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Los Pijiguaos

Producer in Bolivar, Venezuela with commodities Aluminum, Kaolin, Gallium, Germanium, Titanium, Metal, Iron, Silica, Ferrosilicon
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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. Mineral occurrence model information
  8. Host and associated rocks
  9. Nearby scientific data
  10. Geologic structures
  11. Ore body information
  12. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  13. Ownership information
  14. Production statistics
  15. Reserves and resources
  16. Links to other databases
  17. Bibliographic references
  18. General comments
  19. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10060407
MRDS ID TC20059
Record type Site
Current site name Los Pijiguaos
Alternate or previous names Cerro Paez

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -66.58505, 6.42904 (WGS84)
Elevation 600
Relative position 130 KM S OF CAICARA AND 35 KM E OF THE ORINOCO RIVER

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

  • BETWEEN SUAPURE AND PARGUAZA RIVERS. MENENDEZ V. DE V. ET AL, 1985, DESCRIBE THE AREA AS 66-40-30N BY 66-46-55N AND 6-26-30W BY 6-32-30W. IT IS APPROXIMATELY A 2 HOUR DRIVE ON POOR PAVED ROAD NORTH OF PUERTO AYACUCHO, SW OF RIO SUAPURE.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Aluminum Critical Primary
Kaolin Tertiary
Gallium Critical Tertiary
Germanium Critical Tertiary
Titanium, Metal Critical Tertiary
Iron Tertiary
Silica, Ferrosilicon Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Boehmite Ore
Goethite Ore
Hematite Ore
Kaolinite Ore
Clay Gangue
Mica Gangue
Quartz Gangue

Analytical data

Result THE BAUXITE IS MOSTLY TRIHYDRATE, WITH VERY LITTLE MONOHYDRATE, AND THE TITANIA CONTENT IS QUITE LOW. TESTS INDICATE A 96% YIELD. AL2O3, ALSO GERMANIUM (NO VALUES GIVEN). LESS THAN 20% IS SIO2 (IN GENERAL) AND ABOUT 1.5% IS IRON. ANALYSIS IN NOGUEROL (1980?): 11% HUMEDAD, DENSITY=1.32 T/CUBIC M, 49.46% AL2O3, 9.33% SIO2 AND 1.74% TIO2.

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 111
USGS model code 38b
Deposit model name Bauxite, laterite type

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Granite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Unconsolidated Deposit > Clay, Mud
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Granite
    Rock unit name Parguaza Granite;Cinaruco Formation
    Rock description Parguaza Granite;Cinaruco Formation

Nearby scientific data

(1) -66.58505, 6.42904
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description L Cret To E Tert Nuria Surface Peneplain (600-700m).

Ore body information

  • Thickness 16M

Comments on the geologic information

  • HOST ROCK IS HEAVILY DISSECTED PARGUAZAN GRANITE WITH WELL-DEVELOPED LATERITE. LATERITE VARIES FROM PISOLITIC TO SPONGY TESTURE. WEATHERING FOLLOWS SMALL, "ANASTAMOSING" FAULTS.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Both
Deposit size Large
Significant No
Discovery year 1973
Discoverer Ministry Of Energy And Mines
Year of first production 1987

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner C. V. G. Bauxita Venezolana C. A. (Bauxiven)

Production statistics

  • Year 1989
    Material AL2O3
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^49.0% Al2o3
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Al2O3 Ore Aluminum Aluminum 49wt-pct

Comments on the production information

  • CURRENT PRODUCTION 800,000 TONS/YEAR FROM ORE OF A GRADE OF 49.0% AL2O3 AND SHOULD INCREASE TO 6,000,000 TONS/YEAR WITH COMPLETION OF NEW MILL DURING 1990.

