Características de la composición mineralógica de las menas de la Veta Madre de Guanajuato

Abstract

A study was undertaken in the mining district of Guanajuato to determine the mineralogy of the Veta Madre vein. The stages of mineralization were determined and the elemental content of each mineral was analyzed.

The stages of mineralization are: (1) early stage with sulphides of Cu-Pb-Zn, (2) metallic stage with Ag-Au with white quartz, (3) metallic stage with Ag-Au with transparent quartz and calcite, and (4) post-metallic stage with calcite.

The system acanthite-aguilarite-naumannite shows continuity with respect to the contents of selenium and sulfur and does not show exsolution textures. The content of sulfur ranges from 13.29 to 2.19%, the content of selenium from 1.53 to 19.46 %, and the content of silver from 85.28 to 78.35% respectively, between the minerals acanthite and naumannite.

Some other economically important minerals are electrum, native silver, polybasite, chalcopyrite, sphalerite and galena.