Economic Geology Vol. 59, 1964, pp.

1283 1292

PALEO-CHANNELS AT THE GUAYACN COPPER MINE, CABILDO DISTRICT, ACONCAGUA PROVINCE,

CHILE
W. D. CARTER AND

NELSON ALISTE T.

CONTENTS
PAGE

Abstract ............................................................. Introduction .........................................................

1283 1283

Geologic setting ...................................................... Guayac3.nMine ......................................................

Channels .........................................................

1285 1286
1288

Mineralogy ....................................................... Textures and paragenesis........................................ Relation to other known deposits.......................................

Conclusions and Recommendations ..................................... References ...........................................................
ABSTRACT

1289 1290 1291

1291 1292

An uneven erosionsurface separates calcareous sedimentary rocks above and vesicular andesite porphyry belowat the Guayac/m mine of central Chile. Channel-likedepressions filled xvith sedimentary rock flank elongate, stratiform bodies of disseminated copper ore which impregnate the vesicular crests of andesite lava flows. The "channels" lie parallelto andmark the marginsof tongues of lava. Erosionalfeaturessuchas scour surfaces,conglomerate and crossbedding mark some of the channels. Otherchannels show noevidence of erosion, suggesting that some, at least, represent depressions or spaces that were not filled during extrusionof
the lava.

The flowsstrikeeast. Their crests are vesicular andimpregnated with

coppersulfideminerals,mainly bornite,to depthsas much as 3 m beloxv

the contact. Bornitefills vesicles and fractures, impregnates the andesite groundmass,and replaces andesine phenocrysts, mainly alongcleavage planes. Chalcopyrite is mixedwith bornitein the upper,morevesicular
part of the flows and occurswith fine-grainedpyrite as disseminations

bodies and,thereby, assist in theevaluation, exploration andmining of

these stratiformcopper deposits.
I N TRODUCTIO N

andreplacing fossils in the base of the overlying sedimentary rock. The channel axesalsostrikeroughly eastand,in mostplaces, are underlain by barren ground.These mappable features, whenrecognized, are valuable in determining the size,shape, and orientation of adjacent ore

MNNcof small, stratiform copper orebodies at theGuayacn minein westcentralAconcagua Province,Chile (Fig. 1), was conducted on a hit-or-miss
1 Publication authorized by the Director of the U.S. Geological Surveyand the Director
of the Instituto de Investigaciones Geo16gicas de Chile.
1283

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w. D. C,4RTER ,4ND N. ,4LISTE T.

basisuntil geologicmappingrevealedthat the ore bodieshave definite trends and are bounded by barren paleochannels. Recognition of thesefeatureshas contributedto an understanding of the geologicconditionsand removedmuch of the uncertaintyfrom this mining operation. It has also encouraged a systematic plan of exploration and developmentthereby increasing production and the probable reserves of the area.

Althoughthe Guayacfin minewas described in somedetailby Carter (1), it is felt that the resultsof subsequent mine development and geologic mapping are significant enoughto warrant a more comprehensive report on this type of deposit. The authors havefoundthat the vesicular flow crests and the paleochannels are mappable ore controlsthat have an important hearing on the
7

71 'o

roo

'
L

ILLAPEL
i

,.. ,.

Z
--

)COn9

.-

,,.

CABILDO

GUAYACAN

c. VALPARAISO
SANTIAGO

I
o so 10o iso ,m

Fig. 1. Index mapshowing location of the Guayacfin Mine, near

Cabildo, AconcaguaProvince, Chile.

size, shape,and orientationof the ore deposits. It is hopedthat an understandingof thesefeatureswill stimulatemining and influencemethodsof explorationand development at other deposits of this type in nearbyareas. Geologic surface studies andunderground mapping of the Guayacfin copper minewere conducted periodically between1958and 1962as part of a regional mapping programdesigned to assist the development of mineralproduction in Aconcagua Province,Chile,and therebyhelpprovidea steadysource of copper ore for a new smelterat Ventanas,Chile. The programwas a cooperative effort carriedout by the Institutode Investigaciones Geo16gicas representing the

PiLEO-CH.4NNELS

IN CHILE

1285

Government of Chile and the U.S. Geological Survey workingunder the auspices of theAgency for International Development of theU.S. Department
of State.

