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Petrology, U/Pb dating and (C-O) stable isotope constraints on the source and evolution of the adakite-related Mezcala Fe-Au skarn district, Guerrero, Mexico

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Abstract

The Mezcala gold district, Guerrero, Mexico, is a Cretaceous to early Paleocene oxidized Fe-Au skarn deposit, genetically associated with an adakitic magmatic event of 63±2 Ma, dated by ion-probe U/Pb on zircons.

The inner and outer alteration patterns and the mineralogical sequence (high garnet/pyroxene ratio, high ferric/ferrous ratio >1, predominance of Fe-poor garnet and pyroxene, low total sulfides) found in Mezcala are compatible with the description of an oxidized gold skarn type. Carbon and oxygen isotope analyses of the inner calcite zone (−9.98 to −11.64 and +13.21 to +14.59‰, respectively) unequivocally support a magmatic signature of the hydrothermal fluid. Carbon and oxygen isotopes from the outer calcite zone (−8.81 to +3.45 and +12.95 to +22.77‰, respectively) suggest a complex mechanism of degassing and subsequent cooling/dilution of the resulting magmatic brine with the meteoric water. Gold appears to be closely associated with the adakite stock, whereas its transport is related with the outflow of highly oxidized magmatic brines from the intrusion. The gold precipitation is triggered by cooling/dilution of the degassed magmatic brine by the meteoric fluids.

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Acknowledgements

The Peñoles Mining Corporation is thanked for logistical field assistance and for the permission to publish the results. This study was funded in part by scientific grants UNAM-PAPIIT (# IN100900), CONACYT (# G35442-T) to E. González-Partida and CRPG-UPR2300A to A. Cheilletz and D. Gasquet. Dave Lentz and Laurence Meinert are thanked for their constructive observations and careful English changes that significantly improved the manuscript. Zircon ion-probe analysis were carried out under the supervision of E. Deloule, M. Champenois and D. Mangin.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Programa de Geofluidos, Centro de Geociencias UNAM-Campus Juriquilla, AP 1–253, 76230, Querétaro , México

    Gilles Levresse, Eduardo González-Partida, Alejandro Carrillo-Chavez, Jordi Tritlla & Antoni Camprubí

  2. Centre de Recherches Pétrographiques et Géochimiques, CRPG-CNRS and Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Géologie, BP 20, 54501, Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy, France

    Alain Cheilletz, Dominique Gasquet & Etienne Deloule

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  1. Gilles Levresse
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  2. Eduardo González-Partida
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  3. Alejandro Carrillo-Chavez
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  4. Jordi Tritlla
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  5. Antoni Camprubí
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  6. Alain Cheilletz
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  7. Dominique Gasquet
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  8. Etienne Deloule
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Correspondence to Gilles Levresse.

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Editorial handling: D. Lentz

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Levresse, G., González-Partida, E., Carrillo-Chavez, A. et al. Petrology, U/Pb dating and (C-O) stable isotope constraints on the source and evolution of the adakite-related Mezcala Fe-Au skarn district, Guerrero, Mexico. Miner Deposita 39, 301–312 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00126-003-0403-y

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