Popayan High - Aluminum Laterites

Occurrence in Cauca, Colombia with commodity Aluminum
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. Host and associated rocks
  9. Nearby scientific data
  10. Geologic structures
  11. Ore body information
  12. Controls for ore emplacement
  13. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  14. Ownership information
  15. Links to other databases
  16. Bibliographic references
  17. General comments
  18. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10068460
MRDS ID W001521
Record type Site
Current site name Popayan High - Aluminum Laterites

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -76.58307, 2.73478 (WGS84)
Elevation 1699
Relative position 35 KMS NW OF POPAYAN, CAPITAL OF CAVCA DEPARTMENT, IN VICINITY OF TOWNS OF MORALES, AND CAJIBIO

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Cauca(province)

Colombia(country)

South America(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country State
Colombia Cauca

Comments on the location information

  • AVERAGE ELEVATION OF POPAYAN PLATEAU SURFACE IS 1700 METERS

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Aluminum Critical Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Gibbsite Ore
Halloysite Ore

Alteration

  • (Local) A - Zone, Humous - Rich; B - Zone, Silica - Leached, C - Zone, Al - Enriched; D - Zone, Bedrock Saprolite

Analytical data

Result MUCH SAMPLE DATA AVAILABLE AT INGEOMINAS, BOGOTA, COLOMBIA, MINISTRY OF MINES AND PETROLEUM

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Shale
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Pyroclastic Rock > Tuff
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Unconsolidated Deposit > Volcanic Ash
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Pyroclastic Rock > Volcanic Breccia (Agglomerate)
    Rock unit name Popayan Formation;
    Rock description Popayan Formation;
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock
    Rock unit name Greenstones And Fine-Grain Sediments;Greenstones And Fine-Grained Sediments;
    Rock description Greenstones And Fine-Grain Sediments;Greenstones And Fine-Grained Sediments;

Nearby scientific data

(1) -76.58307, 2.73478

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Local
Structure description Well Developed Lateritic Profiles Over Popopayan Formation
Type of structure Regional
Structure description Reg.Struct: Gently Inclined Sedimentary Sequence, 400 Mtrs. Thick ; Reg.Trends: Slopes Gently Westward, In Direction Of Streams

Ore body information

  • General form ELONGATE TO AMOEBOID RIDGE CAPPINGS
    Thickness 4M
    Width 400M
    Depth to top 1M
    Depth to bottom 6M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Intense Tropical Weathering Of Low - Qtz Andesitic Volcanic Sediments

Comments on the geologic information

  • GEOL.COM: AL - ENRICHMENT BLANKET APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN COEXTENSIVE WITH ORIGINAL SURFACE, AND DISMEMBERED BY ENTRENCHMENT OF STREAM VALLEYS

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Occurrence
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Large
Significant No
Discovery year 1966
Discoverer Quin Chemical Co. From Samples Supplied By Local Farmers

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner National Mineral Reserve, Government

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • FREE - AL2O3 IN HYDROSOL STATE AND UPON DRYING CRYSTALLIZES TO VERY FINE - GRAINED GIBBSITE. THIS MAY REQUIRE BULK TREATMENT WITH LARGE FILTERING CAPACITY.

Comments on development

  • ECON.COM: LOW FREE - ALUMINA (10 - 25% AL2O3), HIGH IRON - CLAY CONTENT, THICKNESS OF 1 TO 4 MTRS ALONG RIDGE TOPS

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    ROSAS, HUMBERTO, 1970, DEPOSITOS BAUXITICOS EN MORALES Y CAJIBIO (CAVCA) Y NOTA SOBRE RECURSOS DE BAUXITA EN LOS DEPARTAMENTOS CAVCA Y VALLE DE CAVCA: INGEOMINAS, 3RD NATIONAL MINING CONGRESS, BUCARAMANGA

  • Deposit

    CATHCART, J. B., 1970, PROGRESS REPORT, OIG PROJECT REPORT CO - 18, USGS

  • Deposit

    CATHCART, J. B., 1972, PHOSPHATE AND BAUXITE INVESTIGATIONS, OIG PROJECT REPORT CO - 26

  • Deposit

    CATHCART MANUSCRIPT, APRIL 1970, P. 35-56, SKETCH MAP.

  • Deposit

    ROSAS, HUMBERTO, 1970, DEPOSITOS BAUXITOS EN MORALES Y CAJIBIO (CAVCA) Y NOTA SOBRE RECURSOS DE BAUXITA EN LOS DEPARTAMENTOS CAVCA 7 VALLE DE CAVCA: INGEOMINAS, 3RD NATIONAL MINING CONGRESS, BUCARAMANGA.

  • Deposit

    CATHCART, J.B., 1970, PROGRESS REPORT

  • Deposit

    1971 GEOLMAP INGEOMINAS, GENERAL DISTRIBUTION

  • Deposit

    1972 ADVISOR J. B. CATHCART, ADVISOR ON EXPLORATION PROCEDURES

  • Deposit

    1972 DIREXPL INGEOMINAS, PRELIMINARY AUGER SAMPLING

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit DEPOSITS FORMED AT PLATEAU LEVEL OVER WIDE AREA HAVE BEEN DISSECTED BY RECENTLY UPLIFTED DENDRITIC CONSEQUENT STREAMS
Deposit PROTORE ZONE (C) CONSISTS OF LATERITIC MATERIAL SATURATED WITH AL HYDROSOLS WHICH CRYSTALIZE RAPIDLY TO GIBBSITE UPON DRYING. GIBBSITE NODULES ARE EVIDENT IN ROADCUTS OR SLUMPED SOIL ZONES, BUT ARE NOT PRESENT IN UNDISTURBED, WATER - SATURATED ORE ZONE. THIS IS CONFIRMED BY X - RAY DIFFRACTION TESTS (CATHCART).

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 31-OCT-1994 Bannigan, Jane L. U.S. Geological Survey REPORT MADE IN 73 04.
Updater 31-OCT-1994 Page, Norman J. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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