Economic Geology

Vol. 70, 1975, pp. 1123-1126

SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATIONS

AGE OF IGNEOUS ACTIVITY AND MINERALIZATION,

MOROCOCHA DISTRICT, CENTRAL PERU

Introduction and D. E. Montoya, unpub. data). We therefore

datedthe freshestpart of the Yantac intrusionin the
Renewed interest in the Morocochadistrict, one
southernpart of the district and an unalteredquartz
of the classiccopper-producingdistrictsof central monzonitedike cutting the Anticona Diorite in the
Peru (Fig. 1), hasresulted
fromthe recentdiscovery northernpart of the district,as well as a specimenof
of the Toro Mochocomplexdisseminated
deposit,
with proved reservesof 200 million tons with an porphyrywhichhadundergone intensepotassic alter-
averagegrade of 0.85 percentcopper. Both vein ation from the Toro Mocho deposit. The Yantac
and dissemimated mineralizationat Morocochaap- intrusionis consideredto be a slightly older phase
of the San Miguel intrusion,which is very closely
pear to 'becloselyrelatedto a group of small intru-
sionsof quartz monzoniteporphyry (McLaughlin related to the Toro Mocho disseminateddeposit.
and others,1933; Petersen,1965; V. R. Eyzaguirre The San Miguel and the nearbySan Francisoquartz

i::i::.. ©CerroDePasco

:li::.:.. O
La
Oro
ya
:i:i:i:i:i:i:i:?4•i:i:i:i:i:i:i:i:i:i:i:i:i:i:i. ii i iii!!iii i:i:i:i:i:i:i:i:!:i:i:i:i:i:i:i:i:i:i:i:!:!:i:!:i:i:i:i:i:i:i:i:i:i:!:i:!:i:i:

12================================
:::::::::::::::::::::::
ß ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
....
Yauncocha

78ø 76ø 74ø

Fro. 1. Map of centralPeru showinglocationsreferredto in text.
1123
1124 SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATIONS

TABLE 1. K-Ar Analytical Data for Samples from the Morococha District, Central Peru

Radiogenic
•øAr Radiogenic
Location K•O (moles/gm Ar Age
Sample Lat S Long W (wt %) X 10-•ø) (percent) (m.y.)

Anticona Diorite 11 ø35.7' 76010.7 ' 7.78 0.9435 49.1 8.2 4- 0.2
7.81
Yantac intrusion 11 ø37.1' 76ø07.9 ' 7.89 0.9363 65.5 8.3 4- 0.3
7.91 1.004 61.8
Potassic alteration * 3.90 0.4249 32.4 7.2 4- 0.3
4.05

Constants:•øK X, = 0.585 X 10-•ø/yr. •øK Xo -- 4.72 X 10-•ø/yr. Abundance•øK = 1.19 X 10-• mole/mole. Argon analyses
by M. L. Silberman; potassiumanalysesby L. B. Schlocker.
* 1,000 level, approximately 100 m northwest of central shaft.

