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Las Bambas - Ferrobamba, Chalcobamba, Sulfobamba

Peru
Main commodities: Cu Au Mo
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The Las Bambas group of porphyry/skarn copper-molybdenum-gold deposits, Ferrobamba, Clickonimagefordetails.
ChalcobambaandSulfobamba,arelocatedsome72kmSWofCuscoandaround530kmSEofLima
in southern Peru. It is approximately 90 km north-west of the Tintaya porphyry/skarn deposits
(#Location:143'36"S,7220'44"W).

TheAndahuaylas-Yauribeltcoversanareaof~25000km2insouthernPeruandextendsfor~300km
betweenthelocalitiesofAndahuaylasintheNWandYauriintheSE,~250to300kminlandfromthe
present-dayPeru-Chiletrench.

Theregionisunderlainby50to60kmthickcontinentalcrust(James,1971),andstraddlesthetransition
zone between the southern, normal subduction regime of southern Peru and northern Chile, and the
currentnorthernflatsubductionzoneofcentralandnorthernPeru(CahillandIsacks,1992).Basement
in the region comprises Precambrian to mid-Palaeozoic gneisses, ~130 km to the northwest of Cusco
(Carlotto, 1998), probable extensions of the Maran massif to the north, overlain by >10000 m of
Palaeozoic rocks, which include >10000 m of volcanosedimentary, marine and continental rocks of
CambriantoEarlyPermianage(Marocco,1978;Carlottoet al.,1996;Carlottoet al.,1997).Theupper
section of the pre-Andean basement is dominated by >1000 m of volcanic and clastic rocks of the
PermiantoEarlyTriassicMituGroupintheMituextensionalgraben(Perellet al.,2003).

The Mesozoic stratigraphy of this part of Per is largely composed of Jurassic and Cretaceous
sedimentarysequencesdepositedinasettingdominatedbytwomainbasins,theArequipabasinand
the Eastern Peruvian foreland basins, separated by the Cusco-Puno basement high (Carlotto et al.,
1993; Jaillard and Soler, 1996). The Arequipa basin and Cusco-Puno high are respectively the
southeasternextensionsofthePucarbasinandMaranArchofthemainPeruvianAndestotheNW
of the Abancay Deflection. The Arequipa basin (to the west; Vicente et al., 1982), corresponds to the
present-day Western Cordillera, and contains a Middle Jurassic to Late Cretaceous sedimentary pile
that is >4500 m thick, with a lower turbidite dominated section, a middle quartz arenite, and an upper
sedimentary sequence with abundant limestone (Vicente et al., 1982; Jaillard and Santander, 1992).
ThenortheasternedgeoftheArequipabasin,overlapstheAndahuaylas-Yauriregion,andincludesthe
LagunillasandYuragroups(Marocco,1978),madeupofEarlyJurassiclimestoneandMiddletoLate
Jurassic quartz arenite and shale, with a total thickness of approximately 800 m. The top of the
sequence contains the massive micritic limestone, black shale, and nodular chert of the Ferrobamba
Formation(Marocco,1978;Pecho,1981).TheCusco-Punohighisoverlainby~900mofLateJurassic
toPaleoceneterrigenousredbedsinterbeddedwithshale,limestoneandgypsum(Carlottoet al.,1993;
Jaillardet al.,1994).

The Mesozoic sequence is unconformably overlain by two main units, specifically the Eocene to early
Oligocene San Jernimo Group and the dominantly volcanic Anta Formation. San Jernimo Group
consistsoftwomainformations(KayraandSoncco),withatotalthicknessof~4500m,madeupofred
bed terrigenous (sandstone, shale, pelitic sandstone, and volcanic microconglomerate) strata,
interbedded with tuffaceous horizons near the top. The Soncco Formation includes horizons of
stratabound copper mineralisation, up to several metres thick, with hypogene chalcocite and bornite,
andsupergenecopperoxides(Crdenaset al.,1999).TheAntaFormationisa>1000msequencewithalowermembercontainingandesite
lava flows and dacite pyroclastic flows locally interbedded with alluvial conglomerate, and an upper member of fluvial conglomerate with
interbeddedandesiteandbasalticandesiteflows(Perellet al.,2003).

TheserocksaresucceededbyOligocenetoMiocenesedimentaryrocksofthe1500to5000mthickPunacanchaand>1100mthickParuro
formations, dominated by coarsening-upward red shale and sandstone, with gypsum and conglomerate being characteristic in the upper
parts of the sequences. Oligocene and Miocene volcanic rocks in the region are largely the calc-alkaline sequences of the Western
CordilleraandAltiplano,andincludetheOligoceneTacaza(trachyandesite,andesiteandrhyolitetuff)andMioceneSillapaca(mainlydacite
flows with subordinate andesite) groups. In addition to these, a series of scattered, small shoshonitic volcanic centres of Pliocene to
Quaternaryagearemapped(Perellet al.,2003).

