Las Cuevas Cu Prospect, San Jose, Catalina

Past Producer in Mendoza, Argentina with commodities Copper, Lead, Zinc
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. Mining district
  15. Workings at the site
  16. Links to other databases
  17. Bibliographic references
  18. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10068826
MRDS ID W002084
Record type Site
Current site name Las Cuevas Cu Prospect, San Jose, Catalina
Alternate or previous names Minas De Nevarro, Las Cuelvas

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -70.01617, -32.84746 (WGS84)
Elevation 4000
Relative position NEAR CHILE-ARGENTINA BORDER, 200 KM W. OF MENDOZA. SE. OF LAS CUEVAS, A STATION ON TRANS-ANDEAN RAILWAY. NAT'L HIGHWAY 7 THROUGH AREA, 125 KM WEST OF MENDOZA.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Mendoza(province)

Argentina(country)

South America(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country State
Argentina Mendoza

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Copper Primary
Lead Tertiary
Zinc Critical Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Bornite Ore
Chalcocite Ore
Malachite Ore
Calcite Gangue
Chlorite Gangue
Epidote Gangue
Kaolinite Gangue
Prehnite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Sericite Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Hydrothermal Alteration. Andesites Alterd With Chlorite, Epidote, Sericite, Calcite, And Quartz

Analytical data

Result ANOMALIES DETERMINED FROM GEOCHEMICAL SEDIMENT SAMPLES ARE: CU AND PB GREATER THAN 60 PPM EACH, ZN GREATER THAN 200 PPM

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Limestone
    Rock unit name Detrital-Colluvial Deposits In Tectonic Depressions (Neogene);Sandstone, Conglomerate, Limestone-Mendociano Formation;Marine Fossiliferous Limestone-Tordillense Formation;Sedimentary Clastic Rocks & Mantos Of Porphyritic Andesites (Melaphyre)-Auquilcoense Formation;;;
    Rock description Detrital-Colluvial Deposits In Tectonic Depressions (Neogene);Sandstone, Conglomerate, Limestone-Mendociano Formation;Marine Fossiliferous Limestone-Tordillense Formation;Sedimentary Clastic Rocks & Mantos Of Porphyritic Andesites (Melaphyre)-Auquilcoens
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Chemical Sediment > Evaporite

Nearby scientific data

(1) -70.01617, -32.84746

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description North-Trending Folds, Faults Of Varying Lengths And Displacements, And Plutonic Masses
Type of structure Local
Structure description Rocks Have Been Deformed By Folding And Fractures. Strike Nnw And Dip W. Folding And Fracturing.

Ore body information

  • General form CU MINERALIZATION PRESENT ON TOP OF ANDESITE (VESICULAR OR BRECCIATED HORIZON ) )
    Strike NNW}NNW
    Dip 30 DEG. W.}35 WSW
    Thickness 120M
  • General form CU MINERALIZATION PRESENT ON TOP OF ANDESITE (VESICULAR OR BRECCIATED HORIZON ) )
    Strike NNW}NNW
    Dip 30 DEG. W.}35 WSW
    Thickness 2.5M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Manto-Type Mineralization Similar To That Commercially Exploited In Chile Part Of Mineralization Is Syngenetic, Some Related To Fissuring

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Medium
Significant No
Discovery year 1902
Discoverer Worked By Chilean Miners
Production years 1902-1907, 1914-1919

Mining district

District name 21

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Unknown
    Area 0HA
    Length 200M

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    ANGELELLI, V., FERNANDEZ LIMA, J. C., HERRERA, A., AND ARISTARAIN, L., 1970, DESCRIPCION DEL MAPA METALOGENETICO DE LA REPUBLICA ARGENTINA: DIRECCION NACIONAL DE GEOLOGIA Y MINERIA, P. 53 (SPANISH)

  • Deposit

    UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME, 1970, INVESTIGATION OF PORPHYRY COPPER TYPE MINERALIZATION IN THE PROVINCES OF MENDOZA, NEUQUEN AND SAN JUAN, ARGENTINA: NEW YORK, UNITED NATIONS, P. 188-190

  • Deposit

    ANGELELLI, V., 1984, YACIMIENTOS METALIFEROS DE LA REPUBLICA ARGENTINA: LA PLATA, PROVINCIA DE BUENOS AIRES, COMISION DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS, VOL.1, P. 161.

  • Deposit

    1967 UNITED NATIONS, GOV'T OF ARGENTINA

  • Deposit

    SEE UNDP, 1970, REF

  • Other Database

    CIMRI

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JUL-1973 Davidson, Claire B. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-AUG-1993 Venable, Margaret U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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