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  3. Mineral Resource Data System (MRDS)

Petapa

Producer in Mexico with commodity Sulfur
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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. Nearby scientific data
  8. Ore body information
  9. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  10. Mining district
  11. Mineral rights holdings
  12. Land status
  13. Ownership information
  14. Production statistics
  15. Workings at the site
  16. Links to other databases
  17. Bibliographic references
  18. General comments
  19. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10230217
MAS/MILS ID 2010570004
Record type Site
Current site name Petapa

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Plant
Geographic coordinates: -94.6669, 17.9007 (WGS84)
Elevation 1500
Location accuracy 5000(meters)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Pima(county)

Arizona(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

Federal lands

Federal(land status)

Geographic areas

Country
Mexico

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Sulfur Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Anhydrite Unknown
Halite Unknown
Sulfur Unknown
Anhydrite Unknown

Nearby scientific data

Plant (1) -94.6669, 17.9007
ListMap

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Field Value
    MAS Matrix # 1
    MAS Column # 1
    Type of Orebody #1 SEDIMENTARY
    Shape of Orebody #1 LENTICULAR
    Type of Orebody #2 DISSEMINATED
    Shape of Orebody #2 OTHER
    Type of Orebody #3 OTHER
    Primary mode of Origin SEDIMENTATION
    Secondary mode of Origin OTHER
    Primary Ore Control LITHOLOGY
    Secondary Ore Control OTHER
    Degree of Wallrock Alter. NONE
    Date of Last Modification 910325

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Well
Development status Producer
Commodity type Non-metallic
Significant Yes
Discovery year 1940
Mining method Auger Mining - Frasch Process
Year of first production 1985

Mining district

District name Saline Basin

Mineral rights holdings

Type of mineral rights Minerals Only

Land status

Ownership category Federal

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Cia Azufrera Panamericana Sa (Apsa)
    Interest 100
    Home office Mexico
    Year 1983
    First year 1983
    Last year 1995

Production statistics

  • Year 1995
    Description Expected Production 350000 Mt Elemental Sulfur/Year
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Sulfur Sulfur 350000mt

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • SEE QUANITY MATRIX 1 COLUMN 1 COMMENTS. THESE ARE THE PUBLISHED RECOVERABLE RESERVES OF ELEMENTAL SULFUR AT THIS FRASCH OPERATION. INSITU RESOURCES WOULD BE ESTIMATED AT 5.0M MT OF ELEMENTAL SULFUR.
  • PUBLISHED ESTIMATE OF RECOVERABLE (ASSUMED AT THE 75% LEVEL) ELEMENTAL SULFUR RESERVE/RESOURCES FOR THIS FRASCH MINE. NO GRADE REPORTED WITH THE TONNAGE ESTIMATE. SINCE THIS IS FRASCH ELEMENTAL SULFUR, THE RECOVERABLE SULFUR GRADE COULD RANGE BETWEEN 98.4 TO 99.9 % SULFUR. SULFUR RECOVERY FROM THIS TYPE OF DEPOSIT, USING THE FRASCH MINING METHOD, IS ESTIMATED AT 75% OF THE INSITU SULFUR RESOURCES. THEREFORE THE INSITU RESOURCES ESTIMATE WOULD BE 3.5M MT DIVIDED BY 0.75 = 5.0M MT OF SULFUR. THE SAME GRADE RANGE WOULD APPLY HERE ALSO.
  • THIS IS A NEW MEXICAN FRASCH OPERATION. IT WAS TO COME ON LINE BETWEEN 1985 AND 1990, AT 100000MT ELEMENTAL SULFUR PER YEAR. RESERVE/RESOURCE DATA IS UNKNOWN. NO DEPOSIT REPORT, "PEFR" OR DEPOSIT EVALUATION HAS BEEN DONE.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Field Value
    MAS Development Schedule # 1
    Mining Record # 1
    Status of Mining Method ESTIMATE
    Mining Method FRASCH PROCESS 10-89
    Percent Recovery 75
    Hardness of Rock UNKNOWN
    Rock Characteristics UNKNOWN
    Rock Support Chars. UNKNOWN
    Mine Support Chars. UNKNOWN
    1st Condition of Workings UNKNOWN
    2nd Condition of Workings UNKNOWN
    3rd Condition of Workings UNKNOWN
    Capacity 1500
    Capacity Units MT COMMOD/DAY
    Operating Days per Year 365
    Operating Shifts per Day 3
    Year of Information 1985

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Reserve-Resource

    BRITISH SULPHUR, WORLD SURVEY OF SULPHUR RESOURCES, THIRD

  • Reserve-Resource

    EDITION, PAGE 45, PUBLISHED BY THE BRITISH SULPHUR CORP.,

  • Reserve-Resource

    1986, LONDON, UK.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit THIS IS A NEW FRASCH OPERATION. STARTUP IS ESTIMATED AT BETWEEN 1985 AND 1990. MOST OF THE DATA BASE DATA IS NONCONFIDENTIAL. RESERVE/RESOURCES AND PRODUCTION EST. DATA CAME FROM REFERENCE #1. OTHER DATA IS BASED ON MAFOS SULFUR MINERALS SPECIALISTS KNOWLEDGE OF MEXICOS FRASCH SULFUR OPERATIONS. UNTIL MORE INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ALL GRADE DATA IS OMITTED FROM THE DATA BASE. SEE Q AND R COMMENTS BELOW FOR GRADE ESTIMATES. THE OPERATION IS LOCATED IN THE ISTHMUS OF TEHUANTEPEC IN SE MEXICO. THIS DEPOSIT IS NOT STRICKLY A SEDIMENTARY DEPOSIT. SULFUR IS FORMED BY THE DECOMPOSITION OF ANHYDRITE BY SULFATE-REDUCING ANAEROBIC BACTERIA. ELEMENTAL SULFUR FROMS IN CAVITIES IN THE DECOMPOSED/ DECOMPOSING ANHYDRITE. DATA IN THE YEAR OF INITIAL PRODUCTION IS ONLY AN ESTIMATE. START-UP IS EXPCETED SOMETIME BETWEEN 1985 AND 1990.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 23-SEP-96 Buckingham, David A. U.S. Bureau of Mines

Beyond USGS

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

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