Ubala Iron

Occurrence in Cundinamarca, Colombia with commodity Iron
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 10068461
MRDS ID W001522
Record type Site
Current site name Ubala Iron
Alternate or previous names Compania Minera Nueva Viscayaubala

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -73.48299, 4.75135 (WGS84)
Elevation 1981
Relative position 65 KM ENE OF BOGOTA, AND 7 KM ENE OF UBALA NEAR THE GACHETA-GACHELA HIGHWAY.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Cundinamarca(province)

Colombia(country)

South America(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country State
Colombia Cundinamarca

Comments on the location information

  • ELEVATION AT 2000 MTRS IN EXTREMELY RUGGED TOPOGRAPHY.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Iron Primary

Comments on the commodity information

  • ABOVE ANALYSIS IS OXIDIZED HYDRATED ORE; BELOW ZONE OF WEATHERING ORE IS MANGANIFEROUS SIDERITE, WITH 42% FE.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Limonite Ore
Siderite Ore

Alteration

  • (Local) Siderite To Limonite By Weathering

Analytical data

Result 52%FE, 3-6% MN, .07-.12% P .06-.13% S, 5-10% INSOLS(MAINLY QTZ AND CLAY)

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock
    Rock unit name Caqueza Form-Shales, Calcareous Unit;Sediments
    Rock description Caqueza Form-Shales, Calcareous Unit;Sediments
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cretaceous

Nearby scientific data

(1) -73.48299, 4.75135

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Ne-Sw Folded Cret. Sediments; Strike Faulting.
Type of structure Local
Structure description Ne-S Plunging Syncline, Faulted W Limb

Ore body information

  • General form TABULAR
    Strike NE TO S
    Dip 20-45 DEG W
    Plunge GENTLY S
    Plunge direction S
    Thickness 40M
    Length 4500M
    Depth to top 0M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Replacement Along Preferred Sedimentary Horizon Adjacent To Fault.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Occurrence
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Medium
Significant No
Discovery year 1962
Discoverer Compania Minera Nueva Viscaya

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner National Reserve Area

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • POTENTIAL RESERVES DEPENDENT UPON WHETHER MINERALIZATION IS CONTINUOUS ALONG PREFERRED HORIZON,OR DISCONTINUOUS;ALTERNATIVELY COULD BE SYNGENETIC.

Comments on the workings information

  • SHALLOW SURFACE TRENCHES ALONG OUTCROP, SINGLE DRILL HOLE INTERSECTED 11 MTRS OXIDIZED ORE DOWN DIP

Comments on development

  • ECON.COM: ISOLATED POSITION RELATIVE TO EXISTING RAILROADS, AND LONG HEAVY GRADES ON EXISTING ROADS.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    UNITED NATIONS N.Y., 1970, IRON ORE DEPOSITS OF SOUTH AMERICA.(PP 302-380)IN SURVEY OF WORLD IRON ORE RESOURCES; E69 11 C.4.

  • Deposit

    PRINZ, W., 1971, STATUS OF INVESTIGATIONS OF SEVERAL IRON DEPOSITS, CENTRAL COLOMBIA: SPECIAL PROJECT REPORT CO-19, U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL GEOLOGY, 42 P.

  • Deposit

    1967 GEOCOLOMBIA CONSULTANTS, PRIVATE

  • Deposit

    1970 GEOLMAP WILLIAM PRINZ

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit IRON-RICH MEMBER IS TABULAR, 10-40M THICK, APPARENTLY STRATABOUND, IN MIDDLE OF CALCAREOUS UNIT. CALC UNIT 100-150 M THICK BETWEEN SHALE MEMBERS.
Deposit Discovery Year: EARLY 1960S

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-DEC-1972 Irving, Earl M. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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