The authors are gratefulto GunterRochefort for his manykindnesses extended duringour studies at the mine; alsofor his exchange of ideasand information, as well as his willingness to explore. Eric Klohn, IIG geologist,
and Roberto Sanhueza and Francisco Montecinos, as student trainees, as-

sisted the initialstudies of the Guayac/tn deposits in 1958.

GEOLOGIC SETTING

The Guayac/m mine is in the ruggedCoastalCordillerawheretransverse mountainrangesseparate the Central Valley from the desertpampasof the north. The Coastal Cordillera is composed largely of volcanicrocks of Jurassicand Cretaceous ages. Thin sequences of marine rocks are interstratified with the volcanic rocksalongthe western slope and contain sufficient faunal evidence to date mostof the strata. Older metamorphic and intrusive

rockscropout alongthe coast. The overlying stratadip homoclinally to the

east. Younger intrusive rocks, largely granodiorite,cut the strata and are Late Cretaceous in age. These intrusivesform the core [so-called "Andean Batholith"] of the CoastalCordillera. Copperdeposits are widespread throughthe CoastalCordilleraand occur

bothas veinsand mantos in the stratified rock of the region. The veinsare widely dispersed but are generally foundin fractures that parallelthe principalnorth-south structural grain of the country. The mantos or stratiform deposits are restricted to specific stratigraphic horizonsthat form narrow, elongate beltsalongwhichprospecting canbe concentrated (1). The Guayac/m deposit is of themanto typeandcontained in rocks assigned to the Lo Prado Formationof Early Cretaceous age (3). The Lo Prado
Formationconsists of severallithologicfaciesand is both marine and volcanic in origin. At the Los Maquis mine (1), and Cabildo,6 and 11 km north of

the Guayacn mine,respectively, the formation is almost entirelycomposed of limestone, siltstone, fine-grained sandstone, and pebble conglomerate. It is proposed that this sedimentary sequence be referredto as the Los Maquis Limestone Member. About3 km northof the Guayacfin mine,lenses of volcanicrocksenter the sequence and thickento the south.

At the Guayacm mine, volcanic rocksmake up more than half of the formation. The baseof the formation is composed of a tongue of gray Los Maquis Limestone, approximately 100 m thick, which rests concordantly on the top of the underlying Pachacama Formation. The limestone tongueis
overlainby dark gray andesite porphyry60 m thick.

The andesite contains the Guayacfin copper deposit and is well exposed at the mine;it is proposed that thismember be knownas the Guayacm Andesite Member. At theminethe Guavacfin Memberis overlain bv a second tongue of
Los Maquis Limestonerangingfrom 25 to 45 m in thickness. This, in turn,

is overlain by grayish-green porphyritic tuff and breccia to whichwe assign the name QuefieTuff Member, for its excellent exposures at the Quefiemine,

1286

W. D. C,qRTER /tND N. /tLISTE

T.

12 km to the south. At the Guayacfin mine, the Quefie Member is about 300 m thick and is overlain by 100 m of medium to fine-grained,reddish-brovn sandstone with basalconglomerate lenseswhich Thomas (3) assigned to the Purehue Member of the Veta Negra Formation. The Quefie Member crops out as a prominentridge about200 m southof the Guayacm mine.
THE GUAYACN MINE

The Guayacmmine lies about 11 km southwest of Cabildo on a ridge between the headof the Quebradadel Cobreand the QuebradaCachapoal in west-central Aconcagua Province, Chile (Fig. 1). It is located at the end of the road that leaves the La Ligua-Cabildohighway at the farm of Pena Blancaand winds up the Quebradadel Cobre past the Rafaela, Chancleta, Peumo,Cobreand Rusa mines. Elevationsat the mine range between1,060
and 1,130 m above sea level.

