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Cerro Matoso

Producer in Cordoba, Colombia with commodities Nickel, Iron, Cobalt, Chromium
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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. Ownership information
  16. Production statistics
  17. Links to other databases
  18. Bibliographic references
  19. General comments
  20. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10068456
MRDS ID W001516
Record type Site
Current site name Cerro Matoso

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -75.58304, 7.91786 (WGS84)
Elevation 90
Relative position 15 KM SOUTH-SOUTHWEST OF MONTE LIBANO, DEPARTMENT OF CORDOBA; VILLAGE OF URE. : ALSO, ABOUT 250 MILES (400 KM) NW OF BOGOTA. LOCATED ON EAST BANK OF THE HEADWATERS OF THE RIVER URE, A TRIBUTARY OF THE SAN JORGE, ABOUT 20 KM S OF VILLAGE OF MONTE LIBANO

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Cordoba(province)

Colombia(country)

South America(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country State
Colombia Cordoba

Comments on the location information

  • ELEVATION OF SURROUNDING ALLUVIATED SURFACE, ABOUT 90 METERS. . ORE BLANKETS LOW HILL PROJECTED ABOVE LTERT-QAT SEDIMENTS
  • ALTA AND BAJA AREAS OF CALIFORNIA DISTRICT AT 2350-3100 MTRS, VETAS AT 3,600 MTRS.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Nickel Critical Primary
Iron Tertiary
Cobalt Critical Tertiary
Chromium Critical Tertiary

Comments on the commodity information

  • ANALYTICAL INFORMATION HELD BY OPERATING COMPANY.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Garnierite Ore
Goethite Ore
Limonite Ore

Alteration

  • (Local) Lateritization And Saprolitization

Analytical data

Result FE CONTENT OF LATERITIC CRUST: 44 - 57 %, SIO2: 4 - 7 %, AL2O3: 5 - 14 %, P: 0.11 - 0.22 %, S: 0.14 - 0.26 %, CAO: 0.10 - 0.20 %, MN: 0.20 - 1.21 %.

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 110
USGS model code 38a
Deposit model name Lateritic Ni

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Serpentinite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Ultramafic Intrusive Rock > Peridotite

Nearby scientific data

(1) -75.58304, 7.91786
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Reg.Struct: N-Ne Trending Foldbelt, With Strike Faulting. Observed N-S 20 Km To S.

Ore body information

  • General form IRREGULAR BLANKET
    Thickness 80M
    Length 2000M
    Width 1700M
    Depth to top 3M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Probably Related To Long-Standing, Slightly Elevated Water Table.

Comments on the geologic information

  • COUNTRY ROCKS (ANDESITES, BASALTS, AND GABBROS) ARE OBSERVED IN MAGAMBO AREA, 20 KMS TO SOUTH.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Large
Significant No
Discovery year 1956
Discoverer Chevron Petroleum Company, Colombia
Year of first production 1982

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Cerro De Matoso Sa
  • Type Owner
    Owner Compania Colombiana De Niquel, S. A.

Production statistics

  • Year 1982
    Period 1980-1982
    Material ORE
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^2.5% Ni
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Ore Nickel Nickel 3wt-pct

Comments on the production information

  • TEMPERATURE CONTROL PROBLEMS KEPT 1983 PRODUCTION TO 70% OF CAPACITY.
  • PRESENT PRODUCTION FROM 1 PRINCIPLE MINE(EL VULCAN) AND FROM SEVERAL SMALL PRIMITIVE OPERATIONS. PRODUCTION DATA NOT AVAILABLE.

