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Location: 74 km NW from Córdoba, Spain
Level 7, 167 Eagle StBrisbaneQueensland, Australia4000
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The Oropesa deposit is located within the Espiel Thrust Sheet, at the western margin of the Peñarroya basin, a Carboniferous, trans-tensional basin that formed during the Late Carboniferous Hercynian/Variscan orogeny. The Espiel Thrust Sheet is located between Ossa-Morena Zone and Central Iberian Zone within the Iberian Massif in southern Spain.The Oropesa project area comprises intercalated sandstones and conglomerates with rare siltstones and shales. The sedimentary units have complex geometries, reflecting an active depositional environment and syn-sedimentary faulting. This geometry has been further complicated by a subsequent phase of deformation involving the re-activation of some basin-controlling faults as strike slip and reverse faults with associated folding of the stratigraphic package, producing upright to locally overturned bedding.The geometry of the Oropesa deposit is primarily the result of two major deformation phases, an initial strikeslip to extensional phase of deformation during basin formation followed by a strong contractional overprint. Overturned bedding suggests that the sedimentary sequence has undergone significant folding postdeposition.The Oropesa Deposit consists of two main lithological units: conglomerate and sandstone (greywacke). The conglomerate is poorly sorted and predominantly clastsupported. It consists primarily of cobble to pebble-sized, subrounded clasts with a gradational matrix. Most clasts are of sedimentary origin, although occasional igneous clasts can be observed.The sandstone unit is quite variable with considerable grain size variation, from a pebbly sandstone, down to a very fine sandstone, the majority of the sandstones fall between the fine and granule grain size classifications.The geometry of the Oropesa deposit is primarily the result of two major deformation phases, an initial strike-slip to extensional phase of deformation during basin formation followed by a strong contractional overprint.MineralisationThe majority of the tin mineralisation (cassiterite > 97-99% with minor stannite) is replacement style, primarily occurring in granular sandstones at the contacts between the sandstone and conglomerate units. The mineralisation is volumetrically more significant as replacement style within the sandstones, however less significant fault/structurally hosted mineralisation has been interpreted as occurring within reverse thrust fault zones that bound and occur within the deposit. The tin mineralisation is associated with pervasive leaching of the host rocks, silica alteration and several phases of para-genetically late disseminated to semi-massive sulphides.The geometry of the Oropesa deposit is primarily the result of two major deformation phases, an initial strikeslip to extensional phase of deformation during which sediment deposition occurred within the basin as it developed, followed by a strong contractional overprint.Significant post sediment deposition tectonic activity comprising contractual sinistral strike-slip deformation appears to have been a key mechanism in providing structural conduits for mineralising fluids contemporaneously providing more permeable locations along the sandstone/conglomerate contact zones for the development of the ore body.Zinc Mineralisation Tin mineralisation (cassiterite with minor stannite) is the principle economic mineralisation at Oropesa. The tin mineralisation is replacement style, primarily occurring in granular sandstones at the contacts between the sandstone and conglomerate units, with up to three later phases of disseminated to semi-massive sulphide mineralisation. The zinc mineralisation is associated with the sulphide replacement mineralisation. The mineralisation is volumetrically more significant as replacement style within the sandstones, however fault/structurally hosted mineralisation has also been interpreted as occurring within reverse thrust fault zones that bound and occur within the deposit. The tin-zinc mineralisation is associated with pervasive leaching of the host rocks and silica ± carbonate ± chlorite alteration.