The northeastern margin of the Western Cordillera in the region is underlain by large bodies of intrusive rocks collectively known as the
Andahuaylas-Yauri batholith (Carlier et al., 1989; Bonhomme and Carlier, 1990), interpreted to be coeval with the middle Eocene to early
OligoceneAntaFormationdescribedabove.Itiscomposedofmultipleintrusionsoutcroppingdiscontinuouslyoveranintervalof>300km
betweenthetownsofAndahuaylasinthenorthwestandYauriinthesoutheast.Itswidthvariesfrom~25kmintheTintayaareainthefar
SE, to ~130 km along the Chalhuanca-Abancay area to the NW. The batholith evolved through the following stages: i).early-stage,
predominantly~48to43Ma,cumulates(gabbro,troctolite,olivinegabbro,gabbrodiorite,anddiorite)followedby;ii).rocksofintermediate
composition(monzodiorite,quartzdiorite,quartzmonzodiorite,andgranodiorite;Carlieret al.,1989;BonhommeandCarlier,1990;Carlotto,
1998) emplaced mostly between ~40 and 32 Ma; and iii).subvolcanic rocks of dominantly granodioritic/dacitic composition, locally
associatedwithporphyry-stylemineralisation,whichrepresentthemostevolvedandterminalstageofthebatholith-widefractionationtrend.
The bulk of the batholith is middle Eocene to early Oligocene age, between ~48 and ~32 Ma, although there is evidence of considerable
temporaloverlapbetweenthemoremaficandthemorefelsicintrusionsoftheyoungergroup(Perellet al.,2003).Post-batholithintrusive
activityintheregionincludesaseriesofsmall~28Masyeniticstocks(Carlotto,1998),partofalargeralkalicmagmaticprovincethatalso
includesthebasanites,phonotephrites,andtrachytesoftheAyaviriregion,withagesbetween29and26Ma(Carlieret al.,1996,2000).

TheregionhasbeenaffectedbyseveralLateCretaceoustoPliocenetectonicevents(Marocco,1975;Pecho,1981;Cabreraet al.,1991;
Carlottoet al.,1996)ofwhichtheEocenetoearlyOligocene(Incaic)andOligocenetoMiocene(Quechua)pulsesarethemostimportant.A
salient feature of the belt is the spatial distribution of porphyry copper stocks around the edges of the main intrusions that constitute the
Andahuaylas-Yauribatholith,asexemplifiedbytheLasBambascluster(Perellet al.,2003).

According to Perello et al. (2003), the Andahuaylas-Yauri belt is defined by >30 centres that exhibit porphyry-style alteration and
mineralisation,including19centresthataregroupedin5mainclusters,plusanother12separatecentres,withhundredsofoccurrencesof
magnetite-rich, skarntype Fe-Cu mineralisation. Porphyry copper stocks are dominated by calc-alkaline, biotite- and amphibole bearing
intrusionsofgranodioriticcomposition,withlocalmonzogranitic,monzonitic,quartz-monzonitic,andmonzodioriticstocks.

The three Las Bambas project deposits, Ferrobamba, Chalcobamba and Sulfobamba are distributed over an approximate east-west
intervalof15km,withChalcobambabeing8kmNWofFerrobamba,andSulfobamba,5kmwestofChalcobamba.Mineralisationatallthree
depositsincludescomponentsofclassicporphyry-style(stockworkveining,sheetedveinsanddisseminations)andskarnalterationhosted
mineralisation.Skarn-hostedmineralisationoccursasdisseminatedtoclottycoppersulphideminerals,withsuperimposedporphyry-related
sheetedveins(Kelleyet al.,2016).ThefourthsignificantmemberoftheclusterisHaquira,whichislocated~7kmsouthofChalcobamba.

AlloftheskarnsarehostedbytheFerrobambaLimestoneunitandareaccompaniedbyporphyrycopperstylemineralisationassociatedwith
monzoniteandquartzmonzonitephasesderivedfromsteppedigneousdifferentiationbetween42and40MaatFerrobambaand38to36
MaatChalcobamba.ThelowerFerrobambaFormationhorizons,neartheircontactwiththeMaraFormation,arethepreferredhostrocks.All
threedepositslackassociatedlate-stagehydrousepithermalevents.

