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Exmibal Mine

Producer in Izabal, Guatemala with commodities Nickel, Cobalt, 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. Host and associated rocks
  7. Nearby scientific data
  8. Geologic structures
  9. Ore body information
  10. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  11. Mining district
  12. Ownership information
  13. Reserves and resources
  14. Links to other databases
  15. Bibliographic references
  16. General comments
  17. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10024509
MRDS ID ISM0230
Record type Site
Current site name Exmibal Mine
Alternate or previous names Lake Izabel Nickel Deposit, Buena Vista, La Gloria, Chulac, El Estor, Concession Names: Nculac, El Estor, Sexa, Montufar

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -89.33339, 16.50077 (WGS84)
Elevation 500
Relative position ORE BODY; 100 M

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Izabal(province)

Guatemala(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country State
Guatemala Izabal

Comments on the location information

  • ON THE SLOPES OF THE RIO POLOCHIC. THE RIVER FLOWS INTO THE LAKE IZABAL. ON NORTH SHORE, NEAR TOWN OF MARISCOS, PLANT SITE AT EL ESTOR.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Nickel Critical Primary
Cobalt Critical Secondary
Copper Secondary

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Ultramafic Intrusive Rock > Peridotite
    Rock unit name Sierra De Santa Cruz;
    Rock description Sierra De Santa Cruz;
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Ultramafic Intrusive Rock > Peridotite > Dunite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Ultramafic Intrusive Rock > Pyroxenite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Serpentinite

Nearby scientific data

(1) -89.33339, 16.50077
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Tropical Weathering Of Ophiolite

Ore body information

  • General form BLANKET
    Thickness 13M

Comments on the geologic information

  • ; LMON + SRPN + GRNR; DEPOSIT OCCURS AS IRREGULAR TABULAR BODY; MINERALIZED ZONE AVERAGES 22 M IN DEPTH AND 5 M IN THICKNESS, AND LIES CHIEFLY IN A ZONE BETWEEN 300 AND 600 M ABOVE SEA LEVEL. ORES -AVERAGE 1.5% NI.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Large
Significant No
Discovery year 1955
Discoverer Jose Montufar
Year of first production 1977
Year of last production 1982

Mining district

District name Izabal

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Exmibal; Inco (80%), Hanna Mining Co. (20%)

Comments on the production information

  • LESS THAN 60% UNKNOWN OPERATIONS CLOSED AT END OF 1981.

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1980
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Nickel Ni 1.8 wt-pct Nickel Major 1980

Comments on the workings information

  • A CUTOFF GRADE OF 1.5% NI THE RATIO OF OVERBURDEN TO ORE WAS 0.85:1. WITH A CUTOFF GRADE OF 1.25% THE RATIO WAS 0.61:1

Comments on development

  • NON-GEOLOGIC CONSTRAINTS ON DEVELOPMENT OR EXPANSION IN 1-5 YRS. ( X; DEPRESSED MARKET AND WORLDWIDE OVERSUPPLY OF NICKEL). DEVELOPMENT(NO); ASSESSMENT(MILL CAPACITY 8,000 MT/DAY ORE AT 1.9% NI; PLANT EXPECTED TO PRODUCE 14 MT/YR NI.); ; TOTAL$: 224 ; ECON.YEAR: 1975 ; ECON.COM: MILL CAPACITY 8,000 MT/DAY ORE AT 1.9% NI; PLANT EXPECTED TO PRODUCE 14 MT/YR NI. EXIMBAL HAS MINING RIGHT FOR 40 YEARS OVER 150 SQUARE MILES OF LAND.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    AMENDMENT TO U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION 10K REPORT, JULY 17, 1980. (RR1)

  • Deposit

    MINING ANNUAL REVIEW, 1982, THE STEEL INDUSTRY METALS--NICKEL: LONDON, MINING ANNUAL REVIEW, MINING JOURNAL LTD.,- P. 67-68.

