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Significance of phyllosilicate mineralogy and mineral chemistry in an epithermal environment. Insights from the palai-islica Au-Cu deposit (Almería, SE Spain)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2024

Javier Carrillo-Rosúa ,
Salvador Morales-Ruano ,
Iñaki Esteban-Arispe  and
Purificación Fenoll Hach-Alí
Javier Carrillo-Rosúa*
Affiliation:
Departamento de Didáctica de las Ciencias Experimentales, Universidad de Granada, Facultad de Ciencias de la Educación, Campus de Cartuja, 18071, Granada, Spain
Salvador Morales-Ruano
Affiliation:
Departamento de Mineralogía y Petrología, Universidad de Granada, Facultad de Ciencias, Avd. Fuentenueva s.n., 18002, Granada, Spain Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra, CSIC Universidad de Granada, Facultad de Ciencias, Avd. Fuentenueva s.n., 18002, Granada, Spain
Iñaki Esteban-Arispe
Affiliation:
Departamento de Mineralogía y Petrología, Universidad de Granada, Facultad de Ciencias, Avd. Fuentenueva s.n., 18002, Granada, Spain
Purificación Fenoll Hach-Alí
Affiliation:
Departamento de Mineralogía y Petrología, Universidad de Granada, Facultad de Ciencias, Avd. Fuentenueva s.n., 18002, Granada, Spain Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra, CSIC Universidad de Granada, Facultad de Ciencias, Avd. Fuentenueva s.n., 18002, Granada, Spain
*
* E-mail address of corresponding author: fjcarril@ugr.es
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Abstract

Phyllosilicate mineralogy is key to understanding hydrothermal processes within accepted epithermal deposit models but little information has been published about the mineral chemistry of epithermal deposits. X-ray diffraction, optical and electronic microscopy (scanning and transmitted), electron microprobe, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy were used in this work to study phyllosilicates in the Palai-Islica Au-Cu epithermal, volcanic-hosted deposit, in order to link phyllosilicate mineralogy and mineral chemistry to ore genesis. Different phyllosilicate assemblages are characteristic of two types of mineralization, and related hydrothermal alteration. Chlorite and mica appear in polymetallic quartz veins with sulfides, and in the related chloritic and sericitic hydrothermal alteration. These minerals have notable textural and chemical differences (i.e. Fe/(Fe+Mg), Si and Al in chlorite and illitic and phengitic components in mica) amongst veins and altered rocks, revealing different genetic conditions. These chemical features also distinguish propylitic and regional, non ore-related, low-temperature alteration. Hot hydrothermal fluids of near-neutral pH are responsible for vein mineralization and alteration. Illite, interstratified illite-smectite, kaolinite, and pyrophyllite are characteristic, with a distribution pattern by zones, of the intermediate argillic and advanced argillic alteration around areas of silicification. In the latter, native gold appears associated with interstratified illite-smectite, suggesting a relatively low-temperature formation. Hot, low-pH fluids are responsible for this mineralization and alteration assemblage. The present study contributes to epithermal models showing the co-existence of two different alteration styles in the same hydrothermal system.

Keywords

ChloriteEpithermalGoldMicaSpainIntermediate-sulfidationVolcanic-hosted
Type
Article
Information
Clays and Clay Minerals , Volume 57 , Issue 1 , February 2009 , pp. 1 - 24
Copyright
Copyright © The Clay Minerals Society 2009

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