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Section 5b - Skarn Au-Cu

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Skarn deposits - definitions

 Isochemical skarn – contact metamorphism
 Metasomatic skarn – transfer of magmatic
volatiles, typically H2O, Al, Si, Fe into carbonate
rocks and Ca, CO2 + Mg into the intrusion
 Exoskarn – outside of related intrusion
 Endoskarn – inside the related intrusion
 Prograde skarn – anhydrous typically comprising
zoned calcilate minerals and some mineralisation
 Retrograde skarn – hydrous retrograde minerals
replace prograde minerals and more mineralisation
 Skarnoid – weak skarn alteration

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Skarn protors
 Limestone – Ca garnet and pyroxene, vesuvianite,
wollastonite
 Marls (Ca shale) – calc-silicate
 Dolomite – Mg-rich garnet, pyroxene amphiboles,
magnetite
 Volcanics – Fe-Mg rich Ca poor minerals

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Skarn sequence

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Skarn isochemical

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Skarn metasomatic

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Metal movement and zonation

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Skarn front

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Skarn retrograde

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Skarn with
retrograde

Retrograde minerals:
Chlorite, amphiboles (tremolite-actinolite),
epidote, talc, magnetite, calcite etc
Epithermal veins

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Mungana Skarn Zonation

In DDH895
 Hot at hanging wall
– Kfeldspar-biotite-pyroxene
– Pyroxene + garnet
– Wollastonite-pyroxene
– Wollastontie-garnet-pyroxene
– Wollastonite
– Magnetite-marble
– marble
 Cool at footwall

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Skarn
HOT
prograde
Zonation

Kfeldspar-biotite-pyroxene

COOL
Pyroxene garnet retrograde

Wollastonite sulphides

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Skarn front

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Mungana, Australia

Tennantite-mineralisation

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Constancia Peru

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Constancia -
Prograde skarn
Magnetite-chalcopyrite
near feeder fault

Pyroxene overprints
garnet

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Retrograde skarn cuts prograde

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Epithermal veins
overprint skarn
vg

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epithermal
overprint Constancia, Peru
retrograde
garnet

limestone

garnet pyroxene
Magnetite-
chalcopyrite

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Tres Chipas, Chile

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Bornite-
Tres Chipas Chile
wollastonite

Yellow garnet
bornite

Red garnet +
chalcopyrite

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Mission porphyry Cu, Arizona

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Browns Creek

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Browns Creek
skarn with
sheeted quartz
veins

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Skarn conclusion

Three stages of mineralisation

• Prograde
• Retrograde
• Epithermal

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Skarnoid

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Skarn – Exploration significance

 Significant sources of Cu-Au (and Mo, W etc)

 Often discernible as magnetic anomalies and using
structure
 Zonation in alteration and mineralisation with
common skarn fronts
 Prograde and retrograde alteration and mineralisation
 Potential for higher grade (epithermal) overprints
 Important vectors towards porphyry Cu-Au

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Cadia skarn
Cadia Hill

Ridgeway

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Ertsberg-Grasberg

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Papua New Guinea

Skarn assisted discoveries

Yandera
Frieda

Ok Tedi Kainantu

Woodlark

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