macla nº 19.

julio ‘14
revista de la sociedad española de mineralogía

Mineralogy of Doña Amanda Prospect,

Bayaguana, Dom. Rep.: a transitional
epithermal-porphyry deposit in Los Ranchos
Formation?
/ LISARD TORRÓ I ABAT (1*), PAULO LEÓN BENAVIDES (2), JOAQUÍN A. PROENZA FERNÁNDEZ (1), JÚLIA FARRÉ DE
PABLO (1), JOAN CARLES MELGAREJO I DRAPER (1), ELÍAS REYES (2), CEVERO CHÁVEZ (2), JOHN F. LEWIS (3)
(1) Departament de Crisal·lografia, Mineralogia i Dipòsits Minerals, Facultat de Geologia, Universitat de Barcelona. C/ Martí i Franqués s/n
Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
(2) Corporación Minera Dominicana. Av. Máximo Gómez, 29B, Ed. Plaza Gazcue, local 401. Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
(3) Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
INTRODUCTIO
INTRODUCTION
TION LREE/HREE ratios, indicating a
subduction-related origin, in an
The Bayaguana concessions are situated intraoceanic arc setting (Hawkestorn et
about 65 kilometers northeast of Santo al., 1993). Mafic samples display low
Domingo, and 5 kilometers north of the TiO2 contents, from 0.35 to 0.74 wt. %;
town of Bayaguana (Fig. 1). Perilya/ similar minor and trace element
Cormidom is currently developing an geochemistry is described by Escuder-
extensive exploration program that Viruete et al. (2006) as low-Ti tholeiites
follows previous efforts commenced by and boninites for the Los Ranchos Fm. in
the Dominican Mining Department and the Cevicos-Miches area.
Falconbridge in the 80’s. Current
inferred reserves reported by the MINERALOGY STUDY
company in the different concessions
include Cerro Kiosco (4.36 MT @ 2.01 Mineralogy was studied by optical and
g/t Au, 5.17 g/t Ag, 0.98% Cu), Doña scanning (SEM-EDS) microscopy and
Amanda (127.77 MT @ 0.31% Cu, 1.43 XRD. Studied rocks are in general
g/t Ag, 0.19 g/t Au) and Doña Loretta fig 1. Location of the Bayaguana Concessions and pervasively altered. However, a few less
(8.20 MT @ 0.50% Cu, 0.3 g/t Au) the Los Ranchos, Maimón and Amina Fms. in altered samples partially preserve
(Perilya, 2012). Hispaniola. original mineralogy; that includes
millimeter to sub-millimeter-sized
Ore hosting rocks in Perilya’s complex collage of crustal units which plagioclase and clinopyroxene euhedral
concessions in Bayaguana are part of were initially formed in an intra-oceanic crystals commonly displaying
the Los Ranchos Formation (Kesler et setting during Early Cretaceous (Pindell polysynthetic lamellae. Clinopyroxenes
al., 2005). This formation also hosts the & Barrett, 1990). are apparently of augite-diopside.
world-class Au-Ag-Cu Pueblo Viejo Variable proportions of phenocrysts are
deposit (Fig. 1), operated by Barrick and Host rocks at Bayaguana prospect areas included in a fine grained plagioclase
which produced 488,000 ounces of gold belong to the Early Cretaceous Los and minor pyroxene or alternatively
in 2013 and had proven and probable Ranchos Fm. This unit forms part of the glassy groundmass.
reserves of this metal of 9.7 million oldest and chemically most primitive
ounces in April 2014 (Barrick, 2014). island-arc in the Caribbean region. It is Alteration assemblage flooding the
The origin of the Pueblo Viejo deposit is composed of LREE-depleted tholeiitic original rock is commonly composed of
still controversial (Nelson et al., 2011). island arc basalts and normal island arc quartz, kaolinite, sericite-white mica and
tholeiites with an interval of felsic minor barite, alunite supergroup
Here we present a detailed volcanism and tonalitic plutonism dated minerals (Fig. 2) and tourmaline. Quartz
mineralogical and textural study of at 110-118 Ma (Escuder-Viruete et al., occurs as small cloudy anhedral crystals
mineralized samples from the Doña 2007). with sizes commonly among 50 and 250
Amanda prospect. Ore and alteration In Bayaguana concessions, geology is microns, locally displaying granoblastic
mineral assemblages are used to dominated by 1) variably amygdaloidal, textures. Kaolinite (not rarely
classify the deposit and to assess clinopyroxene- and plagioclase-phyric recrystallized to feather-shaped
similarities and differences from those microcrystalline to glassy groundmass pyrophyllite) tends to appear forming
present at the Pueblo Viejo deposit. basalt and basaltic andesite flows; 2) millimeter-sized massive patches of
quartz-phyric dacite to rhyolite domes minute acicular crystal radial
GEOLOGICAL SETTING and 3) volcaniclastic/sedimentary aggregates. Small sericite-white mica
sequences including hyaloclastites and bundles of minute acicular crystals are
The late Early Cretaceous–Eocene turbiditic deposits. All samples display observed decussately distributed along
Circum-Caribbean island-arc system is a strong negative Nb anomalies with low with quartz as well as concentrated as a

