geochemistry of tertiary igneous rocks of northern luzon philippines evidence for a back arc setting for alkalic porphyry copper gold deposits and a case for slab roll back oligocene to early miocene volcanic rocks are preserved in the central cordillera range and cagayan valley of northern luzon philippines basaltic and andesitic rocks of the pugo formation in the baguio district of the central cordillera were intruded by the 27 to 20 ma calc alkaline central cordillera diorite complex in the southern cagayan valley the subalkaline to alkaline late oligocene mamparang formation overlies the cretaceous caraballo formation and has been intruded by the didipio igneous complex the cordon syenite complex and the palali batholith the didipio complex comprises an early suite of diorites which were intruded by the strongly mineralized stocks of the dinkidi cu au porphyry deposit whole rock geochemical data for intrusive and extrusive rocks of the baguio district range from low k calc alkaline to shoshonitic basalts to dacites with rare earth element ree and high field strength element hfse characteristics of suprasubduction zone magmas and are all interpreted to have been sourced from the same parent melt samples from didipio display higher alkali contents but similar trace element characteristics new age dates for the didipio area range from 25 7 to 24 8 ma the potassic magmas of the cagayan valley are interpreted to have formed in a back arc coeval to the mainarc sequence that is preserved in the baguio miocene rocks this contradicts earlier models which invoke an early miocene arc reversal in the northern luzon archipelago with the switch from early westward subduction to later eastward subduction attributed to a variety of causes the lack of a single compelling trigger for arc reversal combined with the coeval emplacement of arc magmas in the west and back arc magmas in the east in northern luzon is best interpreted as the result of eastward subduction since the late oligocene the presence of 20 ma adakitic magmas in the baguio district may indicate that flattening of the downgoing slab resulted in a hiatus in magmatism and termination of back arc rifting

foreland shortening and crustal balancing in the andes at 30 s latitude excellent surface exposures known benioff zone geometry a dynamic morphology and the availability of industry seismic reflection data all make the andes at 30 s an excellent transect for investigating crustal scale balanced sections 150 170 km of horizontal shortening has occurred in three major belts located between the trench and the foreland the thin skinned east verging precordillera of western argentina accounts for 60 75 of the total shortening and formed mostly since major volcanism ceased at 10 ma industry seismic reflection data show that the decollement of the precordillera belt is located anomalously deep at 15 km the belt is dominated by fault propagation folds and contains several prominent out of sequence thrust faults seismic stratigraphie analysis shows that miocene strata in the iglesia valley located between the precordillera and the crest of the andes accumulated in a piggy back basin onlap relations on the western side indicate that the high cordillera was uplifted as a major fault bend fold over a buried ramp thrusting in the two western belts both in the high cordillera of chile formed during the waning stages of arc volcanism 11 16 ma and account for 25 40 of the shortening the observed shortening is probably greater than can be accounted for with reasonable crustal thicknesses indicating the possibility of continental truncation or erosion along the plate margin or an anomalously thick root held down by the nearly flat subducted nazca plate our preferred crustal geometry puts the ramp between upper and lower crustal deformation west of the high topography requiring crustal scale tectonic wedging to thicken the crust beneath the crest of the andes this non unique model provides a simple explanation of the first order morphology of the andes at this latitude

a study of a self generated stratospheric sudden warming and its mesospheric lower thermospheric impacts using the coupled time gcm ccm3 1 a stratospheric sudden warming episode was self consistently generated in the coupled national center for atmospheric research thermosphere ionosphere mesosphere and electrodynamics general circulation model climate community model version 3 time gcm ccm3 taking advantage of the unique vertical range of the coupled model ground to 500 km we were able to study the coupling of the lower and upper atmosphere in this warming episode planetary wave 1 is the dominant wave component in this warming event analysis of the wave phase structure and the wave amplitude indicates that the wave may experience resonant amplification prior to the peak warming the mean wind in the high latitude winter stratopause and mesosphere decelerates and reverses to westward due to planetary wave forcing and forms a critical layer near the zero wind lines the wind deceleration and reversal also change the filtering of gravity waves by allowing more eastward gravity waves to propagate into the mesosphere and lower thermosphere mlt which causes eastward forcing and reverses the westward jet in the mlt this also changes the meridional circulation in the upper mesosphere from poleward downward to equatorward upward causing a depletion of the peak atomic oxygen layer at 97 km and significant reduction of green line airglow emission at high latitudes and midlatitudes planetary waves forced in situ by filtered gravity waves in the mlt grow in the warming episode their growth and interaction with tides create diurnal and semidiurnal variabilities in the zonal mean zonal wind

intercalibration of 40ar39ar dating standards a number of standards used for k ar and 40ar39ar dating have been intercalibrated multiple splits 15 40 mg each of mmhb 1 sb 3 biotite lp 6 biotite 40 60 ga1550 biotite fish canyon tuff 3 biotite taylor creek rhyolite sanidine bern 4 muscovite bern 4 biotite and pennsylvania state university orthoclase 1a were irradiated in capsules fused and analyzed in replicate analyses most of these standards proved to be homogeneous in 40ar 39ark ratio age k ca and 36ar contents mmhb 1 is inhomogeneous in age at the 15 mg level indicating it is unsuitable for use as an interlaboratory standard using material taken straight from the bottle the orthoclase sample is also inhomogeneous at the 30 mg level quoted relative to an age of 162 9 ma for the sb 3 biotite standard total fusion ages are lp 6 biotite 40 60 128 1 ma ga1550 biotite 97 8 ma fish canyon tuff 3 biotite 27 95 ma taylor creek rhyolite sanidine 28 0 ma bern 4 muscovite 18 51 ma bern 4 biotite 17 21 ma these ages are in good agreement with the absolute k ar ages of these minerals different preparations of biotite and sanidine standards from a welded tuff such as the fish canyon tuff may not be of identical ages tests on submilligram splits reveals that sb 3 biotite ga1550 biotite fish canyon tuff 3 biotite and taylor creek rhyolite sanidine are suitable for use as monitors in laser work the sanidine specimen appears to be the most suitable for use as the primary monitor for 40ar39ar dating

role of subduction erosion in the generation of andean magmas subduction erosion or scraping off of the continental crust by subducting oceanic lithosphere is an important tectonic process along parts of the andean convergent plate boundary estimated rates of subduction erosion increase northward north of the southem andes due to decreasing subduction angle and decreasing sediment supply to the trench west of the central andes subduction erosion may remove as much as 535 km 3 of crust per 1 km of trench per 1 m y or 7 vol of the subducting oceanic lithosphere the higher 87 sr 86 sr ratios of mafic magmas erupted north of the southern andes may be explained by the higher rates of subduction erosion and increased amounts of contamination of the sub arc mantle magma source

geology of the don manuel igneous complex central chile implications for igneous processes in porphyry copper systems the don manuel igneous complex and associated porphyry copper mineralization in the andean cordillera of central chile demonstrate similarities between intrusive complexes associated with porphyry copper deposits and arc volcanoes that generate porphyritic volcanics the don manuel igneous complex intrusions progressed from quartz monzonite through rhyolite and biotite tonalite to intermediate porphyritic and basaltic andesite dikes which intrude the older units mineralization is associated with the biotite tonalite and intermediate porphyries which also contain the greatest abundance of mafic enclaves zoning patterns within plagioclase phenocrysts suggest that the later intermediate porphyries comprise a hybridized suite formed by magma mixing new zircon u pb ages and whole rock ar ar ages indicate that the don manuel igneous complex was emplaced between ca 4 and 3 6 ma the time scale for the episodic intrusion of the don manuel igneous complex units is similar to observed episodicity of eruption and degassing events in active arc volcanoes observations from the don manuel igneous complex are consistent with the close spatial and temporal association of mineralization with episodic intrusion and interaction between silicic and mafic magmas during emplacement the observations are also consistent with the hypothesis that mafic magma provides a source of sulfur for porphyry copper deposit formation

