Geology and geochemistry of jasperoids from the ‘Montaña de Manganeso’ district, San Luis Potosí, north-central Mexico

Abstract

Large outcrops of jasperoids occur in the ‘Montaña de Manganeso’ mining district in north-central Mexico. They range from massive manganiferous jasperoids to highly brecciated, hematitic jasperoid. The jasperoids of ‘Montaña de Manganeso’ occur mainly as replacements of limestone, sandstone and shale, commonly nearby high-angle fault systems. The mineralogy of the jasperoids consist of quartz and its polymorphs (chalcedony, tridymite and cristobalite), Fe-Mn oxyhydroxides, calcite and minor barite. Many outcrops show evidence of several periods of brecciation and silicification. The geochemical signature of the jasperoids suggests that silicification was product of hydrothermal activity. The jasperoids display enrichment in elements of hydrothermal provenance such as Ba, Sr, As, Cr, Mo, Sb, Ni, Zn and Cu, whereas are strongly depleted in the elements indicative of clastic sources such as Ti, K, Th and Zr. Element ratios such as (Fe+Mn)/Ti, Al/(Al+Fe+Mn), Fe/Mn and U /Th, along with the Al-Fe-Mn and Fe-Mn-(Ni+Co+Cu)×10 ternary diagrams confirm a hydrothermal origin. Low ∑REE, an enrichment of LREE over HREE, negative Ce anomalies and positive Y anomalies (Y_PASS/Ho_PAAS) also support the hydrothermal processes. The geological evidence, in the form of a feeder zone and extensive hydrothermal alteration, show that the silica forming the rocks originated from ascending hot fluids.