Paleoproterozoic gold deposits at Alta Floresta mineral province, Brazil; two overprinted mineralizing events?

Large gold provinces commonly show complicated mineralization histories, and the Paleoproterozoic Alta Floresta, one of Brazil's most exciting Au-Cu mineral provinces, is a good example. The current models defined four deposit types, all connected to a single (1.88-1.75 Ga) magmatic-hydrothermal event. However, long Province history, diverse geodynamic environment and older ages of Type-1mineralization weaken the single metallogenic event and enable the hypothesis of overprinted mineral events. By scale-integrated analyses, we revise the tectonic-geological context, structural-hydrothermal alterations and chlorite-white mica geothermobarometry and propose the Type-1 as an older, granitoid-hosted orogenic mineralization, with subsequent overprinting by the magmatic-hydrothermal event. The older orogenic gold event developed orogenic gold deposits on WNW-trending shear zones in the Peixoto de Azevedo domain granitic-gneiss rocks. Phengite, biotite and chlorite-carbonate phyllonites (3.36.1 kbar, 300-420 degrees C) host fault-fill quartz veins (pyrite-chalcopyrite-magnetite-pyrrhotite-gold-Bi-Ag tellurides). Mg-rich chlorite-phengite is the main alteration footprint for this mineralization type. A younger magmatic-hydrothermal event in the Juruena magmatic-arc rocks produced Fe-rich chlorite-white mica alteration zones (0.6-4.6 kbar, 120-380 degrees C) and disseminated and stockwork breccia ore (pyrite-chalcopyrite-gold-molybdenite-Ti minerals-allanite) in porphyry-epithermal deposits. Where the younger mineralization overprints the older, phyllic alteration destroyed the phengite orogenic gold phyllonite S (sub n+1) foliation. The ages of two pyrite populations (1979 and 1841 Ma) in the older fault-fill veins and molybdenite in late fractures (1805-1782 Ma) or disseminated in the c. 1.79 Ga syenogranite porphyry suggest more than two episodes of mineralization. These two events differ in their alteration styles, P-T conditions and structural, mineralogical and textural ore styles. The multiscale approach sheds light on the relationships between the various mineralization events, allowing a new explorational potential within the province.