Metallogenic provinces in southeastern Pacific region

Mineral deposits of the southeastern Pacific region include: (1) hypogene, volcanogenic, and sedimentary deposits of the Andean region, (2) scattered copper deposits in the Antarctic Peninsula; and (3) metal-enriched sea-floor sediments and volcanic rocks. Andean metalliferous deposits are related spatially and genetically to calc-alkaline plutons and volcanic rocks emplaced during the Andean orogeny of Jurassic to Quaternary age. These deposits are components of a single metallogenic province, superimposed on two or more pre-Andean Paleozoic and Precambrian metallogenic provinces. Scattered copper deposits of the Antarctic Peninsula are similar in age and origin to deposits in the Andes and are considered to be in the Andean province. The sea-floor deposits include: (1) etal-enriched rocks and sediments that have formed at an accreting plate margin, such as the East Pacific Rise or near sea-floor volcanism; (2) sea-water precipitates; and (3) concentrations of heavy minerals in clastic sediments along the continental margin.