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Cerro Azul Valley Placers

Prospect in Bolivar, Venezuela with commodities Gold, Silver, 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. Host and associated rocks
  8. Nearby scientific data
  9. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  10. Reserves and resources
  11. Links to other databases
  12. Bibliographic references
  13. General comments
  14. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10060399
MRDS ID TC20040
Record type Site
Current site name Cerro Azul Valley Placers
Alternate or previous names Quebrada La Viga, Quebrada El Totumo, Quebrada Mapuey, Quebrada Cerro Azul, Rio El Llanto

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -62.74357, 7.60063 (WGS84)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Bolivar(province)

Venezuela(country)

South America(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country State
Venezuela Bolivar

Comments on the location information

  • MIDDLE BASIN OF THE CUCHIVERO RIVER, 100 KM S OF CAICARA. PRINCIPAL TRIBUTARIES: GUANIAMITO, GUASJUELITO, AND LAS NIEVES RIVERS. LOCATION OF KIMBERLITE AT CONFLUENCES OF QUEBRADA EL TOCO-QUEBRADA GRANDE. NEAR ROAD CAICARA-SAN JUAN DE MANIPIARE.
  • SW OF TOWN EL MANTECO. CERRO AZUL VALLEY TRENDS E-W AND IS 100-2500 M WIDE. THE VALLEY IS COVERED WITH TROPICAL VEGETATION. CERRO AZUL RISES UP TO 200 M ABOVE THE VALLEY.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Silver Tertiary
Copper Tertiary

Comments on the commodity information

  • THE GUANIAMO DIAMONDS ARE CHARACTERIZED BY THEIR POOR QUALITY, IRREGULAR FORM, AND YELLOW COLOR. LESS THAN 20% ARE OF GEM QUALITY, ABOUT 40% ARE BORT AND 40% INDUSTRIAL.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Gold Ore

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Unconsolidated Deposit > Alluvium
    Rock unit name Carichapo Formation;Yuruari Formation
    Rock description Carichapo Formation;Yuruari Formation
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Holocene

Nearby scientific data

(1) -62.74357, 7.60063
ListMap

Economic information

Comments on the geologic information

  • THE SOURCE OF DIAMONDS IS KIMBERLITES FROM A NEARBY SOURCE. KIMBERLITES CROSSCUT BY TAMPROPHYRES WITH PHLAGOPITE YIELDED AGE 850 MY (39/40 AR).

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Prospect
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1970
    Total resources 48000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Gold Au 0.14 g/mt Gold Major 1970

Comments on development

  • ECON.COM: 12,000+ PEOPLE LIVING ON DIGGINGS IN THIS AREA

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    SIDDER, G.B., 1990, MINERAL OCCURRENCES IN THE GUIANA SHIELD, VENEZUELA: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OPEN-FILE REPORT 90-16, 28 P., 1 OVER-SIZED SHEET.

  • Deposit

    VASQUEZ, J.C., 1989, EL MINISTERIO DE ENERGIA Y MINAS Y LA EXPLORACION AURIFERA, IN PRIMER SIMPOSIO INTERNACIONAL DEL ORO EN VENEZUELA: CARACAS, GRAFICAS LOS PALOS GRANDES C.A., P. 300-324.

  • Other Database

    CIMRI

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit HOST ROCK CONSISTS OF MAINLY SMECTITIC CLAYS (NONTRONITE AND SAPONITE). MATRIX IS SMECTITE WITH ULVOSPINEL-MAGNETITE. MACROCRYSTS CONSIST OF LILAC TO GREEN KELPPHITIZED GARNET, CHROMITE, DIAMOND, AND TI-RICH PHLAGOPITE. ROCKS CONTAIN ABUNDANT MICROVEINING AND SULFIDE DEPOSITION. SULFIDE BEARING IGNIMBRITES.
Deposit THIS AREA IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ABOUT 85% OF VENEZUELA'S DIAMOND PRODUCTION. RIO LA PLATA AND QUEBRADA GRANDE GOLD MINES WERE ABANDONED DUE TO LACK OF WATER AND WERE SHUT DOWN BY GUARDIA NACIONAL. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT
Deposit THE HIGHEST GRADES ARE FOUND IN THE STREAM VALLEYS, ALTHOUGH OLDER TERRACES AND PALEO CHANNELS ARE PROSPECTED ALSO. THE AREA OF AU-BEARING PLACERS IS ABOUT 25 SQ KM. THE GOLD IS FINE, LAMINATED AND FILOFORME WITH MINIMAL IMPURITIES OF SILVER AND COPPER. ONLY QUEBRADAS MAPUEY AND CERRO AZUL HAVE HIGH ENOUGH GRADES TO BE OF INTEREST.
Deposit SEE QUEBRADA GRANDE, MRDS RECORD TC20061.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-MAY-1991 Bolm, Karen S. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-SEP-1991 Carbonaro, Marguerite M. (Orris, Greta 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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