Chemical and Physical Controls for Base Metal Deposition in the Cascade Range of Washington State

The Cascade Range of Washington can be considered metallogenetically to be primarily a copper province. Structural and chemical data compiled from examination of numerous copper occurrences in the Cascades indicate a marked parallel of physical conditions for sulfide deposition. In probable order of significance, the environmental criteria are as follows: 1) adjacent or subjacent, postregional metamorphism high-level intrusive activity, most commonly in the time range from 15 million years to 30 million years; 2) transverse northeast trending structural belts which obliquely cut the northwest regional trend of the range; 3) potassium-silica wall rock alteration; most important of the alteration suite of silicates are orthoclase secondary biotite and quartz; 4) the intersection of northwest trending and northeast trending structures. The varying geologic environments in the Washington Cascades present a complex setting for the sulfide deposits. The North Cascades are comprised of predominantly pre-Tertiary metamorphic rocks invaded by Tertiary calcalkaline intrustive rocks. The Central Cascades, lying south of the North Cascades, exhibit a younger, higher level geologic environment comprised of predominantly early to middle Tertiary volcanic rocks and subordinate sedimentary rocks which are intruded by Tertiary calc-alkaline igneous rocks. Although the Tertiary Cascade intrusions are dominantly quartz dioritic, copper mineralization is commonly found in rocks of quartz monzonite to granite composition. These acid rocks appear to be the product of late stage magmatic K alteration of the original quartz diorites. Sulfide concentrations are considered to be in part dependent on the degree of K-silicate activity and the intensity of transverse structural deformation.