Strata-bound Cu- (Ag) deposits, long known as 'Chilean manto-type', occur along the Coastal Cordillera of northern Chile (22°-30°S) hosted by Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous volcanic and volcano-sedimentary rocks. These deposits are typical of the first stage of Andean evolution characterised by an extensional setting of the arc magmatism along the active margin of South America. Strata-bound Cu- (Ag) deposits were formed during two metallogenic epochs in the Late Jurassic and uppermost Early Cretaceous. The mineralisation took place at the time of structurally controlled emplacement of batholiths within the Mesozoic volcanic and sedimentary strata. The volcanic-hosted strata-bound Cu- (Ag) deposits invariably occur distal, but peripheral to coeval batholiths emplaced within tilted Mesozoic strata. The prevalent view that these deposits have an inherent genetic relationship with hydrothermal fluid derivation from subvolcanic stocks and dykes is contended here, because these minor intrusions are largely barren and this hypothesis does not fit well with Sr, Os and Pb isotopic data that call for crustal contribution of these elements. The strata-bound Cu- (Ag) mineralisation appears to be produced by fluids of mixed origin that were mobilised within penneable levels and structural weakness zones of the Mesozoic arc-related volcano-sedimentary sequence during the emplacement of shallow granodioritic batholiths under transtensional regimes. These hydrothermal fluids deposited copper and subordinate silver when reacted with organic matter, pyrite and/or cooled away from their heat sources. Although strata-bound Cu- (Ag) mineralisation took place during the same Cretaceous metallogenic event that formed the magnetite-apatite bodies, and Fe-oxide-Cu-Au deposits along the present Coastal Cordillera, the conceivable relationships with these other types of deposits are hampered by the inconclusive debate about the origin of the Chilean Fe-oxide deposits. However, the available data strongly suggest that the Fe oxide-rich deposits are metasomatic in origin and genetically related to contact zones of Lower Cretaceous dioritic batholiths, whereas the iron-poor volcanic-hosted Cu-(Ag) stratabound deposits constitute distal mineralisation peripheral to Upper Jurassic of Lower Cretaceous granodioritic batholiths.

The CIM Estimation of Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves Best Practice Guidelines (MRMR Best Practice Guidelines) were prepared by the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum's (CIM) Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves Committee (CIM MRMR Committee) to update an earlier version that was accepted by CIM Council on November 23, 2003 (CIM, 2003). These 2019 MRMR Best Practice Guidelines supersede and replace the November 23, 2003 version of the MRMR Guidelines <...>

Looking back over a century of geoscience research in the Cordillera is both an inspiring and a humbling exercise. So much has been learned that could not have been imagined in 1899! Other contributions to this volume discuss some of the classic papers in various fields that have led the way to fundamental new insights. In this opening chapter, I prefer to highlight the largely unsung but crucial contributions to the overall research effort that have been made by thousands of faces in the crowd laboring steadily outside the limelight to advance our understanding of Cordilleran geoscience. It is easy to forget that the pacesetting perceptions of the giants among us would be impossible without the information gained, day to day, by uncelebrated colleagues who work assiduously, by their own best lights, to dispel the scientific darkness bit by bit. In our admiration for intellectual leaders, we should always remember that science is the most supremely collegial and collaborative of all human endeavors. They also make their marks who never win an award, but must be content with the plaudits of their own consciences. <...>

The often complex, erratic, and localized nature of gold is a common feature of many vein-style gold deposits. This style of mineralization is often referred to as being nuggety or possessing a high-nugget effect. As a result of these complexities resource estimation is difficult and in general, only Exploration Results can be provided or an Inferred Mineral Resource estimated from surface drilling data alone. Underground development, further drilling, and probably bulk sampling will be required to delineate Indicated and Measured Resources.