  • Deposit

    ENSMINGER, H.R., 1983, THE MINERAL INDUSTRY OF CENTRAL AMERICAN COUNTRIES, IN U.S. BUREAU OF MINES, MINERALS YEARB-OOK 1981, V. III, AREA REPORTS--INTERNATIONAL: WASHINGTON, D.-C., U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, P. 1267-1287. (PA1, PC1)

  • Deposit

    ALWARD, J.R., 1983, THE STEEL INDUSTRY METALS--NICKEL: LONDON, MINING ANNUAL REVIEW, MINING JOURNAL LTD., P. 65-6-7.

  • Deposit

    MINING ANNUAL REVIEW, 1982, CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA--GUATEMALA: LONDON, MINING ANNUAL REVIEW, MINING JOURNAL LT-D., P. 357. (PA2, PA8, RR1)

  • Deposit

    ENG. MIN. JOUR., NOV. 1977, GUATEMALA-EXIMBAL: ENG. MIN. JOUR., V. 178, NO.11, P. 162-165.

  • Deposit

    METALS WEEK - METALS SOURCEBOOK. 5/20/74. ITEM #B2845.

  • Deposit

    THE INTERNATIONAL NICKEL COMPANY OF CANADA, LIMITED, 1973, ANNUAL REPORT, P. 15.

  • Deposit

    ENGINEERING MINING JOURNAL. 4/74. P. 37.

  • Deposit

    METALS WEEK 4/30/73, P. 7.

  • Deposit

    AMERICAN METALS MARKET, 11/12/75, P. 1.

  • Deposit

    CARRINGTON, J.W., BASIC RESOURCES RUSHES 3-PRONGED MINE EFFORT PLUS OIL IN GUATEMALA.

  • Deposit

    CHIDESTER, A.H., 8/76, THE NICKELIFEROUS ORE BODY AND THE MILL OF EXIMBAL AT LAKE IZABAL, GUATEMALA: APPENDIX 3 TO REPORT ON TRIP AND VISITS TO COSTA RICA, NICARAGUA, AND GUATEMALA BY ABOVE AND MILLER, RALPH L., 8/76.

  • Deposit

    INSTITUTO CENTROAMERICANO DE INVESTIGACION Y TECNOLOGIA INDUSTRIAL (ICAITI), 1970, MAPA METRALOGENETIO DE AMERICA CENTRAL: 1:2,000,000 & ESTUDIOS METALOGENETICOS DE AMERICA CENTRAL: PUBLICACIONES GEOLOGICAS DEL ICAITI NUMERO III, 76 P.

  • Other Database

    CIMRI

  • Production

    PA1: RF3; PA2, PA8: RF5, P. 357 PC1: RF3

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit THIS RECORD WAS COMPILED FOR THE INTERNATIONAL STRATEGIC MINERALS INVENTORY. THE DATA WERE USED IN PREPARATION OF THE USGS CIRCULAR 930 SERIES OF REPORTS. MINERAL RESOURCE CATEGORIES AND CODES HEREIN ARE FROM THE INTERNATIONAL CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM RECOMMENDED BY THE UNITED NATIONS GROUP OF EXPERTS ON DEFINITIONS AND TERMINOLOGY FOR MINERAL RESOURCES. (SEE NATIONAL RESOURCES FORUM, V. 4, NO. 3, P. 307-313.). SURFACE 8 M REFINED. RECORDS M047004 BY JERRI L. SASO, W002654 BY GLENN L. SHAFFER, W029673 AND W029671 BY H.G. SAAM, AND W701836 BY JAMES D. BLISS HAVE BEEN INCORPORATED INTO THIS RECORD.
Deposit OVERBURDEN 1-10 M, WASTE TO ORE RATIO RUNS 1.41

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-NOV-1974 Shaffer, Glenn L. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-NOV-1977 Saam, Henning G. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-MAR-1979 Saso, Jerri L. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-DEC-1982 Foose, Michael P. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-FEB-1990 Bliss, James D. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-JAN-1992 Page, Norman J. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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

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