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El Pachon

Prospect in San Juan, Argentina with commodities Copper, Molybdenum, Gold, Silver
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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. Alteration
  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. Reserves and resources
  15. Links to other databases
  16. Bibliographic references
  17. General comments
  18. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10068830
MRDS ID W002088
Record type Site
Current site name El Pachon
Alternate or previous names Los Pelambres Deposit In Chile, Brecha Sur.

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -70.49952, -31.49746 (WGS84)
Elevation 3750
Relative position 95 AIRLINE KM WEST OF BARREAL OF CHILE-ARGENTINA BORDER. A 120 KM ROAD AT ELEVATION OF 2400 M RECENTLY COMPLETED, 185 KM W OF SAN JUAN.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

San Juan(province)

Argentina(country)

South America(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country State
Argentina San Juan

Comments on the location information

  • CLIMATIC CONDITIONS EXTREMELY UNFAVORABLE, UP TO 10 M OF SNOW. WORK WILL BE INTERRUPTED 7 MONTHS OF THE YEAR. 6 KM E OF FROM THE LOS PELAMBRES DEPOSIT IN CHILE.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Copper Primary
Molybdenum Primary
Gold Primary
Silver Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Barite Ore
Chalcocite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Covellite Ore
Molybdenite Ore
Pyrite Ore
Quartz Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Potassic Alteration (Biotite & Orthoclase), Sericitization, Silicification, Propylitization (Epidote & Chlorite), Tourmalinization & Argillization

Analytical data

Result GEOCHEMICAL STREAM SAMPLES ALONG ARROYO PACHON SHOW SIGNICANT CU ANOMALIES

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Dacite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Granite
    Rock unit name Pachon Formation;;Choiyoi Formation
    Rock description Pachon Formation;;Choiyoi Formation

Nearby scientific data

(1) -70.49952, -31.49746
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description North-Trending Folds, Faults Of Varying Lengths And Displacements, And Plutonic Masses

Ore body information

  • Length 1950M
    Width 1500M

Comments on the geologic information

  • DISCORDANT CONTACTS BETWEEN THE 3 UNITS.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Prospect
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Large
Significant No
Discovery year 1964
Discoverer United Nations, Gov'T Of Argentina

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner Cia Minera Aguilar, Subsidiary Of St. Joe Minerals Corp.
    First year 1994
  • Type Owner
    Owner Comsur
    First year 1994
  • Type Operator
    Owner Minera San Jose (60% Bolivia'S Comsur And 33% Rtz = Minera Sa)
    First year 1994
  • Type Operator
    Owner Pachon S. A. Minera
    Interest 60
    First year 1994
  • Type Operator
    Owner Cambior
    Interest 40
    First year 1994

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1984
    Total resources 800000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper Cu 0.61 wt-pct Copper Major 1984
    Molybdenum Mo 0.016 wt-pct Molybdenum Major 1984
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1994
    Total resources 57000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper Cu 1.05 wt-pct Copper Major 1994
    Molybdenum Mo 0.016 wt-pct Molybdenum Major 1994

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • MINERAL INVENTORY WITH 0.5% CU CUT OFF GRADE.
  • ORE (1) SECONDARY SULFIDE ZONE DEFINED BY COMSUR DRILLING. ORE (2) BRECHA SUR DEPOSIT.

Comments on the workings information

  • PYRITIC HALO AROUND CU-BEARING CENTER IS 8 X 6 KMS

Comments on development

  • A $200,000,000 INVESTMENT IS NECESSARY FOR PRODUCTION TO BEGIN IN 6 YRS. FLOTATION TESTS HAVE BEEN POSITIVE, PILOT TESTING WILL BEGIN BEFORE END OF YEAR. 24,000 M OF DRILLING IN 1881 & 700 M UNDERGROUND EXPLORATORY WORKINGS ; ECON.COM: U.N. WAS NOT ABLE TO PURSUE INVESTIGATIONS BECAUSE PRIVATE PROSPECTING RIGHTS WERE ISSUED BY PROV. OF SAN JUAN. LARGEST RESERVES IN ARGENTINA (ANGELELLI, 1984) PILOT PLANT - 3,000T - 90/91% OF CU & MO. ACCESS ROAD.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    EL TIEMPO NEWPAPER, MARCH 1973, BOGOTA, COLOMBIA

  • 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. 297

  • Deposit

    ENGINEERING AND MINING JOURNAL, 1973, EXPLORATION ROUND-UP: ENG. MINING JOUR, V. 174, NO. 5, P. 17

  • Deposit

    HOLLISTER, V. F., 1973, REGIONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF PORPHYRY COPPER DEPOSITS OF SOUTH AMERICA: MIN. ENG. V. 25, NO. 8, P. 52-58.

  • Deposit

    ANGELELLI, V., 1984, YACIMIENTOS METALIFEROS DE LA REPUBLICA ARGENTINA: LA PLATA, PROVINCIA DE BUENOS AIRES, COMISION DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS, VOL. I, P. 188-189.

  • Deposit

    LITTLE, M.L., 1994, EXPLORATION REVIEW: SOUTH AMERICA: SEG NEWSLETTER, NO. 16, JANUARY '94, P. 18.

  • Deposit

    ANON., 1994, ARGENTINA: POISED FOR A NEW METAL MINING ERA? MINING JOURNAL LONDON, V. 323, NO. 8294, P. 224.

  • Deposit

    CAMBIOR, 1994, 3RD QUARTER REPORT TO SHAREHOLDERS, SEPT 30, 1994, P.4.

  • Deposit

    UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME, 1970, INVESTIGATION OF PORPHYRY COPPER TYPE MINERALIZATION IN THE PROVINCE OF MENDOZA, NEUQUEN, AND SAN JUAN, ARGENTINA: NEW YORK, UNITED NATIONS, P. 297.

  • Deposit

    1967 UNITED NATIONS, GOV'T OF ARGENTIN

  • Reserve-Resource

    ANGELELLI, 1984, P. 189.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit Discovery Year: EXPLORATION IN AREA SINCE 1964
Deposit 2.3 KM2 OF GRADES ABOVE "CUT OFF" OF 0.3% CU; PYRITIC HALO AROUND CU BEARING CENTER IS 8 X 6 KM SQUARE.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JUN-1973 Davidson, Claire B. U.S. Geological Survey CORRECTED STATE INFORMATION
Updater 28-JAN-1993 Bolm, Karen S. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 02-MAR-1995 Page, Norman J. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 06-MAR-1995 Page, Norman 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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