Geology of the World’s Major Gold Deposits and Provinces
Chapter 22: Gold Deposits of the Yanacocha District, Cajamarca, Peru
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Published:January 01, 2020
Abstract
The Yanacocha district of northern Peru has produced >37 million ounces (Moz) Au since production commenced in 1993. Recognized as one of the world’s most prolific high-sulfidation epithermal gold districts, its discovery was made over a four-year period (1984–1988) through a joint venture alliance operated by Newmont Corporation. Over the past 30 years the geologic understanding of the district has been enhanced by research and documentation by many academic and Newmont geoscientists. The gold deposits are hosted within Tertiary volcanic rocks consisting of pyroclastic sequences cut by several generations of breccias and intrusions, all of which have undergone silicic and advanced argillic alteration. A dominant NE-trending structural corridor bounds all deposits in the district, and local northwest fault intersections with this trend are complimentary controls on mineralization. There are 12 major deposits discovered and exploited at Yanacocha. The largest, Cerro Yanacocha, has produced >17.5 Moz Au, whereas the newest deposit to be delineated, Antonio, has a >1.0 Moz resource. The depletion of shallow, supergene-oxidized deposits has necessitated the current underground development to exploit deeper sulfide deposits. Significant potential remains within the Yanacocha district in both oxide and sulfide deposits, and ongoing exploration efforts, are leveraging learnings from mined deposits and advances in exploration technologies and tools to extend the mine life.
- base metals
- Cenozoic
- copper ores
- Cretaceous
- drilling
- epithermal processes
- faults
- geochemical anomalies
- gold
- gold ores
- history
- igneous rocks
- Jurassic
- lead ores
- lead-zinc deposits
- lineaments
- Mesozoic
- metal ores
- metals
- mineral deposits, genesis
- mineral exploration
- oxides
- Peru
- production
- pyroclastics
- reserves
- silver ores
- South America
- structural controls
- sulfides
- tectonics
- Tertiary
- volcanic rocks
- zinc ores
- San Jose Deposit
- Cajamarca Peru
- Michiquillay Deposit
- Yanacocha mining district
- Cerro Yanacocha Deposit
- La Quinua Deposit
- Minas Conga Deposit
- Tantahuatay Deposit
- Chaquicocha Sur Deposit
- El Tapado Deposit