cretaceous ridge subduction along the lower yangtze river belt eastern china the lower yangtze river belt is one of the most important metallogenic belts in china the mechanisms responsible for ore genesis and the formation of related cretaceous igneous rocks such as adakite a type granitoid and nb enriched basalt remain controversial mesozoic granitoids in the lower yangtze river belt were mostly formed in the early cretaceous 140 125 ma and three granitoid belts the inner the south and the north have been defined according to petrological and geochemical characteristics previously based mainly on negative end and high initial sr isotope values the adakitic rocks were generally attributed to partial melting of thickened or delaminated lower crust both of which require crustal thickening mesozoic crustal thickening however is not supported by the development of extensional basins in the region from the late jurassic to cretaceous eastern china was closely associated with subduction of the pacific plate in the south and the izanagi plate in the north the midocean ridge mor between these two plates was drifting toward and likely subducting under the lower yangtze river belt a ridge subduction model can therefore explain the distribution of different magmatic rocks and ore deposits in the belt partial melting of subducting young hot oceanic slabs close to the ridge formed adakitic rocks the negative end values of adakitic rocks can be plausibly interpreted by mixing between adakitic magmas and enriched components in the lithospheric mantle and or crustal materials through afc process a slab window opened during ridge subduction as indicated by a type granitoids in the center of the inner belt nb enriched basalt found in the belt was likely formed by partial melting of a mantle wedge metasomatized by fluids released from the subducting slab at shallow depths

bajo de la alumbrera copper gold deposit stable isotope evidence for a porphyry related hydrothermal system dominated by magmatic aqueous fluids alteration zones at the gold rich bajo de la alumbrera porphyry copper deposit in northwestern argentina are centered on several porphyritic intrusions they are zoned from a central copper iron sulfide and gold mineralized potassic biotite k feldspar quartz core outward to propylitic chlorite illite epidote calcite assemblages a mineralized intermediate argillic alteration assemblage chlorite illite pyrite has overprinted the potassic alteration zone across the top and sides of the deposit and is itself zoned outward into phyllic quartzinuscovite illite pyrite alteration this study contributes new data to previously reported delta 18 o and delta d compositions of fluids responsible for the alteration at bajo de la alumbrera and the data are used to infer likely ore forming processes measured and calculated delta 18 o and delta d values of fluids 8 3 to 10 2 and 33 to 81 parts per thousand respectively confirm a primary magmatic origin for the earliest potassic alteration phase lower temperature potassic alteration formed from magmatic fluids with lower delta d values down to 123 parts per thousand these depleted compositions are distinct from meteoric water and consistent with degassing and volatile exsolution of magmatic fluids derived from an underlying magma variability in the calculated composition of fluid associated with potassic alteration is explained in terms of phase separation or boiling if copper iron sulfide deposition occurred during cooling as proposed elsewhere this cooling was largely a result of phase separation magmatic water was directly involved in the formation of overprinting intermediate argillic alteration assemblages at bajo de la alumbrera calculated delta 18 o and delta d values of fluids associated with this alteration range from 4 8 to 8 1 and 31 to 71 per mil respectively compositions determined for fluids associated with phyllic alteration 0 8 to 10 2 and 31 to 119 parts per thousand overlap with the values determined for the intermediate argillic alteration we infer that phyllic alteration assemblages developed during two stages the first was a high temperature 400 degrees 300 degrees c stage with d depleted water delta d 66 to 119 parts per thousand this compositional range may have resulted from magma degassing and or the injection of new magmatic water into a compositionally evolved hydrothermal system the isotopic variations also can be explained by increased fluid rock interaction the second stage of phyllic alteration occurred at a lower temperature similar to 200 degrees c and variations in the modeled isotopic compositions imply mixing of magmatic and meteoric waters ore deposition that occurred late in the evolution of the hydrothermal system was probably associated with further cooling of the magmatic fluid in part caused by fluid rock interaction and phase separation changing ph and or oxygen fuoracity may have caused additional ore deposition the ingress of meteoric water appears to postdate the bulk of mineralization and occurred as the system at bajo de la alumbrera waned

tectonic trigger for the formation of late miocene cu rich breccia pipes in the andes of central chile during the late miocene the decreasing angle of subduction below the andes of central chile caused a reduction in the influx of new magma and heat into the base of magmatic systems that had been active throughout the miocene this led to their cooling and solidification triggering the release of large volumes of metal rich magmatic fluids from middle and upper crustal magma chambers and generating a group of economically significant cu rich breccia pipes the sr and nd isotopic compositions of the magmatic fluids that formed these brecccas determined from breccia matrix minerals were variable implying that these fluids were not exsolved from a specific cu porphyry magma as is often invoked to explain andean cu deposits instead the formation of the late miocene deposits in central chile was tectonically triggered by cooling of a variety of magma types during the last stages of existence of long lived andean magmatic systems as both subduction angle and as a result subarc magma supply decreased

seismicity and shape of the subducted nazca plate an updated compilation of earthquake locations and focal mechanism solutions from the international seismological centre and preliminary determination of earthquakes is the basis of a comprehensive study of the geometry of the wadati benioff zone beneath western south america the new data support previous mapping of a sharp flexure rather than a tear in the subducted nazca plate beneath southern peru and provide evidence for a similar flexure in the southward transition from nearly horizontal subduction to a slab with 30 dip at latitude 33 s in contrast the transition from 30 slab dip beneath bolivia to a nearly horizontal dip in the region between 28 s 32 s is more gradual occurring over several hundred kilometers of along strike distance between 20 s and 32 s this southward flattening corresponds to a broadening of a horizontal benchlike part of the subducted plate formed between 100 and 125 km depth the transition in continental tectonic style near 27 s 28 s from a wide volcanically active plateau to a narrow nonvolcanic cordillera appears not to be associated with the main slab flattening which begins to the north of these latitudes but with a more abrupt change in curvature of the subducted slab from convex upward to concave upward immediately below the plate boundary interface the concept of gaussian curvature is applied to slab bending to explain how subduction geometry is affected by the shape of the south american plate we hypothesize that the polarity of vertical curvature in the subducting slab is governed by the orientation of lateral curvature of the plate margin focal mechanism solutions for intermediate and deep earthquakes are grouped by geographic region and inverted for the orientation and relative magnitudes of the principal stresses results of the inversion indicate that downdip extension dominates in the slab above 350 km while downdip compression dominates at greater depths

