유봉철 Bong Chul Yoo
DOI:10.22807/KJMP.2026.39.3.343 Vol.39(No.3) 343-360, 2026
Abstract
The Pallancata Ag mine is classified as an intermediate-sulfidation (adularia-sericite) epithermal type, in which mineralized veins fill NNW-trending sinistral strike-slip faults and NW-, EW-, and NE-trending fracture zones developed by these faults within tuff (hostrock). During our visit to the Pallancata mine, quartz vein samples were collected from the NW-trending Pallancata vein, the EW-trending Yurika vein, and NE-trending vein. Whole-rock geochemical data for the collected quartz veins were used to investigate the types and geochemical behavior of elements associated with hydrothermal alteration and Ag mineralization. The collected quartz veins show variations in the size and abundance of tuffaceous hostrock fragments, as well as differences in alteration intensity and mineral assemblages. With respect to major element compositions, the Pallancata vein is relatively enriched in TiO2, Al2O3, MgO, and K2O, whereas the NE-trending veins contain somewhat higher Fe2O3 and CaO contents than the other veins. In all veins, TiO2, Al2O3, F2O3, Na2O, K2O, P2O5, and LOI contents clearly decrease with increasing SiO2 content, whereas MgO and CaO do not exhibit distinct decreasing trends with increasing SiO2. These compositional characteristics are related to the occurrence of K-feldspar, albite, and biotite in the hostrock fragments contained within the veins. Minor element variations also differ among the veins. In the Pallancata vein, Au, Cu, Zn, As, Sb, and Pb contents increase with increasing Ag content. In the Yurika vein, Au, Zn, As, and Pb contents increase with increasing Ag, whereas Cu and Sb contents decrease. In the NE-trending vein, Cu, Zn, and Pb contents increase with increasing Ag, whereas Au, As, and Sb contents decrease. These contrasting geochemical trends suggest differences in the Ag-bearing mineral species among the veins. Calculations of hydrothermal alteration indexs and elemental gains and losses for each vein indicate that the intensity of alteration varies among individual veins and samples. The tuffaceous rock fragments within the veins were affected predominantly by sericitization and adularization, accompanied locally by chloritization, as a result of hydrothermal alteration. During hydrothermal Ag mineralization at the Pallancata mine, SiO2, F2O3, Au, Ag, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Mo, Sb, Te, W, Pb, and Bi were introduced by hydrothermal fluids. In particular, SiO2, Au, Cu, Zn, Mo, As, Sb, Te, W, and Pb may be useful as geochemical pathfinder elements for future Ag mineralization exploration in the Pallancata district.
Key Words
Pallancata 은 광산, 석영맥, 전암분석, 변질 지수, 이득/손실, Pallancata Ag mine, Quartz vein, Wall-rock analysis, Alteration index, Gain/loss