The deposit is on the Fundo Ingenioownedby Sr. JuanWenke. Gunter Rochefort, owner of the Los Maquis mine, has leasedand operatedthe Guayacfin propertyfrom 1957 to the presenttime. During this periodthe minehasproduced about60,000tonsof ore averaging about3.5% Cu. The

oreis presently mined at a rateof about 50 tonsperdayandis concentrated at

a smallplantlocated nearthe railroadstation at Cabildo. Surface mapping (Fig. 2) shows that the explored groundcovers an area

that is roughly230 m longand 200 m wide; its longest dimension roughly parallels the strikeof the beds. The bedsstrikeN 5 V, and dipsrange from 15 to 28 NE. The deposit is composed of several gentlyinclined, tabular ore bodies that lie alongandparallel to the contact between a dark gray, porphyritic andesite flow and overlying dark gray to blackfossiliferous limestone which,in places, grades laterallyinto a very fine grained arkosic sandstone. The andesite layer is approximately 60 m thick and cropsout in the western sideand northernendof the ridge. The overlying limestone is about 42 m thickandcrops out in the centralpart of the area. It is overlain by a dark-green breccia tuff thatis exposed asa prominent cliff in the southern part
of the mappedarea.

The structureof the area is relatively simple. The beds strike roughly

N-S anddip 15to 30E. The lesser dips onthewesthave been modified by
minor normalfaultsthat have downwarddisplacements to the west ranging
from a few centimeters to a few meters. These faults bear N 25 E to N 30

E, are verticalor steeply inclined to the west,and parallelto the major joint pattern of thearea. Oneof these faults is exposed in a surface crosscut northwestof theopen pitsof themine. Another faultis exposed southeast of the

maparea. It is intruded by a coarse-grained, porphyritic dike,about1 m

wide. The contact between the limestone sequence and the overlying breccia
tnff is offset about l0 m and down thrown on the west. The northward

projection of thisdike-filled faultpasses east of theexplored areaandprobably

extends intothevicinityof the Peumo andRusamines to the northeast.Two otherfaultsare exposed in the mineworkings and are shown as dottedlines
on the surface map.

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EXPLANATION

Laodshde deposfls

LO PRADO

FORMATION

QueUe Member-lulfaceous breccla, gray green LosMaqms Member (upper tongue) sandstone, saltstone andhinestone. darkgray, fossiliferous Guayacan Member porphynlc andesde lavaflows, darkgraycoarse grained Vescular andoebearing at top LosMaqms Member (lower Iongue)-hmestone. dark gray Io black. weathers to yellowish brown

Channel am. approxmalely Iocaled; dashed where

inferred Numbers indicatereference in tet

Strke and dpofbeds Cuntacl; dashed where approximately located

Faull, dashed where approximately located, dotted where projected orobserved in underground mine workings; U. uplhrown sde; D. down
thrownsde

Fracture showing slrlke anddirection of nchnalion

Verhcalmineshaft

Surface workings

Underground workings
Adit

Survey slatl
6

100
I

211M
B'

A'

- 1100
No vedlcal exaggefatmn

1110
1100 1090

Vertical exaggeration 2X

Topographyby E Klohn, R. Sanhuezaand F. Monteclnos,1958

Geology by W. D Carter, E. Klohn,N. Aliste, 1958, 1962

FTC. 2. Geologic surface mapand sections of the Guayacm Mine,

AconcaguaProvince, Chile.

The workings consist of two openpits,manysurface prospects and underground room-and-pillar workings. The open pits lie at the northern end of the depositwhere the limestone-andesite contactis exposed at the surface.

The largerpit is 50 m longand20 in widewith its longaxisbearing aboutN 45 W, and roughlyparallelto the axis of the channelto the north. The northeast wall clearlyshows the natureof the contact. In spiteof the fact that the sandylimestone and underlyingandesite are nearly the samecolor, dark gray, the contactis readily recognized as an old irregular erosionsurface. The andesite is markedby coarse crystals of white to light-grayplagioclase phenocrysts and disseminated bornitein a dark-graycrystalmesh. The lime-

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w. D. C,4RTER ,4ND N. ,4LISTE T.