thermal and exhumation history of the coastal cordillera arc of northern chile revealed by thermochronological dating abstract the thermal and erosional history of convergent plate boundaries is important for understanding the links between subduction arc magmatism genesis of ore deposits topography and climate of orogenic belts unlike the continent continent collision that formed many of the largest orogenic belts known today the central andes of south america is a unique case where an oceanic continent collision has given rise to the earth s longest and second tallest orogenic belt over the last thirty years a plethora of models have been suggested in an attempt to explain how a plateau type orogen formed at the leading edge of western south america in the central andes most research have focussed attention on the study of the evolution of the arc and backarc since continuous subduction erosion of the forearc has left little trace of the interplate dynamics that initiated the orogenic belt in this article we present a new insight into the thermal and exhumation history of the forearc along the coastal cordillera of northern chile based on biotite k ar apatite fission track and apatite zircon u th he dating we collected diorite samples in a 2 km thick crustal section at the coastal cliff 22 s and a sea level isoelevation profile between 21 and 27 s results from all three dating methods show that the cooling of coastal cordillera took place shortly after emplacement during a period of rifting in jurassic times cooling took place in two episodes mainly in late jurassic early cretaceous 118 152 ma but also during late cretaceous 60 80 ma due to the resumption of compression rift closure arc uplift exhumation eastward migration of magmatic arc activity and thermal relaxation the youngest apatite u th he ages reveal a cooling event never reported previously between 40 and 50 ma eocene this thermal event affected a 500 km long and 1 km thick section of the coastal cordillera in northern chile rock cooling recorded in the eocene cannot be explained by the thermal effect of the magmatic arc we explore two scenarios that can provide an explanation for the observed cooling 1 forearc uplift and exhumation and 2 changes in plate subduction dynamics erosion rates of 0 24 to 0 36 km myr for a period of 10 myr are necessary to explain the cooling event alternatively the subduction of a ridge could explain significant cooling by flat slab dewatering based on recent sea floor spreading reconstruction we suggest the subduction of the farallon phoenix ridge as a possible candidate the subduction of this ridge can account for the cooling event at 40 50 ma but also for some important aspects of the eocene development of the central andes notably the onset of uplift an abrupt decrease in magmatic activity and porphyry copper mineralization

regional geochemistry of tertiary igneous rocks in central chile implications for the geodynamic environment of giant porphyry copper and epithermal gold mineralization the giant porphyry copper molybdenum deposits of central chile formed within a thick sequence of cretaceous to pliocene volcanic rocks the predominantly calc alkaline basaltic andesites of the cretaceous las chilcas formation are characterized by la smn ratios of 1 8 to 2 5 and sm ybn of 1 8 to 2 8 the upper oligocene to lower miocene abanico formation variously defined as the los pelambres abanico or coya machali formations ranges from basalt to rhyolite in composition and exhibits a broad southward transition from calc alkaline to tholeiitic all samples from this formation are characterized by lree enrichment and moderately or locally strongly fractionated hree la smn 1 3 4 1 sm ybn 1 5 5 8 the basaltic andesites and andesites of the middle miocene salamanca formation have ree chemistry similar to that of the upper cretaceous strata la smn 1 5 2 7 sm ybn 1 6 2 7 the overlying middle miocene farellones formation ranges from tholeiitic to calc alkaline and from basalt to andesitic and has a similar lree enrichment and fractionated hree la smn 1 7 2 5 sm ybn 1 7 3 3 the pliocene la copa rhyolite complex however is strongly lree enriched and hree depleted la smn 3 8 3 9 sm ybn 4 2 4 7 overall the trace element geochemistry of the cretaceous to middle miocene volcanic rocks is characterized by enriched lree and negative nb anomalies consistent with an arc setting with only minor differences in the abundance of most elements crustal thickening during the miocene in central chile has been suggested to have been responsible for a transition from an amphibole to garnet dominated residual mineralogy resulting in the release of fluids that enabled the formation of giant copper porphyry deposits however the gradual increase in la yb through the early middle and late miocene reported in earlier studies and interpreted to be a response to crustal thickening is not observed in the regional data instead a rapid change in the geochemical signature between the end of the eruption of the farellones formation and the eruption of the high la yb la copa rhyolite complex implies a more abrupt change in the tectonic environment isotopic data broadly support this although lower epsilon nd values in the farellones formation imply a greater role for crustal contamination in younger suites in the absence of gradual crustal thickening it is suggested that the subduction of the juan fernandez ridge may have been the key geodynamic process responsible for the genesis of the three middle miocene to lower pliocene giant porphyry copper deposits in central chile possibly by promoting crustal scale faulting and even acting as a source of metals

magmatic and hydrothermal chronology of the giant rio blanco porphyry copper deposit central chile implications of an integrated u pb and 40ar 39ar database the history of hypabyssal intrusion and hydrothermal activity in the northeastern and central parts of the be hemothian sensu clark 1993 rio blanco los bronces porphyry copper molybdenum deposit is clarified on the basis of integrated u pb and 40ar 39ar geochronology isotope dilution thermal ion mass spectrometry id tims u pb dates for zircon separates and id tims and sensitive high resolution ion microprobe shrimp dates for single zircon grains in pre syn and late mineralization volcanic and intrusive host rocks in the rio blanco don luis and sur sur mining sectors provide a temporal framework for interpretation of incremental heating and spot fusion 40ar 39ar dates for respectively magmatic biotite and hydrothermal biotite muscovite and orthoclase the ore deposit is hosted in part by 16 77 0 25 to 17 20 0 05 2 ma andesitic volcanic strata of the farellones formation but the major host rocks are units of the san francisco batholith including the 11 96 0 40 ma rio blanco granodiorite mine terminology the 8 40 0 23 ma cascada granodiorite and the 8 16 0 45 ma diorite hypabyssal dacitic intrusions late porphyries emplaced into the batholith yield 206pb 238u id tims dates ranging from 6 32 0 09 ma quartz monzonite porphyry through 5 84 0 03 ma feldspar porphyry to 5 23 0 07 ma don luis porphyry the late mineralization rio blanco dacite plug yields a shrimp zircon age of 4 92 0 09 ma the 40ar 39ar plateau ages for phenocrystic biotites in quartz monzonite porphyry feldspar porphyry and don luis porphyry as well as the preore diorite range only from 5 12 0 07 to 4 57 0 06 ma all are significantly younger than the corresponding zircons and exhibit no correlation with intrusive sequence the 40ar 39ar ages for hydrothermal biotite and orthoclase veins within the san francisco batholith units fall in a narrow interval from 5 32 0 27 to 4 59 0 11 ma hydrothermal sericites muscovite one associated with chalcopyrite yielded spot fusion ages of 4 40 0 15 ma rio blanco granodiorite hosted and 4 37 0 06 ma don luis porphyry hosted comparison with the id tims and shrimp zircon ages indicates that most of the 40ar 39ar ages even 95 percent plateaus do not record initial magmatic cooling or hydrothermal alteration mineralization events evidence for quasipervasive reheating to at least 300 c by successive intrusions published re os ages for two molybdenite samples range from 5 4 to 6 3 ma and overlap extensively with the zircon u pb ages for the late porphyries they imply that cu mo mineralization overlapped temporally with the emplacement of at least quartz monzonite porphyry and feldspar porphyry units of the late porphyry suite and was therefore contemporaneous with the rise of dacitic melts to subvolcanic levels hydrothermal activity is inferred to have continued until 4 37 0 06 ma following intrusion of the don luis porphyry and the early stages of emplacement of the rio blanco dacite plug complex hypogene cu mo mineralization therefore probably persisted for 2 m y the geochronologic data do not resolve whether ore formation was continuous or episodic but the observed crosscutting relationships between intensely altered and mineralized country rocks and less altered and mineralized late porphyry bodies support a model in which the ascent of metal rich brines from an unexposed zone of the parental magma chamber was periodically stimulated by magma perturbation and hypabyssal intrusion

