Geology and mineralization controls surrounding the Palmarejo mining district - A compilation of remote and hands on exploration techniques

Abstract

Exploration is the base of the mining industry, and it is often taken as synonymous with "finding a mine". In reality it is a more complex process; where the selection, evaluation, screening and testing of successively smaller areas lead to the discovery of an economic deposit. Once the deposit is found, the economic factors become more important than the geological ones, and then the exploration becomes a tool to give sustainability to the mining operation through time.

The silver and gold deposits of the world-class Palmarejo District are typical, intermediate sulfidation-style epithermal, precious metal occurrences, hosted in Cretaceous- to Tertiary-aged volcanic and intrusive rocks of the Lower Volcanic Complex (LVC), and host one of the newest and largest silver and gold producers in Mexico.

Using a series of five chapters, three of them focused on the mine, and two at regional level, this author will show the geology and mineralization controls at different scales within the study area. Once the mineralization controls at regional and mine scale are known, the combination of previous knowledge with the right tools, helps the explorer to decide where to, wisely and effectively, spend the resources.