Kellhuani Mine

Past Producer in La Paz, Bolivia with commodities Tin, Copper, Zinc, Bismuth, Lead
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. Links to other databases
  20. Bibliographic references
  21. General comments
  22. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10006314
MRDS ID BL20310
Record type Site
Current site name Kellhuani Mine
Alternate or previous names Kellguani, Kelluani

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -68.11201, -16.36687 (WGS84)
Elevation 4760
Relative position 6.4 KM S35E OF MILLUNI

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

La Paz(province)

Bolivia(country)

South America(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country State
Bolivia La Paz
Bolivia La Paz

Comments on the location information

  • ON SW FLANK CERRO FARELLON

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Tin Critical Primary
Copper Tertiary
Zinc Critical Tertiary
Bismuth Critical Tertiary
Lead Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Bismuthinite Ore
Cassiterite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Covellite Ore
Galena Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Stannite Ore
Albite Gangue
Ankerite Gangue
Chlorite Gangue
Fluorite Gangue
Hematite Gangue
Magnetite Gangue
Marcasite Gangue
Muscovite Gangue
Pyrite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Siderite Gangue
Tourmaline Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Weak Hornfels Metamorphism Of Shales; Tourmaline-Chlorite Vein Selvages; Disseminated Tourmaline In Quartzite

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 47
USGS model code 15b
Deposit model name Sn veins

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Granite
    Rock unit name Huayna Potosi Batholith
    Rock description Huayna Potosi Batholith
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Triassic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Silurian
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Triassic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Silurian
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Metasedimentary Rock > Quartzite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Shale
    Rock unit name Catavi
    Rock description Catavi

Nearby scientific data

(1) -68.11201, -16.36687

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Local
Structure description Hinge Of Nw Monocline

Ore body information

  • General form BLANKET
    Strike N 75 W
    Dip 20-34 SW

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Quartzite Beds Sandwiched Between Shale Beds; Most Intense Fracturing And Best Mineralization Along Hinge Of Monocline

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Medium
Significant No

Mining district

District name Milluni

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Compania Minera Kellguani S.A. (Emusa Subsidiary)
  • Type Owner
    Owner Empresa Minera Unificada S.A. (Emusa)

Production statistics

  • Year 1968
    Period 1966-1968
    Accuracy Accurate
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Tin Tin 1wt-pct

Comments on the production information

  • (1) TREATED IN 50 TPD PILOT MILL.

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1980
    Total resources 622800000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Tin Sn 0.77 wt-pct Tin Major 1980
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1980
    Total resources 3136000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Tin Sn 0.6 wt-pct Tin Major 1980

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • (1) PROBABLE ORE IN MANTO 1; (2) POSSIBLE ORE IN MANTO 1

Comments on the workings information

  • MORE THAN 2000 M OF UNDERGROUND WORKINGS BY MEANS OF NUMEROUS ADITS, SPACED ABOUT 10 M APART, ALONG INDIVIDUAL MANTOS. IN PLACES MANTOS ARE WORKED BY MEANS OF TRENCHES AND OPEN CUTS. DEVELOPMENT BY EMUSA IS CONFINED TO MANTO 11, WORKED ON 0, 60, AND 150 M LEVELS USING SUB-LEVEL STOPING.

