GEOLOGIC AND HYDROTHERMAL

CHARACTERIZATION OF THE CHAPI

CHIARA EPITHERMAL GOLD PROSPECT
AND NEARBY TARGETS, SOUTHERN
PERU, USING ASTER DATA

Thais A. Carrino IG/University of Campinas

Alvaro P. Crsta IG/University of Campinas
Catarina L. B. Toledo IG/University of Braslia
Adalene M. Silva IG/University of Braslia
Johann L. Silva - IG/University of Campinas

Introduction
Peru:

main gold-producer country in

Latin America
Main gold deposits are epithermal type of
the Miocene and Pliocene: located in the
northern sector (e.g.,Yanacocha, Lagunas
Norte)
Southern Peru: Au-Ag (base metals)
epithermal deposits of medium and lowsized; there are important and recent
discoveries (e.g., Canahuire, Tucari, Santa
Rosa gold deposits)

Southern Peru focused in this

investigation

Introduction
Study area
investigated by the use
of ASTER imagery

Epithermal targets:

- Canahuire (Au-Cu-Ag) deposit

- Prospects: Chapi Chiara, Cerro
Millo, San Antonio de Esquilache
(each one inserted in paleostratovolcanos
of
MiocenePliocene ages)

Introduction

Introduction

Perspective view ASTER image and the targets analized

Materials
ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal
Emission and Reflection Radiometer)
image

(VNIR, SWIR, TIR bands)

04/19/2005
Mineralogic data for Chapi Chiara prospect (fieldwork: September 2011)

Visual and automatic analysis

of spectrum
671 reflectance spectroscopy data
(TerraSpec spectroradiometer)

39 petrographic thin sections and

SEM-EDS

ASTER VNIR-SWIR bands processing:

Methods

Crsta

Technique

Principal Component Analysis Crsta Technique

Alunite 1, 3, 5, 7

Illite and/or smectite 1, 3, 5, 6

Kaolinite group minerals 1, 4, 6, 7

Iron-bearing minerals 1, 2, 3, 4

All PC4 (principal component #4) related to the investigated minerals (high
eigenvector values!!!)

ASTER VNIR-SWIR bands processing:

Methods

Crsta

Technique

Regional hydrothermal alteration map

Methods
2

ASTER TIR bands processing

Carbonate Selective Principal Component Analysis

Quartz Index (QI) (Rockwell & Hofstra, 2008)

Silica content Index (SI) (Ninomiya et al., 2005)

Methods

ASTER TIR bands processing

Yura Group:
quartzite,
carbonate

NW-SE structure
(Three main
deformational
phases: Peruvian,
Incaic and
Quechua)

Hydrothermal
quartz (Chapi
Chiara)

Results:
Chapi Chiara
prospect

Proximal zones
(ALTERATION):
Alunite + kaolinite +
quartz (vuggy) high
topographic areas

Results:
Chapi Chiara prospect
(mineralogy)
SEM-EDS

Results:
Chapi Chiara prospect
(mineralogy)

Alteration zoning:
Advanced argillic
Argillic
Propylitic

Results: Canahuire (main results derived from ASTER TIR

bands processing)

Reference map from

Santos et al. (2011)

Results: Canahuire (main results derived from ASTER TIR

bands processing)

Results: Canahuire - predictive map (fuzzy logic)

Predictive map for Canahuire-type deposit using ASTER TIR
products and regional interpretations (lineaments and alteration)

INTEGRATION USING FUZZY LOGIC TECHNIQUE ...

Results: Canahuire - predictive map (fuzzy logic)

Priority for
targets nearby
Cerro
Chucapaca
... result in Canahuire
deposit correlated with
the descriptions of Santos
et al. (2011)

Results: San Antonio de Esquilache and Cerro Millo

San Antonio
de
Esquilache:
alteration
(kaolinite,
illite) related
to dioritic
intrusion

Reference
map from
Hennig et al.
2008)

Cerro Millo:
new targets
for alunite +
kaolinite
identified
from ASTER
VNIR-SWIR
bands
processing

Conclusions
(1) ASTER imagery processing is an important and
strategic tool for characterizing geologic units
and hydrothermal targets in areas of well
exposed bedrock

(2) ASTER thermal infrared bands were crucial for

mapping structures, host rocks of Canahuire
epithermal gold deposit, and possible
hydrothermal quartz-rich targets in Chapi
Chiara prospect

(3) ASTER VNIR and SWIR bands were more

successful to map advanced argillic and/or
argillic alteration in the Cerro Millo, San
Antonio de Esquilache and Chapi Chiara
prospects

ASTER TIR products:

lithologies,host rocks
and predictive model
for Canahuire deposittype

Predictive map
ASTER VNIR-SWIR
products: alteration

Conclusions
(4) Chapi Chiara:
we found an epithermal high-sulfidation type system, in a condition
of deep erosional level
Hypogene
minerals
formed
exclusively at
high
temperatures

Epithermal
system: <300C

decreasing chances of finding epithermal gold mineralization for

exploration (e.g., White & Hedenquist, 1995) mainly in the SW sector
of this prospect

Conclusions
(5) as proposed for Cerro Millo epithermal high-sulfidation gold
prospect (Hennig et al., 2008), a potential for porphyry-type
mineralization in deep levels is suggested for Chapi Chiara,
possibly related to dioritic intrusion, such as in San Antonio de
Esquilache

Acknowledgements
Gold Fields Inc., for the use of the
TerraSpec spectroradiometer;
fieldwork

FAPESP: grant 2011/00106-8

Geologists: Teresa Guevara, Shirley

Custdio, Auri Muoz, Mariela Reyes

Universidade Estadual de Campinas

(University of Campinas - UNICAMP)

Universidade de Braslia
(University of Braslia - UnB)