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Rosita

Past Producer in Nicaragua with commodities Copper, Gold, Silver
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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. Ownership information
  17. Production statistics
  18. Reserves and resources
  19. Workings at the site
  20. Links to other databases
  21. Bibliographic references
  22. General comments
  23. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10086142
MRDS ID W702070
Record type Site
Current site name Rosita
Alternate or previous names Santa Rita, Rosita Copper Mine, Includes 18 Claims

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -84.39993, 13.91756 (WGS84)
Elevation 80
Location accuracy 2000(meters)
Relative position 3 MILES E OF MONTE CARMELO. ROSITA (TOWN) 13-55N, 84-25W.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Nicaragua(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country
Nicaragua

Comments on the location information

  • ON CERRO SANTA RITA 0.75 MILES N OF RIO BAMBANA, CONSISTS OF 18 CLAIMS. 280 KM NE OF MANAGUA.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Copper Primary
Gold Primary
Silver Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Bornite Ore
Chalcocite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Chrysocolla Ore
Copper Ore
Covellite Ore
Cuprite Ore
Gold Ore
Malachite Ore
Pyrite Ore
Tenorite Ore
Chlorite Gangue
Garnet Gangue
Magnetite Gangue
Orthoclase Gangue
Pyrrhotite Gangue
Quartz Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Intense Ca, K, And Si Metasomatism; Alteration Of Calcareous Sediments To Marble Or Quartz-Garnet-Orthoclase Skarn, And Andesites To Epidote Skarn Or Siliceous Skarn.

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 59
USGS model code 18b
Deposit model name Skarn Cu
Mark3 model number 8

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Monzonite
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Intermediate Volcanic Rock > Andesite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Limestone
    Rock unit name Metapan Formation;Yojoa
    Rock description Metapan Formation;Yojoa

Nearby scientific data

(1) -84.39993, 13.91756
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Miogeosyncline
Type of structure Local
Structure description Breccia Pipe In Center Of Pit?

Ore body information

  • Strike E
    Dip 50SE
    Thickness 150M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Gold Associated With Nnw Fault; Principal Copper Ore Body Along S Flank Of Small Diorite Intrusion; Orebodies Partly Locallized Along Steep Dipping Nnw And Ne/50-70nw Shears.

Comments on the geologic information

  • MAIN ORE BODY UNDERLAIN BY ALTERED DIORITE, OVERLAIN BY CHLORITIZED ANDESITES AND CALCAREOUS TUFFS. AGE IN ALL UNITS IS POORLY CONSTRAINED. DEPOSIT CONTAINED IN ROOF ROCKS OF A LARGE INTRUSIVE COMPLEX.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Medium
Significant No
Discovery year 1906
Production years 1906-1912; 1959-1971

Mining district

District name Prinzapolka, Rosita

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Santa Rita Co.
    First year 1906
    Last year 1912
  • Type Owner
    Owner Tonopah Mining Co.
    First year 1916
    Last year 1949
  • Type Owner
    Owner Part Interest Ventures, Ltd.
    First year 1949
    Last year 1954
  • Type Owner
    Owner La Luz Mines, Ltd.
    First year 1954
  • Type Owner
    Owner Inmine
    First year 1954

Production statistics

  • Year 1959
    Material ORE
    Description Ap_Grade: ^4.75% Cu
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Ore Copper Copper 5wt-pct
  • Year 1960
    Material CU
    Description Ap_Grade: ^7.05% Cu
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Copper Copper 7wt-pct
  • Year 1961
    Material AU
    Description Ap_Grade: ^4.58% Cu
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Copper Copper 5wt-pct
  • Year 1962
    Material AG
    Description Ap_Grade: ^4.40% Cu
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Copper Copper 4wt-pct
  • Year 1964
    Material ORE
    Description Ap_Grade: ^3.70% Cu
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Ore Copper Copper 4wt-pct
  • Year 1965
    Material CU
    Description Ap_Grade: ^1.98% Cu
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Copper Copper 2wt-pct
  • Year 1966
    Material AU
    Description Ap_Grade: ^0.63% Cu
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Copper Copper 1wt-pct
  • Year 1971
    Period 1959-1971
    Material ORE
    Description Cp_Grade: ^3% Cu
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Ore Copper Copper 3wt-pct

Comments on the production information

  • 1906-1912 CU WAS IGNORED. 2000 TPD MILL EXPANSION BASED ON OVERLY OPTIMISTIC ORE RESERVE CALCULATIONS AND HIGH CU PRICES.

