Abstract

CAMPRUBI, Antoni; ALBINSON, Tawn  and  IRIONDO, Alexander. Geochronology of Mexican mineral deposits. V: the Peñón Blanco epithermal deposit Durango. Bol. Soc. Geol. Mex [online]. 2016, vol.68, n.2, pp.365-370. ISSN 1405-3322.

The low sulfidation epithermal deposits of the San Juan de Mogotes mineralized area in the Peñón Blanco district, central-eastern Durango, were dated in this study at 31.29 ± 0.08 Ma (adularia from crustiform veins, 40Ar/39Ar plateau age). Therefore, these deposits belong to the most productive metallogenic epoch-Oligocene-and are found in the most heavily mineralized region of Mexico-the western half of the Mesa Central, particularly around the San Luis-;Tepehuanes fault zone and near its confluence with the Transversal de Parras (or Parras Transversal zone). At that time and in this region epithermal deposits and tin veins in association with fluorine-rich rhyolites (highly differentiated rhyolites) were the dominant types of deposits, and both occurred at a district scale, which is the case of the Peñón Blanco district, among others. Such characteristics suggest a possible genetic link between both types of deposits, research that would need to be specifically addressed in the future.

Keywords : Peñón Blanco; Durango; Mexico; epithermal deposits; low sulfidation; ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages; adularia.