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Style of gold mineralisation in the ‘mantos’ of Cori Puno, Eastern Cordillera, Puno, Peru
Warren T Pratt1 & Manuel Castro2
1 Specialised Geological Mapping Ltd, Station Rd, Urquhart, Moray, IV30 8LQ. UK. +44 7920 886101, [email protected]
2 Coripuno S.A.C., Av. Javier Prado Este 3580 piso 7 Lima 41, +51 988438844, [email protected]

1. Abstract At Cori Puno this comprises phyllites/schists of the
San Jose Formation, rich in andalusite and
Mantos are generally defined as stratiform cordierite porphyroblasts, overlain by dark slates of
mineralised horizons that were more the Sandia Formation (Figure 2). The two
susceptible/reactive to hydrothermal alteration formations are separated by a distinct regional
and mineralisation. The term is used in the marker, a clean quartzite bed, approximately 5-30
context of many different styles of m thick (Figure 2). The dark slates of the Sandia
mineralisation, including epithermal, porphyry comprise well bedded, dark grey to black, organic-
and orogenic. rich mudstones and siltstones. There are also beds
of bioturbated meta-sandstone. The slates have a
This talk describes ‘mantos’ from Cori Puno, strong tectonic cleavage; metamorphic grade is
across the watershed from La Rinconada (about probably low greenschist, possibly sub-greenschist.
6 km to the southwest), in the Peruvian (The rocks are best described as slates rather than
Cordillera Oriental. The mantos are hosted by phyllites, since individual micas cannot be seen.)
andalusite/cordierite schists and black, organic- The slates contain common disseminated pyrite and
rich slates. We interpret them as flat-lying shear pyrrhotite, probably of diagenetic origin (anoxic
zones and isoclinal fold hinges, almost parallel seafloor).
to the local schistosity/cleavage and bedding.
The shear zones are subtle and the ‘mantos’ are The gold-bearing ‘mantos’ occur within both the
marked by major flat quartz veins and swarms formations, but the principal examples occur within
of en echelon quartz and sulfide (mostly the Sandia Formation.
pyrrhotite) veins. There is a distinct paragenesis
of vein types, including ‘Zebra’ veins. 4. Intrusions
2. Introduction There are small exposures, in the valley bottoms, of

