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Farallon Negro

Producer in Catamarca, Argentina with commodities Gold, Manganese, Silver, Lead, Copper
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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. 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 10303949
MAS/MILS ID 3570030006
Record type Site
Current site name Farallon Negro
Alternate or previous names Bajo El Durazno

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Geographic coordinates: Elevation UTM Precision Relative position Point location
Ore Body -66.74944, -27.41416 (WGS84) 2600 1000
(click for info)
-66.5911, -27.27607 (WGS84) 1000 10 km NE of Bajo de la Alumbrera.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Catamarca(province)

Argentina(country)

South America(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country State
Argentina Catamarca

Comments on the location information

  • 25 km by dirt road from highway to Belen (100 km).
  • 24 km and 40 km w of Los Nacimientos and Haulfin respectively.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Secondary
Manganese Critical Primary
Silver Secondary
Lead Tertiary
Copper Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Galena Ore
Gold Ore
Pyrolusite Ore
Argentite Ore
Manganite Ore
Calcite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Ankerite Unknown
Aragonite Unknown
Chalcopyrite Unknown
Jasper Unknown
Psilomelane Unknown
Rhodochrosite Unknown
Silver Unknown

Alteration

  • (Local) Pyritization

Analytical data

Result Within the central geochemicalanomoly, CU content ranges from 180 to 1700 PPM CU with 4 samples assaying between 3230 and 5300 PPM CU. MO ranges from 13 to 68 PPM with two samples yielding 120 to 216 PPM. AU values range from 0.11 to 1.55 PPM AU with two higher samples assaying 2.70 and 3.60 PPM AU. Silver was not analyzed.

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 53
USGS model code 17
Deposit model name Porphyry Cu
Mark3 model number 4

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Pyroclastic Rock > Tuff
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Pyroclastic Rock > Volcanic Breccia (Agglomerate)
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Intermediate Volcanic Rock > Andesite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Mafic Volcanic Rock > Basalt
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type
    Rock unit name Farallon Negro Complex
    Rock description Farallon Negro Complex
    Chronological age 7.9
    Dating method K-Ar

Nearby scientific data

Ore Body (1) -66.74944, -27.41416
ListMap
(2) -66.5911, -27.27607
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure name Elongate Ns Trending Tilted Fault Blocks Bounded By Regional High Angle Nor

Ore body information

  • Strike N45E
    Dip 75N
    Thickness 10M
    Length 1700M
    Area 100HA
    Depth to top 200M
    Field Value
    MAS Matrix # 1
    MAS Column # 1
    Type of Orebody #1 FISSURE VEIN
    Shape of Orebody #1 IRREGULAR
    Primary mode of Origin HYDROTHERMAL
    Primary Ore Control FRACTURING
    Strike And Dip N45E:75N
    Date of Last Modification 910607
  • General form Vein
    Strike E-W
    Dip 65-85N
    Thickness 10M
    Length 2000M
    Width 19M
  • Thickness 32M
    Length 3000M
    Width 240M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • System Of Paralell Fractures, Dikes

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Underground
Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Significant Yes
Discovery year 1938
Mining method Filled Stopes - Horiz Cut and Fill W/Waste Rock
Year of first production 1980

Mining district

District name Farallon Negro Capillitas District, Agua De Dionisio

Land status

Ownership category Unknown

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Yacimientos Mineros De Aguas De Dionisio (YMAD)
    Interest 100
    Home office Av. Cordoba 2080, Buenos Aires. Tel. 48-6894
    Year 1978
  • Type Owner
    Owner Yacimientos Mineros De Aguas De Dionisio (YMAD)
    Home office Av. Cordoba 2080, Buenos Aires. Tel. 48-6894
    Year 1993
    First year 1993
  • Type Operator
    Owner American Resources
    Year 1993
    First year 1993

Comments on the production information

  • Annual productivity about 840 kg of AU and 9850 kg AG. 1993 annual production estimated at about 490 kg AU by heap leaching.
  • 40-50 kg of AU per month.

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1993
    Measured 2350000mt ore
    Demonstrated 2350000mt ore
    Total resources 2350000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Manganese Mn 16 wt-pct Manganese Major 1993
    Silver Ag 0.0161 g/mt Silver Minor 1993
    Gold Au 0.0009 g/mt Gold Minor 1993
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1993
    Demonstrated 2350000mt ore
    Total resources 2350000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Silver Ag 110 g/mt Silver Minor 1993

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • In 1993 had about 3 years reserves; Deposit size estimated by Mosier and Others, 1986.
  • 21,225 t measured, 51,275 t estimated, 45,105 t tentative

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Length 8500M
    Field Value
    Number of Shafts 1;
    Length of Inclines (m) 225;
    Number of Inclines 2;
    Capacity 364 MT ORE/DAY;
    Unit Production Cost 4.23 $/MT ORE;
    Operating Days per Year 250;
    Operating Shifts per Day 2;
    Year of Information 1981

Comments on development

  • First mined by the Instituto De Jujuy ; Mill. Cap : 350t per day
  • Several mapping studies of lithologies, hydrothermal alteration, mineralization, and structures. extensive surface geochemical sampling of 653 rock chips, 72 of which were examined petrographically. 9 diamond drill holes between 1968 and 1976.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    ENGINEERING AND MINING JOURNAL, IN LATIN AMERICA: ARGENTINA: V. 179, NO. 3, 1978, P. 243.