stone is recognized by its very fine grained texture,its reaction to hydrochloricacid,and its poorlypreserved fossils which,in places, have beenreplaced by chalcopyrite.In places angularto rounded fragments of andesire
porphyryas muchas 5 cm in diameterare includedin the limestone. These

lie within 20 cm of the contact, are erratically distributed, and rarely in the minewerethey spaced closely enough to be considered a true conglomerate. The underground workings are entered by a main adit (elevation1,090m) located at a bendin the roadeastof the openpit. The adit bearsS 50 W and
providesaccess to three ore bodiesthat have beenmined over an area 85 m

longand75 m wide. The northernmost orebodyis 75 m longand35 m wide. Its long axis bearsroughlyN 70 E. The centralore bodylies about 10 m to the south andhasbeenminedoveran areathat is 27 m longand 14 m wide. The southern ore bodylies southeast of the centralbody,is roughlycircularin
plan and hasa diameterof 23 m. Channels.--Detailed long-wall sections of the mine workingsreveal that the contactbetweenthe andesire porphyryand the overlyinglimestone is a gentle,undulatorysurfacethat represents the crestsof, and depressions between, the lava flows. Relief of the surfacefrom the highestpoint of a crest to the lowest part of the depression in the mine is about 10 m (Fig. 2, sec.B-B'). This is bestobserved in the northeast wall of the north pit. This relation is also well displayedin the main haulagewayof the underground

workings about45 m southof the portal where Channel1 crosses the drift and separates the north and centralore bodies. This depression is filled with light gray to black, very fine grainedcalcareous sandstone and appearsto
be a channel cut by an ancientstreamor an original surfacemarking the division between the crests of two lobate lava flows. The axis of the structure

bearsN 80 E, and plunges21 eastward. The axis of the depression dips lessthan the averagedip (27 NE) of the bedsin the area and suggests that the depression slopedabout 6 west, prior to uplift in the area.
The ore is thickest beneath the crests of the lava flows. It thins toward

the marginand is generallyabsentnear the channelaxes. The averagemineable thickness is about 2 m, but there are placeswhere the ore thickensto as muchas 5 m. In other places,it thins but may be rich enoughto be mined even if it is somewhat lessthan 1 m thick. The baseof the mineralizedlayer is not always clearly definedfor the mineralizedmaterial diminishes gradually downward. At the presenttime a gradecut-off of about2 percentCu
servesto make the baseof the ore layer.

Channel 2 lies 50 m north of the Channel1. It separates the underground workingsfrom the southern pit. Section B-B' shows that it is a broad (20 m wide), openstructure of shallow depth (lessthan 3 m) perched on the southern flank of a lava flow. The channel axis bears about N 70 E. Channel 2

is well exposed in the eastendof the southpit. The erosional contact between the andesiteand overlyingarkosicsandstone is well marked. Roundedand mineralizedfragments(bornite and chalcopyrite)of vesicularandesiteporphyry are included as phenoclasts in the sandstone.Microscopic concentra-

tionsof disseminated chalcopyrite impregnate calcitecement that surrounds

feldsparcrystalfragments.

P..4LEO-CH./INNELS

IN CHILE

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Channel3 is the largest of the three. Its axis is about 60 m north of Channel 2 and bearsN 60 W. It may converge with Channel2 about50 m southeastof the north pit or it may turn northeast,paralleling the contact between the upper"limestone" tongueand the underlying andesite. Channel 3 is about100 m wide between the crestsof the neighboring flowsand 7 to 12 m deep. The northeast face of the north pit shows well-developedconglomerateabout20 cm thick at the baseof the calcareous sandstone. Angular and subangular clastsof porphyritic andesiterange from a few millimetersto 10 cm in diameter. The clastsare mineralizedwith chalcopyrite and bornite. The sandstoneis impregnatedwith fine-grained pyrite and chalcopyrite. Pelecypods are abundant and havealsobeenreplaced by chalcopyrite. New workings,as yet unmapped, were begunin 1962 down dip and at the east edge of the mappedarea. Adits were driven southwardalong the strike of the andesite-sandstone contact. Channelsaligned with Channels 1 and 2 were cut and the interveningore bodywas mined up dip to join the old workings. A fourth channelcorresponding to that postulated at the south edgeof the underground workingswas also penetrated. lecent informationfrom Rochefort(1963, written communication) is that miningcrossed the fourth channel and penetrated a new ore bodyon the south. Mineralogy.--Bornite and chalcopyrite,the principal ore minerals, are associated with minor amountsof chalcocite in the andesite. Chalcopyrite alsooccurs with pyrite in the overlyingsedimentary rocks. Saffioritehasbeen noted in sparseamountsas an accessory mineral in mineralized andesite. Calciteand chloritecomprise the ganguemineralsin both rock types. Bornire is restricted largely to the andesitewhere it occursas discrete crystals and grainsup to 1 mm in diameterclosely disseminated in the felted andesite groundmass; as smallmasses or blebs fillingvesicles in the upperpart of thelava; andasreplacements along cleavage planes of andesine phenocrysts.
Rarely, finely disseminated bornire replacesthe calcite matrix of sandstone or fills vesicles in andesire phenoclasts in sandstone. Chalcopyrite occursmainly in the upper 30 cm of the andesitewhere it is

