MAPPING ALTERED AND MINERALIZED ROCKS an introduction to THE "ANACONDA METHOD" i se Sis O16 Seed int pyhpt0.2% mag aware,” apatites ee mee cpyeto mag epi smbseahtercox Be aon, 7 Pifspouwre tame poe a. ewok bmp ars. 74 ates wonky ser ms N Ghorat2weessteolpya te AB ates. 79 pat: onfegauge tongs 001,05" o Marco T. Einaudi Stanford University 1997 ©MT Einaudi, 1997L_Antreduction Mapping Vertical Faces: trenches, road cuts, tunnels, benches A. General Aspects B. Key Features of Mapping Scheme (1) The "baseline" (2) Use gridded field sheets (© The rock side litho contacts, faults, veins, density (vol%) of qtz veins (8) The air side Background alteration. Alteration halos. C. Organizational hints for efficient mapping (2) Use a double-sided aluminum clipboard (2) The importance of hard-lead color pencils 3) Mapping vests (S) Make several mapping passes (©) Stand up, facing the rocks _use multiple over! ‘A. Base Map. B. Alteration Overlay. C. Limonite Overlay. A. Lithologic contacts and structure (recorded on rock side, plot true strike, dip) B. Hypogene mineralization (veins/veinlets & disseminations), (Plot on rock side) sulfides/oxides Fig. 3) Veinlevvein fillings other than sulfides/oxides C. Leached/oxide/supergene sulfides (plot on rock side). Mineralogy Symbols for degree of leaching D. Alteration of hornblende (and/or biotite) sites (plot on air side) E, Alteration of feldspar sites (plot on air side) ‘A. Distinguishing between Hypogene and supergene alteration. B. Leached and oxidized outcrops. (1) Keeping track of the degree of leaching of primary sulfude sites (2) "Glassy limonite", indigenous limonites 3) Relict sulfides locked in quartz ) Exotic limonites . Rock description, B. Quartz veins and veinlets C. Limonite assemblages D. Relative abundance of indigenous and exotic Fe and Cu oxides E, Biotite distribution patterns, especially of "shreddy biotite" F. Magnetite abundance ‘A. Posting sheets and follow-up interpretation B. The Folio. C. Composite maps: exploration models and drill targeting.L_Introdustion Color-coded mapping of key features of alteration/mineralization, augmented by quantitative estimates of mineral/vein abundance, measurement of attitudes (strike & dip, or core-axis angle), and relative age between features (different vein-iypes, or veins/intrusive contacts) is critical to successful exploration, mine development, and development of accurate descriptions for a genetic understanding. This style of mapping should be used to complement standardized numerical mapping designed for computer data bases. A geologist who draws what s/be sees in the rocks has greater flexibility and freedom of thought than one who is forced to pigeon-hole everything into a numerical category. Further, at the stage of map compilation there is no substitute for the detailed, color- coded, geological and mineralogical notes compiled on posting sheets ("fact maps"), whose color and textural distinctions allow quick visual correlation of commmon features between outcrops, mine benches, or drill holes. ‘The use of standardized colors also allows a given exploration team or research group 10 read and understand each other's maps. Although this tract focuses on mapping in igneous rocks of porphyry-type environments, the approach is ‘easily modified for application in any deposit type or any geological environment. The approach presented here is ‘a direct evolution of mapping schemes devised by Anaconda geologists at El Salvador, Chile, and Yerington, Nevada during the 1960's. What is written here represents in large part a melding of ideas generated during field work and discussions with John Proffett, John Hunt, Bill Atkinson, and John Dilles. 1. Mapping Vertical Faces: trenches, road cuts, tunnels, benches A. General Aspects ‘The most efficient approach to mapping vertical walls is to project everything to a horizontal plane (for example, at chest height). The hundreds of strike & dip measurements that are taken during a day's mapping are all plotted directly on the map; in other words, the map is being produced as you map. Confusion about strikes of faults, contacts, etc, doesn’t arise as often as it does when drawing in vertical view or when recording data in a notebook. You know exactly where to go in the next cross-cut or tench to find that fault, and geology can be intergrown with alunite textures massive, porcelanous fiine- and coarse-grained color white, yellow, mixed with jarosite white, yellow, pink B. Leached and oxidized outcrops. In addition to the factors outlined above, there are techniques focused on the "limonites” that are very useful in broadly outlining original, hypogene patterns of alteration and mineralization. These follow directly from the geochemistry of leached and partly leached outcrops, as discussed in Einaudi (1995). (1) Keeping track of the degree of leaching of primary sulfide sites is useful in order to reconstruct, ‘both hypogene sulfide zoning and alteration zoning. Sericitic zones leach to a greater degree than potassic zones. The degree of leaching can be recorded during mapping (see section [V.C): increasing degrees of leaching are recognized by the sequence: + glassy limonite: lowest degree of leaching; copper still present in glassy limonite and in malachite and/or tenorite; indicates absence of abundant pyrite and neutral surface waters; potassic or propylitic alteration typical + goothite pseudomonphs: low degree of leaching of Cu and Fe in near-neutral environments associated with potassic protores (or propyltic fringes, but these with less or no glassy limonite, lack of A.B veins, etc); * gocthite boxworks: leaching increasing * partly leached cavities (rimmed with gocthitc or hematite): indicative of high pyrite:chalcopyrite ratios, likely that sericitic alteration is present; Cu-oxides and carbonates unlikely. * partly leached cavities, increasing hematite:gocthite ratios indicates increasingly acid conditions; all Cu leached, most