The Hiendelaencina mining district (Guadalajara,Spain)

The Hiendelaencina mining district (Guadalajara, Spain), includes the ore deposits of the Hiendelaencina, La Bodera and Congostrina areas. In this paper a general overview of this district is given, with special emphasis on the parageneses, mineralizing stages and chemical characteristics of the sulphides and sulphosalts. These deposits contain silver in Sb-rich sulphosalts such as freibergite, pyrargyrite, polybasite, stephanite, freieslebenite and the Bi-rich sulphosalt, aramayoite. Three mineralizing stages have been detected in Hiendelaencina and Congostrina: (1) As-Fe; (2) Cu-Zn-Fe-Sb-Ag; and (3) Pb-Sb-Ag (±Bi) but only two in La Bodera (stages 2 and 3). The average sulphosalt formulas are: freibergite (Cu_0.5 Ag_5.9) (Fe_1.42 Zn_0.66) (Sb_4.49 As_0.02) S₁₃; pyrargyrite Ag_3.38 Sb_1.0 S₃; polybasite (Ag_16.3Cu_0.15) (Sb_2.8 As_0.15) S₁₁; stephanite Ag_6.7 Sb_1.38 S₄; freieslebenite Ag_1.1 Sb_0.83 Pb_1.05 S₃ and aramayoite Ag_1.06 Bi_{0. 35} Sb_0.7 Pb_0.03 S₂. The compositional patterns of these sulphosalts (mainly based on the Sb/(Sb + Ag), Ag/ (Ag + Cu), Sb(Ag + As) and Ag/(Ag + Cu) ratios) are outlined, pointing broadly to similar tendencies in their chemistry and genetic conditions.