Abstract
The giant Eocene-Oligocene Chuquicamata porphyry copper deposit in northern Chile illustrates a remarkable degree of structural control from the time of porphyry emplacement through mineralization-alteration and supergene enrichment. The porphyry system developed within a transtensional faultbend related to the > 2000-km-long, trench-parallel shear system known as the Precordilleran Fault System, which has been active in the Precordillera since at least the Eocene. Detailed structural sampling and mapping at scales from 1:10 to 1:1000 within representative mineralized structural domains defined within the Chuquicamata open pit reveals that the bulk of mineralization is contained in fractures with defined preferred orientations that impart an anisotropy to ore grades at certain scales. Cross-cutting relationships in one domain, Estanques Blancos, establish a relative chronology of alteration-mineralization pulses related to an older (34 Ma), deeper potassic and a younger, superimposed (31 Ma), shallower qu...
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