intimately associated with borniteas vesicle fillings, replacing phenocrysts and as disseminations in the groundmass.It is also abundant with pyrite as fine-grained disseminations replacing the calcareous matrix of the overlying
sandstone and also fossilpalecypods. Chalcopyritediminishes upward and is apparently capped by a halo of pyrite. Calcitefills fracturesin both the andesite and overlyingsediments. It also
fills vesicles in the andesire. In barren vesicular andesire caIcite is coated with thin films of chlorite at the interface between the calcite and vesicle wall.

Very fine grainedchloritehas alsobeennotedwith calcitein the cementing

matrix of the sandstone and siltstoneoverlyingthe ore bodies. Saffiorite was found as a narrow. massive stringerof light gray to white materialvith a brilliant metalliclusterwithin a calcitevein filling a fault zone cutting the southore body. A polishedsectionshowedthat the massive material was composed o closelypacled 6-pointedstar-shaped crystalsthat are

characteristic of this mineral. Clusters of fine-grained saffiorite crystals have aIsobeen notedin the lornite oreso the neighboring Peumomine (2).

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W. D. CZIRTER 4ND N. ZILISTE T.

Vertical zoningof the deposit is obvious in most places(Fig. 3). The zonesinclude: (1) a basalzone of bornire, (2) a mixed zone of bornireand chalcopyrite, and (3) an upperzone of chalcopyrite and pyrite. Zones 1 and 2 are found mainly in the andesire flow and zone 3 is in the sedimentary rock. The lower and lateral linfits of the ore bodies are irregular and, in places, markedby a lighter gray porphyriticandesite with ellipticalblack spotsthat give it a distinctivespeckledappearance. The miners refer to it as "guata de sapo" or "frog belly" rock. The black spots consistof black clay and chloritethat coat the interfacebetweenandesite and unreplaced calcite-filled vesicles.At places, the contact between barrenand mineralized rock is sharp and appears to be the interface between two flows. At otherplaces, mineralrich rockgraduallydeclines in gradeuntil a point is reached wherethe grade
is too low to be mined.

Marine

sedimentary

rocks

FG. 3. Generalizedcrosssectionof an ore body, showingmineral zoning at the

Guayac/mMine, Chile. (b, bornite; c, chalcopyrite; and p, pyrite; cb zone also

showsvesicles.)

Studiesof polished ore specimens show that pyrite and safiloriteoccur as euhedral crystals surrounded by masses of chalcopyrite or borniteand, in places,both. Bornire and chalcopyrite of zone 2 are intimately associated. Both occuras fine grainsdisseminated in the feltedgroundmass of the andesire; both fill minute fracturesand vesicles;and both surroundand replace plagioclase phenocrysts along cleavage planes. Minute fracturesin bornite are filled with chalcopyrite. Graphic intergrowthsand inclusions of bornite in chalcopyrite are common and chalcocite occurs as a delicate halo replacing both bornite and chalcopyrite; chalcocite also surroundsinclusions of bornite in chalcopyrite.Calciteocctlrs as fine crystalgrowth filling vesicles with or
without sulfideminerals. Where it occurswith sulfidesit appearsto take up the excess space left after the sulfides were formed. The paragenetic sequence indicatesthat pyrite and safilorite probably formed first and were followed by bornite and chalcopyrite. Chalcociteis

P.4LEO-CH.4NNELS IN CHILE

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also of primary origin, and appearsto have closelyfollowed bornite and chalcopyrite by unmixing of the solid solutionseries. The formationof calcite and chlorite probablyextendedthroughoutthe mineralizing processbut the bulk of thesematerials appears to haveforlnedat the end of the cycle. The deposit is believed to haveformedat lnesothermal temperatures from solutions, liquid or gaseous, of hypogene origin.
RELATION TO OTHER t,NOVX DEPOSITS

The Guayacfin mineis oneof several knowndeposits that occurin the same stratigraphic horizonand the sametype of countryrock. These deposits are contained in a narrow belt that is presently recognized to be about5 km long
and 500 m wide.

