteration Internal Components Grainsize Geometry
organisation A+B+C+D

3) Components
A: clasts
monomict or polymict
Composition: lithic, vein, breccia, juvenile
magmatic, accretionary lapilli,
mineralised, altered
Morphology: angular, subangular,
subround, round, faceted, tabular,
equant

Polymictic trachyandesite clast-rich

sand matrix breccia, Cowal, NSW
 Breccia Description
5 +4 +3 +2 +1
Alteration Internal Components Grainsize Geometry
organisation A+B+C+D

3) Components: INFILL
B: matrix
Mud to sand to breccia-sized particles
Crystal fragments, lithic fragments,
vein fragments
Textures:
bedded
laminated
banded
foliated
massive
Polymictic diorite clast breccia with pyrite-quartz-roscoelite
cement and roscoelite-altered mud matrix, Porgera, PNG
 Breccia Description
5 +4 +3 +2 +1
Alteration Internal Components Grainsize Geometry
organisation A+B+C+D

3) Components: INFILL
C: cement
Ore & gangue mineralogy
Grainsize
Alteration
textures:
cockade, massive, drusy, etc.

D: open space (vugs)

Rhodochrosite-kaolinite cemented
mudstone-clast breccia Kelian, Indonesia
 Breccia Description
5 +4 +3 +2 +1
Alteration Internal Components Grainsize Geometry
organisation A+B+C+D

4) Internal Organisation
Clast, matrix or cement-supported
Clast, matrix and cement abundances
Massive, bedded, laminated or graded

Clast distribution:
In-situ (jigsaw-fit)
Rotated
Chaotic

Sericite-altered polymictic sand-matrix

breccia, Braden Pipe, El Teniente, Chile
 Breccia Description
5 +4 +3 +2 +1
Alteration Internal Components Grainsize Geometry
organisation A+B+C+D

5) Alteration
Clasts, matrix or cement
Alteration paragenesis (pre-, syn- and
post-brecciation)

Sericite-altered polymictic sand matrix

breccia, Braden Pipe, El Teniente, Chile
 Volcanic Breccias
Breccia Genesis
Magma intrusion
into hydrothermal
More than one system
process can be
involved in
breccia formation

Hydrothermal Magmatic-hydrothermal Magmatic

Breccias breccias Breccias
This overlap

Stockwork veins
Igneous-
cemented
means that breccias

genetic
Phreatic breccias
terminology is Structural control on
breccia location
generally applied
inconsistently
Fault breccias
& brecciated veins
Tectonic Breccias
 Breccias in Hydrothermal Systems

1: Magmatic-
hydrothermal breccias Volatile-saturated
intrusion undergoes
Permeability catastrophic brittle failure
enhancement through due to hydrostatic
the formation of a pressure exceeding
subsurface breccia lithostatic load and the
body allows for tensile strength of the
focussed fluid flow wallrocks

Containment and
focussing of volatiles
magmatic-
hydrothermal ore
formation
 Characteristic
Features
Angular clasts -implies
limited clast transport
& abrasion
Juvenile clasts (?)
Variable amounts of
clastic matrix
High temperature
alteration rinds
(clasts) and altered
matrix

Tourmaline-chalcopyrite
Open space fill
cement, Rio Blanco textures Polymict tourmaline breccia,
Sierra Gorda, Chile
Characteristic Features

Locally abundant hydrothermal

cement (biotite, tourmaline,
Chalcopyrite-cemented
monzonite clast breccia, Mt quartz, sulfides, etc)
Polley, British Columbia
 Magmatic-hydrothermal breccia

Tourmaline-quartz cemented, sericite-altered, diorite

clast breccia
 Sulfide Mineralisation Styles

Altered clasts

cement
vein

Hydrothermal cement
Alteration of rock flour
Alteration of clasts
Tourmaline breccia, Ro
Blanco, Chile Cross-cutting veins
Magmatic-hydrothermal breccia
 Vein Halo

tm bx

tm vein halo

Sierra Gorda tourmaline

breccia, Chile
 Vein Halo

tm vein halo

tourmaline breccia, Peru

 Tabular clasts

Aspect ratios of clasts can

attain 1:30

Providencia cp-tourmaline
In many cases, tabular
breccia, Inca de Oro, Chile shape does not relate to
closely spaced jointing or
bedding

Orientations change from

sub-vertical on pipe margins
to sub-horizontal in the
central region
Tourmaline-quartz breccia, La
Zanja, Peru
 Breccias in Hydrothermal Systems

2: Volcanic-hydrothermal
Volcanic-
breccias hydrothermal
breccia
Clastic matrix & milled complex

paleodepth
clasts abundant

2 - 5 km
Surficial and subsurface
breccia deposits
Late intrusion
Bedded and massive into active
breccia facies hydrothermal
system
Venting of volatiles to
the surface
death of a porphyry
deposit
shortcut to the
epithermal environment
 Diatremes
wet pyroclastic eruptions

Modified after Lorenz, 1973

0m
Water
Table
depressed

Increasing
eruption
depth
> 2500 m

Common association of diatremes with magmatic-

hydrothermal ore deposits
(e.g., Kelian, Martabe, Cripple Creek)

