Variations in Au-Ag epithermal deposits, relationship with Cu porphyry deposits and exploration guides: Andes to Patagonia

This one-day course will discuss the two major environments of epithermal deposits and their related alteration. First, extension-related deposits will be examined, including their equivalents in active geothermal systems, with a focus on the interpretation of alteration minerals and their zonation. This will be followed by a discussion of lithocap formation, its active equivalents and characteristics, and, in some cases, mineralization hosted either within the lithocaps or at their margins. Numerous examples will be used to examine the varying relationships of lithocaps with underlying intrusions and porphyry copper-au deposits, as well as the mineralogical transition at the base of the lithocaps to the upper portion of porphyry mineralization. This course will emphasize the interpretation of epithermal features that can assist in exploration and evaluation.