CANADIAN AND WORLD MINERAL DEPOSIT DATABASES
Geological Survey of Canada


Deposit group number Country Location Names Commodities
22 Peru (Ica) 15.12.30 S -- 075.07.30 W Marcona Fe; Cu; Ag; Au
 
Database name: World Fe-oxide+/-Cu-Au-U (IOCG) deposits
Compilers: Sunil S. Gandhi
Release date: 2015-03-03
   
Deposit group name(s): Marcona
Political location(s): Peru; Province or state: Ica; Nearest community: Lima (400 km SE)
Deposit clan (type): Kiruna-type
Deposit (sub) types: massive stratabound lense; lensoid ore bodies hosted by Lower Paleozoic Marcona Fm. and overlying Jurassic andesitic lavas of Río Grande Fm; related minor breccia-fillings and veins; late Jurassic mineralization.; Reference: Hawkes, N.; Clark, A.; Moody, T. C., 2002: Marcona and Pampa de Pongo: Giant Mesozoic Fe-(Cu, Au) Deposits in the Peruvian Coastal Belt; Section The Americas, in Hydrothermal Iron Oxide Copper-Gold and Related Deposits: A Global Perspective, Volume 2, Edited by Porter, T. M., Australian Mineral Foundation, Adelaide, Australia, PGC Publishing, Adelaide, 377 p, p. 115 - 130
Deposit group status: producer; Size category: 1440 Mt ; Status comments: discovered in 1915; mined since 1953; 8 major deposits (Mina 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 11, 14, Mancha 13), and at least 47 minor deposits; average grade: 54.1 % Fe, 0.11 % Cu, with some Au, Ag, Co and Ni.
Geologic province: Andean Orogen
Geologic subprovince: Coastal Cordillera
Geologic district: Cañete-Huarmey Marginal Basin
Deposit object located: centre of main deposit
Commodities: Fe; Cu; Ag; Au
Geological ages: Middle Jurassic (mineralization)
Tectonic setting: continental marginal rift-basin; convergent; Formal name: Cañete-Huarmey Marginal Basin (host rocks)
Coincident features: stratification in host sequence (dolomitic marbles-pelitic schists, Marcona Fm. and siliciclastic sediments-carbonates-andesitic volcanics, Río Grande Fm.); Coincident feature name: Marcona and Río Grande Formations
reverse faults parallel to strata (faults strike 045°, dip 65° to N; orebodies en echelon, subparallel to a few stratigraphic horizons); Coincident feature name: Repiticion Fault System
unconformity (Rio Grande Formation lying unconformity over deformed Marcona Formation); Coincident feature name: Lower Paleozoic-Jurassic Unconformity
fractures and breccia zones (Fe-rich veins and breccia zones subsidiary to the massive lensoid and tabular bodies); Coincident feature name:
Regional tectonic structure: NNW-trending fault marking an abortive ensialic marginal basin (Cañete-Huarmey Marginal Basin with Jurassic volcanism related to the ore genesis) Tectonic structure name: Treinta Libras Fault
Host rocks: (1) sedimentary; mudstone-carbonate (intruded by 390-425 Ma St. Nicolas granodiorite batholith); Depositional setting: continental; Metamorphic grade: greenschist
Host rock stratigraphy:Marcona Formation