  • Reserve-Resource

    AME MINERAL ECONOMICS QUARTERLY MINE ANALYSIS, JUN 93, P. 43.

  • Reserve-Resource

    Angelelli (1984) Yacimientos Metaliferos De La Republica Argentina. V.2 P. 401

  • Deposit

    MINING MAGAZINE, ARGENTINE MINING PLANS: V. 138, NO. 2, 1978, P. 143.

  • Deposit

    ENGINEERING AND MINING JOURNAL, THIS MONTH IN MINING: NEW AND EXPANDING MINES AND PLANTS: V. 179, NO. 3, 1978, P. 39.

  • Deposit

    BOWEN, R., AND GUNATILAKA, A., 1977, COPPER: ITS GEOLOGY AND ECONOMICS: NEW YORK, JOHN WILEY AND SONS, INC.

  • Deposit

    CORETLEZZI, CESAR., LOS YACIMIENTOS DE MANGANESO DE LA REPUBLICA ARGENTINA, II CONGRESO IBERO-AMERICAO DE GEOLOGICA ECONOMICA, BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA, 1975, PP. 215-235.

  • Deposit

    NATIONAL MATERIALS ADVISORY BOARD, MANGANESE RESERVES AND RESOURCES OF THE WORLD AND THEIR INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS. WASHINGTON, 1981, P. 273.

  • Deposit

    MINING MAGAZINE, AUG 1981, PP 75-77 "THE FARALLON NEGRO DEPOSIT, ARGENTINA"

  • Deposit

    GOLDER ASSOCIATES PROFILE REPORT. FARALLON NEGRO, NOV. 1981. COPY ON FILE AT U. S. BUREAU OF MINES MINERALS AVAILABILITY FIELD OFFICE, DENVER, CO 80225. (UPDATE: This is now on file with the USGS MRP - MRDS File Room, Denver Federal Center, Bldg. 20).

  • Deposit

    Allison, A.E., 1986, The Geology of the Bajo El Durazo Porphyry Copper-Gold Pprospect, Catamaarca Province, Argentina: Tucson, University of Arizona masters thesis, 167 p.

  • Deposit

    Suchomel, B.J., 1988, Little-explored Area Of Argentina Shows Base And Precious Metals Potential: Mining Engineering, Vol. 40, No. 8, P. 800-803.

  • Deposit

    Caelles, J.C., Clark, A.H., Farrar, E., Mcbride, S.L., And Quirt, S., 1971, Potassium-argon Ages Of Porphyry Copper Deposits And Associated Rocks In The Farallon Negro-capillitos District, Catamarca, Argentina: Economic Geology, V. 66, P. 961-964.

  • Deposit

    Sillitoe, R.H., 1977, Permo-carboniferous, Upper Cretaceous, And Miocene Porphyry Copper-type Mineralization In The Argentenian Andes: Economic Geology, V. 72, No. 1, P. 99-109.

  • Deposit

    Andelelli (1984) Yacimientos Metaliferos De La Republica Argentina, V. 1, P. 117 (Map).

  • Deposit

    Little, M.L., 1993, Exploration Review: South America: Seg Newsletter, No. 15, October '93, P. 16.

  • Deposit

    Angelelli(1984) Yacimientos Metaliferos De La Republica Argentina. V.2 P. 39

  • Deposit

    Mosier And Others, 1986, U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1866, P. 16-17.

  • Deposit

    Mining Magazine, January 1987, P. 58.

  • Deposit

    World Bank, 1993, Unpublished Manuscript.

  • Deposit

    Anon, 1993, High Hopes In Argentina: Mining Journal, London, Nov. 5, 1993, V. 321, P. 318.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit No data has become available since 1981. Manganese is produced as a minor byproduct with gold and silver.
Deposit Length of vein ranges from 2.0 to 3.0 km, thickness from 1-32 m, and width 200-240 m. Deposit occurs on 3 main structures.
Deposit Alto Blenda occurs in literature attached to Farallon Negro but is a different mine.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 25-SEP-96 Eastern Field Operations Center (EFOC) U.S. Bureau of Mines
Reporter 01-MAR-91 Bolm, Karen S. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-OCT-92 Sow, Thierno U.S. Geological Survey
Reporter 01-SEP-93 Page, Norman J. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-JAN-94 Page, Norman J. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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

Maps centered on this site