Jose Piquer

Universidad Austral de Chile · Instituto de Ciencias de la Tierra

The evolution of the Main Cordillera of Central Chile is characterized by the formation and subsequent inversion of an intra-arc volcano-tectonic basin. The world's largest porphyry Cu-Mo deposits were emplaced during basin inversion. Statistically, the area is dominated by NE- and NW-striking faults, oblique to the N-striking inverted basin-margin...

The Andes of central Chile are composed mostly of Cenozoic volcanic rocks, erupted during the opening and subsequent inversion of the intra-arc volcano-tectonic Abanico Basin. Until recently, the internal segmentation of this inverted basin was poorly understood. Based on a combination of U-Pb geochronology, (U-Th)/He thermochronology, whole rock g...

Porphyry-type deposits are the main global source of copper and molybdenum. An improved understanding of the most favorable structural settings for the emplacement of these deposits is necessary for successful exploration, particularly considering that most future discoveries will be made under cover based on conceptual target generation. A common...

La Huifa is a breccia-related Cu-Mo porphyry deposit located in the Andes of central Chile, 3 km northeast of the giant El Teniente porphyry Cu-Mo orebody. It was discovered as part of Codelco’s brownfield exploration activities in the El Teniente district. It is the first major discovery in the area, and this work presents its first detailed geolo...

Plate coupling plays a fundamental role in the way in which seismic energy is released during the seismic cycle. This process includes quasi-instantaneous release during megathrust earthquakes and long-term creep. Both mechanisms can coexist in a given subduction margin, defining a seismotectonic segmentation in which seismically active segments ar...

Plate coupling play a fundamental role in the way in which seismic energy is released during the seismic cycle. This process includes quasi-instantaneous release during megathrust earthquakes and long-term creep. Both mechanisms can coexist in a given subducting margin, defining a seismotectonic segmentation in which seismically active segments are...

The Andes of southern Central Chile correspond to a transition zone between two contrasting segments of the continental margin. Towards the north, the Andes of central and northern Chile are characterized by a thick continental crust and the presence of giant porphyry-style Cu-Mo deposits, while towards the south, the Andes of southern Chile are ch...

In the central Andes, giant porphyry copper deposits of similar ages group into discrete geographic clusters that are regularly spaced and aligned within orogen-parallel belts. This clustering highlights how exceptional geologic processes affected localized regions of the lithosphere during mineralization and that the spatial and temporal distribut...

In a subduction setting, the type of magmatic products which reach the upper crust, and eventually the surface, depends on several variables, among which some of the most relevant are the tectonic regime, and the orientation of magma pathways relative to the predominant stress tensor. To better understand this relationship, we studied in detail an...

Epidote is a common hydrothermal mineral in the distal haloes of different types of mineral deposits, particularly in the propylitic alteration haloes of porphyry systems. In the case of deposits covered by pre-or post-mineral rocks and sediments, epidote alteration might be the only visible expression in the field. Recent studies regarding the min...

Southern Chile placer gold deposits have been known and exploited since Spanish colonial times. Despite this, precise knowledge about their origin is scarce. This work aims to identify possible primary sources of the gold in the Pureo placers by studying the morphological and chemical characteristics of gold particles according to their spatial dis...

Diversos autores han reconocido, en distintos contextos geológicos, el importante rol que juegan las fallas de basamento, heredadas de ciclos geológicos previos, en el control sobre la distribución y geometría de sistemas magmático-hidrotermales. Este tipo de estructuras controlan la permeabilidad a gran escala de la corteza y del manto litosférico...

This research focusses on identifying and mapping the continental-scale trans-lithospheric structural architecture of the central Andes by integrating multiple geoscience datasets supported by field observations. Datasets used in the analysis include geophysical inputs such as airborne magnetics, regional gravity and seismic epicentres as well as g...

The central Andes (between latitudes of 14°S and 35°S) accounts for approximately 40% of the world’s annual copper production and is the most important copper province on the planet. However, since 1998, just one giant porphyry copper Greenfield discovery has been made in the central Andes. Post mineralisation cover consisting of transported gravel...

Lithospheric-scale fault systems control the large-scale permeability in the Earth's crust and lithospheric mantle, and its proper recognition is fundamental to understand the geometry and distribution of mineral deposits, volcanic and plutonic complexes and geothermal systems. However, their manifestations at the current surface can be very subtle...

Lithospheric-scale fault systems control the large-scale permeability in the Earth’s crust and lithospheric mantle, and its proper recognition is fundamental to understand the geometry and distribution of mineral deposits, volcanic and plutonic complexes and geothermal systems. However, their manifestations at the current surface can be very subtle...

Long-lived, high-angle fault systems constitute high-permeability zones that can localize the upward flow of hydrothermal fluids and magma throughout the upper crust. Intersections of these types of structures can develop complex interference patterns, which constitute volumes of damaged rock (networks of small-scale faults and fractures) where per...

The Zijinshan district, Fujian Province, southeastern China, is a major mineral field that contains high- and intermediate-sulfidation epithermal Cu-Au-Ag and porphyry Cu-Mo deposits. This contribution discusses the structural geology and the tectonic regime prevalent during mineralization at Zijinshan. Statistically, the district is dominated by N...

The late Miocene to early Pliocene mineralized centers of the Rio Blanco-Los Bronces porphyry copper cluster constitute the largest known copper concentration in the Earth's crust. Based on new district-scale geological mapping and cross-section interpretation, this study describes the structural evolution of the Main Cordillera of central Chile in...

The formation of porphyry Cu-Mo systems is commonly thought to be favoured by compressive to transpressive tectonic regimes, which lead to a diminution in the rate of volcanic output and to the entrapment of magmas and volatiles in the upper crust. Two cases are presented here for which the tectonic regime during mineral deposit formation is discus...

This study presents new findings regarding the structural architecture of the main Andes of Central Chile, in the segment between the Rio Blanco-Los Bronces and the El Teniente porphyry copper deposits, based on new structural and geochronological data. The tectonic evolution of the area was controlled by successive reactivations of NW and NE-orien...

This study presents a new model that describes the tectonic evolution of the main Andes of Central Chile, in the area around the Rio Blanco-Los Bronces porphyry copper cluster. We suggest that the tectonic evolution of the area was strongly controlled by oblique NW-NNW and NE pre-mineral fault systems that originated as normal faults. These faults...

The Cenozoic geologic evolution of the central part of the Cordillera Principal at ~35°S, is intimately related to the geodynamic evolution of deep crustal structures, which during different stages contra lled the deposition of volcanosedimentary sequences, and the ascent and emplacement of epizonal intrusions. Newly defined stratigraphy around the...

The Cenozoic of the upper Teno River, Cordillera Principal, Central Chile: stratigraphy, plutonism and their relation with deep structures. The Cenozoic geologic evolution of the central part of the Cordillera Principal at similar to 35 degrees S, is intimately related to the geodynamic evolution of deep crustal Structures, which during different s...

Introducción En el marco del proyecto Anillo ACT-18 se ha realizado una recopilación y homogenización de la información geológica disponible en la Cordillera de los Andes entre los ca. 31º30 35º00 (Fig. 1) con la cual se han construido una serie de perfiles estructurales E-W entre la Depresión Central y la frontera chileno-argentina, con el objetiv...