monzonite intrusions are too altered to yield a nounced mineral zonation outward from the central
meaningful crystallizationage by the potassium- quart monzoniteintrusions(McLaughlin and others,
argon method. The dike cutting the Anticona 1933; Petersen,1965) stronglysuggesta closegene-
Diorite is probablyan apophysisfrom one of the tic and presumablytemporal relationshipbetween
quartz monzoniteintrusionsbut may be a late dif- igneousactivity and mineralization.We cannotsay
ferentiate of the Anticona Diorite itself. whether the age of 7.2 ñ 0.3 m.y. obtainedon the
potassicalterationreflectspartial lossof argonfrom
Materials Analyzed and Analytical Methods the whole-rockmaterialor a significantlylater time
of emplacement for the San Miguel intrusion. In all
Thequartz monzonites weredated using
freshprobability, however, mineralizationat Morococha
magmaticbiotite separatedfrom virtually unaltered tookplacebetweenabout7.3 and 8.2 m.y. ago. This
rocks. The altered rock, containingabundantfine- date agreeswell with the undocumented age of 7
grained secondarybiotite, was crushedand a 40 to m.y. tabulatedby Hollister (1974) for mineraliza-
60 mesh-size fraction of the whole-rock material was tion at Morococha.
usedfor potassiumand argon analyses.
Argon analyseswere made by standardisotope- Regional Significance
dilution methods(Dalrymple and Lanphere, 1969)
usinga 6-inch,60ø sectorNeir-type massspectrome- Giletti and Day (1968) obtaineda mean age of
ter operatedin the static mode. Plus-and-minus 6.9 ñ 0.4 m.y. on biotite concentratesfrom two
values representestimatedanalyticaluncertaintyat quartzmonzoniteintrusionsfrom the Yauricochadis-
the 1-sigma level. Potassium was determined by trict, 90 km south-southeast
of Morococha(Fig. 1).
flame photometryusing lithium metaboratefusion, Pb-Zn-Ag mineralizationat the Huachocolpadis-
with the lithium serving as an internal standard trict, Huancavelica Department, is bracketed by
(Suhr and Ingamells,1966). radiometricagesof 8 and 4 m.y. on pre- and postore
igneousrocks (McKee and others,1975). Similar
Resttits and Discussion times of mineralization have been obtained at the
Julcani and Atunsulla districts, HuancavelicaDe-
The radiometricagesof 8.3 ñ0.3 m.y. and 8.2 ñ partment (Noble and others, 1972, 1974; E. H.
0.2 m.y. obtainedon the Yantac intrusion and the McKee and D.C. Noble, unpub. data).
dike cutting the Anticona Diorite, respectively The potassium-argon age determinationsat Moro-
(Table 1), are identicalwithin the limits of analyti- cochathus provideadditionalevidencethat most,if
cal error. This and the fresh nature of the rocks
not virtually all, of the magmaticallyrelatedCu-Pb-
dated lead us to concludethat the ages accurately Zn-Ag deposits of centralPeru (Petersen,1965) are
represent the time of emplacementof the quartz youngerthan 11 to 12 m.y.
monzonite porphyry intrusions of the Morococha
district.
Acknowledgments
The K-Ar ages on the Yantac intrusion and the
dike cutting the Anticona Diorite provide only a D.C. Noble was partly supportedby National
maximumage for the mineralizationat Morococha. ScienceFoundationGrant GA-40421. Acknowledg-
Nevertheless,the occurrence of disseminated Cu-Ag- ment is also made to the donors of the Petroleum
Mo-W mineralization intimately related to several •[esearch Fund, administered by the American
of the quartz monzonite intrusions and the pro- ChemicalSociety,for partial slipportOf the research.
 SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATIONS 112,5

