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Diablo and Pirquitas Cu Mines

Past Producer in Chile with commodities Copper, Silver, Zinc, Gold
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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. Host and associated rocks
  9. Nearby scientific data
  10. Geologic structures
  11. Ore body information
  12. Controls for ore emplacement
  13. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  14. Mining district
  15. Production statistics
  16. Links to other databases
  17. Bibliographic references
  18. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10068732
MRDS ID W001973
Record type Site
Current site name Diablo and Pirquitas Cu Mines
Related records 10254911

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -70.85619, -32.57247 (WGS84)
Elevation 720
Relative position ABOUT 39 KM SE OF CABILDO

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Chile(country)

South America(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country
Chile

Comments on the location information

  • PIRQUITAS MINE IS 1 KM NORTH OF DIABLO MINE

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Copper Primary
Silver Secondary
Zinc Critical Secondary
Gold Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Bornite Ore
Chalcanthite Ore
Chalcocite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Chrysocolla Ore
Covellite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Calcite Gangue
Chlorite Gangue
Epidote Gangue
Magnetite Gangue
Pyrite Gangue
Specularite Gangue
Pyrrhotite Unknown

Alteration

  • (Local) Not Prominent But Some Silicification And Chloritization

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite
    Rock unit name Diorite Batholith, Cret ( Ref. 2 ), Tert ( Ref. 3 );Lo Valle Formation, Volcanic Tuff & Tuffaceous Breccia;Veta Negra Formation, Andesite Porphyry Lava Flows
    Rock description Diorite Batholith, Cret ( Ref. 2 ), Tert ( Ref. 3 );Lo Valle Formation, Volcanic Tuff & Tuffaceous Breccia;Veta Negra Formation, Andesite Porphyry Lava Flows
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pliocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cretaceous
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic)
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Pyroclastic Rock > Volcanic Breccia (Agglomerate)

Nearby scientific data

(1) -70.85619, -32.57247
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description North-Trending Broad Open Folds Faults Of Varying Lengths And Displacements, And Plutonic Masses
Type of structure Local
Structure description E-Dipping Monocline Cut By Diorite Batholith. Zone Of Block Faulting East Of Diorite Caused By 2 Sets Of N & N 75 Deg. W. Striking Faults. Displacements Range From Few Cm To 30 M. Two Sets Of Porphyritic Andesitic Dikes Cut Deposit. Strike N. 60 Deg. W., Dip N.

Ore body information

  • General form TABULAR MASSES PARALLEL TO BEDDING PLANES
    Strike N. 67 W.
    Dip 5-10 SW.
    Thickness 13M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • During Intrusion Of Diorite Batholith Hydrothermal Mineralized Solutions Emanated From Magmas Into Surrounding Rocks Deposits Probably Formed At 1000-4000 M Depth & Consist Of Disseminated Sulfides That Have Replaced The Calcareous Matrix Of Tuff Pebble Conglomerate And Breccia

Comments on the geologic information

  • PRINCIPAL ORE-BEARING HORIZONS IN LAS CHILCAS FM ARE 2 PEBBLE CONGLOMERATE LAYERS WITH A FINE-GRAINED CALCAREOUS (LAKE DEPOSITED) MATRIX. PEBBLES ARE ANDESITE & FINE-GRAINED TUFF. ORE MINERALS OCCUR AS DISSEMINATIONS REPLACING THE CALCAREOUS MATRIX & IN FRACTURES & VEINS IN HOST ROCK

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No

Mining district

District name Cabildo, Cerro Negro

Production statistics

  • Year 1968
    Material ORE
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^2.7 % Cu-Diablo
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Ore Copper Copper 3wt-pct

Comments on the production information

  • INCLUDES PRODUCTION IN BOTH MINES . ANNUAL PRODUCTION INCLUDES UNTIL 1968 . ANNUAL PRODUCTION INCLUDES UNTIL 1968

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • FROM 20,000 TO 200,000 TONS OF FINE CU

Comments on the workings information

  • AS OF 1961 DIABLO MINE WAS ACTIVE BUT PIRQUITAS MINE WAS INACTIVE

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    RUIZ, F., CARLOS, 1965, GEOLOGICA Y YACIMIENTOS METALIFEROS DE CHILE: INST. INV. GEOL. CHILE, P. 198 (SPANISH)

  • Deposit

    CARTER, W. D., 1961, YACIMIENTOS DE COBRE TIPO MANTO: CHILE INST. INV. GEOL. BOL. NO. 10, 30 P. (SPANISH)

  • Deposit

    CARTER, W. D., 1960, ORIGEN OF MANTO-TYPE COPPER DEPOSITS OF THE CABILDO MINING DISTRICT CENTRAL CHILE: INT. GEOL. CONG., 21ST, NORDEN, PT. 16, P. 17-28

  • Deposit

    RUIZ, C. AND PEEBLES, F., 1988, YACIMIENTOS METALIFEROS DE CHILE: SANTIAGO, 334 P.

  • Deposit

    SERPLAC, 1981, ESTUDIO DEL SECTOR MINERO DE LA V REGION: SANTIAGO (6 VOL.)

  • Deposit

    CARTER, WILLIAM, AND ALISTE, NELSON, 1962, QUADRANGULO NIHUE, PROV. ACONCAGUA: CHILE INST. INV. GEOL. IN PRESS (SPANISH).

  • Deposit

    1965 GEOLMAP WILLIAM D. CARTE

  • Other Database

    CIMRI

  • Production

    RUIZ, 1965, REF.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-FEB-1973 Davidson, Claire B. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-SEP-1990 Williams, William C. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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

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