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    SMAM in Epithermal Porphyry Systems

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    Gokhan Bagcivan
    Spectral Mapping (SMAM) in Epithermal and Porphyry Copper Systems. Many hydrothermal minerals are stable over limited temperature and / or pH ranges. Results can be used to map pH and temperature variations, which will help to navigate your way in the epithermal system and locate the mineralized zone.

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    SMAM in Epithermal Porphyry Systems

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    Gokhan Bagcivan
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    Spectral Mapping (SMAM) in Epithermal and Porphyry Copper Systems. Many hydrothermal minerals are stable over limited temperature and / or pH ranges. Results can be used to map pH and temperature variations, which will help to navigate your way in the epithermal system and locate the mineralized zone.

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    Spectral Mapping (SMAM) in Epithermal and Porphyry Copper Systems. Many hydrothermal minerals are stable over limited temperature and / or pH ranges. Results can be used to map pH and temperature variations, which will help to navigate your way in the epithermal system and locate the mineralized zone.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    418 views1 page

    SMAM in Epithermal Porphyry Systems

    Uploaded by

    Gokhan Bagcivan
    Spectral Mapping (SMAM) in Epithermal and Porphyry Copper Systems. Many hydrothermal minerals are stable over limited temperature and / or pH ranges. Results can be used to map pH and temperature variations, which will help to navigate your way in the epithermal system and locate the mineralized zone.

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    Spectral Mapping (SMAM) in Epithermal and Porphyry Copper Systems - Vectors toward the mineralized zone

    Ab Scandinavian GeoPool Ltd


    1)

    1)

    2)

    Epithermal Systems

    Many hydrothermal minerals are stable over limited temperature and/or pH ranges. Therefore, by mapping the distribution of alteration minerals in areas of epithermal prospects, it is possible to reconstruct the thermal and geochemical zonation, leading to a model of the hydrology of the extinct hydrothermal system. Alteration minerals are also crucial to distinguish the style of deposit, low sulfidation or high sulfidation. Common alteration minerals in epithermal systems are e.g. kaolinite, dickite, pyrophyllite, alunite, smectite, illite-smectite, illite and sericite, and these can all be measured with the TerraSpec spectrometer. Examples of what we can measure with SMAM:
    Smectite Illite-Smectite

    The results can be used to map pH and temperature variations, which will help to navigate your way in the epithermal system and locate the mineralized zone.
    Low Temperature
    disordered kaolinite
    Mineral Mapping Pty Ltd

    Kaolinite

    Smectite

    ordered kaolinite

    DH2
    Dickite

    DH1

    Low crystallinity mica

    Fig. 3. Simplified phase diagram of an epithermal system. The location of the imaginary drill holes (DH 1 and DH 2) is illustrated in fig. 4.

    Illite-Smectite

    Illite Alunite Pyrophyllite Sericite


    High crystallinity mica Long wavelength mica

    High Temperature Low pH

    Short wavelength mica

    Increasing pH
    DH 1
    Increasing Kaolinite crystallinity

    Kaolinite

    Dickite
    Illite
    No rm. Hu llQ (Stacked)
    No rm. Hu llQ (Stack ed)

    Pyrophyllite

    Sericite

    Alunite

    1900 nm
    1500 1800 2100

    2200 nm
    2400

    1500

    1800

    2100

    2400

    Wavelength in nm

    Wavelength in nm

    Fig. 1. Illite crystallinity; we can measure the ratio of the depth of the 2200 nm feature to the 1900 nm feature.
    2)

    Fig. 2. Changing acid mineral phase with increasing temperature.

    Fig. 4. Overview of an epithermal system with alteration minerals that can be measured with SMAM. General recommendation; measure 1 spectrum every meter on every exploration drill hole to navigate your way in the system.

    DH 2
    Kaolinite (Steam-heated)

    Mineral Mapping Pty Ltd

    Illite-Smectite Kaolinite Illite-Smectite

    Increasing temperature

    Increasing crystallinity

    Increasing Illite abundance

    Dickite Increasing Illite Crystallinity Illite wavelength = 2206nm

    Illite

    Alunite + Silica

    Pyrophyllite Muscovite Decreasing Mica AlOH wavelength

    Porphyry Copper Systems

    Infrared-active alteration minerals associated with porphyries include sericite/muscovite, biotite, phlogopite, actionolite, chlorite, epidote, calcite, clay minerals (illite, kaolinite, smectite) and tourmaline. Alteration mineralogy in Porphyry Cu-Mo-Au Systems:
    Vertical zonation from Potassic, (biotite + K feldspar) to Phyllic, (sericite) to Advanced argillic, (pyrophyllite, dickite, quartz Topaz in F-rich systems) or Argillic, (illite-smectite) Lateral Zonation from Potassic to Propylitic, (actinolite, chlorite, epidote, albite, calcite)
    Biotite (potassic alteration): besides the shift in the 2250 nm feature, Mg-chlorite shows a secondary feature at 2390 nm. White mica (phyllic alteration): the wavelength shifts in this example from 2194 nm in muscovite to 2222 nm in phengite. Dickite (advanced argillic alteration): major features at 1380, 1415, 2180 and 2208nm; topaz: major features at 1405 and 2080 nm.
    Seedorff et al., 2005
    Fe-chlorite Fe-rich biotite Mg-rich biotite
    Mg-rich biotite Proximal Fe-rich biotite Distal

    Potassic alteration

    Phyllic alteration
    Muscovite Phengite
    Muscovite - Acidic Adjacent to Adv. argillic (shallow)

    Phengite Adjacent to potassic or propylitic (deep)

    Dickite Topaz

    Advanced argillic alteration

    Dickite Advanced Argillic

    Topaz Advanced Argillic (in F-rich systems, eg Porphyry Mo)

    Propylitic alteration

    Mg-chlorite

    Chlorite composition (propylitic alteration): in this example; Mg-chlorite 2324 nm, Fe-chlorite 2350 nm.

    Fe Chlorite Low temp, Acid

    Mg Chlorite (overprinting actinolite) High temp neutral

    Copyright 2008, Ab Scandinavian GeoPool Ltd

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