Cartografía geoquímica multielemental en sedimentos de corriente en un contexto de arco isla volcánico. Aplicación al análisis de potencialidad metalogénica en un area de la República Dominicana

Abstract

The main results and conclusions of the multielemental geochemical mapping on stream sediments carried out in the Bonao-Constanza area, Cordillera Central, Dominican Republic are presented in this paper. The studied area covers 3800 km2 . The sampling density applied was 1 sample / 5 km2. A total of 684 samples were taken and 48 elements were analysed by Neutron Activation and ICPAES techniques. The area, located in the island arc of the Caribbean plate, contains important epithermal and volcanosedimentary mineralizations and has a huge potential for blind deposits. Due to the complex geology and the superimposed hydrothermal alterations, the multielemental geochemistry allows, through the analysis of patterns of spatial distribution of the elements and their geochemical associations, a better definition of anomalous zones and their assessment and meaning in relationship with their petrogenetic, geological and geochemical context. The geochemical datasets of the superficial materials allow, according with the general trends of the geochemical exploration and mapping, to get applicable and interesting conclusions for the geological, environmental and mineral exploration knowledge.