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1920
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper Cu 10.29 wt-pct Copper Major 1920
    Gold Au 4.8 g/mt Gold Major 1920
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1920
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper Cu 3.37 wt-pct Copper Major 1920
    Gold Au 0.367 g/mt Gold Major 1920
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1920
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper Cu 5.76 wt-pct Copper Major 1920
    Gold Au 1.92 g/mt Gold Major 1920
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1920
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper Cu 4.83 wt-pct Copper Major 1920
    Gold Au 0.847 g/mt Gold Major 1920
  • Type Tailings
    Estimate year 1920
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper Cu 1.97 wt-pct Copper Major 1920
    Gold Au 3.67 g/mt Gold Major 1920
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1920
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper Cu 5.06 wt-pct Copper Major 1920
    Gold Au 1.27 g/mt Gold Major 1920
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1957
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper Cu 3.9 wt-pct Copper Major 1957

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • ORES (1)-(4) OPEN PITABLE WITH 1:1 SHIPPING RATIO. ORES (6)-(9) RECALCULATED WITH 0.5% CU CUTOFF. (1) HIGH GRADE SULFIDE ORE, (2) LOW GRADE SULFIDE ORE, (3) WEIGHTED AVERAGE SULFIDE, (4) CARBONATE (OXIDIZED ORE), (5) WEIGHTED AVERAGE ORE, (6) CARBONATE ORE, (7) SULFIDE ORE, (8) TAILINGS, (9) COMBINED TONNAGE. BEVAN DOES NOT BELIEVE THAT THERE ARE ANY SIGNIFICANT CU RESERVES WITHIN 250 M OF BOTTOM OF PIT.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface/Underground
    Overall depth 140M

Comments on the workings information

  • IN 1942, 23 SHORT ADITS WITH INTERCONNECTED WORKINGS AND 96 CHURN DRILL HOLES; BY 1918 WERE 17,159 FT OF WORKINGS. TOP OF HILL WAS ONCE 120 M ABOVE SEA LEVEL, BOTTOM OF PIT REACHED 20 M BELOW SEA LEVEL. TUNNELS WERE MOSTLY FOR EXPLORATION PURPOSES, PRODUCTION WAS FROM THE OPEN PIT.

Comments on development

  • AREA GREATER THAN 196 HA. WAS WORKED FROM 1906-1912 BY SANTA RITA COMPANY FOR OXIDE ORE FOR AU ONLY (MAY HAVE BEEN UNDERGROUND). IN 1916, TONOPAH NICARAGUA MINING CO. (VENTURES LTD.) DID EXPLORATION AND DECIDED NOT TO MINE DUE TO POST WW1 COPPER SURPLUS. IN 1950, AGREEMENT MADE WITH TONAPAH TO ALLOW EXPLORATION WTH VIEW TO ACQUISITION. IN 1954, ROSITA MINES LTD., WHOLEY OWNED SUBBSIDIARY OF LA LUZ MINES LTD. (FALCON BRIDGE) BOUGHT THE PROPERTY. 1956 INSTALLATION OF 600 T/DAY MILL BEGAN. IN 1959-1964, 650,000 ST OF ORE (MALACHITE) WAS TREATED BY LEACH - PRECIPITATION FLOTATION WITH 70% RECOVERY. IN 1964 PROCESSING CHANGED TO TREAT CHALCOCITE. IN 1967, ADDED FLOTATION FOR CHALCOPYRITE. IN 1970 MILL CAPACITY HAD REACHED 2000 TPD WITH 60-80% RECOVERY. IN 1972-1974(?) PRODUCTION DIMINISHED UNTIL OPEN PIT CLOSED IN 1974(?). IN 1975 MILL CONVERTED TO CYANIDE PROCESS (MERRIL-CROWE) FOR TREATING FOLD ORE FROM OTHER SITES IN THE AREA. IN 1979, NATIONALIZATION INMINE. IN 1981, MILL
  • DISMANTLED AND TRANSFERRED TO OTHER MINES. ; MILL.CAP : 2000 TPD

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    INSTITUTO CENTROAMERICANO DE INVESTIGACION Y TECNOLOGIA INDUSTRIAL (ICAITI), 1970, MAPA METRALOGENETIO DE AMERICA CENTRAL; 1:2000000 & ESTUDIOS METALOGENETICOS DE AMERICA CENTRAL: PUBLICIONES GEOLOGICAS DEL ICAITI NUMERO III, 76 P.

  • Deposit

    ROBERTS, R.J., AND IRVING, E.M., 1957, MINERAL DEPOSITS OF CENTRAL AMERICA: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 1034, P. 62-63.

  • Deposit

    BEVAN, P.A., 1973, ROSITA MINE - A BRIEF HISTORY AND GEOLOGICAL DESCRIPTION: CIM BULLETIN VOL. 66, NO. 736, P. 80-84.

  • Deposit

    KONDAKOV, L.A., AND NABROVENKOV, O.S., 1983, PRINCIPAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE METALLOGENY OF NICARAGUA - IZVESTIYA AKADEMII NAUK SSSR, SERIYA GEOLOGICH ESKAYAS V. 1983, P. 91-104.

  • Production

    ROBERTS AND IRVING, 1957; BEVAN, 1973; MINE RECORDS.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit ORE BODY IS IN CONTACT ZONE OF ANDESITIC INTRUSIVE; UPPER PART OXIDIZED TO GOSSAN 20-230 FT THICK. THERE ARE 3 PRIMARY ORE BODIES AND AN OXIDE ENRICHMENT ZONE IN THE SANTA RITA HILL OPEN PIT.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JUN-1990 Bliss, James D. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-FEB-1992 Page, Norman J. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-JUL-1992 Venable, Margaret U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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

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