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Bajo De La Alumbrera

Prospect in Catamarca, Argentina with commodities Gold, Copper
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Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Commodities
  6. Alteration
  7. Mineral occurrence model information
  8. Host and associated rocks
  9. Nearby scientific data
  10. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  11. Mining district
  12. Ownership information
  13. Reserves and resources
  14. Links to other databases
  15. Bibliographic references
  16. General comments
  17. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10056503
MRDS ID TC00530
Record type Site
Current site name Bajo De La Alumbrera

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -66.81611, -27.24746 (WGS84)
Elevation 2650
Relative position 95 KM NE OF BELEN, 79 KM NW OF ANDALGALA

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Catamarca(province)

Argentina(country)

South America(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country State
Argentina Catamarca

Comments on the location information

  • ENTRANCE ROADS AVAILABLE

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Copper Primary

Alteration

  • (Local) Well-Developed, Outwardly Concentric Potassic, Phyllic, And Propylitic Alteration Zones

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 53
USGS model code 17
Deposit model name Porphyry Cu
Mark3 model number 4

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic)
    Rock unit name Farallon Negro Group
    Rock description Farallon Negro Group
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pliocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pliocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pliocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pliocene
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic)
    Rock unit name Farallon Negro Complex
    Rock description Farallon Negro Complex

Nearby scientific data

(1) -66.81611, -27.24746
ListMap

Economic information

Comments on the geologic information

  • VOLCANIC AND SUBVOLCANIC ROCKS OF ALKALIC AFFINITY.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Prospect
Commodity type Metallic
Significant No
Discovery year 1963
Discoverer A.M. Mazzetti And R.G. Sister

Mining district

District name Hualfin District

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner Yacimientos Mineros De Aguas De Dionisio (YMAD)
    Home office Av. Cordoba 2080, Buenos Aires. Tel. 48-6894
  • Type Operator
    Owner Otto Gold
  • Type Operator
    Owner International Musto Explorations Ltd., Imz
    First year 1988
  • Type Operator
    Owner Mim Holdings (Australia)
    First year 1994

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1993
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Gold Au 0.7 g/mt Gold Major 1993
    Copper Cu 0.4 wt-pct Copper Major 1993
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1994
    Total resources 494000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Gold Au 0.68 g/mt Gold Major 1994
    Copper Cu 0.53 wt-pct Copper Major 1994

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • ORE (1) ELEVATED GOLD VALUES-UP TP 4.1 G/T-ARE FOUND, GENERALLY IN AREAS OF STRONGEST SILICIFICATION; ORE(2) PROVEN-PROBABLE RESERVES WITH 0.2% CUT-OFF GRADE AND 8:1 STRIPPING RATIO; ORE(3) INCLUDED IN ORE(2) AT 0.3% CUT-OFF GRADE FOR 4 YEARS PRODUCTION AT 60,000 TONNES PER DAY WITH STRIPPING RATIO OF 5:1. ORE(4) PROVEN AND PROBABLE RESERVES DELINEATED BY INT. MUSTO EXPLORATIONS. ORE(5) POSSIBLE RESERVES PROBEN BY INT. MUSTO EXPLORATIONS. ORE BODY IS OPEN TO DEPTH AND BELOW 400 M TO SW. ORE (6) ANNOUNCED RESERVES. ORE (7) HIGH-GRADE CENTRAL ZONE WHICH IS PLANNED FOR PRODUCTION.

Comments on development

  • EXPLORATION BY KAISER (1978), SELTRUST (1981), I.D.E.M.S.A. (1987), OTTO GOLD (1988); MINTEC REVISED RESERVE ESTIMATES FOR IMZ WHICH DID NOT INCLUDE 7,200 METERS OF DRILLING AS OF 10 FEB., 1993; IMZ (1993) COMPLETED 4 LARGE DIAMETER (250 MM FOR 1ST 75 M, 150 MM FOR NEXT 25 M); ONE HOLE AVERAGED 1.4% CU AND 2.5 G/MT AU; 7,415 M OF DELINEATION DRILLING COMPLETED. MIM PAID 130 MILLION DOLLARS FOR 50%. ECONOMIC YEAR: 1978. ; ECON.COM: TO OBTAIN 60,000 TONS OF CU, 8 TONS AU, 10 TONS AG, AND 220,000 TONS OF H2SO4/YEAR, 37,000 TONS/DAY SHOULD BE PROCESSED. ROYALITY 10%.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    DIRECCION NACIONAL DE MINERIA Y GEOLOGIA, 1991, REPORT ON THE ARGENTINE MINING SECTOR, ARGENTINE SELECTED MINING PROJECT: BUENOS AIRES.

  • Deposit

    SUCHOMEL, B.J., 1988, LITTLE-EXPLORED AREA OF ARGENTINA SHOWS BASE AND PRECIOUS METALS POTENTIAL: MINING ENGINEERING, VOL. 40, NO. 8, P. 800-803.

  • Deposit

    STULTS, ANDREW, 1985, GEOLOGY OF THE BAJO LA ALUMBRERA PORPHYRY COPPER AND GOLD PROSPECT, CATAMARCA PROVINCE, ARGENTINA: TUCSON, ARIZONA, UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA MS THESIS, 75 P.

  • Deposit

    ANON., 1993, IMZ REPRESENTATIVES MEET WITH ARGENTINE PRESIDENT: MINING RECORD, FEBRUARY 10, 1993, P. 47.

  • Deposit

    MINING MAGAZINE, 1993, LARGE CORE DRILLING IN ARGENTINA: MINING MAGAZINE, JUNE 1993, P. 361.

  • Deposit

    ANON., 1993B, MUSTO PROVES RESERVES, MINING JOURNAL, LONDON, JUNE, 1993, V. 320, NO. 8227, P.404.

  • Deposit

    ROSKILL, 1972, ECONOMIC GEOLOGY OF LEAD, 1ST ED., P. 403.

  • Deposit

    ROSKILL, 1973, ECONOMIC GEOLOGY OF LEAD, P. 31.

  • Deposit

    ENGINEERING & MINING JOURNAL, 1980, INTERNATIONAL MINING ANNUAL REVIEW, P. 395.

  • Deposit

    ENGINEERING & MINING JOURNAL, 1978, WORLD MINING REVIEW.

  • Deposit

    ENGINEERING & MINING JOURNAL, 1980, WORLD MINING REVIEW.

  • Deposit

    LITTLE, M.L., 1993, EXPLORATION REVIEW: SOUTH AMERICA: SEG NEWSLETTER, NO. 15, OCTOBER ' 93, P. 16.

  • Deposit

    LITTLE, M.L., 1994, EXPLORATION REVIEW: SOUTH AMERICA: SEG NEWSLETTER, NO. 18, JULY '94, P. 26.

  • Deposit

    ....................

  • Other Database

    CIMRI

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit AR01015 HAS BEEN DELETED.
Deposit GOLD-SILICA ASSOCIATION IN THE CORE OF BAJO LA ALUMBRERA DEPOSIT IS UNIQUE AMONG REPORTED SOUTH AMERICAN PORPHYRY COPPER DEPOSITS AND MAY RESEMBLE THE LARGER OK TEDI DEPOSIT IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-MAR-1991 Bolm, Karen S. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-FEB-1993 Page, Norman J. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-JUL-1993 Page, Norman J. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-AUG-1994 Page, Norman J. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-SEP-1994 Page, Norman J. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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

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