Boletín de la Sociedad Geológica Mexicana Volumen 73, núm. 1, A121220, 2021 http://dx.doi.org/10.18268/BSGM2021v73n1a121220

Comment to “Porphyry-related high-sulfidation mineralization early in Central American Arc Development: Cerro Quema deposit, Azuero Peninsula, Panama” by Perelló et al., (2020)

Comentario a “Mineralización de alta sulfuración en relación con pórfidos en el desarrollo del Arco Centroamericano: El depósito de Cerro Quema, Península de Azuero, Panamá” por Perelló et al., (2020)

Isaac Corral^1,*

¹ Economic Geology Research Centre (EGRU), College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia.

* Corresponding author: (I. Corral) This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

How to cite this article:

Corral, I., 2021, Comment to “Porphyry-related high-sulfidation mineralization early in Central American Arc Development: Cerro Quema deposit, Azuero Peninsula, Panama” by Perelló et al. (2020): Boletín de la Sociedad Geológica Mexicana, 73 (1), A121220. http://dx.doi.org/10.18268/BSGM2021v73n1a121220

ABSTRACT

The Cerro Quema Au-Cu deposit is hosted by a dacite dome complex of the Río Quema Formation, a Late Campanian-Maastrichtian volcano-sedimentary sequence of the Panamanian magmatic arc. Its formational age is constrained at ~49 Ma by field evidences, crosscutting relationships and ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar geochronology (Corral et al., 2016, Corral, 2021). The recent molybdenite Re-Os dates by Perelló et al. (2020) claim that ore is spatially and temporally related to the host volcanic domes at ~71 Ma. After a thorough review of the geologic, geochemical and geochronological data from the Cerro Quema area, it is concluded that the Re-Os dates of Perelló et al. (2020) are not representative of the Cerro Quema formational age. Their proposed formational age at ~71 Ma is significantly older than the age of the host rock (~67 Ma). Furthermore, they invoke a previously unrecognized regional-scale magmatic event solely based on their molybdenite Re-Os dates. Instead, the Cerro Quema genetic model discussed here, in which magmatic-hydrothermal fluids derived from porphyry copper-like intrusions associated with the Valle Rico batholith produced the Au-Cu mineralization at ~49 Ma, is consistent with the geology, geochemistry and geochronology of the Azuero Peninsula.

Keywords: Alunite ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating, Cerro Quema, Gold-copper, Porphyry-related high-sulfidation, Panama.