palabras clave: Epitermal, Alta Sulfuración, Formación Los Ranchos, key words: Epithermal, High Sulfidation, Los Ranchos Formation,
República Dominicana, Bayaguana, Pueblo Viejo Dominican Republic, Bayaguana, Pueblo Viejo
resumen SEM 2014 * corresponding author: lisardtorro@
lisardtorro@hotmail.
hotmail.com
 macla nº 19. julio ‘14
revista de la sociedad española de mineralogía

the view that Bayaguana is a further

replacement product of plagioclase in case of a porphyry-epithermal deposit
those samples preserving this phase. related to tholeiitic magmatism in the
Tourmaline is rare and appears forming Los Ranchos belt (Kesler et a., 2005).
small radial aggregates of acicular
crystals. Subeuhedral tabular to platy ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
crystals of natroalunite [(Na,K)Al3(SO4)2
(OH)6] appear with variable irregular L.T.’ fieldwork in the Dominican Republic
replacements of woodhouseite was partially founded by a Student Grant
[CaAl3(PO4)(SO4)(OH)6]. Individual platy from the SEG (Society of Economic
to completely anhedral crystals of Geologists) – Hugh E. McKinstry
woodhouseite present in turn variable Foundation. This research has been
grades of replacement by svanbergite financially supported by the Spanish
[SrAl3(PO4)(SO4)(OH)6] and intermediate project CGL2012-36263 and a FPU
compositions among woodhouseite and Ph.D. grant to L.T. by the Ministerio de
weilerite [BaAl3(AsO4)(SO4)(OH)6] end fig 2. Pervasive alteration of the hosting rock by an Educación of the Spanish Government.
members, with systematically lower Ba assemblage of sericite (ser), kaolinite (kln)-
pyrophyllite (prl), woodhouseite (wood) and
than Ca contents. svanbergite (svan). SEM-BSE image. REFERENCE
REFERENCES
Sulfide and to a lesser extent sulfosalts Barrick (2014): Pueblo Viejo operations.
are the main ore minerals in Bayaguana http://www.barrick.com/operations/d
studied samples, occurring both ominican-republic/pueblo-viejo/
scattered and/or as vein-forming. Pyrite default.aspx [consult: 25 May 2014].
is by far the most abundant sulfide Escuder-Viruete, J., Díaz de Neira, A., Hernaiz
scattered in the rock, commonly forming Huerta, P. P., Monthel, J., García-Senz, J.,
submillimeter-sized rounded to sub- Joubert, M., Lopera, E., Ullrich, T.,
angular, occasionally sub-euhedral, Friedman, R., Mortensen, D., Pérez-Estaún,
A. (2006): Magmatic relationships and
grains along with minor chalcopyrite,
ages of Caribbean Island arc tholeiites,
enargite and sphalerite; pyrite grains are boninites and related felsic rocks,
commonly fractured and variably fig 3. Folded quartz veins with suture and rims of Dominican Republic. Lithos, 90,
90 161-186.
corroded and contain fairly abundant pyrite+chalcopyrite+enargite+molybdenite cut a Hawkestorn, C. .J., Gallagher, K., Hergt, J. M.,
chalcopyrite, enargite, sphalerite, pervasively silicified and sulfidized rock. McDermott, F. (1993): Mantle and s
covellite, rutile and gangue inclusions contributions in arc magma. Annual
and infillings. Scant galena, stannite, These observations suggest an Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences,
acanthite and stibnite minute crystals or overprinting or telescoping of both 21,
21 175-204.
