Magmatic evolution of the southern Centinela district, northern Chile: insights from PGE geochemistry and zircon fertility tools
type: CreativeWork
description: Copper is one of the most widely used metals in our society and it is essential for a broad range of applications. Globally, nearly three quarters of this metal is sourced from porphyry copper deposits. For this reason, is important to understand the processes that control their formation. Recent studies have shown that the platinum group elements (PGE) are sensitive indicators of sulphide saturation in evolving magma systems, which may be a key in controlling the fertility of Cu and Au in porphyritic deposits. The Centinela District, located in northern Chile, is part of the middle Eocene to early Oligocene metallogenetic belt, which contains a number of renowned deposits including Chuquicamata and La Escondida. The district is host to at least ten identified mineralized porphyries, including both Cu-only, Cu-Au and sub-economic bodies. Here I present the results of whole-rock geochemistry (including the PGE) and zircon geochronology of the Polo Sur and Penacho Blanco porphyry copper deposits of the southern Centinela District, northern Chile. This project aims to test the hypothesis that the timing of sulfide saturation, relative to volatile exsolution, is a key factor controlling the type (Cu or Cu-Au) and fertility of porphyry systems from the southern Centinela District. If a parent magma reaches sulfide saturation before volatile exsolution, an immiscible sulfide melt or solid will form, which will extract chalcophile metals, including Cu and Au, and may trap them at depth so they are unable to enter the volatile ore-forming phase, resulting in a barren system. In contrast, if the fraction of immiscible sulfide to form is small, the time difference between these events is short, or the magma does not become sulphide saturated, most of the metals will remain in the melt, and be available to enter the fluid phase to form an economic Cu or Cu-Au deposit. The results from zircon and whole-rock geochemistry suggest that both deposits share a similar source and that…
abstract: Copper is one of the most widely used metals in our society and it is essential for a broad range of applications. Globally, nearly three quarters of this metal is sourced from porphyry copper deposits. For this reason, is important to understand the processes that control their formation. Recent studies have shown that the platinum group elements (PGE) are sensitive indicators of sulphide saturation in evolving magma systems, which may be a key in controlling the fertility of Cu and Au in porphyritic deposits. The Centinela District, located in northern Chile, is part of the middle Eocene to early Oligocene metallogenetic belt, which contains a number of renowned deposits including Chuquicamata and La Escondida. The district is host to at least ten identified mineralized porphyries, including both Cu-only, Cu-Au and sub-economic bodies. Here I present the results of whole-rock geochemistry (including the PGE) and zircon geochronology of the Polo Sur and Penacho Blanco porphyry copper deposits of the southern Centinela District, northern Chile. This project aims to test the hypothesis that the timing of sulfide saturation, relative to volatile exsolution, is a key factor controlling the type (Cu or Cu-Au) and fertility of porphyry systems from the southern Centinela District. If a parent magma reaches sulfide saturation before volatile exsolution, an immiscible sulfide melt or solid will form, which will extract chalcophile metals, including Cu and Au, and may trap them at depth so they are unable to enter the volatile ore-forming phase, resulting in a barren system. In contrast, if the fraction of immiscible sulfide to form is small, the time difference between these events is short, or the magma does not become sulphide saturated, most of the metals will remain in the melt, and be available to enter the fluid phase to form an economic Cu or Cu-Au deposit. The results from zircon and whole-rock geochemistry suggest that both deposits share a similar source and that…
author: Carrasco Godoy, Carlos
language: en_AU
date published: 2020
date modified: 2026-07-24T01:07:16Z
provider: Australian Catholic University
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Australian Catholic University

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property ID: Handle
value: http://hdl.handle.net/1885/201504