The metallic ore-deposits of the Guerrero Terrane, western Mexico: an overview

The Guerrero Terrane has produced Ag, Au, Pb, Zn, Cu, and Fe from Cretaceous, Paleocene, and mid-Tertiary ore bodies, which here are considered to be those deposits hosted by Guerrero Terrane rocks regardless of their ages or genetic links. The deposits formed during the three metallogenetic epochs are described. The most important, economically, are the mid-Tertiary deposits hosted in rocks of the Guerrero Terrane, which show a characteristic distribution. Fe-skarn deposits are close to the Pacific coast. Ag–Au and base metal ore bodies are generally located along the eastern border of the Guerrero Terrane. Copper deposits are present between these two zones. Important precious and base metal epithermal deposits are aligned along the suture zone between the Guerrero Terrane and the Sierra Madre Oriental Terrane, where mid-Tertiary age igneous bodies intruded shallow levels.