AtFerrobamba,theevolutionofthedepositandintrusivecomplexcommencedwithemplacementofearlyprecursor,non-mineralised39to
36 Ma Pionero and Taquiruta stocks. These were followed by the relatively hornblende-rich Ccomerccacca and Jahuapaylla stocks in the
centreofthedeposit,whicharerelatedtothemain34.56to34.29MastageofCumineralisationwithintheskarnalteration(Kelleyet al.,
2016).Forrestal,(2005)showsskarnalterationoccurringasaseriesofcoalescinglenticularzonesfromafewtensto>100mthickatthe
contacts between both mineralised and unmineralised multi-dyke-like, multiphase quartz-monzonite to dacite intrusives with associated
andesitic dykes, intruded into marbles and limestones of the lower Ferrobamba Limestone. According to Perell et al. (2003), the
mineralisation-relatedintrusionsaredaciticincompositionandintrudebothunmineralisedintrusionsandskarnalteredwallrocksofthelower
FerrobambaFormationwithassociatedcontactbreccias.Theporphyrystylemineralisationisaccompaniedbyearlypotassicalteration,with
secondarybiotitedatedat35.60.9Ma(K-Ar;Perellet al.,2003),accompaniedbyquartzveinsandveinlets,overprintedbyasericite-clay-
chlorite assemblage, with chalcopyrite and lesser bornite as the principal copper sulphides. Forrestal, (2005) shows Exo- and lesser
endoskarn alteration with variable associated chalcopyrite >bornite mineralisation is sporadically exposed over a U-shaped, NE-SW
elongatedzonewithatotalstrikelengthofaround3.5km.Goldvaluesareelevatedtobetween0.1and0.3g/t.TheUSGSMRDatabase
suggest this structure represents a NE plunging, tight anticline with a steep dipping axial plane, developed around what Forrestal, (2005)
showsasalargermassofun-mineralisedintrusive,coredbythesmallermineralisedintrusions.
According to Kelley et al. (2016), most of the disseminated to clotty mineralisation at Ferrobamba is associated with pockets that are
interstitialtosubhedralgarnetcrystals,developedthroughavarietyofopen-spaceandsolid-statereplacementprocesseswithintheskarn
host.Themainprocessesthatformthesepocketsarethosethatproducevariablereactivityandincreasedpermeabilityoftherock.Pocket-
filling assemblages comprise calc-silicate (garnet, clinopyroxene), hydrous calc-silicate (epidote, amphibole), hydrothermal (quartz,
carbonate, biotite, Kfeldspar, specular hematite) and sulphides (bornite, chalcopyrite, molybdenite). Many pockets show evidence of
successive replacement and most sulphide mineralisation is parageneticaly late. Much of the high-grade mineralization at Ferrobamba is
hosted in garnet skarn that has been overprinted by clinopyroxene. Late-stage bornite replaces and upgrades earlier chalcopyrite
mineralisation(Kelleyet al.,2016).Kelleyet al.(2016)suggestpocket-formingmechanismsmayinclude:i).remnantsofcarbonateprotolith
orearlyclinopyroxeneskarn;ii).later,interstitial,fine-grainedprogradegarnetskarnorclinopyroxeneskarnsuperimposedongarnetskarn;
iii).laterretrograde(hydrous)skarnreplacement;iv).fillingorreplacementbyhydrothermalquartzandcarbonate;andv).volumecreation
by brecciation and fracturing. Brecciation may be related to volume reduction during skarn mineral replacement, explosive hydrothermal
brecciation,orlocalstructuraladjustments.
These observations would suggest largely barren, brittle, prograde skarn was formed by more than one phase of the intrusive complex,
includingtheprecursor,highertemperaturemaficandintermediatedioritetogranodioritepulses.Theseskarnalteredrocksthenactedasa
focus of mineralisation that accompanied late, evolved, and terminal stage porphyry intrusions, which during their emplacement, induced
fracturing, brecciation and production of open space within these chemically receptive lithologies. The process of mineralisation then
producedamainlyretrogradeskarnassemblage,overprintingthemoreextensiveearlierprogradeskarn.Thisretrogradeskarnassemblage
accompanieddisseminatedtoclottyoreandsheetedveins,surroundingthedisseminated,veinletandsheetedveinporphyrymineralisation
withinthelatestageintrusions.