of the Fe leached. + Icached cavities (in some cases filled with jarosite or alunite) represent high degree of leaching in very acid environments: sericitic or advanced argillic alteration, acid-sulfate zones, silica-pyrite-alunite ledges, vugey silica; Cu-oxides & carbonates abseat, All of these forms of limonites (but mainly the gocthite) are termed “indigenous”, on the basis of texture as indicating in-situ oxidation of orginal sulfide sites. (2) "Glassy limoniie" is a term applied to amorphous Fe-hydroxide that commonly contains copper; this phase is important because it denotes very low degrees of leaching (copper still present) and is characteritic of weathering of potassic protores (lots of K-spar and little or no pyrite, hence little acid generation). Mapping the distribution of glassy limonite can help to delineate the chalcopyrite-bomite) zone and commonly this represents the zone of highest hypogene Cu-(Au) grade. It is an indigenous limonite. Glassy limonite has the following characteristics: glassy looking, like obsidian conchoidal fracture dark blackish brown to black bright ruby-red internal reflections in sunlight grain size and morphology that mimics chalcopyrite. (3) Relict sulfides locked in unbroken quartz An aid in delineating original distributions of sulfide assemblages is to make polished sections of quartz collected throughout the leached cap. Study under the microscope in reflected light may reveal unoxidized sulfides that have survived the leaching process.MTE mapping, p. 8, March 6, 1997 (4) Exotic limonites are all tie limonites that do not represent original sulfide sites. The iron has been transported in solution in surface waters and precipitated along fractures in the rock. Exotic limonites can be distinguished from indigenous limonites by the lack of pseudomorph or boxworks after sulfide, by their Presence on random fractures that are part of the regolith and that cut all hydrothermal fractures, and by their characteristic appearance as massive coatings and "paints", commonly with botryoidal and chatoyant surfaces Gf goethite). Some exotic goethite takes on a glassy appearance, but it can be distinguished from glassy limonite by the fact that the glassy material is only on the surface of the coating (you can't "see" into it). ‘An important point is that mapping of total abundance of limonites does not reveal the original sulfide content of the rock (a rock with 10% exotic limonite contained less sulfide than a rock with with 1% indigenous limonite); keep track of relative abundance of indigenous and exotic limonites and their mineralogy. ‘VL. Reconnaissance: What to retain from the Detailed Mapping Scheme, Reconnaissance mapping for porphyry-type deposits needs to focus on the standard features of lithology and structure and on some additional key features. These are listed below in order of importance. ‘The list largely is based on those features that survive weathering, even in highly acid-generating environments. Wall-rock alteration, especially the "argillic™ types. nceds to be de-emphasized! Recon ‘mapping focused on porphyry targets can be done efficiently with only five color pencils: blue for faults, red for porphyries, orange for quartz veins, green for shreddy biotite, and brown for limonites. As Rock description, especially “productive” porphyries, including color, textures, and grain size and % of each mineral in the rock, In porphyry exploration, the characteristics of the "productive porphyry" have to be understood and looked for: ~50% fine-grained (<0.2 mm) aplitic (more rarely aphanitic) groundmass, ~50% phenocrysts ranging from 1 to 3 mm, if quartz phenos are present they are rounded and embayed (qUz eyes). ‘The significance and importance of this rock texture needs more emphasis. It is so important, that you could consider assigning a special color (red?) to this rock type! B. Quartz veins and veinlets, including their abundance and structural attiuudes. At 1:5000 scale, ‘one obviously cannot "map all the veintets", but the key sets have to be identified and representative strikes and dips plotted on the map. Abundance can be estimated and written down for each outcrop. The importance of quartz veins and veinlets in regional recon stems from (wo factors: one, we know the close correlation between grade and quartz veins in porphyry-type deposits, and two, quartz veins survive weathering and remain in outcrop as unambiguous evidence of hydrothermal activity. Quartz veins are so important that they also are worthy of a special color during mapping (orange?) C__Limonite assemblages need to be emphasized. Each outcrop should be assessed for proportions of glassy limonite, goethite, earthy hematite, jarosite, tenorite, and green Cu carbonates/silicates. Proportions ‘can be visually recorded by a color code for each of these minerals, or by assigning ratios in pre-assigned ‘order. In recon, I would choose the latter approach. In mapping a prospect that is being drilled, I would use color codes. Limonites typically are well-zoned and represent an excellent targeting tool. D._Relative abundance of indigenous and exotic Fe and Cu oxides also needs to be estimated. Each outcrop needs to receive a number that indicates the geologist’s assessment of whether the Cu assays represent transported copper or "in-place" copper. E. Biotite distribution patterns, especially of "shreddy biotite", are useful to delineate zones of potassic alteration, which in many porphiyries can represent the ore target. Biotite in fine-grained biotized andesite may not out-live weathering, but coarser-grained biotite that has replaced hornblende in hornblende. andesites or in hbl-bearing tonalite porphyries commonly survives weathering. In the case of hbl sites, if the biotite doesn't survive, its characteristic "shreddy” texture may survive. ‘Ez_Magnetite abundance needs to be recorded by visual estimate and magnetic susceptibility ‘measurements.