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • PLANETA RICA AREA (50 KM. NORTH OF CERRO MATOSO), AND MOGAMBO (15 KM SW ARE PRESENTLY CONSIDERED OUTLYING DEPOSITS FOR POSSIBLE EVENTUAL TREATMENT IN MATOSO PLANT. PLANETA RICA IS ESTIMATED TO HAVE POTENTIAL RESOURCES OF 8-MILLION METRIC TONS,NI-ORE, GRADE UNDETERMINED,..., MOGAMBO IS ESTIMATED AT 23.6 MILLION METRIC TONS NI-ORE, GRADE 0.77% NI FOR POTENTIAL RESOURCES.
  • REPORTER IRVING REPORTED 25 MILLION MET. TONS OF NI ORE, 2.6% NI-PROVEN RESERVES, AND 25 MILLION MET. TONS OF NI, 2.2% NI-PROBABLE RESERVES, AS REPORTED IN THE COLOMBIAN PRESS ON VARIOUS OCCASIONS. ALSO REPORTED COBALT PRESENT, BUT RATIO UNKNOWN. THIS MINE HAS ENOUGH RESERVES TO GUARANTEE A LIFE OF OVER 25 YEARS.
  • RESERVE DATA NOT AVAILABLE. MANY VEINS IN DISTRICT WITH SMALL ORE SHOOTS YIELDING ORE 10 TO 30 GMS AU PER TON, OF WHICH ONLY VULCAN MINE PRODUCES

Comments on the workings information

  • NUMEROUS SMALL ENTRIES ALONG INDIVIDUAL VEINS AND VEIN BRANCHES ALONG BELT 6 KMS LONG, ALSO VETAS AREA.

Comments on development

  • EXPL.COM: ORIGINAL DISCOVERY INVOLVED RECOGNITION OF LATERITE AS PROBABLY DERIVED FROM SERPENTINITE BY CHEVRON PETROLEUM; SUBSEQUENT DRILLING PROVED NICKEL ENRICHMENT BENEATH. ; TOTAL$: 300 MILLION ; EXPL$: 50 MILLION. FOR FIRST DECADE OF MINING, THE GRADE WILL EXCEED 3.2% NI. ; ECON.COM: OVERBURDEN STRIPPING, WORLD MARKET PRICES FOR NI; OTHERWISE MOST OPERATING CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE. CHEAP SOURCES OF HYDROELECTRICITY AND NATURAL GAS HAVE MAINTAINED THE PROJECT'S VIABILITY.
  • ECON.COM: NARROW QUARTZ VEINS WITH SMALL SHOOTS; TANGLED PROPERTY SITUATION

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    ALVARADO, BENJAMIN, 1970 , IRON ORE DEPOSITS OF SOUTH AMERICA, IN SURVEY ON WORLD IRON ORE RESOURCES--OCCURRENCE AND APPRAISAL: NEW YORK, UNITED NATIONS, P. 302 - 380 . 433 QUN22S

  • Deposit

    MOGAMBO AREA TO THE SOUTH, IN HALL, R.B. AND FEININGER, T. AND BARRERO L., D., RICO H., H., AND ALVAREZ A., J., INGEOMINAS, 1971.

  • Deposit

    METALS WEEK-METALS SOURCEBOOK, 10/14/74, ITEM #B4617.

  • Deposit

    MINING ENGINEERING, 1974, OCTOBER, P. 30.

  • Deposit

    METALS WEEK, 6/17/74, P. 79.

  • Deposit

    MINING JOURNAL, 6/21/74, P. 505; 9/19/75, P. 215.

  • Deposit

    METALS WEEK - METALS SOURCEBOOK, 5/20/74, ITEM #2844.

  • Deposit

    CORNWALL, H.R., 1973, NICKEL: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 820, P. 441.

  • Deposit

    AMERICAN METAL MARKET, 7/16/71.

  • Deposit

    AMERICAN METAL MARKET, 2/10/71.

  • Deposit

    WALL STREET JOURNAL, 1/28/74.

  • Deposit

    GOMEZ, R., OGRYZLO, C.T., AND DOR, A.A., 1979, THE CERRO MATOSO NICKEL PROJECT, IN EVANS, D.J.I., SHOEMAKER, R.S., AND VELTMAN, H., EDS., INTERNATIONAL LATERITE SYMPOSIUM: AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF MINING, METALLURGICAL AND PETROLEUM ENGINEERS, P. 412-458.

  • Deposit

    MINING MAGAZINE, 9/75, P. 205.

  • Deposit

    U.S. BUREAU OF MINES PREPRINT FOR 1974 MINERALS YEARBOOK

  • Deposit

    MINING ANNUAL REVIEW, 1978, CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA--COLOMBIA: LONDON, MINING JOURNAL, LTD.