At Chalcobamba, Forrestal, (2005) shows the Cu-Mo stockwork as a late stage north-south elongated 700x200 to 400m zone of
mineralisedmultiphaseporphyry(granodioritestockcutbydaciteandassociatedandesiticdykes)cuttinganearlierbarrenporphyryanda
moreextensive,zoneofearlierdeveloped,variouslymineralisedskarnalteration.Thisstockworkzoneisdevelopedontheeasternlimbofa
north-plungingsynclinedefinedbyaU-shapedzoneofskarnalteredmarblesandlimestonesofthelowerFerrobambaLimestoneunit.The
porphyrieshaveundergoneearlypotassicalteration,withsecondarybiotitedatedat35.60.9Ma(K-Ar;Perellet al.,2003)overprintedby
sericite-clay-chlorite.AsatFerrobamba,goldvaluesareelevatedtobetween0.1and0.3g/t.
AccordingtoKelleyet al.(2016),unlikeatFerrobamba,Chalcobambaisdominatedbychalcopyritehostedingarnetandmagnetiteskarn.
Skarnischaracterisedbyearlydarkgreen,coarse-grainedgarnetthatwasbrecciatedandcementedbyfine-grainedpalereddishgarnet,
followed by magnetite replacing garnet. This retrograde skarn development appears to be genetically associated with the Vizcacha
monzodioriteporphyrystockatthecentreofthedeposit.Amajornorth-southelongatedbrecciapipeformedafterskarndevelopmenttothe
NNEofthisstock.Thisbrecciamasscomprises~30%ofthedeposit,whichreworkedearlyskarnintothebrecciabeforebeingcrosscutby
monzodioritedykesoftheChuspiriswarm.

AtSulfobamba,abroadzoneofNE-SWelongated500x1300mzoneofCu-Mostockworkmineralisationisdevelopedwithinaporphyry
mass,withassociatedzonesofskarnalteration(Forrestal,2005).
AccordingtoKelleyet al.(2016),coppermineralisationhasbeendatedat34.09to34.58Ma(Re-Osmolybdenite)andoccurswithinan
elongate garnet and magnetite skarn at the contact with the older ~36.11 Ma Chonta monzodiorite. The ratio of chalcopyrite to pyrite is
nearly equal. Immediately to the north, 32.99 Ma (Re-Os) porphyry style mineralisation followed skarn formation. Several breccia bodies
havebeenidentifiedassociatedwiththemineralisation,includingsyn-mineralhydrothermalbrecciasandalateintrusivebrecciapipe.NE-
strikingpost-mineralmonzogranitedykescrosscutalloftheunits.Magmaticbiotiteassociatedwithearlymineralisationyieldedanageof
35.20.9Ma(K-Ar;Perellet al.,2003).

TheprincipalalterationtypeinalloftheLasBambasdepositclusterispotassic,directlyassociatedwithmineralisation,occurringearlyinthe
evolutionofeachporphyrysystem,andconsistsofquartz,biotiteandKfeldspar.Hydrothermalbiotitereplacesferromagnesiancomponents,
typicallymagmatichornblendeand,lesscommonly,magmaticbiotite.Italsooccursinthegroundmassofporphyrystocksandinveinlets,
either alone or accompanied by other silicate phases. Major quantities of quartz were introduced as either uni- or multidirectional veinlets
during potassic alteration, comprising A-type veinlets which carry significant mineralisation in the form of chalcopyrite and/or bornite at
FerrobambaandChalcobambainparticuar,whileChalcobambaalsohasB-typeveinlets,characterisedbysemicontinouscentrelinesfilled
bymm-tocm-sizedgrainsofborniteandchalcopyrite(Perellet al.,2003).

The Las Bambas deposits have also been subjected to significant sericite-clay-chlorite alteration. This assemblage imparts a pale-green
overprinttopotassicalterationandgivesasoftaspecttotherock(cf.SillitoeandGappe,1984).Itgenerallymodifies,butpreservessomeof
theoriginaloriginalrocktextures.Itvariesinbothintensityandmineralogy,althoughassemblagesalwaysincludeoneormoreassociationof
sericite(fine-grainedmuscovite),illite,smectite,chlorite,calcite,quartzandvariedproportionsofepidote,halloysite,andalbite.Plagioclase
(bothphenocrystsandgroundmass)isreplacedbyapale-green,greasysericiteassemblagewhichalsoincludesilliteand,locallysmectite.
Amphiboleandbiotite,thelatterofmagmaticand/orhydrothermalorigin,arecharacteristicallyreplacedbychlorite.Calciteiscommonasa
replacementofplagioclase,(Perellet al.,2003).