(2) volcanic; mafic-intermediate volcanic rocks (Jurassic formation unconformably overlies Marcona Fm.); Magma series/sedimentary package/metamorphic group: calc-alkaline; Depositional setting: continental; Metamorphic grade: burial
Host rock stratigraphy:Río Grande Formation
Host rock name(s): Marcona Formation; Río Grande Formation
Related igneous rocks: (1) intrusive; granite suite (Late Cretaceous); Initials: Andean Coastal Batholith; Magma series: calc-alkaline; Depositional setting: continental
Metallogenic signatures: Fe
Cu
Au
Ag
Alteration signatures: albitization: pervasive replacement of plagioclase by albite ; What was altered: andesites and related intrusives
Mineralogy: (alteration): sericite, chlorite, serpentine, zeolite, talc, scapolite
(gangue): Ca-amphibole, apatite, clinopyroxene, K-feldspar, albite, quartz, calcite, titanite, garnet, biotite, tourmaline
(mineralization): magnetite, specularite, martite, pyrrhotite, pyrite, chalcopyrite, bornite, chalcocite, gold (electrum), galena, sphalerite, molybdenite, pentlandite, cubanite, mackinawite, valleriite, marcasite, ilmenite
Radiometric ages: Object dated: Alteration Signature; Age - Ma: 160; +4; -4; Dating method: K-Ar; Concentrate: phlogopite; Source rock: hydrothermal phlogopite; Formal name: Tunga dyke swarm; Event dated: mineralization; Interpretive comment: coarse grained phlogopite from the strata-bound magnetite ore dates the Marcona mineralization; Reference: Injoque, J.; Atkin, B.; Harvey, P.; Snelling, N., 1988: Mineralogía y Geochronología del Skarn Geotermal de Hierro de Marcona; Boletín de la Sociedad Geológica del Perú, p. 65 - 80

Object dated: Alteration Signature; Age - Ma: 154; +4; -4; Dating method: K-Ar; Concentrate: sericite; Source rock: ore zone; Formal name: Tunga dyke swarm; Event dated: alteration; Interpretive comment: sericite gangue provides age of the magnetite ore, and supports the phlogopite date (160 Ma); Reference: Vidal, C. E.; Injoque, J.; Sidder, G., 1990: Amphibolitic Cu-Fe Skarn Deposits in the Central Coast of Peru; Economic Geology, Volume 85, p. 1447 - 1461

Object dated: Country Rocks; Age - Ma: 137; +3; -3; Dating method: K-Ar; Concentrate: whole rock; Source rock: latite dyke; Formal name: Tunga dyke swarm; Event dated: post-mineralization (intrusion); Interpretive comment: the data provide minimum age of hydrothermal mineralization that formed Marcona orebodies; Reference: Vidal, C. E.; Injoque, J.; Sidder, G., 1990: Amphibolitic Cu-Fe Skarn Deposits in the Central Coast of Peru; Economic Geology, Volume 85, p. 1447 - 1461

Object dated: Country Rocks; Age - Ma: 136; +3; -3; Dating method: K-Ar; Concentrate: whole rock; Source rock: shoshonite dyke; Formal name: Tunga dyke swarm; Event dated: post-mineralization; Interpretive comment: defines minimum age of mineralization for the Marcona deposits; Reference: Vidal, C. E.; Injoque, J.; Sidder, G., 1990: Amphibolitic Cu-Fe Skarn Deposits in the Central Coast of Peru; Economic Geology, Volume 85, p. 1447 - 1461

Object dated: Country Rocks; Age - Ma: 118; +3; -3; Dating method: K-Ar; Concentrate: whole rock; Source rock: aplosyenite dyke; Formal name: Tunga dyke swarm; Event dated: post-mineralization (intrusion); Interpretive comment: upper constraint on the age of mineralization at Marcona; Reference: Vidal, C. E.; Injoque, J.; Sidder, G., 1990: Amphibolitic Cu-Fe Skarn Deposits in the Central Coast of Peru; Economic Geology, Volume 85, p. 1447 - 1461
References:
Atchley, F., 1956
Geology of the Marcona Iron Deposits, Peru
Ph. D. Thesis, Stanford University, California, U.S.A.

