Monserrat Mine

Past Producer in Potosi, Bolivia with commodities Silver, Lead, Gold, Zinc, Copper, Tin, Bismuth, Antimony
Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Commodities
  6. Materials information
  7. Alteration
  8. Mineral occurrence model information
  9. Host and associated rocks
  10. Nearby scientific data
  11. Geologic structures
  12. Ore body information
  13. Controls for ore emplacement
  14. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  15. Mining district
  16. Land status
  17. Ownership information
  18. Links to other databases
  19. Bibliographic references
  20. General comments
  21. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10005844
MRDS ID BL10000
Record type Site
Current site name Monserrat Mine
Alternate or previous names Cerro Monserrat, Veins: Soniselma, Salvadora, San Martin, Monserrat

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -66.31528, -21.22534 (WGS84)
Elevation 4600
Relative position 3.5 KM N10W OF SAN VICENTE, 45 KM BY ROAD FROM RAILROAD STATION AT ATOCHA

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Potosi(province)

Bolivia(country)

South America(continent)

Land(continent)

Federal lands

Federal(land status)

Geographic areas

Country State
Bolivia Potosi

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Silver Primary
Lead Secondary
Gold Tertiary
Zinc Critical Tertiary
Copper Tertiary
Tin Critical Tertiary
Bismuth Critical Tertiary
Antimony Critical Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Boulangerite Ore
Bournonite Ore
Cassiterite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Galena Ore
Pyrargyrite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Stannite Ore
Tetrahedrite Ore
Jarosite Gangue
Marcasite Gangue
Pyrite Gangue
Quartz Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Silicic Alteration Zone On Top Of Cerro Monserrat Underlain By More Extensive Zone Of Argillic Alteration. Serecitic Alteration Is Not Exposed But Is Found Below 40 M Depth.

Analytical data

Result ASSAYS OF ORE AND DUMPS BY COMIBOL (PINTO VASQUEZ, 1988, MARSH AND ROBINSON, 1966)

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 77
USGS model code 20b
Deposit model name Sn-polymetallic vein

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Conglomerate
    Rock unit name San Vicente
    Rock description San Vicente
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene

Nearby scientific data

(1) -66.31528, -21.22534

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Nnw Folds In Ordovician Shales And Sandstones Underlying Tertiary Conglomerates Affect Thickness Of Conglomerates.

Ore body information

  • General form IRREGULAR
    Thickness 300M
    Length 1700M
    Width 400M
    Depth to top 0M
    Depth to bottom 300M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Major East-West Fractures And A Conjugate Fracture System Oriented N80e And N60w Dipping 40-70n And 60s Respectively.

Comments on the geologic information

  • CERRO MONSERRAT STOCKWORK ZONE CONSISTS OF VEINS AND VEINLETS ORIENTED N80E 80-90N OR S AT INTERSECTION WITH EAST-WEST FRACTURE ZONE. LARGER VEINS (SALVADORA, SAN MARTIN, MONSERRAT) EXTEND UP TO 100 M AND ARE 10 TO 50 CM THICK. MOST VEINLETS ARE 1 TO 3 CM THICK AND OCCUR IN STOCKWORKS OF 5 TO 10 VEINLETS PER LINEAR METER. DISSEMINATED PYRITE AND SPAHLERITE OCCUR OUTSIDE THE STOCKWORK MINERALIZATION. THE VETA SONISELMA IS A 300 M LONG VEIN TO THE SOUTH OF THE CERRO MONSERRAT STOCKWORK. IT IS 15 TO 30 CM THICK AND ORIENTED N80W 70S. ORE CONSISTS OF QUARTZ, PYRITE AND SPHALERITE. HOST ROCK IS STRONGLY SILICIFIED UP TO 2 M FROM THE VEIN. THE CERRO MONSERRAT STOCKWORK HAS AN OXIDIZED CAP OF JAROSITE, FE OXIDES AND PB, AG, BI AND SB SULPHOSALTS. AT 40 M DEPTH THESE GIVE WAY TO PRIMARY PYRITE, SPHALERITE, GALENA, TETRAHEDRITE, AND ENARGITE. AT 150M THESE GIVE WAY TO PYRITE, CHALCOPYRITE, STANNITE, SPHALERITE, CASSITERITE, TETRAHEDRITE, PYRARGYRITE, BOURNONITE AND SULPHOSALTS. IN GENERAL THE
  • ZONATION IS DISTAL PB-AG AND CENTRAL SN.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Significant No
Discoverer Spanish Colonists

Mining district

District name San Vicente

Land status

Ownership category Federal

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Corporacion Minera De Bolivia (Comibol)

Comments on the workings information

  • WORKINGS CONSIST OF SHALLOW PROSPECTING PITS AND ADITS OF UNKNOWN DIMENSIONS.

Comments on development

  • DRIFTING BY COMIBOL IN THE 1960'S. REOPENED BY COMIBOL 1979-80, EXPLORATION/DRILLING BY JICA 1980'S.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    PINTO VASQUEZ, JOSE, 1988, MODELO CONCEPTUAL Y EVALUACION DEL POTENCIAL MINERAL DEL YACIMIENTO DE METALES PRECIOSOS MONSERRAT, POTOSI-BOLIVIA: LA PAZ, PROGRAMA DE LAS NACIONES UNIDAS PARA EL DESAROLLO, PROYECTO BOL/87/012, UNPUBLISHED REPORT NU-8, 24P, (MAPS 1:10,000; 1:100,000)

  • Deposit

    JICA, 1978/1979, INFORME DE INVESTIGACION GEOLOGICA EN REGION SUR, REPUBLICA DE BOLIVIA: UNPUBLISHED REPORT TO COMIBOL, VOLS. 2 AND 3.

  • Deposit

    MALDONADO, J., 1969, INFORME GEOLOGICO PRELIMINAR DEL YACIMIENTO ARGENTIFERO SAN VICENTE-MONSERRAT: UNPUBLISHED COMIBOL REPORT

  • Deposit

    MARSH, H.W., AND ROBINSON, W.J., 1966, REPORT ON GEOLOGICAL AND GEOPHYSICAL EXAMINATION OF THE SILVER-COPPER-TIN PROPERTIES, SAN VICENTE DISTRICT: UNPUBLISHED REPORT BY PROSPECTION, LTD. TO COMIBOL

  • Deposit

    RICO A., RODOLFO, 1978, APLICACION DEL METODO DE POLARIZACION INDUCIDA A LA BUSQUEDA DE YACIMIENTOS DE SULFUROS DISEMINADOS "DOMINIO DE FREQUENCIA", SAN VICENTE, MONSERRAT: LA PAZ, UMSA, TESIS DE GRADO

  • Deposit

    GEOLOGICAL AND GEOPHYSICAL INVESTIGATIONS BY COMIBOL 1960'S

  • Deposit

    GEOLOGICAL AND GEOPHYSICAL INVESTIGATIONS BY JAPANESE MISSION JICA 1977-79

  • Other Database

    CIMRI

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit DIMENSIONS ARE FOR CERRO MONSERRAT STOCKWORK OREBODY. THERE ARE DISTAL VEINS SUCH AS THE VETA SANISELMA.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-APR-1990 Long, Keith R. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

Supplemental information added by qvyshift.com. Not part of the original USGS MRDS record.