Pueblo Viejo
Cordillera Central (Hispaniola), Dominican Republic
Epithermal depositsAu-Ag (Zn, Cd, Hg, In, As, Se, Te)
- Type
- High-sulfidation epithermal (acid-sulfate)
One of the largest high-sulfidation epithermal deposits in the world. It is hosted in spilites, conglomerates and carbonaceous sediments of a maar-diatreme complex of the Los Ranchos Formation, in the Early Cretaceous (109.6 ± 0.6 Ma). Mineralisation lies mainly in pyritic, carbonaceous siltstones of the Pueblo Viejo Member. Three pyrite generations are distinguished: framboidal, before mineralisation; disseminated non-framboidal, the main gold carrier; and late vein pyrite. It is mined by Barrick Gold and Newmont (60 and 40%).
δ34S in ‰ (per mil) Values of the same system
Standard : V-CDT
| Value | Range | n | Mineral or matrix | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| −17.5 / 4.8 ‰ | pre-mineralisation framboidal pyrite Early framboidal pyrite with a wide, negative signature, characteristic of bacterial reduction of marine sulfate in palaeolacustrine sediments. Formed during diagenesis, before gold mineralisation. | Kettler et al. 1992, Gold deposition by sulfidation of ferrous Fe in lacustrine sediments… | ||
| 18.8 / 21.6 ‰ | alunite and barite (acid-sulfate alteration) Heavy sulfates, typical of acid-sulfate alteration by condensation of SO2-rich magmatic vapours. Consistent with a single magmatic sulfur source for the whole system. | Kettler et al. 1992, Chemical Geology |
δ13C in ‰ (per mil) Values of the same system
Standard : V-PDB
| Value | Range | n | Mineral or matrix | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| −2.5 / 1.1 ‰ | siderite (cement and concretions) Mg-rich siderite formed in lacustrine sediments. The carbon is probably methanogenic (decarboxylation of organic matter), with a possible contribution from bacterial sulfate reduction or magmatic vapour. | Kettler et al. 1992, Chemical Geology |
δ18O in ‰ (per mil) Values of the same system
Standard : V-SMOW
| Value | Range | n | Mineral or matrix | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14.6 / 19.5 ‰ | siderite (cement and concretions) Together with δ13C, it indicates diagenetic formation in a lacustrine setting, with significant water-rock interaction. | Kettler et al. 1992, Chemical Geology |
Deposits of the same type
- Guanajuato Mexico
- Zacatecas Mexico
- Fresnillo Mexico
- San José (Oruro) Bolivia
- Aysén, northern group (El Toqui, Katerfeld) Chile
- Aysén, southern group (Fachinal, Mina Silva) Chile
- Imiter Morocco
- Cerro Negro (Marianas-San Marcos vein system) Argentina
Cite this page
IsoFind Atlas (2026). Pueblo Viejo, isotope signatures. https://www.isofind.tech/isotopes/en/deposits/pueblo-viejo/ (accessed 2026-10-06).
@misc{isofind2026puebloviejoisotopesignatures,
title = {Pueblo Viejo, isotope signatures},
author = {{IsoFind Atlas}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://www.isofind.tech/isotopes/en/deposits/pueblo-viejo/},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-06}
}Updated : 2026-10-06