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1989
    Total resources 79000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Aluminum Al2O3 49.5 wt-pct Aluminum Major 1989
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1978
    Total resources 58000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Aluminum Al2O3 48.4 wt-pct Aluminum Major 1978
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1985
    Total resources 5000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Aluminum Al2O3 48 wt-pct Aluminum Major 1985
    Silica, Ferrosilicon SiO2 10 wt-pct Silica Minor 1985
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1979
    Total resources 1769000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Aluminum Al2O3 49.5 wt-pct Aluminum Major 1979
    Titanium, Metal TiO2 1.2 wt-pct Titanium Trace 1979
    Iron Fe 12.6 wt-pct Iron Trace 1979
    Silica, Ferrosilicon SiO2 9.3 wt-pct Silica Minor 1979

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • CUTOFF GRADE IS 44% AL2O3.
  • POTENTIAL RESERVES OF 300-5-- MILLION TONS AT 48% AL2O3 AND 10% SIO2. (6 OTHER SIMILAR AREAS MAY HOLD UP TO 5,000 MILLION TONS BAUXITE.) CUTOFF GRADE IS 44% AL2O3.

Comments on development

  • 25,000+ ORE SAMPLES TAKEN ; TOTAL$: 550

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-SIZE SHEET.

  • Deposit

    RODRIGUEZ M., S.E., 1986, RECURSOS MINERALES DE VENEZUELA: BOLETIN DE GEOLOGIA, REPUBLICA DE VENEZUELA, MINISTERIO DE ENERGIA Y MINAS, DIRECCION GENERAL SECTORIAL DE MINAS Y GEOLOGIA, V. 15, NO. 27, 228 P.

  • Deposit

    MENDOZA, VICENTE, SIFONTES, R.S., AND RODRIGUEZ, S.E., 1978, THE PIJIGUAOS BAUXITE DEPOSIT, WESTERN BOLIVAR, VENEZUELA, IN 4TH INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS FOR THE STUDY OF BAUXITES, ALUMINA, AND ALUMINUM, VOL. 2, BAUXITES, ATHENS, OCTOBER 9-12, 1978: ATHENS, NATIONAL TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF ATHENS, P. 585-586.

  • Deposit

    INDUSTRIAL MINERALS, 1982, VENEZUELA--PIJIGUAOS BAUXITE GETS GOAHEAD: V. 180, P. 27.

  • Deposit

    INSTITUTO INTERNACIONAL DE INTEGRACION, 1986, GEOGRAFIA ECONOMICA, AREA DE RECURSOS MINERALES: LA PAZ, INSTITUTO INTERNACIONAL DE INTEGRACION, 716 P.

  • Deposit

    MENENDEZ, A., RIOS, J.H., WEINGARTEN, B., AND TICONA, I., 1985, CARACTERISTICAS GEOLOGICAS DE LA PARTE NORESTE DEL YACIMIENTO DE BAUXITA DE "LOS PIJIGUAOS", ESTADO BOLIVAR, VENEZUELA: I SIMPOSIUM AMAZONICO, VENEZUELA, BOLETIN DE GEOLOGIA, PUBLICACION ESPECIAL NO. 10, P. 548-570.

  • Deposit

    BELLIZZIA G., A., PIMENTEL DE BELLIZZIA, N., AND RODRIGUEZ, S., 1981, RECURSOS MINERALES DE VENEZUELA Y SU RELACION A LA METALOGENESIS: MINISTERIO DE ENERGIA Y MINAS BOLETIN DE GEOLOGIA PUBLICACION ESPECIAL, NO. 8, P. 6-77.

  • Deposit

    CAYONES, M., FLORES-CEDENO, P., FLORES-ESTEVEZ, P., MARINO, N., REQUENA, M., AND SOCORRO, H., 1989, LA EXTRACION DE BAUXITA EN EL YACIMIENTO CERRO PAEZ, LOS PIJIGUAOS, EDO. BOLIVAR: PRESENTED AT XIII VENEZUELAN GEOLOGIC CONGRESS, BARQUISEMETO, VENEZUELA, NOV. 12-18, 1989.

  • Deposit

    SARMENTERO, A., AND MENENDEZ, A., 1984, GEOLOGY OF THE PIJIGUAOS BAUXITE DEPOSITS, VENEZUELA: AIME MEETING PROCEEDINGS, 21 P.