tertiary volcanism during extension in the andean foothills of central chile 33 15 33 45 s this lithologic and geochemical study treats two tertiary volcanic formations in the andean foothills of central chile deposited during and after an inferred culmination of crustal attenuation the abanico and farellones formations which are described in their type localities just east of santiago formed from volcanic arcs in continental basins during the oligocene and early miocene respectively aphyric basic lavas of tholeiitic affinity acid pyroclastic rocks and lacustrine deposits constitute the 3100 m thick abanico formation the overlying 2100 m thick farellones formation consists of calc alkaline lavas basalts absent with thick pyroclastic deposits at the base both formations have nd sr isotope signatures within the mantle array the abanico rocks end 5 7 plot closer to n morb normal mid oceanic ridge basalt than the farellones rocks end 3 9 to 5 1 the ree rare earth element patterns indicate greater depth to the mantle source and a smaller degree of partial melting with time the abanico lavas segregated within the stability field of spinel whereas the lavas of the upper farellones member show residual garnet in their source geochemical changes with time are systematic the greatest contrast is between the middle and upper farellones members in 1 2 m y e g for basaltic andesites la yb increases from 4 3 abanico to 5 6 6 0 and 11 6 lower middle and upper farellones members the bimodal composition of the abanico formation and the lower farellones member indicates that volcanism took place during episodes of extensional conditions extension with subsidence is independently shown by the burial metamorphic pattern voluminous pyroclastic flows structural relationships and other evidence suggest recurrent caldera collapse the first extensional episode ended with contraction and folding of the abanico rocks and the second episode resulted in uplift of the lower and middle farellones members followed by a more passive tectonic regime sequences showing many similarities with the abanico and farellones formations occur along the andean foothills of chile they decrease in age from late cretaceous paleocene at 23 s to early miocene late miocene at 35 s and might be explained by oblique subduction of oceanic ridge

deformation of accretionary wedges in response to seamount subduction insights from sandbox experiments sandbox experiments using a two dimensional and a three dimensional approach are used to study the deformation of margins in response to seamount subduction successive mechanisms of deformation are activated during the subduction of conical seamounts first reactivation of the frontal thrusts and compaction of the accretionary wedge is observed then back thrusting and conjugate strike slip faulting develops above the leading slope of the subducted seamount the basal d6collement is deflected upward in the wake of the subducting high and a large shadow zone develops behind the seamount trailing slope consequently frontal accretion is inhibited and part of the frontal margin is dragged into the subduction zone when the main d6collement returns to its basal level in the wake of the seamount the margin records a rapid subsidence and a new accretionary wedge develops closing the margin reentrant the sediments underthrusted in the wake of the seamount into the shadow zone are underplated beneath the rear part of the accretionary wedge substantial shortening and thickening of the deformable seaward termination of the upper plate basement associated with basal erosion is observed seamount subduction induces significant material transfer within the accretionary wedge favors large tectonic erosion of the frontal margin and thickening of the rear part of the margin the subduction and underplating of relatively undeformed water ladden sediments associated with fluid expulsion along the fractures affecting the margin could modify the fluid pressure along the basal ddcollement consequently significant variations of the effective basal friction and local mechanical coupling between the two plates could be expected around the subducting seamount

age and geochemistry of host rocks of the cobre panama porphyry cu au deposit central panama implications for the paleogene evolution of the panamanian magmatic arc abstract the cobre panama porphyry cu au deposit located in the petaquilla district of central panama is hosted by a sequence of medium to high k calc alkaline volcanic and sub volcanic rocks new crystallisation ages obtained from a granodiorite petaquilla batholith and associated mineralised diorite to granodiorite porphyry stocks and dikes at cobre panama indicate that the batholith was emplaced as a multi phase intrusion over a period of 4 million years from 32 20 0 76 ma to 28 26 0 61 ma while the porphyritic rocks were emplaced over a 2 million year period from 28 96 0 62 ma to 27 48 0 68 ma both the volcanic to sub volcanic host rocks and intrusive rocks of the cobre panama deposit evolved via fractional crystallisation processes as demonstrated by the major elements e g al2o3 fe2o3 tio2 and mgo displaying negative trends with increasing sio2 the petaquilla intrusive rocks including the diorite granodiorite porphyries and granodiorite batholith are geochemically evolved and appear to have formed from more hydrous magmas than the preceding host volcanic rocks as evidenced by the presence of hornblende phenocrysts higher degrees of large ion lithophile element lile and light rare earth element lree enrichment and heavy rare earth element hree depletion and higher sr y and la yb values however the degree of lree enrichment hree depletion and la yb values are insufficient for the intrusive rocks to be considered as adakites collectively the volcanic and intrusive rocks have lile ree and mobile trace element concentrations similar to enriched miocene age cordilleran arc magmatism found throughout central and western panama both the petaquilla and cordilleran arc magmatic suites are geochemically more evolved than the late cretaceous to eocene chagres bayano arc magmas from northeastern panama as they display higher degrees of lile and lree enrichment the geochemical similarities between the petaquilla and cordilleran arc magmas suggest that evolved calc alkaline arc magmatism may extend to the late eocene at least 10 million years earlier than previously estimated the crystallisation ages for intrusive rocks associated with mineralisation at cobre panama imply that the deposit formed in the early oligocene between a period of late cretaceous to eocene magmatism ca 66 42 ma chagres bayano arc and cordilleran arc magmatism 22 7 ma similarities in the timing of intrusive suite emplacement and the fingerprinting of magmatic fractionation processes between the cobre panama porphyry deposit and the cerro colorado porphyry deposit in western panama ca 5 3 ma suggest that these features provide favourable geodynamic and geochemical prerequisites for the formation of porphyry deposits along the panamanian magmatic arc during the cenozoic

late cenozoic tectonics of the southern chile trench marine geophysical data from off shore of southern chile are used to define the interaction between the chile ridge and chile trench during late cenozoic time we identify three distinct ridge trench collision events between 14 and 10 ma a 700 km long nearly continuous section of the chile ridge was sub ducted between 55 s and 48 s shorter sections of the ridge offset by large transform faults were subducted at 6 and 3 ma between 48 s and 47 s at the present day triple junction the subduction of the ridge has a strong influence on the chile trench in this region the landward trench slope has undergone a recent episode of subduction driven tectonic erosion the trench slope is narrower and steeper than along other sectors of the margin and the trench axis has migrated shoreward evidence exists for late neogene and quaternary uplift and plutonism on the adjacent continental margin south of 48 s where collision took place between 10 and 14 ma the effects of collision are much less pronounced in particular the landward trench slope does not appear to have been subjected to extensive tectonic erosion we conclude that the configuration of the spreading centers and transform faults on the chile rise is the chief factor controlling ridge trench tectonic interaction tectonic erosion of the landward trench slope and tectonic activity in the adjacent continental margin are much greater when short sections of ridge offset by large transform faults are subducted a major sub marine channel leads along the trench axis south ward from the triple junction this channel cuts across the outer trench rise and carries sediment westward to the mornington abyssal plain the paleogene tectonic history of the southern chile trench includes a southward migrating ridge trench collision involving the farallon aluk spreading center in eocene time

trace element discrimination of arc slab failure and a type granitic rocks abstract although widely used classification schemes for granitic rocks have until now failed to separate slab failure from arc magmatism in collisional orogens our previous work showed that cretaceous cordilleran type batholiths are composed of a pre collisional belt of mesozonal to epizonal arc plutons commonly emplaced into their own cover and a post accretion tract of what we interpret as slab failure plutons emplaced into the tectonically thickened collisional hinterland histograms based on new geochemical compilations of pre and post collisional igneous rocks were employed to derive trace element criterion to distinguish between these two plutonic types using rocks over the sio2 range of 55 70 wt and aluminum saturation index of 20 nb y 0 4 ta yb 0 3 la yb 10 gd yb 2 and sm yb 2 5 also we found that a type magmas can be distinguished from other post collisional igneous rocks based on ta yb 6 ppm and nb y 60 ppm these trace element differences between our pre collisional arc and post collisional slab failure plus a type groups allowed us to build composite discrimination diagrams for destructive margin igneous rocks although most s type granites are also post collisional they should not be plotted on our diagrams for some of their geochemical features overlap those of our slab failure group unlike our arc and slab failure groups a type granites are formed in diverse tectonic settings such that their classification is more related to geochemical signature and magma sources than to tectonic setting lastly we show how our discrimination diagrams delineate examples of slab failure magmatism through time and suggest links with porphyry cu au deposits

