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Porphyry copper enrichment linked to excess aluminium in plagioclase

Nature Geoscience volume 9, pages 237–241 (2016)Cite this article

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Abstract

Porphyry copper deposits provide around 75%, 50% and 20% of world copper, molybdenum and gold, respectively1. The deposits are mainly centred on calc-alkaline porphyry magmatic systems2,3 in subduction zone settings1. Although calc-alkaline magmas are relatively common, large porphyry copper deposits are extremely rare and increasingly difficult to discover. Here, we compile existing geochemical data for magmatic plagioclase, a dominant mineral in calc-alkaline rocks, from fertile (porphyry-associated) and barren magmatic systems worldwide, barren examples having no associated porphyry deposit. We show that plagioclase from fertile systems is distinct in containing ‘excess’ aluminium. This signature is clearly demonstrated in a case study carried out on plagioclase from the fertile La Paloma and Los Sulfatos copper porphyry systems in Chile. Further, the presence of concentric zones of high excess aluminium suggests its incorporation as a result of magmatic processes. As excess aluminium has been linked to high melt water contents, the concentric zones may record injections of hydrous fluid or fluid-rich melts into the sub-porphyry magma chamber. We propose that excess aluminium may exclude copper from plagioclase, so enriching the remaining melts. Furthermore, this chemical signature can be used as an exploration indicator for copper porphyry deposits.

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Figure 1: Geochemical data for plagioclase.
Figure 2: Geochemical variations within plagioclase phenocrysts.
Figure 3: Section through La Paloma and Los Sulfatos breccia-dominated porphyry systems.

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Acknowledgements

The project would not have been possible without the financial and logistical support of Anglo American, including former and current staff: J. Coppard, V. Irarrazaval, M. Buchanan, E. Liebmann, R. Mattos Pino, E. Centino, J. Andronico, R. Mauricio, D. Fernando and J. Zamorano. J. Spratt (Natural History Museum, London) and S. Pendray (University of Exeter) are thanked for EPMA support and thin section preparation, respectively. K. Cashman (Bristol University), S. Hesselbo, J. Pickles and S. Broom-Fendley (University of Exeter), and reviewer J. Richards (University of Alberta), are gratefully acknowledged for comments on the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Exeter—Camborne School of Mines, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK

    B. J. Williamson

  2. Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK

    B. J. Williamson, R. J. Herrington & A. Morris

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  1. B. J. Williamson
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  2. R. J. Herrington
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  3. A. Morris
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Contributions

B.J.W. and R.J.H. wrote the manuscript. A.M. carried out the LA-ICP-MS analyses of the plagioclase at the LODE Facility, Natural History Museum (NHM), London.

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Correspondence to B. J. Williamson.

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Williamson, B., Herrington, R. & Morris, A. Porphyry copper enrichment linked to excess aluminium in plagioclase. Nature Geosci 9, 237–241 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2651

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