mineralization styles in the studied drill Kesler, S. E., Campbell, I. H., Allen, C. M.
infillings of a few micrometers occur.
cores. In addition to that, diversity of (2005): Age of the Los Ranchos Formation,
Dominican Republic: Timing and tectonic
Complex veining is a common feature in veins and veining chronology here
setting of primitive island arc volcanism in
Doña Amanda samples. A diversity of established points to a complex thermal the Caribbean region. Geol. Soc. Am. Bull.,
vein types is described, with an apparent evolution of the mineralization. 117,
117 987-995.
chronology from observed crosscutting Muntean, J. L., Kesler, E. K., Russell, N.,
relations, as follows: 1) massive quartz; Setting aside differences in ore grades, Polanco, J. (1990): Evolution of the Monte
2) quartz with suture and rims of sulfide practically identical ore and alteration Negro Acid Sulfate Au-Ag Deposit, Pueblo
assemblages were described by Viejo, Dominican Republic: Important
(Fig. 3); although pyrite is the main
Muntean et al. (1990) for Monte Negro Factors in Grade Development. Econ. Geol.,
sulfide, this vein type presents 85,
85 1738-1758.
remarkable concentrations, especially in Deposit (Pueblo Viejo). These authors
Nelson, C. E., Proenza, J. A., Lewis, J. F.,
rims, of molybdenite and enargite, the described two stages of alteration and López-Kramer, J. (2011): The
last partially replaced by goldfieldite mineralization, the 1st related to metalogenetic evolution of the Greater
[Cu12(Te,Sb,As)4S13]; 3) kaolinite and advanced argillic alteration and Antilles. Geol. Acta, 9, 229-264.
pyrite-kaolinite; 4) massive pyrite with disseminated ore deposition and the 2nd Perilya (2012): Bayaguana Concessions.
subordinated quartz; 5) woodhouseite to high grade veining. Although http://www.perilya.com.au/our-
and 6) woodhouseite with extremely molybdenite is not described in Pueblo business/exploration/dominican/bay
elongated pyrite grains. Crosscutting Viejo deposits, it was recently detected aguana-concessions [consult: 25 May
relations of type 6 were not observed, in drill cores outside the mine area over 2014].
the western limit of Pueblo Viejo Pindell, J. K., Barrett, S. F. (1990): Geological
nor those of types 5 and 6.
concession. Evolution of the Caribbean region: A plate-
tectonic Caribbean Region. Geol. Soc. Am.,
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS Geology of North America, H, 405-432.
Doña Amanda classification as Sillitoe, R.H. (2010): Porphyry Copper
The bulk of the described alteration and epithermal (transitional to porphyry) Systems. Econ. Geol., 105,3-41.
105
ore mineral assemblages are typical of would support the idea that Los Ranchos White, N. C., Hedenquist, J. W. (1990):
high sulfidation epithermal deposits Fm. preferably hosts this deposit type Epithermal environments and styles of
(White & Hedenquist, 1990). However, whereas the Maimón Fm. (Fig. 1) tends mineralization: variations and their causes,
to host VMS mineralization style (Nelson and guidelines for exploration. J. Geochem.
presence of central sutured stringers
et al., 2011). Explor., 36,
36 445-474.
with molybdenite-chalcopyrite inevitably
recalls B-type veins described in many
porphyry Cu-Mo deposits (Sillitoe, 2010). The results from this research support