Abstract
The Culampajá auriferous district is located in Catamarca, Argentina, and belongs to Sierras Pampeanas morphostructural province; this is confirmed by metasedimentary and granitic rocks. The lodes are widely distributed in an approximate surface of 70 km2. Mineralisation is in the form of quartz veins. Generally, vein strike is 90° N with a subvertical dip. They are up to hundreds of metres long and their thickness ranges from 0.90 to 1 m. Veins have tabular shapes. They are constituted mainly of quartz, with minor microcline, plagioclase, biotite and muscovite. The ore mineral is native gold with lesser amounts of pyrite, chalcopyrite, hematite, limonite, malachite, azurite and covellite. These ore mineral assemblages are disseminated in quartz. On the basis of the alteration pattern and mineralogy, together with the characteristics of fluid inclusions, it is suggested that the mineralization was formed during the late magmatic hydrothermal stage genetically linked to granitic rocks comparable with the intrusion-related gold system.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Avila, JC, Lazarte, JE, and Gianfrancisco, M (2009): Contrasting styles of gold mineralisation in Northwestern territories of Argentina. In: Mine Planning and Equipment Selection (MPES), Banff: 62–66.
Ramos, V (1999): Las provincias geológicas del territorio argentino in Geología Argentina. Instituto de Geología y Recursos Minerales. Anales 29(3): 41–96.
Aceñolaza, G, and Toselli, A (1981): Geología del Noroeste Argentino. Facultad Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Special Issue (1287), Tucumán: pp212.
Turner, JC (1962): Estratigrafía de la región al naciente de la Laguna Blanca, Catamarca. Revista de la Asociación Geológica Argentina (17/1–2): 11–46.
Lazarte, JE (1991): Estudio petrológico y geoquímico de los granitoides de las sierras de Papachacra y Culampajá. Relaciones metalogenéticas, PhD thesis (unpublished), Facultad Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Tucumán.
Velazco Robles, L (1982): Estudio geológico-económico del sector oriental de las sierras de Altohuasi y Culampajá entre las quebradas La Tranca y La Alumbrera, Belén, Catamarca. Graduate thesis (unpublished), Facultad Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Tucumán.
Rosello, E, López de Luchi, MG, and Ostera, H (2000): La Formación Papachacra (Belén, Catamarca, Argentina): edades K/Ar y significados tectónicos y metalogenéticos. In: Proceedings of the IX Congreso Geológico Chileno, Puerto Varas: 1: 360–364.
Avila, JC, Bengochea, L, Fogliata, A, Mas, G, and Lazarte, JE (2008): The Tajo Largo Gold Deposit, Argentina—mineralogy and fluid inclusions study. In: Proceedings of the Ninth International Congress for Applied Mineralogy, Brisbane: 589–592.
Avila, JY, Velazco Robles, L (1983): Relevamiento minero de las sierras de Altohuasi y Culampajá, Belén, Catamarca. In: Proceedings of the II Congreso Nacional de Geología Económica, Vol. 2, San Juan: 11–27.
Fernandez Lima, J, De La Iglesia, H, and Jutoran, A (1955): Estudio de las minas de oro del distrito Culampajá, Belén, Catamarca. D.N.G.M. (unpublished).
Bengochea, L, Avila, JC, Fogliata, A, Mas, G, and Lazarte, JE (2006): Estudio de inclusiones fluidas del cuarzo aurífero de mina La Chiruza, Sierra de Culampajá, provincia de Catamarca. Avances en Mineralogía, Metalogénia y Petrografía, Buenos Aires: 21–26.
Baker, T (2003): Intrusion related gold deposits: classification, characteristics and exploration. In: Regional VP Lecturer, Society of Economic Geologists.
Acknowledgments
To the Mineração Rio do Norte company (MRN) for enabling this study by providing samples and conducting a portion of the chemical analysis outlined here.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2012 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this paper
Cite this paper
Avila, J.C., Lazarte, J.E. (2012). Metallogeny Of Culampajá Gold District, Argentina. In: Broekmans, M. (eds) Proceedings of the 10th International Congress for Applied Mineralogy (ICAM). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27682-8_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27682-8_3
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-27681-1
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-27682-8
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)