Atkin , B.; Injoque, J.; Harvey, P., 1985
Cu-Fe-amphibole Mineralization in the Arequipa segment
in Magmatism at a Plate Edge: The Peruvian Andes, Edited by Pitcher, W. S.; Atherton, M. P.; Cobbing, E. J.; Beckinsale, R. D., Glasgow, Blackie and Son Ltd, p. 261 - 270

Hawkes, N.; Clark, A.; Moody, T. C., 2002
Marcona and Pampa de Pongo: Giant Mesozoic Fe-(Cu, Au) Deposits in the Peruvian Coastal Belt
Section The Americas, in Hydrothermal Iron Oxide Copper-Gold and Related Deposits: A Global Perspective, Volume 2, Edited by Porter, T. M., Australian Mineral Foundation, Adelaide, Australia, PGC Publishing, Adelaide, 377 p, p. 115 - 130

Hudson, C., 1974
Metallogenesis as related to Crustal Evolution in S.W. Central Peru
Ph. D. Thesis, University of Liverpool, U.K.

Injoque, J.; Atkin, B.; Harvey, P.; Snelling, N., 1988
Mineralogía y Geochronología del Skarn Geotermal de Hierro de Marcona
Boletín de la Sociedad Geológica del Perú, p. 65 - 80

Injoque, J.; Valera, J.; Miranda, C., 1995
Geología del Distrito Minero de Cata Cañete, Aspectos Petrológicos y Estructurales con Mención en la mineralización de Cobre
Boletín de la Sociedad Geológica del Perú, Volume 84, p. 43 - 78

Injoque, J., 2002
Fe Oxide-Cu-Au Deposits in Peru: An Integrated View
Section The Americas, in Hydrothermal Iron Oxide Copper-Gold and Related Deposits: A Global Perspective, Volume 2, Edited by Porter, T. M., Australian Mineral Foundation, Adelaide, Australia, PGC Publishing, Adelaide, 377 p, p. 97 - 114

Kontak, D.; Clark, A.; Farrar, E.; Strong, D., 1985
The Rift-associated Permo-Triassic Magmatism of the Eastern Cordillera: a Precursor to the Andean Orogeny
in Magmatism at a Plate Edge: The Peruvian Andes, Edited by Pitcher, W. S.; Atherton, M. P.; Cobbing, E. J.; Beckinsale, R. D., Glasgow, Blackie and Son Ltd, p. 36 - 44

Petersen, U., 1965
Regional Geology and Major Ore Deposits of Central Peru
Economic Geology, Volume 60, p. 407 - 476

Ripley, E. M.; Ohmoto, H., 1977
Mineralogic, Sulfur Isotope,and Fluid Inclusion Studies of the Strata-bound Copper Deposits at the Raúl Mine, Peru
Economic Geology, Volume 72, p. 1017 - 1041

Ripley, E. M.; Ohmoto, H., 1979
Oxygen and Hydrogen Isotopic Studies of Ore Deposition and Metamorphism at the Raúl Mine, Peru
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Volume 43, p. 1633 - 1643

Valera, J., 1982
Estudio geológico de la Veta Cobrepampa en el Distrito Minero de Acari-Ariquipa
Tesis de Ingeníero Geológo, Universidad Nacional de Ingeniera, Lima, Perú

Vidal, C. E.; Injoque, J.; Sidder, G., 1990
Amphibolitic Cu-Fe Skarn Deposits in the Central Coast of Peru
Economic Geology, Volume 85, p. 1447 - 1461

Production data: Report period: from 1953; Provisional entry?: yes; Yearly or summary?: S
Grade-commodity information:Fe: 60 percent
Weight-commodity information:Fe million metric tons
Reference: Injoque, J., 2002: Fe Oxide-Cu-Au Deposits in Peru: An Integrated View; Section The Americas, in Hydrothermal Iron Oxide Copper-Gold and Related Deposits: A Global Perspective, Volume 2, Edited by Porter, T. M., Australian Mineral Foundation, Adelaide, Australia, PGC Publishing, Adelaide, 377 p, p. 97 - 114
Percent weights allocated to camp: 100.0%
Associated deposit(s): E-Grid (745), Mina 5 (746), Mina 7 (747), Mina 14 (748), Mancha 13 (753)

Generated 2015-03-03 11:24:42 with GQuery -- 3.7 ADO (3.19..3.22 -- 2008-12-16)
GlobalDB System, Geological Survey of Canada, Natural Resources Canada