  • Deposit

    COMMISSION FOR THE GEOLOGICAL MAP OF THE WORLD, 1983, METALLOGENIC MAP OF SOUTH AMERICA, 1:5,000,000, EXPLANATORY TEXT: CARACAS, 88 P.

  • Deposit

    ANONYMOUS, 1991, VENEZUELA, IN MINING ANNUAL REVIEW -- 1991: LONDON, MINING JOURNAL, P. 59.

  • Deposit

    NOGUEROL, 1980 (?).

  • Deposit

    MENENDEZ, A., AND SARMENTERO, A., 1984, GEOLOGY OF THE LOS PIJIGUAOS BAUXITE DEPOSITS, VENEZUELA, IN JACOB, L., JR., (EDS.), BAUXITE; PROCEEDINGS OF THE 1984 BAUXITE SYMPOSIUM: LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, FEB. 27 - MARCH 1, 1984, AM. INST. MIN., METALL. AND PET. ENG., P. 387-407.

  • Deposit

    MORENO, L., AND BERTANI, C., 1985, CARACTERIZACION QUIMICA DEL YACIMIENTO DE BAUXITA DE LOS PIJIGUAOS E INFLUENCIA DE LAS ESTRUCTURAS Y MORFOLOGIA EN EL ENRIQUECIMIENTO DE LAS MENAS, CON ENFASIS EN EL BLOQUE 3 DE DICHO YACIMIENTO, IN ESPEJO, A., RIOS, J.H., AND DE BELLIZZIA, N.P., (EDS.), VI CONGRESO GEOLOGICO VENEZOLANO: CARACAS, VENEZUELA, SEPT. 29-OCT. 6, 1985, MEMORIA CONGRESO GEOLOGICO VENEZOLANO, V. 6, P. 4069-4132.

  • Deposit

    YANEZ, P., GALO, 1992 (?), BAUXITA EN SUPERFICIE DE PLANACION DE LA GUAYANA VENEZOLANA, IN SIDDER, ...: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN [IN PRESS].

  • Other Database

    CIMRI

  • Production

    NOEL MARINO (CHIEF GEOLOGIST) AND ANTONIO PIMENTEL; SECOND ESTIMATE FROM ANONYMOUS, 1991.

  • Reserve-Resource

    WYNN, J., 1990; NOEL MARINO AND ANTONIO PIMENTAL

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit CHARACTERISTICS OF THE DEPOSIT: 1) 1 M OF RICH SOILS, 2) 3 M UPPER CONCRETIONARY ZONE, 3) INTERMEDIATE CLAYEY ZONE (QUARTZ, PISOLITES, CLAYS, MICAS), 4) CENTRAL BAUXITE HORIZON, 5) A LOWER ZONE GRADING INTO REMNANTS OF THE GRANITE TEXTURE, 6) WEATHERED ROCK OVERLYING FRESH ROCK. AVERAGE THICKNESS OF THE DEPOSIT HAS BEEN REPORTED AS 7.6-10 M. OVERBURDEN IS COMMONLY < 1 M.
Deposit ORE DEPOSIT MADE UP OF 9 SEPARATE BLOCKS (THESE ARE BASICALLY THE INDIVIDUAL RIDGES OF SERRANIA LOS PIJIGUAOS). EXAMPLE MINERALOGY: (DRILL HOLE X21000 Y14000 Z658, INTERVAL BETWEEN 1 AND 2 METER DEPTH): LOI-24.27%; AL2O3- 45.07%; SIO2T-20.36%; S1O2O-14.50%; FE2O3-8.51%; TIO2-1.04%; GA-0.20%. BAUXIVEN IS CONSIDERING SETTING UP A COMPANY TO RECOVER GALLIUM, UP TO 2 KG/TON. THEY CONSIDER AL2O3 = 44% A CUT-OFF GRADE. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 2 UNPUB REPT

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-AUG-1989 Bolm, Karen S. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-AUG-1991 Wynn, Jeffrey U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-SEP-1992 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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