1. Mineral Resources
  2. Online Spatial Data
  3. Mineral Resource Data System (MRDS)

Remolinos, Cabeza De Vaca Cu Mine

Producer in Chile with commodities Copper, Gold
Map
XML
JSON
KML
B
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. Workings at the site
  17. Links to other databases
  18. Bibliographic references
  19. General comments
  20. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10068740
MRDS ID W001980
Record type Site
Current site name Remolinos, Cabeza De Vaca Cu Mine
Alternate or previous names Remolinos Nueva

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -70.04285, -27.60164 (WGS84)
Elevation 1250
Relative position ABOUT 50 KM SE OF COPIAPO

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Chile(country)

South America(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country
Chile

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Copper Primary
Gold Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcopyrite Ore
Copper Ore
Gold Ore
Pyrite Ore
Calcite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Scheelite Gangue
Tourmaline Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Hydrothermal Alteration, Contact Metamorphism

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite
    Rock unit name Cabeza De Vaca;
    Rock description Cabeza De Vaca;
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite
    Rock unit name Cabeza De Vaca
    Rock description Cabeza De Vaca

Nearby scientific data

(1) -70.04285, -27.60164
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 N-Trending Dikes Intrude Cret Volcanic & Sedimentary Rocks To East Of Pluton. Anticline & 2 Synclines To South

Ore body information

  • General form TABULAR ROCKS, ELLIPTICAL TO CIRCULAR PIPES
    Length 2000M
    Width 1300M
    Depth to bottom 100M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Tourmaline Breccia, Pipes, Quartz And Calcite Veins, Intrusion Of Cabeza De Vaca Pluton

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Significant No
Discovery year 1850

Mining district

District name Cabeza De Vaca District

Production statistics

  • Year 1954
    Period 1951-1954
    Material CU
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^14.8 % Cu, 5.6 Grams/Ton Au
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Trace Gold Gold 6g/mt
    Major Copper Copper 15wt-pct
  • Year 1980
    Material ORE
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^1.7% Cu, 3 G/T Au
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Trace Ore Gold Gold 3g/mt
    Major Ore Copper Copper 2wt-pct

Comments on the production information

  • MINED FOR GOLD IN 18TH CENTURY

Comments on the reserve resource information

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

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Overall depth 110M

Comments on the workings information

  • APPROXIMATELY 90 BRECCIATED CHIMNEY-LIKE PIPES OF ABOUT 50 M EACH IN DIAMETER AND SOME MANTO-LIKE TABULAR BODIES COMPRISE THE MINING DISTRICT. ASSOCIATED SOMEWHAT WITH THE BRECCIA PIPES ARE 60 FINE-GRAINED PORPHYRIES IN CABEZA DE VACA GRANODIORITE. 6 LEVELS.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    RUIZ, F., CARLOS, 1965, GEOLOGIA Y YACIMIENTOS METALIFEROS DE CHILE: INST. INV. GEOL. CHILE, 305 P. (SPANISH)

  • Deposit

    UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME, 1967, MINERAL SURVEY OF NORTHERN CHILE: NEW YORK, UNITED NATIONS, P. 44-45

  • Deposit

    PARKER, R. L., AND OTHERS, 1963, GEOLOGIA DE LOS DISTRITOS MINEROS CHECO DE COBRE, PAMPA LARGA Y PARTE NORTE DE CABEZA DE VACA, PROV. ATACAMA: CHILE INST. INV. GEOL. BOL. 14, 46 P. (SPANISH)

  • Deposit

    BOWES, W. A., AND OTHERS, 1966, EXPLORACION DE MINERALES RADIACTIVOS EN CHILE, PROV. ATACAMA AND COQUIMBO: CHILE INST. INV. GEOL. BOL. 22 PT. 2, P. 27-58 (SPANISH)

  • Deposit

    DIAZ, ET AL., 1980, MAPA METALOGENICO PRONOSTICO DE LA III REGION: CORPORACION DE FOMENTO DE LA PRODUCCION, SANTIAGO (5 VOLS.)

  • Deposit

    PARKER, R., Y OTROS, 1963, GEOLOGIA DE LOS DISTRITOS MINEROS CHECOS DE COBRE, PAMPA LARGA, Y CABEZA DE VACA, PROVINCIA DE ATACAMA: BOL. 14.

  • Deposit

    CUADRA, W.A., AND DUNKERLEY, P.M., 1991, A HISTORY OF GOLD IN CHILE: ECONOMIC GEOLOGY, V. 86, NO. 6, P. 1155-1173.

  • Deposit

    PARKER, R.L., AND OTHERS, 1963, GEOLOGIA DE LOS DISTRITOS MINEROS CHECO DE COBRA, PAMPA LARGA Y PARTE NORTE DE CABEZA DE VACA, PROV. ATACAMA: CHILE INST. INV. GEOL. BOL. 14, 46 P. (SPANISH).

  • Deposit

    BOWES, W.A., AND OTHERS, 1966, EXPLORACION DE MINERALES RADIOACTIVOS EN CHILE, PROV. ATACAMA AND COQUIMBO: CHILE INST. INV. GEOL. BOL. 22, PT. 2, P. 27-58 (SPANISH).

  • Deposit

    UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME, 1967, MINERAL SURVEY OF NORTHERN CHILE: NEW YORK UNITED NATIONS, P. 44-45.

  • Deposit

    1959 RECON U.S. ATOMIC ENERGY COMM. & INSTITUTO INVESTIGACIONES GEOLOGICAS CHILE

  • Deposit

    1963 GEOLMAP UNITED NATIONS

  • Deposit

    1963 COMPILE RAY PARKER

  • Other Database

    CIMRI

  • Production

    PARKER, 1963, REF.; CUADRA AND DUNKERLEY (1991)

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit A VERTICAL SECTION OF THE REMOLINAS MINE IN DESCENDING ORDER FROM THE SURFACE (1367 M) CONSISTS OF; 10 FT OF LEACHED ZONE, 35 FT OF ZONE OF OXIDATION (MALACHITE, AZURITE, CUPRITE, CHALCOCITE, SOME CHALCOPYRITE), 40 FT OF ZONE OF SECONDARY ENRICHMENT (CHALCOCITE, CHALCOPYRITE, PYRITE), AND 30 FT OF PRIMARY ZONE (CHALCOPYRITE, PYRITE) ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT
Deposit Discovery Year: 18TH CENTURY

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-APR-1973 Davidson, Claire B. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-JUL-1991 Williams, William C. University of Arizona
Updater 01-NOV-1993 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