  • Deposit

    DEYOUNG AND OTHERS, 1985: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CIRCULAR 930-D, 62 P.

  • Deposit

    HALL, R., FEININGER, T., AND THERS, 1971, RECURSOS MINERALES DE LOS DEPARTMENTOS DE ANTIOQUIA, CALDES: COL. BOL. GEOL., V. 18, NO. 2, P. 39-45.

  • Deposit

    MINING MAGAZINE, 1982, PANORAMA--COLUMBIAN FERRONICKEL PROJECT ON STREAM: MINING MAGAZINE, V. 147, NO. 2, P. 79-8-1. (RR8,P. 81)

  • Deposit

    ROSKILL INFORMATION SERVICES, 1977, THE ECONOMICS OF NICKEL, 2D ED.: LONDON, ROSKILL INFORMATION SERVICES, LTD., 587 P.

  • Deposit

    ENGINEERING AND MINING JOURNAL, 1982, COLOMBIA'S CERRO MATOSO POISED FOR 1982 FERRONICKEL PRODUCTION START: V. 183, NO. 1, P. 35-37.

  • Deposit

    SALAK, JOHN, 1984, BILLITON OPTIMISTIC ON FUTURE: AMERICAN METAL MARKET, V. 92, NO. 134, P. 1, 16.

  • Deposit

    MINING ANNUAL REVIEW, 1983, CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA-COLOMBIA: LONDON, MINING JOURNAL, LTD., P. 355-356; P. 318-319.

  • Deposit

    1962 DIREXPL HANNA MINING CO., POSITIVE.

  • Deposit

    CONFIDENTIAL, COMPANIA COLOMBIANA DE NIQUEL(1/3 INSTITUTO FOMENTO INDUSTRIAL, 1/3 CHEVRON PETROLEUM COMPANY, 1/3 HANNA MINING COMPANY).

  • Other Database

    CIMRI

  • Production

    DEYOUNG AND OTHERS, 1985

  • Reserve-Resource

    HALL AND OTHERS, 1971

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit WALL STREET JOURNAL, 10/29/74 REPORTS, HANNA MINING CO. AND STANDARD OIL WILL OPERATE DEPOSITS BEGINNING PRODUCTION IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS. 1975 COST IS $250 MILLION ... MINING MAGAZINE, 9/75, P. 205, REPORTS A CAPITAL INVESTMENT OF $200-MILLION...ALSO INDICATES POSSIBLE JAPANESE INTERESTS. UPDATE: G. SHAFFER- U.S.B.M. REPORTS A PROJECT UNDERWAY TO DEVELOP FOR PRODUCTION IN 1979, RESERVES OF 35-MILLION METRIC TONS WITH A 1.5 - 2.6 % NICKEL CONTENT. UPDATE: G. SHAFFER- U.S.B.M. REPORTS A PROJECT UNDERWAY TO DEVELOP FOR PRODUCTION IN 1979, RESERVES OF 35-MILLION METRIC TONS WITH A 1.5 - 2.6 % NICKEL CONTENT. THIS RECORD CONTAINS DATA FROM DUPLICATE RECORD ISM0227 OF M. FOOSE WHICH HAS BEEN DELETED FROM MAIN MRDS.
Deposit DEPOSIT CONSISTS OF A LATERITIC CRUST 3-10 M THICK AND COVERING 50 HECTARES THAT IS FORMED OVER ULTRABASIC ROCKS. THE FERRUGINOUS LATERITE OVERLIES NI-ENRICHED SERPENTINE SAPROLITE.
Deposit GEOCHEMICAL SAMPLING IN 1967 INDICATED AU-ANOMALY HIGHS IN KNOWN MINERALIZED AREAS ONLY.
Deposit First Production Year: 1982; (PILOT OPS IN 1980)
Deposit First Production Year: 1555 BY PLACER PANNING
Deposit Discovery Year: PRESPANISH, 1555(SPANISH)

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-DEC-1972 Irving, Earl M. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-JAN-1988 Orris, Greta J. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 15-JUL-1994 Orris, Greta 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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