a muscovite-bearing granite at Cori Puno. Narrow,
There is very little published information about the folded dikes of granite also cut the San Jose
mantos at La Rinconada, in the Cordillera Oriental Formation. These intrusions may explain the
of Peru (Figure 1). Access is difficult, because of increased metamorphic grade and widespread
social issues and insecurity. Fornari et al (1982) and cordierite/andalusite (classic contact metamorphic
Fornari & Herail (1991) interpreted the Rinconada minerals) in the San Jose Formation.
mantos as syn-sedimentary, but noted the common
presence of bedding-parallel smoky grey quartz 5. Tectonics
veins.
The rocks in the La Rinconada-Cori Puno tract
We report on the Cori Puno mine. Operated by display unusually flat bedding and
Consorcio Minero Horizonte (CMH), this produces cleavage/schistosity. This is largely bedding-
about 53,000 ounces of gold per year. This gold parallel. There is plenty of surface evidence of
comes exclusively from flat-lying orebodies, overturning and isoclinal folds (Figure 2). There are
generally described as ‘mantos’. Our article also lengths of drill core at Cori Puno where the
investigates the origin of this gold. bedding is steeper than the cleavage/schistosity,
implying overturning and isoclinal folding.
3. Lithostratigraphy Boudinage of the more competent beds, such as the
quartzite marker bed, is widespread. These
competent beds also contain abundant quartz
tension gash veins. Thrusts have been described There is no doubt that true mantos exist in the
from La Rinconada (Fornari et al., 1982). Cordillera Oriental of Peru. The Vetaspata mantos,
close to Sina, on the Bolivian border, are clearly
There is a host of post-mineral normal faults that examples of thin reactive beds (more feldspathic
offset the mantos at Cori Puno. There are also sandstone) that interacted with hydrothermal fluids
widespread crenulation cleavages and kink bands to produce increased sulfides and caused gold
that likewise post-date mineralisation. The mineralisation.
Northeast-striking kink bands give rise to a strong
Northeast topographic control on creeks and rivers However, the Cori Puno ‘mantos’ are ‘pseudo-
and precipitous cliffs. mantos’. They are bedding parallel, but they are not
discrete reactive beds. Instead, they comprise
6. ‘Mantos’ tectonic zones, probably within fold hinges, with
swarms of grey, and milky, quartz veins. These
These comprise bedding- and cleavage/schistosity- veins developed whilst the strata were being folded
parallel zones between 1 and 30 m thick. Despite and cleavage was developing. They therefore fall
detailed underground mapping and logging, there is firmly into the category of orogenic gold. They
no discernible difference between the mineralised closely resemble the ‘slate belt’ or turbidite-hosted
‘mantos’ and the underlying and overlying strata. gold deposits of Victoria State in Australia (Bendigo-
For example, they do not appear to contain more Ballarat). The Cori Puno (and Rinconada?) veins
organic material. Instead, they are zones of developed under compressional conditions in the
increased veining (both parallel, and oblique, to brittle-ductile transition, typical of greenschist facies
bedding) and increased disseminated pyrite + conditions. A suggested model, showing the two
pyrrhotite + minor chalcopyrite. The uppermost main generations of veins (early grey, late milky), is
manto contains abundant stibnite (a typical mineral shown in Figure 4. It shows more intense cleavage
of high level orogenic gold deposits). The increase within a probable isoclinal fold hinge and a
in veining seems to be related to a more intense consistent sense of vergence of the veins (Top to
cleavage, isoclinal fold hinges and subtle, easily- Northeast). This creates possible Northwest-striking
missed shear zones and faults. oreshoots formed by ‘jogs’.
7. Vein paragenesis Acknowledgements
Elucidating the sequence (paragenesis) of veins Many thanks to Gonzalo de Losada (CMH) for
helps us understand the controls on gold permission to describe the mineralisation at Cori
mineralisation at Cori Puno. Early veins are a Puno.
distinct smoky grey colour, as described by Fornari
et al (1982) from La Rinconada. These early veins References
began life as tension gases, but suffered
subsequent folding and rotation parallel to Fornari, M, Herail, G & Laubacher, G. 1982. El oro
bedding/cleavage. They were also boudinaged. en la Cordillera Suroriental del Peru: el placer
They are thus clearly syn-tectonic. Detailed fluvioglacial de San Antonio de Poto
underground sampling and drill core samples show (Departamento de Puno) y sus relaciones con la
that this generation of veins contains the gold. mineralización primaria de La Rinconada. Quinto
Congreso Latinoamericano de Geología,
The early grey quartz veins are cut a distinct Argentina. Actas IV: 369-386.
sequence of flat-lying, bedding parallel major milky
quartz veins and common en echelon oblique Fornari, M & Herail, G. 1991. Lower Paleozoic gold
quartz tension gash veins. The latter give a occurrences in the ‘Eastern Cordillera’ of Southern
consistent ‘Top to Northeast’ sense of Peru and Northern Bolivia; A genetic model. Brazil
displacement. ‘Zebra veins’ (Figure 3) comprise Gold ’91. E A Ladeira (Ed.). Balkema, Rotterdam.
early grey, gold-bearing quartz veins cut by regular ISBN 906191 1958.
tension gash veins of milky (non mineralised)
quartz. Sanchez, A & Zapato, A. 2001. Mapa geológico del
cuadrangulo de La Rinconada. Escala 1:100,000.
8. Conclusions
Instituto geológico minero y metalurgico, Ministerio
de Energia y Minas, Republica del Peru.
Illustrations
Figure 1 Simplified geological map of the La

Rinconada-Cori Puno area. Modified after Sanchez
& Zapato (2001).
Figure 3 Typical vein textures at Cori Puno, showing

early grey (gold-bearing), and later milky, quartz
veins.
Figure 2 Simplified lithostratigraphy at Cori Puno.

Figure 4 Model for the development of the gold-
bearing veins at Cori Puno.

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Style of gold mineralisation in the ‘mantos’ of Cori Puno, Eastern Cordillera, Puno, Peru

Warren T Pratt1 & Manuel Castro2

2. Introduction There are small exposures, in the valley bottoms, of

7. Vein paragenesis Acknowledgements

Figure 1 Simplified geological map of the La

Figure 3 Typical vein textures at Cori Puno, showing

Figure 2 Simplified lithostratigraphy at Cori Puno.

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