Channelfeatureshave been recognized at the Peumo mine, about 1 km to the northeast of the Guayacfin mine,and at the FarellonDelirio mine, 2 km to the south. At the Peumo mine the main (lowest) adit strikes eastward
through andesire to where it crossesthe andesite-siltstone contact. Drifts

branchto the north and southand curvegentlyeastward alongthe contactto where they enter the north and south ore bodies. The miners originally
thought that the beds were folded and that such folds were associated with

faultsand dikesthat cut the deposit. Mappingof strataaboveand belowthe deposit indicates that foldingis absentand that the structurewhich separates the north and south ore bodiesis a paleochannel. The axis of the channel

strikes eastward asat the GuayacSn mineandit is reasonable to presume that the northand southore bodies will extenddowndip to the east. The workings at the FarellonDelirio mineconsist of a largestopeon the south andan adit,topographically lower,on the north. The stoped zonewas well mineralized and thicknesses up to 4 m werenilnedin audesite porphyry. The backof the stopecurvesdownwardto the north alongthe contactwith calcareous siltstone,which dips toward the north adit. The north adit follows the samecontact, northeastward, but it was finally abandoned because it penetrated a poorlymineralized zone. The lower topographic position of the adit anddip of thebackin the stope suggest that the adit probably underlies a channel axis and that the stopeis in the crestof an andesite flow. Extension of the stope down dip to the east should find additional reserves.

Explorationalongthe outcropfor other crestsof lava flows shoulddisclose

new ore bodies.
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The channels at the Guayacfin mineappear to be primaryfeatures representing spaces between tongues of lava. not filled duringextrusion, but later, duringdeposition of overlying sediments.Conglomeratic fragments at the baseof the overlying sedimentary rocksare sparse and poorlyrounded, suggesting thaterosion in thechannels wasnegligible.The close spatial arrangemerit of the channels and parallelismof their keel axes to the crest axes of the

flowsfurther indicatethat they were formedduring extrusion. Somewere probably later modified by scour andfill processes. The importance of channel features as guides to ore hasbeenwell demon-

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Ft/. D. C/tRTER

/tND N. LISTE

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stratedin the ShinarumpMember of the Chinle Formation in the uranium

fields of the Colorado Plateau and in the Blind River area of Canada where

cupriferousuranium-vanadiumdepositsare found in local scoursof paleochannels. Althoughthe channels of the GuayacSn-type may be uniquein that they separate rather than containthe ore bodies,experience showsthat their size, shape,orientation, and spatialrelationship can providevaluableinformation in exploration for hiddenore bodies. The authorsbelievethat parts of channels are exposed in the neighboring
Peumo and E1 Cobre mines to the north and the Farellon Delirio mine to the

south. Careful exploration of the limestone-andesite contact within these minesand surfacemappingalong its strike shoulddisclose additionalcopper deposits between channel features.
U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY,

WASttlNGTON,D.C.,
and

INSTITUTODEINVESTIGACIONES GEOL6GICAS DECItlLE, SANTIAGO, CItlLE zlpril 8, 1964

REFERENCES

1. Carter, W. D., 1960, Origin of "manto-type" copper deposits of the Cabildo Mining District, Central Chile: Internat. Geol. Cons., 21st, Norden, 1960, Proc., pt. 16, Genetic Problems of Ores, p. 17-28. 2. Flores W., Hector, 1956, Geologica Economica de Yacimientos Minerales, pt. 2: Santiago, Educal Universidad de Chile, p. 1-369. 3. Thomas, Herbert, 1958, Geologia de la Cordillera de la Costa entre el Valle de La Ligua y la Cuesta de Barriga: Chile, Instituto de Investigaciones Geo16g{cas, Bol. no. 2, p. 1-86.