Published

2022-02-07

Modeling of the large Miocene epithermal and porphyry gold deposits of Colombia using Monte Carlo simulations

Modelado de los grandes depósitos Miocenos de tipo epitermal y pórfido de oro del Cinturón Metalogénico del Cauca de Colombia usando simulaciones Monte Carlo

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15446/esrj.v25n4.95289

Keywords:

Modeling, Monte Carlo simulations, Northern Andes, Miocene magmatism, Colombia (en)
Modelado; Simulaciones de Monte Carlo; Andes del norte; Magmatismo Mioceno; Cinturón Metalogénico del Cauca (es)

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Authors

  • Felipe Velasquez Ruiz Departamento de Geología, FCFM, Universidad de Chile
  • Juan Camilo Martínez School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Vanderbilt University, TN, USA
  • Alejandra Tobón Acevedo School of Geosciences and Environment, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Sede Medellín, Colombia
  • Alejandra Yepes Metaute Group Digital, FLSmidth, PA, USA
  • Angélica María Zapata Instituto de Geociências, Universidade de Brasília, Brazil
  • Diana Paulina Cataño Salas School of Geosciences and Environment, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Sede Medellín, Colombia

The Cauca metallogenic belt is an inter-Andean area located along the Cauca-Romeral fault zone, which is made up of a group of twelve Miocene magmatic-hydrothermal Au-Ag-Cu mineral deposits positioned between the Western and Central Cordillera of Colombia. In addition to being a widely developed region in exploration and exploitation with known Au endowments of over 1,700 tons, this area represents an exceptional metallogenetic laboratory for modeling a typical Andean-type mineralization from a calc-alkaline source with high Sr/Y ratios. Efficiency processes such as ion and halogen transport, oxygen fugacity and sulfur content have been extensively studied with a geochemical approach; however, the quantification and modeling of these efficiency processes currently debated. Through multiple iterations using Monte Carlo simulations (N > 2 million), the modeled reservoirs corresponding to the upper crust, using a high flux of dacitic magma of 0.007 km3/year and efficiencies of 1 – 2 %, showed that gold endowments bear heavily with magmatic and hydrothermal Au deposits in the Cauca Metallogenic Belt. Outcomes including Au endowments up to 1,000 tons can be obtained for reservoirs below 400 km3 of hydrous melt in brief mineralization intervals between 40 to 120 ka and for volumes of 400 to 800 km3 in a 120 to 200 ka window. In contrast, the hypothetical reservoirs for the lower and middle crust, through a basaltic calc-alkaline magma flux between 0.0007 and 0.0011 km3/year, an efficiency of ~0.7%, and pressures below 5 kbar, showed sufficient available content of exsolvable H2O and gold to feed the reservoirs in the upper crust or to generate gold deposits from them, but in longer time intervals (>1 Ma).

El Cinturón Metalogénico del Cauca (CMC) es un área interandina ubicada a lo largo de la zona de falla Cauca-Romeral de Colombia. El CMC está compuesto por un grupo de doce depósitos magmático-hidrotermal de Au-Ag-Cu del Mioceno Tardío, ubicados entre la Cordillera Occidental y Central de Colombia. Además de ser una región ampliamente desarrollada en exploración y explotación mineral, con dotaciones de Au conocidas de más de 1700 toneladas, el CMC representa un laboratorio metalogenético excepcional para modelar mineralizaciones de tipo andino a partir de una fuente calco-alcalina con altas razones de Sr/Y. A pesar que los procesos de eficiencia en depósitos magmático-hidrotermal han sido ampliamente estudiados con un enfoque geoquímico, como el transporte de iones y halógenos, la fugacidad de oxígeno y el contenido de azufre, entre otros, la cuantificación y modelado de estos procesos de eficiencia han sido debatidos actualmente. A través de múltiples iteraciones usando simulaciones de Monte Carlo (N>2 millones), modelamos reservorios que corresponden a la corteza superior del CMC. Nuestros resultados aplicando un alto flujo de magma dacítico de 0.007 km3/año y eficiencias entre 1-2%, mostraron que las dotaciones modeladas de oro corresponden fuertemente a las cantidades de Au reportadas de los depósitos magmático-hidrotermal del CMC. Con dicho modelado se pueden obtener dotaciones de Au de hasta 1000 toneladas para reservorios inferiores de 400 km3 de magma hidratado en breves intervalos de mineralización entre 40 y 120 ka, mientras que se obtienen volúmenes de 400 a 800 km3 con un periodo de mineralización entre 120 a 200 ka. Por el contrario, los reservorios modelados para la corteza inferior y media del CMC, a través de un flujo de magma basáltico calco-alcalino entre 0,0007 y 0,0011 km3/año, una eficiencia de ~0,7% y presiones menores a 5 kbar, mostraron suficiente contenido de H2O soluble y oro disponible para alimentar los reservorios en la corteza superior del CMC, o para generar depósitos de oro a partir de ellos, pero en intervalos de tiempo más largos (> 1 Ma).