Comments on development

  • TRANS-AMERICA RESOURCES INC. EXPLORED PROPERTY FROM 1966 TO 1968, DRIVING A 730 M CROSSCUT ADIT AND 1063 M OF DRIFTS AND RAISES. SUBSEQUENTLY EXPLORED BY NEW JERSEY ZINC WHICH DRILLED SIX INCLINED DIAMOND DRILL HOLES INTERSECTING LOW-GRADE TIN MINERALIZATION AT DEPTH. THESE HOLES WERE PARALLEL TO THE PRINCIPAL SET OF MINERALIZED FRACTURES. EMPRESA MINERA UNIFICADA ACQUIRED PROPERTY AND BEGAN MINING AND MILLING ORE FROM THE OUTCROP OF MANTO 1 MIXED WITH DUMP ORE YIELDING A MILL FEED OF 0.30-0.35% SN. ; ECON.COM: EARLY PRODUCTION EXTRACTED FROM ADIT TUNNELS DRIVEN INTO RICHER PORTIONS OF MANTOS WAS HAND SORTED. TRANS-AMERICA RESOURCES INC., TREATED DEVELOPMENT ORE IN A 50 TPD PILOT MILL BETWEEN 1966 AND 1968. CIA MINERA KELLGUANI USED A 200 TPD MILL TO TREAT DEVELOPMENT ORE. THE EMUSA MILL EMPLOYS JIGS AND TABLES AND RECOVERS 52 TO 56% OF SN AS A 40 TO 42% SN CONCENTRATE FROM 0.3 TO 0.5% SN FEED. TAILS CONTAIN 0.15% SN. MILL WAS TREATING 9000 MT/MO ORE CONTAINING 0.46% SN IN 1982,
  • YIELDING 600 TO 900 KG/DAY TABLE CONCENTRATE CONTAINING 59% SN.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    GEOBOL, 1980, PROSPECCION MINERA EN AREAS SELECCIONADAS: GEOBOL INFORME GE-G1/272

  • Deposit

    LEHMANN, BERND, 1979, SCHICHTGEBUNDENE SN-LAGERSTATTEN IN DER CORDILLERA REAL/BOLIVIEN: BERLINER GEOWISSENSCHAFTEN ABHANDLUNGEN, V. 14., 135 P.

  • Deposit

    GUSTAVSON ASSOC., 1992, COMPENDIUM OF THE ECONOMIC GEOLOGY OF BOLIVIA

  • Deposit

    MATTHEWS, P.F.P., 1985, KELLGUANI, BOLIVIA - A MANTO TIN DEPOSIT: MINING MAGAZINE, JANUARY, P. 24-29.

  • Deposit

    LEHMANN, B., 1985, FORMATION OF THE STRATA-BOUND KELLHUANI TIN DEPOSIT, BOLIVIA: MINERALIUM DEPOSITA, V. 20, P. 169-176.

  • Deposit

    AHLFELD, F., AND SCHNEIDER-SCHERBINA, A., 1964, LOS YACIMIENTOS MINERALES Y DE HIDROCARBUROS DE BOLIVIA: DEPARTAMENTO NACIONAL DE GEOLOGIA BOLETIN 5, P. 137.

  • Deposit

    SUGAKI, A., AND OTHERS, 1985, GEOLOGICAL STUDY ON THE ORE DEPOSITS IN THE LA PAZ DISTRICT, BOLIVIA: SCIENCE REPORTS OF THE TOHOKU UNIVERSITY, SERIES 3, V. 16, N. 2, P. 131-198.

  • Deposit

    FIELD OBSERVATIONS BY KEITH R. LONG, APRIL 28, 199

  • Other Database

    CIMRI

  • Production

    (1) MATTHEWS (1985) P. 25.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit AT LEAST TEN MANTOS, 1 TO 40 M THICK, WITHIN A STRATAGRAPHIC INTERVAL OF 450 TO 600 M. INDIVIDUAL MANTOS ARE DISCONTINUOUS STOCKWORK VEINS, UP TO 5 CM WIDE, 10 TO 40 CM APART, WITH NARROW TOURMALINE-CHLORITE ALTERATION SELVAGES, CONFINED TO FINE-GRAINED QUARTZITE SANDWICHED BETWEEN SHALE BEDS. FRACTURES STRIKE NW AND NE, WITH THE BEST-MINERALIZED FRACTURES SUBPARALLEL TO STRIKE OF HOST QUARTZITE, AND ARE FILLED MAINLY BY CASSITERITE AND QUARTZ. MINERALIZATION IN THE LARGEST MANTO (MANTO 7 AVERAGING 40 M THICK) IS MORE COMPLEX AND CONTAINS ARGENTIFEROUS GALENA, SPHALERITE, CHALCOPYRITE, ETC.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-NOV-1993 Long, Keith R. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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