Lithological and mineralogical mapping of devonian cerro Áspero Batholith, Eastern Sierras Pampeanas, Argentina, using Aster images

Abstract

The present study evaluates ASTER Image Processing as a technique to assist the lithological and mineralogical mapping of large granitic bodies and associated hydrothermal alteration assemblages related to the Cerro Áspero batholith, in Sierra de Comechingones, Argentina. This batholith was formed by the successive emplacement of several sub circular, high-level crust plutons, that intruded, in the Upper Devonian, to metamorphic sequences of high to medium grade reworked by shear zones. Each of these plutons developed internal, external and roof units, and dyke swarms. Internal units are composed by porphyritic biotite monzogranites and external, roof units and dyke swarms are dominated by two-mica and muscovite leucocratic monzogranites to quarz-rich alkali-feldspar granites. The main associated mineralizations are W-Mo magmatic-hydrothermal deposits and postbatholith epithemal fluorite deposits of cretaceous age. Supervised classification, principal component analyses and emissivity calculations were made to identify lithological composition and variations within the different plutons that comprise the Cerro Áspero batholith. This methodology allowed us to have a better and precise mapping of the study area as well as the contacts between the different plutons that comprise the Cerro Áspero batholith. The classification with spectral angle mapper methods allowed to identify the different sectors with hydrothermal alteration (argillic and silicification). The argillic alteration is mainly associated with epithermal fluorite deposits.