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San Jose De Oruro Mine

Producer in Oruro, Bolivia with commodities Silver, Tin, Lead, Antimony, Zinc, Copper, Gold, Arsenic
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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. Mining district
  16. Land status
  17. Ownership information
  18. Workings at the site
  19. Links to other databases
  20. Bibliographic references
  21. General comments
  22. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10068796
MRDS ID W002048
Record type Site
Current site name San Jose De Oruro Mine
Alternate or previous names Mines: Colorada, Tetilla, Itos

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -67.13281, -17.95098 (WGS84)
Elevation 3850
Relative position 2 KM W OF ORURO

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Oruro(province)

Bolivia(country)

South America(continent)

Land(continent)

Federal lands

Federal(land status)

Geographic areas

Country State
Bolivia Oruro

Comments on the location information

  • MINES ARE IN NORTH-SOUTH VOLCANIC CLUSTER 6KM N-S X 2 KM E-W RISING 400M ABOVE ADJOINING ALTIPLANO. LAT LONG IS FOR LA COLORADA MINE

Commodities

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

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Cassiterite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Enargite Ore
Galena Ore
Jamesonite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Stannite Ore
Stibnite Ore
Tetrahedrite Ore
Alunite Gangue
Dickite Gangue
Pyrite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Sericite Gangue
Tourmaline Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) The San Jose And Itos Stocks, And The Breccias, Are Pervasively Sericitized.

Mineral occurrence model information

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

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Quartz Monzonite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Oligocene
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Rhyolite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Quartz Monzonite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Rhyolite

Nearby scientific data

(1) -67.13281, -17.95098
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Reg.Struct: Nw-Se
Type of structure Local
Structure description Breccias Form Volcanic Conduits

Ore body information

  • General form OVOID IRREGULAR STOCKWORK
    Strike NW-SE
    Dip 70 NE AND SW
    Thickness 15M
    Length 250M
    Depth to top 0M
    Depth to bottom 550M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Ne-Sw Fracture-Fissure Systems, Dipping 30-60 Deg Ne And Sw, In Four Clusters (San Jose, Itos, Colorado, And Tetilla).

Comments on the geologic information

  • GEOL.COM: VEINS IN ORURO SHALES BECOME NARROW AND SPARSE DOWNWARD. HYDROTHERMAL INTRUSION BRECCIA IS COMMON AT ORURO IN IRREGULAR BODIES, PIPES, LENSES, DIKES AND VEINLETS.. HYDROTHERMAL INTRUSION BRECCIA IS COMMON AT ORURO IN IRREGULAR BODIES, PIPES, LENSES, DIKES AND VEINLETS. BEST ORE IS ASSOCIATED WITH INTRUSIVE RHYOLITE PORPHYRY. PRE-RHYOLITE PORPHYRY QUARTZ MONZONITE PORPHYRY IS A POOR HOST.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Large
Significant No
Discovery year 1595
Discoverer Native Americans Spanish Colonists
Year of first production 1607

Mining district

District name Oruro

Land status

Ownership category Federal

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Compania Minera De Oruro (Comibol)
  • Type Owner
    Owner Corporacion Minera De Bolivia (Comibol)

Comments on the production information

  • MINES SHOW PERCEPTABLE DECLINE IN PRODUCTION FROM 1952 FORWARD.

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • ESTIMATED 14 YEARS RESERVES OF TIN
  • ESTIMATED AT 100% OF POSITIVE AND PROBABLE RESERVES
  • SUBSTANTIAL RESERVES/RESOURCES REMAIN WITH CONSISTENT GRADE OF 500 TO 1500 G/T AG FROM -460 LEVEL (BEING MINED 1990) TO -550 LEVEL AND BELOW. DEPTH LIMITS UKNOWN.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Area 240HA
    Overall depth 550M
    Overall length 1828.8M
    Overall width 1200M

Comments on development

  • EXPL.COM: IMPORTANCE OF TIN MINERALIZATION NOT RECOGNIZED UNTIL LATE 19TH CENTURY ; MILL.CAP: 1567 KG ; ECON.YEAR: 1975 ; ECON.COM: INCREASING DEPTH OF MINING WITH GRADUAL IMPOVERISHMENT

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    CHACE, F. M., 1948, TIN-SILVER VEINS OF ORURO, BOLIVIA: ECON. GEOL., V. 43, PP. 333-383 AND 435-470

  • Deposit

    CAMPBELL, D. F., 1942, THE ORURO SILVER-TIN DISTRICT: ECON. GEOL., V. 37, PP. 87-115

  • Deposit

    AHLFELD, F. AND SCHEIDER-SCHERBINA, A., 1964, LOS YACIMIENTOS MINERALES Y DE HIDROCARBUROS; DEPTO. NAC. GEOL., BOL. 5 (ESPECIAL) 383 P.

  • Deposit

    KOZLOWSKI, R., AND JASKOLSKI, S., 1932, LES FILONS ARGENTO-STANNIFERES D'ORURO EN BOLIVIE: BULL. SOC. FRANCE MIN., V. 44, PP. 128-151.

  • Deposit

    SILLITOE, R.H., HALLS, S., AND GRANT, J.N., 1975, PORPHYRY TIN DEPOSITS IN BOLIVIA. ECONOMIC GEOLOGY, V. 70, P.913--927.

  • Deposit

    STAM,C.J., 1965, REPORT ON GEOPHYSICAL AND GEOCHEMICAL SURVEYS IN THE SAN JOSE-ITOS AREA. INFORME # 1965, COMIBOL.

  • Deposit

    MCALLISTER, J.F., 1944, TIN RESOURCES OF THE ORURO DISTRICT, BOLIVIA: LA PAZ, U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, UNPUBLISHED REPORT, 87P.

  • Deposit

    CHACE, F.M., 1948, TIN-SILVER VEINS OF ORURO, BOLIVIA: ECONOMIC GEOLOGY, V. 43, P. 333-383 AND 435-470.

  • Deposit

    STUDY OF TIN RESERVES BY MCALLISTER (1944

  • Other Database

    CIMRI

  • Production

    MINISTRY OF MINES AND METALLURGY, 1971

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit MORE THAN 8 MAJOR VEINS WITH DIFFERENT ORIENTATIONS
Deposit A RESIDUAL HILL MEASURING 6 BY 3 KILOMETERS AT ORURO IS COMPOSED OF SEVERAL STOCKS AND FLOWS. THE STOCKS DECREASE IN SIZE DOWNWARD. VEINS GRADE 500 TO 1500 GPT AG WITH UP TO 10% PB AND UNKNOWN GRADES OF ZN CU SB SN. GOLD GRADE IS ABOUT 1/1000 OF AG GRADE. THE PAYING PORTION OF VEINS IS LESS THAN 1 M WIDE. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 2 UNPUB REPT; 3 FIELD OBSERV

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-MAY-1973 Irving, Earl M. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-JUN-1978 Urquidi-Barrau, Fernando U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-MAY-1990 Fernando; Ludington, Steve; Richter, Don U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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

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