porphyry copper and tourmaline breccias at los bronces rio blanco chile the los bronces rio blanco deposit is located on the west side of the andes in central chile about 69 km from santiago los bronces is a breccia complex superimposed on the west side of an earlier major porphyry copper system the rio blanco mine currently exploits the north central part of this porphyry deposit and has started operating a large copper bearing tourmaline breccia sur sur about 2 km south of the present mine the los bronces rio blanco deposit was formed on the east side of the san francisco batholith this intrusion is strongly peraluminous and has a calc alkaline composition with an alkali calcic affinity the batholith took a minimum of 11 5 m y to form from the early miocene 20 1 m y to the late miocene 8 6 m y the porphyry copper mineralization alteration and copper tourmaline breccias were formed over a period of at least 2 5 m y between 7 4and 4 9 m y ago a postmineral volcanic neck or diatreme at la copa erupted within and removed a large segment of the northern part of the porphyry copper system thus marking the last evidence of magmatic activity in the area k ar age determinations of biotites indicate the diatreme erupted in the early pliocene between 4 9 and 3 9 m y ago the prebreccia porphyry system exhibits propylitic sericitic silicic and potassic alteration a unique alteration feature of this system is the replacement of mafic minerals by specularitc and or tourmaline within the propylitic zone the porphyry system contains disseminated and stockwork copper iron molybdenum sulfide mineralization within an area of about 12 km 2 los bronces is composed of at least seven different copper bearing tourmaline breccias that form one large contiguous kidney shaped body about 2 km long and 0 7 km wide at the present erosion surface the breccia body crops out at elevations between 4 150 and 3 450 m the various breccias are characterized by their locations matrices clasts shapes types and degrees of mineralization and alteration the breccias are usually monolithic but in some cases are bilithic or heterolithic with most clasts consisting of quartz monzonite or andesitc with locally minor amounts of quartz latite porphyry monzodiorite and vein quartz the breccia matrices consist of variable amounts of quartz tourmaline specularitc anhydrite pyrite chalcopyrite bornitc molybdenite sericite chlorite and rock flour the seven different breccias types are identified from oldest to youngest as ghost central western infiernillo anhydrite fine gray and donoso the breccia complex has sharp contacts with the surrounding intrusive rocks and andesites internally the breccia contacts are locally well defined but elsewhere they coalesce interfinger or display gradational contacts breccias at los bronces are interpreted as being emplaced explosively followed by collapse after pressure release of hydrothermal fluids the primary mineral distribution is best known in the donoso breccia which has been the center of mining activity since its discovery in 1864 in spite of the coarse and irregular nature of the sulfides in the matrix chalcopyrite pyrite and specularitc at the 3 670 m open pit operating level show a tendency to be distributed in irregular shells in which one of the three minerals predominates in any one shell the transitions between shells are rapid several semiellipsoidal shells of alternating high and low copper grades are also apparent from the copper distribution of underground level 3640 and from various cross sections the shells are approximately vertical subparallel to the donoso breccia contacts which dip inward secondary enrichment enhanced the primary grade in the southern two thirds of the los bronces breccia complex and in much of the surrounding porphyry copper system the degree and depth of enrichment are a function of breccia and fracture permeability and extend to a depth of more than 500 m in certain favorable sectors the shape and depth of the enrichment blanket and overlying leached capping suggest that the enrichment process is related to the present ground water regime and is still active

argon retentivity of hornblendes a field experiment in a slowly cooled metamorphic terrane hornblende from samples of amphibolite and granitic gneiss collected within a single outcrop in the central adirondacks yield significantly different sup 40 ar sup 39 ark sub k dates of 948 plus minus 5 and 907 plus minus 5 ma assuming that this terrane cooled slowly following high grade metamorphism and that the samples have experienced the same thermal history the difference in dates apparently reflects a corresponding difference in blocking temperature for diffusion of radiogenic argon in these hornblende samples the fe fe mg mn of the hornblende samples are 0 8 and 0 6 the higher ratio corresponding to the younger sup 40 ar sup 39 ar sub k date transmission electron microscopy observations indicate that both hornblende samples are homogeneous and devoid of any exsolution but contain zones of fibrous phyllosilicates approximately 0 1 to 2 mu m wide parallelling 100 and 110 these alteration zones probably formed during post metamorphic cooling as a result of the migration of fluids through the hornblendes and are obvious pathways for argon escape from hornblende as these features are more abundant in the hornblende sample with the younger sup 40 ar sup 39 ar date and higher fe fe mg mn they may influence the argon blocking temperature by effectively partitioning the hornblende grains intomore diffusion domains of varying size biotite from the granitic gneiss yields an sup 40 ar sup 39 ar sub k date of 853 plus minus 2 ma with a mildly discordant step heating spectrum that in part reflects the degassing of submicroscopic inclusions precipitated during alteration of the host biotite plagioclase from the amphibolite yields a sup 40 ar sup 39 ar sub k integrated date of 734 plus minus 3 ma less

magmatic evidence for neogene lithospheric evolution of the central andean flat slab between 30 s and 32 s abstract geochemical data from andean miocene magmas erupted through the now volcanically inactive flat slab between 30 s to 32 s coupled with geological and geophysical data illuminate details on magmatic and continental lithospheric evolution over a progressively shallowing subduction zone pb sr and nd isotopic and trace element data show that main cordilleran precordilleran and pampean magmas were contaminated in both the mantle and crust and that the nature of the contaminants varied in time and space reflecting tectonic events contaminants included both enriched high lil element high sr and pb and low nd isotopic ratios and depleted low lile element low sr and pb and high nd isotopic ratios types in the western region main cordilleran earlier miocene lavas had contaminants with less enriched signatures than later miocene lavas progressive enrichment is attributed to a increasing amounts of sediment and tectonically eroded crust being subducted into the mantle wedge and b contamination in a thickening main cordilleran lower crust whose composition was progressively enriched this enrichment occurred through addition of upper crust by an intracrustal mixing process driven by a propagating wedge tip associated with westward wedging heating and deformation of crust from beneath the shortening precordillera thrust belt to the east further east magmas erupted through back arc crust have more depleted signatures those erupted in the central part through the evolving precordilleran thrust belt were contaminated by an older thinner grenville 1100 ma basement whose depleted signature is unique among central andean terranes late miocene pocho lavas erupted further east in conjunction with uplift of the sierras pampeanas show enrichment through time arguably these magmas could contain a component mechanically removed from the base of the thinning continental lithosphere to the west and progressively incorporated into the convecting asthenosphere first order mass balance calculations comparing the lithospheric geometry proposed for 20 ma with that today suggests that 60 of the lithosphere within 600 km of the trench at 20 ma has been lost this lithospheric loss is required to accommodate simultaneous shallowing of the oceanic slab and thickening and shortening of the crust continental lithosphere recycled into the asthenosphere could contribute to the sources of the enriched em1 and em2 mantle components in oceanic island basalts

