Clemmey, H.

Flint, S.

Turner, P.

The mineralization is restricted to the upper 150 m of a sequence of alluvial fan sediments in conglomerates of predominantly granodioritic composition. It is proposed that uneconomic metal concentrations were transported into the fan as detrital phases and released by diagenetic reactions. Copper minerals include atacamite, bornite, digenite, djurleite and covellite, and the sulphides are relatively enriched in heavy sulphur (delta 34S = -3.6 to -12.8per mille). Absence of organic material precludes bacterial sulphate reduction. Instead it is suggested that diagenetically derived copper-rich brines mixed with sulphur-rich hydrothermal fluids, causing mineralization.-C.H.D. Dept. of Earth Sciences, Leeds Univ., Leeds LS2 9JT, UK

Conglomerate-hosted copper mineralization in Cretaceous Andean molasse: the Coloso Formation of northern Chile.

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

The University of Manchester - Institutional Repository