Propylitic alteration(chlorite,epidoteandcalcite)ismainlyfoundaspartoftheouterhaloconfinedtononcarbonatewallrocks,andatthe
Las Bambas deposits occurs within porphyry copper ore zones in late-mineral stocks and dykes. In both cases, ~1% disseminated and
veinletpyriteiscommon.
 Calc-silicate alterationisanimportantassociateofmineralizationattheLasBambasskarn-porphyrycluster.Garnet,diopside,epidoteand
actinolitearethecharacteristicalterationassemblages(Terrones,1958;SantaCruzet al.,1979).ThebulkoftheCu(-Au,-Mo)mineralisation
atLasBambaswasintroducedduringprogradeevents,typicallyaschalcopyriteand,lesscommonly,bornite.Thedistalskarnmineralisation
isricherinPbandZn,andalsocontainsstructurallyandlithologicallycontrolled,yellow-brownjasperoiddevelopedinlimestonebeyondthe
skarnfront(Zwenget al.,1997).

ThebulkoftheLasBambasclustermineralisationformedduringabrieftemporalintervalof~0.5m.y.,inthelatterpartoftheevolutionofthe
Andahuaylas-Yauribatholiththathadbeenintrudedovera10m.y.period(Kelleyet al.,2016).

The depth of partial to complete oxidation of sulphides is generally 30 to 50 m but, varies considerably due to the steep topography.
Economically significant zones of supergene enrichment are absent, largely because of the high degree of neutralisation of both potassic
alteration zones and particularly the carbonate country rocks. Consequently, most cappings are immature, and typically goethitic, with the
development of malachite, chrysocolla, neotocite, pitch limonite, and associated copper oxide minerals. The porphyry-related skarn
mineralisation,atLasBambaswasoxidisedtoformgossanzonesasoxidationproductsofmagnetiteandmassivesulphides(Perellet al.,
2003).

Recent glaciation has removed any secondary enrichment, if it existed, from all three deposits and only thin zones of oxidation are
preserved.

Publishedresourcefiguresinclude(X-StrataAnnualReport,2006),usinga0.5%Cucut-offgrade:
[email protected]%Cu,0.0220%Mo,0.11g/tAu,
[email protected]%Cu,0.0214%Mo,0.13g/tAu;including
[email protected]%Cu,0.0220%Mo,0.14g/tAu.

Publishedresourcefiguresat31December,2011include(X-StrataAnnualReport,2012)usinga0.2%TotalCucut-offgrade:
[email protected]%Cu,0.0173%Mo,3.3g/tAg,0.05g/tAu,
[email protected]%Cu,0.0149%Mo,2.4g/tAg,0.03g/tAu.

Published JORC compliant ore reserves and mineral resources at 30 June, 2015, include (MMG Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves
Statement,2015)usinga0.2%TotalCucut-offgrade:
Ferrobamba Oxide Copper
[email protected]%Cu;
[email protected]%Cu;
[email protected]%Cu.
Ferrobamba Hypogene Copper
[email protected]%Cu;
[email protected]%Cu;
[email protected]%Cu;
[email protected]%Cu;[email protected]%Cu.
[email protected]%Cu.
Chalcobamba Oxide Copper
[email protected]%Cu;
[email protected]%Cu;
[email protected]%Cu.
Chalcobamba Hypogene Copper
[email protected]%Cu;
[email protected]%Cu;
[email protected]%Cu;
[email protected]%Cu;[email protected]%Cu.
[email protected]%Cu.
Sulfobamba Oxide Copper
[email protected]%Cu;
[email protected]%Cu.
Sulfobamba Hypogene Copper
[email protected]%Cu;
[email protected]%Cu;
[email protected]%Cu;[email protected]%Cu.
Las Bambas TOTAL resource - 2.007 Gt @ 0.6% Cu; includesreserves of 1.079 Gt @ 0.7% Cu.

The outlines of the three deposits above merged, and interpreted from diagrams contained in an X-Strata presentation by P Forrestal (2005),
from Perell et al. (2003) and Kelley et al. (2016).

The most recent source geological information used to prepare this summary was dated: 2016. Record last updated: 1/12/2016
This description is a summary from published sources, the chief of which are listed below.
Copyright Porter GeoConsultancy Pty Ltd. Unauthorised copying, reproduction, storage or dissemination prohibited.

References&AdditionalInformation
References to this deposit in the PGC Literature Collection:
Kelley, D., Wise, J. and Shannon, J.,2016 - The Las Bambas porphyry cluster in the Andahuaylas-Yauri Batholith, southern Peru:
in Denver Region Exploration Geologists Society, Technical Presentation, October 3, 2016, Abstract.Abstracts2p.
Perello, J., Carlotto, V., Zarate, A., Ramos, P., Posso, H., Neyra, C., Caballero, A., Fuster, N. and Muhr, R.,2003 - Porphyry-Style
Alteration and Mineralization of the Middle Eocene to Early Oligocene Andahuaylas-Yauri Belt, Cuzco Region, Peru: in Econ. Geol.
v.98.,pp.1575-1605.

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