Spectral prospectivity mapping of the Deseado Massif, Argentina :Deciphering the geochemistry and mineralogy of a low to intermediate sulfidation epithermal system

Abstract

Thesis has different types of evidence were extracted from datasets available for most part of the Deseado Massif, and were transformed into evidence maps; a compilation and interpretation of the available information of the deposit was carried out, constructing a hypothetical geological conceptual model of the deposit, in which seven explored areas with evidence of epithermal activity were represented; the geochemistry was studied inside and immediately around the most mineralized part of the La Josefina deposit, but including a small adjacent area that is non-mineralized; reflectance spectroscopy was used to study clay alterations in the seven mentioned areas, which are spread along the whole area affected by hydrothermal alteration and mineralization in the La Josefina deposit; the results from the previous chapters were synthesized and the concepts acquired from the spectroscopic study were used to test the accuracy of the predictor maps that were previously used for the prospectivity mapping analysis.