petrogenetic and metallogenetic relationships in the eastern cordillera occidental of central peru abstract ore deposits spatially and temporally related to high k calc alkaline intrusions or domes are widespread in the central peruvian cordillera occidental geochronology and petrochemistry of intrusive rocks associated with mineralization reveal that most ore deposits 1 were emplaced in the late middle to early late miocene and 2 are related to calc alkaline igneous rocks of granodioritic composition with documentclass aastex usepackage amsbsy usepackage amsfonts usepackage amssymb usepackage bm usepackage mathrsfs usepackage pifont usepackage stmaryrd usepackage textcomp usepackage portland xspace usepackage amsmath amsxtra usepackage ot2 ot1 fontenc newcommand cyr renewcommand rmdefault wncyr renewcommand sfdefault wncyss renewcommand encodingdefault ot2 normalfont selectfont declaretextfontcommand textcyr cyr pagestyle empty declaremathsizes 10 9 7 6 begin document landscape mathrm sm mathrm yb 3 end document documentclass aas

miocene landscape evolution and geomorphologic controls on epithermal processes in the el indio pascua au ag cu belt chile and argentina the world class breccia stockwork and vein hosted epithermal au ag cu deposits of the central andean el indio pascua belt latitudes 29 20 to 30 30 s were emplaced between 6 2 and 9 4 ma immediately beneath the shoulders of an actively uplifting north south tectonic block along the axis of the cordillera principal the deposits of the pascua lama veladero el indio and tambo districts are hosted by largely felsic volcanic units of late oligocene early miocene and late paleozoic age but were associated with small hypabyssal bodies of dacitic porphyry the pascua formation there is no evidence that the epithermal centers were overlain by substantial volcanic edifices the preglacial miocene landscape previously undocumented incorporates three planar erosional landforms of regional extent 1 the ca 15 to 17 ma frontera deidad surface 2 the ca 12 5 to 14 ma azufreras torta surface and 3 the ca 6 to 10 ma los rios surface these pediplains are each vertically separated by 200 to 400 m and by analogy with the enormous erosion surfaces of the atacama desert of northern chile and southern peru are considered to have formed in a semi arid climate in direct response to uplift events although the azufreras torta surface immediately overlies most of the major hydrothermal systems and hence influenced their evolution ore formation was contemporaneous with the development of the younger los rios pediplain and was almost entirely focused around the upper extremities of stage iii valley pediments in contrast precursor high sulfidation hydrothermal alteration zones in the main mineralized districts ranging in age from 10 0 to 13 6 ma and associated with vacas heladas formation dacitic magmatism developed before incision of the los rios pediments and are barren the areal and temporal relationships between economic epithermal centers and the heads of upper miocene valley pediments provide at the least clear empirical exploration guidelines for the el indio pascua belt however it is further proposed that changes in the surficial hydrodynamic environment including the rapid lowering of the water table increased lateral ground water flow and fluid boiling and mixing all favoring ore deposition may have been directly induced by pediment incision in this and other semi arid cordilleran environments in which epithermal mineralization was not associated with significant volcanic edifices

inversion of an oligocene volcano tectonic basin and uplifting of its superimposed miocene magmatic arc in the chilean central andes first seismic and gravity evidences abstract a new structural model is presented for the cenozoic part of the main range east of santiago a chain made up of thick miocene ignimbrites and andesitic lavas overlying primitive oligocene volcanoclastics deposited on a thin continental crust because the latter coya machali formation locally show tight folding close to the margins of the miocene volcanics they had previously been described as deformed prior to construction of the arc our field observations analysed along two profiles at 33 and 34 15 s however support the conclusion hinted at by ongoing geochronological and geochemical studies deformation of both formations is synchronous and related to late miocene inversion of the coya machali intra arc basin uplift of the rigid arc rocks and part of its volcanoclastic basement took place mainly along two northward shallowing boundary structures that seem to share a lower decollement the eastern fierro out of sequence thrust and a series of western back thrusts that resemble triangle zones seismic data obtained from el teniente porphyry copper mine 34 s rockbursts and two gravimetric profiles at the western end of the southern profile are compatible with a decollement located at that locality 2 3 km under the surface

giant porphyry deposits characteristics distribution and tectonic controls more than half of the 25 largest known porphyry copper deposits defined in terms of contained copper metal formed during three time periods the paleocene to eocene eocene to oligocene and middle miocene to pliocene these giant deposits are clustered within three provinces central chile northern chile and southwest arizona northern mexico other giant deposits occur in montana utah panama peru argentina irian jaya mongolia and iran compressive tectonic environments thickened continental crust and active uplift and erosion were associated with the formation of many of these deposits calc alkalic magmas are most favorable for the formation of giant porphyry copper deposits although several of the largest systems are associated with high k calc alkalic intrusions the 25 largest gold rich porphyry deposits are concentrated in the southwest pacific and south america with other occurrences in eurasia british columbia alaska and new south wales many of the deposits formed in the last 13 m y the largest of the deposits are associated with high k calc alkalic intrusions many calc alkalic porphyritic intrusions have also produced giant gold rich porphyries in the last 20 m y the formation of giant porphyry copper molybdenum and copper gold deposits in the circum pacific region has been closely associated with subduction of aseismic ridges seamount chains and oceanic plateaus beneath oceanic island and continental arcs in several examples these tectonic perturbations have promoted flat slab subduction crustal thickening uplift and erosion and adakitic magmatism coeval with the formation of well endowed porphyry and or epithermal mineral provinces similar tectonic features are inferred to be associated with the giant porphyry copper molybdenum provinces of northern chile eocene oligocene and southwest united states cretaceous paleocene topographic and thermal anomalies on the downgoing slab appear to act as tectonic triggers for porphyry ore formation other factors such as sutures in the overriding plate permeability architecture of the upper crust efficient processes of ore transport and deposition and in some cases formation and preservation of supergene enrichment blankets are also vital for the development of high grade giant ore deposits a low grade geochemical anomaly may be the final product of mineralization if ore forming processes do not operate efficiently even in the most favorable geodynamic settings

high sr y magma petrogenesis and the link to porphyry mineralization as revealed by garnet bearing i type granodiorite porphyries of the middle cauca au cu belt colombia porphyry style cu au mo mineralization is widely associated with igneous suites with sr y 40 and low heavy rare earth element hree content this geochemical signature is commonly attributed to garnet or amphibole fractionation in the lower crust where mantle derived melts evolve into intermediate composition arc suites however the presence of a residuum related to mineralized porphyry systems where amphibole and garnet are stable is generally inferred from geochemistry and has nowhere been documented directly we here report on two occurrences of late miocene garnet bearing granodiorite porphyry at the tesorito au cu prospect in the quinchia district and el poma au cu prospect in the middle cauca au cu porphyry belt in colombia these rocks provide proof that garnet was stable in the lower crust at the time of porphyry mineralization at both studied sites garnet bearing i type granodiorite porphyries were intruded by intramineralization garnet free plagioclase phyric granodiorite porphyries that were cut by quartz and k feldspar veins and affected by biotite alteration garnet bearing porphyries predate intramineralization porphyries by 0 4 to 2 m y garnet occurs as unzoned grains commonly included in large plagioclase phenocrysts that in some cases also contain inclusions of igneous epidote the latter indicating pressures of 1 gpa for early crystallized phases large plagioclase phenocrysts exhibit two growth stages separated by a resorption boundary high al amphibole phenocrysts as well as titanite and magnetite formed after the first stage but prior to the second stage of plagioclase growth at pressures of ca 0 9 gpa whole rock geochemical compositions of garnet bearing porphyries are consistent with only limited garnet fractionation whereas some of the intramineralization porphyries have y 40 which is together with other trace element indicators taken as evidence for significant garnet fraction at depth during porphyry mineralization hree content of zircon in garnet bearing porphyries are higher than that of intramineralization porphyries which supports the interpretation that garnet fractionation in the lower crust was significant during the formation of the intramineralization porphyries the phase relationships and geochemical data reflect a geodynamic change from an environment that permitted rapid ascent of oxidized garnet bearing porphyries prior to au cu mineralization to a regime that favored melt evolution in the lower crust where garnet was a residual phase and at the same time allowed the formation of large mid to upper crustal magma chambers the latter are widely inferred to be essential for porphyry mineralization to occur

