1. Mineral Resources
  2. Online Spatial Data
  3. Mineral Resource Data System (MRDS)

Llallagua Mine

Producer in Potosi, Bolivia with commodities Tin, Tungsten, Bismuth, Zinc
Map
XML
JSON
KML
A
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. Geologic structures
  12. Ore body information
  13. Controls for ore emplacement
  14. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  15. Mining district
  16. Ownership information
  17. Production statistics
  18. Reserves and resources
  19. Workings at the site
  20. Links to other databases
  21. Bibliographic references
  22. General comments
  23. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10068804
MRDS ID W002057
Record type Site
Current site name Llallagua Mine
Alternate or previous names Catavi, Siglo Xx

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -66.60364, -18.44207 (WGS84)
Elevation 3847
Relative position 3 KM NW OF UNCIA AND 75 KM SE OF ORURO

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Potosi(province)

Bolivia(country)

South America(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country State
Bolivia Potosi

Comments on the location information

  • THIS IS THE LARGEST TIN MINE IN BOLIVIA. SIGLO XX IS THE MINE; LLALLAGUA IS THE TOWNSHIP ADJACENT TO THE MINE. CATAVI IS THE MINING CAMP AND MILLING SITE.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Tin Critical Primary
Tungsten Critical Secondary
Bismuth Critical Secondary
Zinc Critical Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Bismuthinite Ore
Cassiterite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Stannite Ore
Wolframite Ore
Apatite Gangue
Chalcopyrite Gangue
Chlorite Gangue
Marcasite Gangue
Monazite Gangue
Pyrite Gangue
Pyrrhotite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Siderite Gangue
Tourmaline Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Sericitic, Pre-Ore Hydrothermal Alteration Of Host Rock

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 77
USGS model code 20b
Deposit model name Sn-polymetallic vein

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Pyroclastic Rock > Volcanic Breccia (Agglomerate)
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Quartz Latite
    Rock unit name La Salvadora Stock
    Rock description La Salvadora Stock
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Quartz Latite
    Rock unit name Catavi;Pampa;Llallagua;Cancaniri
    Rock description Catavi;Pampa;Llallagua;Cancaniri

Nearby scientific data

(1) -66.60364, -18.44207
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Moderately Folded Silurian Sediments Striking N 32 Deg. W Long Axis Of Intrusive Plug Concordant With Fold Axes.
Type of structure Local
Structure description Two Longitudinal Faults Of The Strike-Slip Type Belonging To A Late Period Of Deformation

Ore body information

  • General form TABULAR
    Strike NE
    Dip 60-80 NW AND SE
    Thickness 4M
    Length 600M
    Width 2M
    Depth to top 0M
    Depth to bottom 870M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Ne-Sw Fissure Systems, Some Dipping Steeply Se, Others Steeply Nw.

Comments on the geologic information

  • MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES OF 400 TO 500 DEGREES ( WERE PROBABLY REACHED DURING THE EARLY STAGES OF MINERALIZATION.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Large
Significant No
Discovery year 1872
Discoverer Honorato Blacutt
Year of first production 1894

Mining district

District name Llallagua District

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Empresa Minera Estatal Del Centro (Comibol)
  • Type Owner
    Owner Corporacion Minera De Bolivia

Production statistics

  • Year 1927
    Material SN ORE
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^Sn 3.84%
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Tin Tin 4wt-pct
  • Year 1937
    Material SN ORE
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^Sn 2.85%
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Tin Tin 3wt-pct
  • Year 1947
    Material SN ORE
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^Sn 2.20%
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Tin Tin 2wt-pct
  • Year 1957
    Material SN ORE
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^Sn 1.49%
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Tin Tin 1wt-pct
  • Year 1967
    Material SN ORE
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^Sn 0.88%
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Tin Tin 1wt-pct
  • Year 1976
    Material SN ORE
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^Sn 0.91%
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Tin Tin 1wt-pct

Comments on the production information

  • PRESENT AVERAGE ANNUAL PRODUCTION ABOUT 6,500 METRIC TONS OF FINE METAL EQUIVALENT. ANNUAL ORE PRODUCTION FIGURES ARE EXPLOITED RUN OF MINE ORE, NOT CONSIDERING EXPLOITATION FROM FILLINGS OR OTHERS. PRODUCTION COMES FROM 5 MINE SECTIONS: SIGLO XX, BEZA, SALVADORA, LAGUNA, AND ANIMAS.