Juan Zegarra kindly facilitatedthe preparationof Giletti, B. J., and Day, H. W., 1968, Potassium-argonages
the mineral concentrates. of igneous intrusive rocks of Peru: Nature, v. 220, p.
570-57.2.
V. RAUL EYZAGUIRKE Hollister, V. R., 1974, Regional characteristicsof porphyry
D. E. MONTOYA copper deposits of South America: AIME Soc. Mining
Engineers Trans., v. 255, p. 45-53.
MILES L. SILBERMAN
McLaughlin, D. H., Graton, L. C., Bowditch, S. I., and
DONALD C. NOBLE Burrell, H. C., 1933, Copper in the Cerro de Pasco and
V. R. E., D. E. M. Morocochadistricts, Department of Junin, Peru: Internat.
CERRO DE PASCO CORPORATION Geol. Cong., 16th, Washington 1932, Copper resourcesof
LA OROYA,PERU the world, v. 2, p. 513-544.
McKee, E. H., Noble, D.C., Petersen,Ulrich, Arenas F.,
M. L. S. Mario, and Benavides Q., Alberto, 1975, Chronology of
U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY late Tertiary volcanism and mineralization, Huachocolpa
district, central Peru: Eco•r. GmL., v. 70, . 388-390.
MENLOPARK,CALIFORNIA
94025 Noble, D.C., Petersen,Ulrich, McKee, E. H., Arenas,
D.C. N.
Mario, and BenavidesQ., Alberto, 1972, Cenozoicvol-
cano-tectonicevolution of the Julcani-Huachocolpa-Castro-
CIA. DE MINAS BUENAVENTURA,S. A. virreyna area, central Peru: Geol. Soc. America Abs.
LI•A, PERU and with Programs, v. 4, p. 613.
MACKAY SCHOOL OF MINES Noble,D.C., ArenasF., Mario, and Charlton,D. W., 1974,
UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA Nevado Portugueza volcanic center, central Peru: A
late Pliocene collapse caldera complex with associated
RENO,NEVADA89507 silver mineralization: Geol. Soc. America Abs. with
August I, J974; January3, 1975 Programs, v. 6, p. 230.
Petersen,Ulrich, 1965, Regional geology and major ore de-
REFERENCES positsof centralPeru: ECON.GF_X)L.,V. 60, p. 407-476.
Palrymple, G. B., and Lanphere, M. A., 1969, Potassium- Suhr, N.H., and Ingamells,C. O., 1966,Solutiontechnique
argon dating--Principles, techniques,and applicationsto for analysisof silicates:Anal. Chemistry,v. 38, p. 730-
geochronology:San Francisco,W. H. Freeman,258 p. 734.

"CAMOTE PORPHYRY" COPPER DEPOSITS

Within the Tolos batholith in southeastern Ba- dhjemite. There is much hornblendediorite with
tangasProvince,Philippines,
are a largenumberof quartzdioriteporphyryand daciteporphyry.Interest
small podshapedbodies of alteration and copper in the districtwas arousedby the discoveryin 1968
mineralization. Most of these have a maximum of a disseminatedcopper deposit near the south-
dimensionof 0.5 to 5 meters. Since they have westernpart of the batholith,in the municipality
of
many of the characteristicsof a porphyry copper Taysan. Since that time prospectinginterest in
deposit,they are a sourceof considerable
confusion other portionsof the batholithhas been strong.
andfrustrationto experiencednativeprospectors.A The rocks associatedwith the Taysan copper de-
local tuber called the camote has much posit are hornblendediorite and quartz diorite por-
the same
form on a small scale,and thesedepositshave been phyry with postmineraldaciteporphyry. Thus the
designated"camote porphyry", which makes them presenceof copperin this combinationof rockselse-
comprehensible to the prospector. The carnoteis where could be of interest. This combination occurs
about the size and shapeof a potato, and elsewhere at severalplaceson the southsideand in the central
they might be called "potato porphyry". portion of the batholith. Three depositsalong the
The Tolos batholithof probableMioceneage was south side have been drilled and found to be too
overlookedon the GeologicMap of the Philippines. smallto develop.
To the south lies Mt. Lobo which is an andesitic Well within the dioritic portion of the batholith
and daciticvolcanicpile of Plioceneand Pleistocene there seemsto be a deficiencyof iron (magnetite
age. To the east is a block of metasediments prob- and pyrite) and quartz. Thus no striking altera-
ably Cretaceousor older. To the west and south- tions are formed in contrastto the deposits•along
west, the tentative boundary is a block of metavol- the borders. Very locallythere are small zonesof
strong sericitizationwithin fresh diorite which is
canicsclassedas Basementrock, probablyCretace-
laterized and erodes readily. The sericite is more
ous. The northern limit is indeterminant,as it is
resistantand is frequentlyfound on the top of a hill.
coveredby Pleistocenepyroclastics. The batholith Sometimessecondarybiotite is also developedhere.
has observeddimensionsof about 10 x ! 5 kilometers, The hornblendemay be chloritized,and fine dis-
elongatedin a northwesterlydirection. It is a com- seminatedchalcopyritehas replacedportionsof the
positebatholithwith the major portionbeing grano- hornblende. Chalcopyriteand borniteare found on
dioritic in composition,the variety being tron- joint planeswith somedissemination. Free quartz