a tectono genetic model for porphyry skarn stratabound cu au mo fe and magnetite apatite deposits along the middle lower yangtze river valley eastern china abstract the middle lower yangtze river valley metallogenic belt yrb situated along the northern margin of the yangtze craton is characterized by porphyry skarn stratabound cu au mo fe deposits in the areas of uplift and magnetite apatite deposits in cretaceous fault basins following detailed field investigations and a review of published data we recognize two episodes of magmatism and mineralization in the yrb 1 156 137 ma high k calc alkaline granitoids associated with 148 135 ma porphyry skarn stratabound cu au mo fe deposits and 2 135 123 ma shoshonitic series associated with 134 9 122 9 ma magnetite apatite deposits a type granitoids and associated alkaline volcanic have a small age range from 126 5 to 124 8 ma and are temporally spatially and genetically associated with the second episode the geodynamic history of the yrb did not experience the paleozoic to mesozoic lithospheric thickening that took place in the north china craton this process is inferred to be linked to partial melting of the delaminated lower crust at high pressures resulting in the development of c type adakitic rocks the petrochemical and sr nd isotopic data show that both the shoshonitic series and a type granitoids are quite different from adakites with only some of the k calc alkaline granitoids having adakitic signatures previous ore genesis models were established based on an assumed relationship with adakites and a continuous tectono thermal evolution from 150 to 100 ma all data obtained for the middle lower yangtze river region consistently show that the tan lu regional strike slip fault zone initiated at 233 6 to 225 6 ma from the collision between the north china and yangtze cratons and was reactivated at ca 160 ma the tan lu fault was caused by the oblique subduction of the izanagi plate which along the yrb the low angle subducted slab and the overlying crust was disrupted or broken due to the disharmonious movement of the two blocks the high k calc alkaline granitoids magmas were derived from melting of the subducted slab with some input of crustal material these magmas were emplaced at the intersections between ne and ew trending faults and formed porphyry skarn stratabound cu au mo fe deposits between 156 and 137 ma after 135 ma the subducted plate changed its direction of motion to northeast now running parallel to the eurasian continental margin and leading to large scale continental extension the shoshonitic series and subsequent a type granitoids magmatism and the development of magnetite apatite ores in the yrb took place in both fault basins and ne trending rifts between 135 and 124 ma

magmatic precursors of hydrothermal fluids at the rio blanco cu mo deposit chile links to silicate magmas and metal transport in most porphryr systems the obscuring effects of hydrothermal processes and subsequent alteration along with limited exposure of source rocks preclude a detailed understanding of how and where metals and volatiles were derived however in this study we examine melt inclusions which have escaped alteration and that sampled all of the phases coexisting in the magma in late and postmineral rhyolitic units from the rio blanco cu mo deposit chile these inclusions demonstrate the existence of a volatile rich melt the exsolution from it of an aqueous volatile rich phase initially as melt vapor bubble emulsions and the disruption of these emulsions into melt and primary magmatic fluids trapping of these emulsions may explain the occurrence of melt inclusions containing widely varying proportions of melt and aqueous fluid found at rio blanco we demonstrate the sequestering of metals into the exsolved volatile phases and the derivation from these of possible ore forming hydrothermal fluids with particular reference to the implications for metal transport melt inclusions show differences between adjacent comagmatic intrusions that may be directly related to the extent of mineralization of the respective bodies in one of the rio blanco postmineral rhyolite bodies melt inclusions show exsolution of the volatile rich phase but only minor evidence of trapping of a metal rich vapor in contrast inclusions from an adjacent late mineral rhyolite body show similar volatile phase exsolution but also provide evidence of ponding of metal rich hydrothermal fluids during the final stages of cooling

magnetic anomaly interpretation across the southern central andes 32 34 s the role of the juan fernandez ridge in the late tertiary evolution of the margin marine and terrestrial magnetic surveys have been integrated to study the tectonic structure of the convergent margin of chile between 32 34 s three magnetic domains have been identified oceanic continental margin and subaerial the oceanic domain has seafloor spreading anomalies 16 37 ma to 18 39 5 ma disturbed by anomalies of the juan fernandez hot spot chain in the continental margin the most prominent fabric are e w anomalies in the upper slope corresponding to onshore e w anomalies of large intrusive bodies onshore a n s lineament of short wavelength anomalies defines the roots of a cretaceous volcanic arc a resembling lineament offshore indicates a submerged older volcanic arc and that continental basement extends to 50 km landward of the trench absolute cenozoic plate motion for nazca and south american plates and dating of the juan fernandez chain provide a kinematic model of ridge continent collision the reconstruction indicates rapid southward migration of the collision point along 1400 km of the margin from 20 to 11 ma 20 cm yr 1 from 11 ma to present the collison point has migrated at a slower rate along 375 km of the margin 3 5 cm yr 1 the predicted location of the subducted portion of the juan fernandez chain coincides with the south edge of the southward migrating flat slab segment of the subducted lithosphere and with a cluster of deep earthquakes indicating a causal relationship in the last 10 myr the ridge has separated a sediment starved trench to the north where subduction erosion may dominate from a sediment filled trench to the south where recent sediment accretion dominates these observations indicate that subduction of the juan fernandez chain plays a major role in arc forearc tectonics

recycling of orogenic arc crust triggers porphyry cu mineralization in kerman cenozoic arc rocks southeastern iran pre collisional eocene oligocene arc diorites quartzdiorites granodiorites and volcanic equivalents in the kerman arc segment in central iran lack porphyry cu mineralization and ore deposits whereas collisional middle late miocene adakite like porphyritic granodiorites without volcanic equivalents host some of the world s largest cu ore deposits petrological and structural constraints suggest a direct link between orogenic arc crust evolution and the presence of a fertile metallogenic environment ore hosting kuh panj porphyry intrusions exhibit high sr 400 ppm low y 20 no negative eu anomalies eu eu 1 and relatively non radiogenic sr isotope signatures 87sr 86sr 0 7042 0 7047 relative to eocene oligocene granitoids mainly sr 12 la yb 15 eu eu 1 87sr 86sr 0 7053 0 7068 trace element modeling indicates peridotite melting for the barren eocene oligocene intrusions and a hydrous garnet bearing amphibolite source for middle late miocene ore hosting intrusions the presence of garnet implies collisional arc crustal thickening by shortening and basaltic underplating from about 30 35 to 40 45 km or 12 kbar the changes in residual mineralogy in the source of eocene to miocene rocks in the kerman arc segment reflect probing of a thickening arc crust by recycling melting of the arc crustal keel underplating of cu and sulfur rich melts from fertile peridotite generated a fertile metallogenic reservoir at or near the crust mantle boundary and dehydration melting under oxidizing conditions produced syn and post collisional ore hosting intrusions while the lack of post collisional volcanism prevented the venting of volatiles to the atmosphere from sulfur rich and oxidized adakitic magmas