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APA

Velasquez Ruiz, F., Martínez, J. C., Tobón Acevedo, A. ., Yepes Metaute, A., Zapata, A. M. and Cataño Salas, D. P. (2022). Modeling of the large Miocene epithermal and porphyry gold deposits of Colombia using Monte Carlo simulations. Earth Sciences Research Journal, 25(4), 415–421. https://doi.org/10.15446/esrj.v25n4.95289

ACM

[1]
Velasquez Ruiz, F., Martínez, J.C., Tobón Acevedo, A. , Yepes Metaute, A., Zapata, A.M. and Cataño Salas, D.P. 2022. Modeling of the large Miocene epithermal and porphyry gold deposits of Colombia using Monte Carlo simulations. Earth Sciences Research Journal. 25, 4 (Feb. 2022), 415–421. DOI:https://doi.org/10.15446/esrj.v25n4.95289.

ACS

(1)
Velasquez Ruiz, F.; Martínez, J. C.; Tobón Acevedo, A. .; Yepes Metaute, A.; Zapata, A. M.; Cataño Salas, D. P. Modeling of the large Miocene epithermal and porphyry gold deposits of Colombia using Monte Carlo simulations. Earth sci. res. j. 2022, 25, 415-421.

ABNT

VELASQUEZ RUIZ, F.; MARTÍNEZ, J. C.; TOBÓN ACEVEDO, A. .; YEPES METAUTE, A.; ZAPATA, A. M.; CATAÑO SALAS, D. P. Modeling of the large Miocene epithermal and porphyry gold deposits of Colombia using Monte Carlo simulations. Earth Sciences Research Journal, [S. l.], v. 25, n. 4, p. 415–421, 2022. DOI: 10.15446/esrj.v25n4.95289. Disponível em: https://revistas.unal.edu.co/index.php/esrj/article/view/95289. Acesso em: 17 aug. 2024.

Chicago

Velasquez Ruiz, Felipe, Juan Camilo Martínez, Alejandra Tobón Acevedo, Alejandra Yepes Metaute, Angélica María Zapata, and Diana Paulina Cataño Salas. 2022. “Modeling of the large Miocene epithermal and porphyry gold deposits of Colombia using Monte Carlo simulations”. Earth Sciences Research Journal 25 (4):415-21. https://doi.org/10.15446/esrj.v25n4.95289.

Harvard

Velasquez Ruiz, F., Martínez, J. C., Tobón Acevedo, A. ., Yepes Metaute, A., Zapata, A. M. and Cataño Salas, D. P. (2022) “Modeling of the large Miocene epithermal and porphyry gold deposits of Colombia using Monte Carlo simulations”, Earth Sciences Research Journal, 25(4), pp. 415–421. doi: 10.15446/esrj.v25n4.95289.

IEEE

[1]
F. Velasquez Ruiz, J. C. Martínez, A. . Tobón Acevedo, A. Yepes Metaute, A. M. Zapata, and D. P. Cataño Salas, “Modeling of the large Miocene epithermal and porphyry gold deposits of Colombia using Monte Carlo simulations”, Earth sci. res. j., vol. 25, no. 4, pp. 415–421, Feb. 2022.

MLA

Velasquez Ruiz, F., J. C. Martínez, A. . Tobón Acevedo, A. Yepes Metaute, A. M. Zapata, and D. P. Cataño Salas. “Modeling of the large Miocene epithermal and porphyry gold deposits of Colombia using Monte Carlo simulations”. Earth Sciences Research Journal, vol. 25, no. 4, Feb. 2022, pp. 415-21, doi:10.15446/esrj.v25n4.95289.

Turabian

Velasquez Ruiz, Felipe, Juan Camilo Martínez, Alejandra Tobón Acevedo, Alejandra Yepes Metaute, Angélica María Zapata, and Diana Paulina Cataño Salas. “Modeling of the large Miocene epithermal and porphyry gold deposits of Colombia using Monte Carlo simulations”. Earth Sciences Research Journal 25, no. 4 (February 7, 2022): 415–421. Accessed August 17, 2024. https://revistas.unal.edu.co/index.php/esrj/article/view/95289.

Vancouver

1.
Velasquez Ruiz F, Martínez JC, Tobón Acevedo A, Yepes Metaute A, Zapata AM, Cataño Salas DP. Modeling of the large Miocene epithermal and porphyry gold deposits of Colombia using Monte Carlo simulations. Earth sci. res. j. [Internet]. 2022 Feb. 7 [cited 2024 Aug. 17];25(4):415-21. Available from: https://revistas.unal.edu.co/index.php/esrj/article/view/95289

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