Abstract
Llallagua is one of the world's biggest tin deposits and part of the metallogenic Bolivian Tin Belt, which occurs in the inner arc of the Central Andes. The Llallagua deposit formed through emplacement of a subvolcanic porphyry stock, of intermediate dacitic to rhyodacitic composition, metasomatism, and hydrothermal mineralization. The deposit is the subject of a well-established geochronologic controversy that includes contradictory ages (≈40 and 20 Ma) from multiple geochronometers. Geochronological characterization of phosphate minerals from the metasomatized igneous porphyry and hydrothermal vein assemblages, along with detailed petrography and chemical analyses, are used to reconcile the age controversy. The new interpretation is further supported by existing textural and geochemical data. The UPb ages of unaltered igneous fluorapatite (e.g. 21.2 ± 2.9 Ma), monazite (e.g. 21.22 + 0.80/−0.66 Ma), and zircon (e.g. 21.15 ± 0.39 Ma) from the Llallagua porphyry are all equivalent within error at ≈20 Ma, and are interpreted to represent the age of porphyry stock emplacement. Ages determined from altered portions of these minerals (e.g. apatite, 18.8 ± 8.0 Ma) are within error the same as unaltered portions, suggesting alteration of the porphyry soon after emplacement. UPb ages from unaltered fluorapatite (e.g. 21.4 ± 6.7 Ma), altered and unaltered monazite (e.g. 19.4 ± 1.4 Ma and 20.29 ± 0.30 Ma respectively), and unaltered xenotime (e.g. 19.32 ± 0.67 Ma) from the hydrothermal veins are also ≈20 Ma, indicating a very short hiatus or temporal continuity between stock emplacement and hydrothermal vein formation. The early Miocene age for tin mineralization at Llallagua is consistent with neighboring mineralization centers at the Morococala, Colquechaca, Japo, and Santa Fe mines, and with regional trends observed across the Bolivian Tin Belt, including stratigraphy, magmatic, and tectonic history of the Andean Eastern Cordillera.
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