tectonic control of the subducting juan fernandez ridge on the andean margin near valparaiso chile near the latitude of valparaiso chile a fundamental change in configuration of the benioff zone volcanic arc activity and the structure of the continental margin occurs opposite the subducting juan fernandez ridge upper plate tectonics related to subduction of the ridge were studied by an international group of geoscientists in the two degree segment offshore valparaiso extending from the shelf edge seaward across the eastern end of juan fernandez ridge near the o higgins group of seamounts the juan fernandez ridge strikes northeast rather than continuing its east west trend across the pacific basin the ridge uplifts the upper plate and sediments of the valparaiso basin are deformed against its southern flank this deformation is consistent with the southward migration required by an oblique trending ridge and the nearly trench normal vector of plate convergence in the trench axis the ridge forms a basement barrier behind which sediments 2 5 km deep have ponded the lower slope over the ridge appears eroded whereas the margin not yet affected by ridge subduction is fronted by an accretionary prism about 25 km wide nazca plate relief clearly influences tectonism of the margin where it subducts beneath thin continental crust its relation to deeper processes segmenting the andean orogen appears to involve prior tectonic events

the role of preexisting geologic architecture in the formation of giant porphyry related cu au deposits examples from new guinea and chile development of giant porphyry related copper and or gold deposits in new guinea and northern and central chile occurred during tertiary magmatic events that overprinted earlier extensional tectonic settings the earlier tectonic settings consisted of a mesozoic passive margin in new guinea a jurassic cretaceous back arc basin in northern chile and an oligocene intra arc basin in central chile the preexisting architecture of the basement rocks the fault systems and the stratigraphic packages associated with these settings played a strong role in controlling development of the giant deposits although the extensional tectonic settings in these terranes were different they share a number of elements that were used during formation of the tertiary ore deposits these were the presence of coupled systems of deeply detached listric synsedimentary faults and steep transverse faults and the presence of a relatively flat lying heterogeneous volcano sedimentary rock package during tertiary collision the deeply detached listric faults were inverted and strongly focused uplift exhumation and associated overpressuring induced failure and fluid flow in addition steep transverse faults were activated to form wrench systems with attendant steep deeply tapping pathways for magma and or fluid associated with dilatant jogs flexures or fault intersections ore deposits are commonly located in the hanging wall of the thrust faults under compression associated with collision the competent units of flat lying stratigraphic packages formed plates overlying the folded weaker units underneath and separated by a detachment or otherwise faulted contact examples of the competent upper units include the darai mendi limestone or equivalents in new guinea and the lavas of the farellones formation in central chile these plates appear to have impeded magma ascent and formed a cap on a magma and or fluid system pressurized by collision and orogenesis this geometry provided an ideal location for focusing of magmas and magmatic hydrothermal fluids from these three example terranes a set of exploration indicators have been constructed to highlight belts that are prospective for giant porphyry cu systems these indicators include 1 the presence of magmatic arcs that migrated into preexisting extensional architectures 2 coupled systems of deeply detached listric synsedimentary faults and steep transverse faults 3 rigid basement blocks that could form regional stress field perturbations and 4 fold belts with a major plate to 50 km wide of competent relatively undeformed or gently folded stratigraphy overlying more complexly folded and faulted parts of the sequence

petrogenetic and metallogenetic responses to miocene slab flattening new constraints from the el indio pascua au ag cu belt chile argentina the eocene miocene volcanic and hypabyssal rocks of the el indio pascua au ag cu belt in the southern central andean flat slab region are medium high k calc alkaline arc suites ranging in composition from andesite to rhyolite a significant transition in magmatic trace element chemistry coinciding with a pronounced reduction in magma output occurred in the late middle miocene as documented by 40ar 39ar geochronology the upper eocene lower middle miocene rocks exhibit low sr y ratios 50 minor heavy ree fractionation with sm yb ratios not exceeding 3 5 and in some cases minor negative eu anomalies in contrast the largely dacitic rocks erupted after ca 13 ma are depleted in y 10 ppm have generally high but variable sr y ratios 30 200 exhibit moderate middle and heavy ree fractionation sm yb 3 7 5 9 and lack negative eu anomalies the latter features are characteristic of adakitic suites i e slab melts but the regional temporal and spatial distribution of arc magmatism precludes a major magma source in the downgoing slab this evolution is interpreted as reflecting a progressive increase in pressure and the availability of water in the lower crustal site of magma generation establishing both garnet and hornblende as major stable phases in the residuum the pressure in the lower crust increased in response to episodic crustal thickening related to the shallowing of the slab a process recorded by the incision of three regional pediplains over the period 17 6 ma elimination of the subarc asthenospheric mantle and much of the lithospheric mantle by ca 10 ma permitted direct incursion of slab derived highly oxidised metal and volatile rich supercritical fluids into the lower crust stimulating melting of mafic garnet amphibolitic and eclogitic assemblages

adakite like signature of late miocene intrusions at the los pelambres giant porphyry copper deposit in the andes of central chile metallogenic implications adakite like features are recognized in the late miocene 10 ma porphyritic intrusions of the los pelambres giant porphyry copper deposit central chile 32 s located within the southern portion of the flat slab segment 28 33 s of the chilean andes the al and na rich porphyries of los pelambres display distinctly higher sr y 100 300 and lan ybn 25 60 ratios than contemporaneous and barren magmatic units e g la gloria pluton cerro aconcagua volcanic rocks of the same andean magmatic belt strong fractionation of heavy rare earth elements hree absence of eu anomalies high sr y and zr sm and low nb ta ratios suggest melt extraction from a garnet amphibolite source the late miocene adakite like porphyritic intrusions at los pelambres formed closely related in time and space to the subduction of the juan fernandez ridge jfr hotspot chain along the chilean margin current tectonic reconstructions reveal that at the time of formation of the los pelambres rocks a w e segment of the jfr started to subduct beneath them producing a slow down of a previously rapid southward migration of a ne ridge trench collision these particular tectonic conditions are favorable for the origin of the los pelambres porphyry suite by melting of subducting young hotspot rocks under flat slab conditions the incorporation of crustal components into the oceanic lithopheric magma source by subduction erosion is evidenced by the sr nd isotope composition of the los pelambres rocks different from the morb signatures of true adakites a close relationship apparently exists between the origin of this adakite like magmatism and the source of the mineralization in the los pelambres porphyry copper deposit

significance of pre 1860 ma granitoid magmatism for crustal evolution and exploration targeting in the flin flon assemblage trans hudson orogen canada granitoid plutonism a significant contributor to orogenic evolution is a commonly overlooked vector in exploration targeting using the flin flon glennie complex of the trans hudson orogen as a template we show that the geochemistry of granitoid rocks can be a useful parameter in differentiating prospective and nonprospective areas for volcanic hosted massive sulfide vhms deposits the flin flon glennie complex includes 1910 to 1860 ma plutonic rocks that can be subdivided into three suites 1 juvenile arc related rocks of ferroan and magnesian subtypes 2 contaminated arc related rocks and 3 successor arc related rocks of both low and high sr y ratio petrogenesis of ferroan juvenile and low sr y successor arc plutons indicates they formed in regions of thinner crust and hence would have been associated with higher heat flow and arc rifting conditions that favor vhms endowment regions of the orogen with both ferroan and low sr y plutonic subtypes were long lived zones of thin crust and preserve vhms mineralization related to both juvenile and successor arc magmatism in contrast volcanic belts dominated by contaminated arc or high sr y successor arc plutons formed on thicker substrates with contaminated arc rocks built on archean paleoproterozoic pericratonic slivers and high sr y successor arc rocks associated with submarine to subaerial arc systems these regions of thicker crust demonstrably lack vhms deposits and were also the locus for late unroofing our results suggest that pluton geochemistry regionally correlates with mineral occurrence and could represent a useful regional exploration tool in buried or poorly exposed parts of the flin flon glennie complex and other paleoproterozoic orogens