El Guanaco

Producer in Chile with commodities Gold, Silver, Copper
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. Ore body information
  12. Controls for ore emplacement
  13. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  14. Mining district
  15. Reserves and resources
  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 10058066
MRDS ID TC03817
Record type Site
Current site name El Guanaco

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -69.52702, -25.10583 (WGS84)
Elevation 2765

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Chile(country)

South America(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country
Chile

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Silver Secondary
Copper Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Bornite Ore
Chalcocite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Covellite Ore
Enargite Ore
Gold Ore
Alunite Gangue
Barite Gangue
Dickite Gangue
Gypsum Gangue
Hematite Gangue
Illite Gangue
Kaolinite Gangue
Limonite Gangue
Pyrrhotite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Tourmaline Gangue
Pyrite Unknown

Alteration

  • (Local) Silicic, Argillic, Sericitic, Propylitic

Analytical data

Result LEACHED ZONE: 3-30 G/T AU
Result >30 G/T AG ENRICHED ZONE: 0.5-5 G/T AU
Result >20 G/T AG
Result 1-10% CU PRIMARY ZONE: 0.5-2 G/T AU
Result 10-20 G/T AG
Result 0.5-1% CU

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 154
USGS model code 25e
Deposit model name Epithermal quartz-alunite Au
Mark3 model number 38

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Rhyolite
    Rock unit name El Guanaco Formation
    Rock description El Guanaco Formation
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Paleocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Paleocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Paleocene
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Rhyolite

Nearby scientific data

(1) -69.52702, -25.10583

Economic information

Ore body information

  • General form IRREGULAR
    Strike N70E
    Dip 65-85NW
    Length 600M
    Width 2M
    Depth to bottom 290M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Fault

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Medium
Significant No
Discovery year 1887
Discoverer Spanish Colonial

Mining district

District name El Guanaco

Comments on the production information

  • BETWEEN 1887 AND 1928 SAID TO HAVE PRODUCED ABOUT 2000 KG AU PER YEAR. WAS ACTIVE IN 1933-1971.

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1979
    Total resources 5400000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Gold Au 4.45 g/mt Gold Major 1979
    Silver Ag 23.36 g/mt Silver Minor 1979
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1991
    Total resources 37000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Gold Au 1.25 g/mt Gold Major 1991

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • AU IS THE APPROXIMATE CONTAINED METAL

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface/Underground
    Area 280HA
    Overall depth 270M
    Overall length 3657.6M
    Overall width 700M

Comments on development

  • AREA WITH OVER 200 MINES UP TO 1928

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    RUIZ, C. Y PEEBLES, F., 1988, YACIMIENTOS METALIFEROS DE CHILE: SANTIAGO, 334 P.

  • Deposit

    CAMUS, F. Y DUHALDE, M.A., 1982, GEOLOGIA DE LOS YACIMIENTOS HIDROTERMALES DE ORO EN CHILE: REV. GEOL. DE CHILE, 17, P. 47-70.

  • Deposit

    ENAMI, 1976-79, #2389.

  • Deposit

    BORIC, R., DIAZ, F., AND MAKSAEV, V., 1984, COMPLEMENTO MAPA METALOGENICO, II REGION: GERENCIA DE DESAROLLO, SANTIAGO, (12VOLS.).

  • Deposit

    FRUTOS, J. AND PINCHEIRA, M., 1986, FICHAS METALOGENICAS DE YACIMIENTOS MINERALES METALICOS CHILENOS, IN FRUTOS, J., OYARZUN, J., AND PINCHEIRA, M., EDS., GEOLOGIA Y RECURSOS MINERALES CHILENOS: UNIVERSIDAD DE CONCEPCION, CONCEPCION, P. 841-888.

  • Deposit

    SILLITOE, R.H., 1991, GOLD METALLOGENY OF CHILE - AN INTRODUCTION: ECONOMIC GEOLOGY, V. 86, NO. 6, P. 1187-1205.

  • Deposit

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

  • Other Database

    CIMRI

  • Production

    CUADRA AND DUNKERLEY (1991)

  • Reserve-Resource

    SILLITOE (1991)

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit LATERAL ZONATION OF AU-AG-CU AND VERTICAL ZONATION OF, FROM SURFACE, QTZ-BA-AU+/-AG TO EN-QTZ-CP-AU-AG TO EN-PY-QTZ. OXIDIZED TO 50-70M; SECONDARY ENRICHMENT TO 120M.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-SEP-1990 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.