Breccias
Braden Pipe surficial? bedded facies
(courtesy Francisco Camus)
Subsurface polymictic sand-matrix breccia,
Braden Pipe, El Teniente
Characteristics of Volcanic-Hydrothermal
Abundant fine grained altered
clastic matrix (massive to
stratified)
Rounded to angular heterolithic
clasts, typically matrix-
supported
Generally significant clast
abrasion & transport (mixing of
wallrock clasts transport
upwards and downwards)
Surficial pyroclastic base surge
deposits
 Phreatomagmatic breccia
juvenile quartz-phyric rhyolite
clasts, Kelian, Indonesia Characteristic features

Juvenile clasts
Mineralised and altered clasts
Surficial-derived clasts (e.g., logs,
charcoal, etc.)
Complex facies relationships
Limited open space little or no
hydrothermal cement

0.5 cm Chalcopyrite clasts, Balatoc diatreme, Acupan

Au mine, Philippines
 Kelian, Indonesia

Base surge deposits

QFP intrusion
Diatreme breccia

150 m

Volcaniclastic
sst / slt
 Breccias in Hydrothermal Systems

3: Hydrothermal breccias
phreatic
Phreatic breccias:
in-situ subsurface
and surficial
brecciation matrix
can be abundant
(jig-saw fit to Phreatic steam
rotated to chaotic explosions caused by
decompression of
textures)
hydrothermal fluid
No direct magmatic
involvement
epithermal gold
deposition
 Phreatic Breccias
Hydrothermal steam explosions that breach the surface
will generate pyroclastic ejecta, but lack a juvenile
magmatic component
The resultant
hydrothermal
eruption deposits
are bedded and
have low aspect
ratios
The deposits have a
poor preservation
potential

Eruption of Waimungu Geyser, 1904 (Sillitoe, 1985)

Phreatic Breccias

Porkchop Geyser, post-eruption,

1992, Yellowstone
Waiotapu Geothermal Area, New Zealand
Phreatic Eruption Breccias

Champagne pool, Waiotapu, New Zealand

Hydrothermal Breccias:
Mineralised
High to low temperature
hydrothermal fluids
Structural complexity
Open space fill
Multiple generations
Gangue and ore minerals

Altered & mineralised andesite clasts, with

sulfide and sulfosalt cockade banding,
Mt Muro, Indonesia
Hydrothermal breccia, Peru

Hydrothermal Breccias
Lihir, Papua New Guinea Kelian, Indonesia

Hydrothermal Breccias

20 cm

2 cm
 , Peru

Hydrothermal Breccias
 Breccias in Hydrothermal Systems

3: Vein breccias

Vein breccias: clasts

within veins, from
wallrocks or existing
parts of vein

Structural opening
and hydrothermal
fluid pressure
No direct magmatic
involvement
epithermal
deposition
Vein breccia,, Peru

Hydrothermal Breccias
Kencana, Indonesia
 Vein Breccias

What do these
textures mean?

Why are they

important?
 Stage I breccia cockade texture
Stage Ia Stage Ib
ore FW ore

Stage 1b
ore

30 cm

HW

(Gemmell et al., 1988)

 Stage II breccia cockade texture
Stage II
non-ore FW Stage II
non-ore

30 cm

Stage II
non-ore
Stage IV
non-ore

HW
20 cm
20 cm

(Gemmell et al., 1988)

 Stage III banding crustiform texture
Stage III
ore FW Stage III
ore

HW

(Gemmell et al., 1988)

Stage IV massive infill with vugs
Stage IV Stage IV
non-ore FW non-ore

5 cm
HW
10 cm

(Gemmell et al., 1988)

Santo Nino vein
Long Section

(Gemmell,1986 & Gemmell et al., 1988)

30 cm 20 cm 20 cm

Stage I Stage II Stage III Stage IV

ore non-ore ore non-ore
 Conclusions
Magmatic-hydrothermal breccias have high temperature
cements and alteration minerals

Volcanic-hydrothermal breccia complexes have bedded

facies and juvenile magmatic clasts

Phreatic breccia complexes may contain bedded facies, but

will always lack juvenile clasts

Vein breccias result from structural opening and

hydrothermal fluid pressure

Anhydrite-cemented vein breccia, Acupan gold mine, Philippines

 Conclusions

Hydrothermal brecciation typically involves several

fragmentation processes

Genetic pigeonholing of breccias can be difficult, and

may not be particularly helpful

Facies and structure control fluid flow and are the

keys to understanding grade distribution in
hydrothermal breccias

Pyrite-roscoelite-gold cemented heterolithic breccia, Porgera Gold Mine, Papua New

Guinea (Sample courtesy of Standing, 2005)
 Fragmentation Processes
Non-explosive Explosive
Magma Magma + Internal Water
Magma intrusion magmatic
Stoping magma exsolves steam CO2
Autoclastic magmatic-hydrothermal
Autobrecciation magma exsolves steam + brine
Gravitational collapse
Dissolution Magma + External Water
Magma withdrawal phreatomagmatic
magma encounters external water
Magma + External Water
Autoclastic Water + External Heat
Quench fragmentation Hydrothermal (phreatic)
Hydraulic fracture Flashing of water to steam due to
seal failure, seismic rupture, heat
Tectonic input and/or mass wasting
comminution, wear, abrasion,
dilation, implosion