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1977
    Total resources 3016000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Tin Sn 0.65 wt-pct Tin Major 1977

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • EQUIVALENT TO FIVE YEARS PRODUCTION. COMIBOL HAS INITIATED EFFORTS TO PROCESS TAILINGS AND ALLUVIAL MATERIALS IN MINING DISTRICT, WHERE LARGE LOW GRADE RESERVES ARE REPORTED. 49,020 MT ARE UNDERGROUND MINE RESERVES (20.8%), 24,324 MT ARE RESERVES ON TAILINGS (10.3%) - 1977.
  • LATEST (1972) REPORTS INDICATE UNDERGROUND RESERVES ARE SERIOUSLY APPROACHING DEPLETION. 1978 - EXPECTED RESOURCES FOR A FUTURE OPEN PIT OPERATION.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Length 1000000M
    Overall depth 870M

Comments on the workings information

  • EXTENSIVE UNDERGROUND DEVELOPMENT ON 47 PRINCIPAL VEIN SYSTEMS, OF AVERAGE WIDTH OF ABOUT 0.35 M. BLOCK CAVING SINCE 1949.

Comments on development

  • 60 MILLION MT WITH 0.31% TIN ARE BEING EXPLORED TO START AN OPEN PIT OPERATION WITHIN THE LA SALVADORA STOCK ; TOTAL$: 389.802 ; EXPL$: 1.528 (DDT) ; DEV$: 4.468 (M) ; MILL.CAP: 2.007 MT ; ECON.YEAR: 1978 ; ECON.COM: LARGEST PRODUCING MINE IN BOLIVIA. GRADUALLY DECLINING PRODUCTION FROM 10,000 FMT IN 1952 TO 6,400 FMT IN 1971

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    TURNEAURE, F.S., 1960, A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF MAJOR ORE DEPOSITS OF CENRAL BOLIVIA: ECONOMIC GEOLOGY, V. 55, NO. 2 AND 3, P. 217-254, P. 575-606.

  • Deposit

    AHLFELD, F., AND SCHNEIDER-SCHERBINA, A., 1964, LOS YACIMIENTOS MINERALES Y HIDROCARBUROS DE BOLIVIA; BOL. 5 (ESPECIAL) DEPTO. NAC. DE GEOL. 388 P.

  • Deposit

    VARGAS C., EDGAR, 1970, ESTUDIO GEOLOGICO DEL AREA LLALLAGUA; SERV. GEOL. DE BOLIVIA, BOL. 12, 42 P. (TO ACCOMPANY GEOL. MAP NO. 6238)

  • Deposit

    AHLFELD, F., AND BRANIZA, L., 1960, GEOLOGIA DE BOLIVIA; INST. BOL. PETROLEO.

  • Deposit

    SILLITOE, R.H., AND OTHERS, 1975, PORPHYRY TIN DPOSITS IN BOLIVIA: ECONOMIC GEOLOGY, V. 70, P. 913-927.

  • Deposit

    COMIBOL

  • Deposit

    NUMEROUS. PRESENTLY OPERATED BY COMIBOL.

  • Production

    MINISTRY OF MINES AND METALLURGY, 1971. COMIBOL, 1977.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit THE TIN-BEARING ZONE COVERS AN AREA OF 1300 M BY 1100 M. MOST OF THE ORE IS ACCOUNTED FOR BY NARROW VEINS, STRINGERS, SHEETED ZONES, AND BRECCIA LENSES. SEVERAL STAGS OF VEIN MINERALIZATION POSTDATE THE SERICITIC ALTERATION AND MAIN SN MINERALIZATION: 1) QUARTZ-BISMUTHINITE-CASSITERITE; 2) PYRRHOTITE-FRANCHEITE; 3) STANNITE-SPHALERITE-CHALCOPYRITE; 4) PYRRHOTITE, ALTERED TO PYRITE, MARCASITE, AND SIDERITE; 5) LATE HYPOGENE SPHALERITE-SIDERITE VEINLTS; AND 6) HYDROUS PHOSPHATE.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-MAY-1973 Irving, Earl M. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-MAY-1978 Urquidi-Barrau, Fernando U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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

Maps centered on this site