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Chaucha Porphyry Copper

Occurrence in Azuay, Ecuador with commodities Copper, Molybdenum, Lead, Zinc, Tungsten
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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. 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. Links to other databases
  18. Bibliographic references
  19. General comments
  20. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10068845
MRDS ID W002103
Record type Site
Current site name Chaucha Porphyry Copper

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -79.45953, -2.93326 (WGS84)
Elevation 1750
Relative position 95 KM SSE OF GUAYAQUIL AND 60 KM W OF CUENCA, WEST-CENTRAL ECUADOR

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Azuay(province)

Ecuador(country)

South America(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country State
Ecuador Azuay

Comments on the location information

  • ON WESTERN SLOPES OF WESTERN CORDILLERA. PHOTOINTERPRETIVE MAPPING AT 1:20,000 SCALE. DEPOSIT STRADDLES RIO ANGAS AND ITS TRIBUTARIES.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Copper Primary
Molybdenum Primary
Lead Secondary
Zinc Critical Secondary
Tungsten Critical Secondary

Comments on the commodity information

  • ADDITIONAL GEOCHEMICAL SAMPLING AND DIAMOND DRILLING NEEDED.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Bornite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Covellite Ore
Molybdenite Ore
Magnetite Gangue
Pyrite Gangue
Quartz Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Concentric Phyllic And Argillic, And Propylitic Alteration

Analytical data

Result 384 SOIL, 425 STREAM SEDIMENT, AND 339 ROCK SAMPLES TAKEN
Result RESULTS OF GEOPHYSICAL SURVEYS. AVERAGE 0.7% CU, 0.02-0.04% MO.

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 53
USGS model code 17
Deposit model name Porphyry Cu
Mark3 model number 4

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite
    Rock unit name Macuchi Formation;Chauca Quartz Diorite
    Rock description Macuchi Formation;Chauca Quartz Diorite

Nearby scientific data

(1) -79.45953, -2.93326
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Nne Faults Intersected By E-W Strike-Slip Faults.
Type of structure Local
Structure description Intersection Of E-W Chaucha And Nnw Cordillera Faults

Ore body information

  • General form OVOID
    Dip }
    Thickness 100M
    Length 1500M
    Width 1000M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Much Fracturing At Intersections Of Major Fault Systems; Boss Intrusion

Comments on the geologic information

  • SIGNIFICANT CU MO ORE OCCURS ONLY IN THE PHYLLIC ALTERATION ZONES AND IS STRUCTURALLY CONTROLLED BY THE INTERSECTION OF 2 MAJOR FAULTS: THE CHAUCHA FAULT AND THE CORDILLERA FAULT. PRINCIPAL MINERALIZATION CONSIDERED TO BE LARAMIDE BY GOOSENS. MAY BE TERTIARY.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Occurrence
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Medium
Significant No
Discovery year 1964
Discoverer Undp Geochemical Survey

Mining district

District name West-Central Ecuador

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Armeno/ Kookaburra Gold Corp.
  • Type Owner
    Owner Ecuadorian Government.

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • HYPOGENE PROTORE REPORTED AT 0.4% CU, AND SUPERGENE ENRICHED ORE TO RANGE FROM 0.6 TO 1.5% CU. OTHER AUTHORS (MINING MAGAZINE) INDICATE 100 M TONG. AT 0.5% CU. 74 MILLION TONS AT 0.7% CU AND 0.03% MO. A COPPER OXIDE BLANKET 900M X 500M WITH A THICKNESS OF 50-100M, GRADING BETWEEN 0.6% AND 1.5% CU.

Comments on the workings information

  • THREE PRINCIPAL BLOCKS: RIO PITA-RIO SAN JOSE; RIO MALACATOS-RIO ANGAS; RIO LANTO-RIO ANGAS

Comments on development

  • REPORTS OF LIMITED DISTRIBUTION AT SOLICITATION FROM ECUADORIAN GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, QUITO, ECUADOR ; ECON.COM: DEPOSIT THUS FAR IS MARGINAL OWEING TO LOW GRADE, SMALL TONNAGE, AND RATHER ISOLATED POSITION

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    GOOSENS, P. J. AND HOLLISTER, V. F., 1973, MINERAL DEPOSITA, V. 8, P. 321-331.

  • Deposit

    UNDP, NEW YORK AND SERV. GEOL. MIN., ECUADOR, 1969, REPR NO. 1

  • Deposit

    GOOSEN, P. J., 1972, ECON. GEOL., VOL. 67, NO. 4, P. 458-468

  • Deposit

    MUHLER-KAHLE, E., AND DAMON, P., 1970, K/AR AGE OF BIOTITE GRANODIORITE, CHAUCHA, ATOMIC ENERGY RPT. 689-130

  • Deposit

    PALADINES, P.A., SAN MARTIN, D.H., AND SUAREZ, L.H., 1980, MAPA METALOGENICO DE LA REPUBLICA DEL ECUADOR: MINISTERIO DE RECURSOS NATURALES Y ENERGETICOS, SCALE 1:1,000,000.

  • Deposit

    GOOSSENS, P.J., FOZZARD, P.M., AND MOSQUERA, C.C., 1969, MINERAL INDEX MAP REPUBLIC OF ECUADOR: NACIONAL DE GEOLOGIA Y MINAS, MINISTERIO DE INDUSTRIAS Y COMERCIO, QUITO, ECUADOR, SCALE 1:1,000,000.

  • Deposit

    MINISTERIO DE RECURSOS NATURALES Y ENERGETICOS, 1982, MAPA GEOLOGICO NACIONAL DE LA REPUBLICA DEL ECUADOR, SCALE 1:1,000,000.

  • Deposit

    GEMUTS, I., LOPEZ, G., AND JIMENEZ, F., 1992, GOLD DEPOSITS OF SOUTHERN ECUADOR, SOCIETY OF ECONOMIC GEOLOGISTS NEWSLETTER, NO. 11, OCT. 92, P. 14-16.

  • Deposit

    DE GRYS, A., 1970, COPPER AND ZINC IN ALLUVIAL MAGNETITES FROM CENTRAL ECUADOR, ECON. GEOL., 65 (6), P. 714-717.

  • Deposit

    MINING MAGAZINE, 1993, PRELIMINARY STUDY OF CHAUCHA, ECUADOR, JAN. 1993.

  • Deposit

    INSTITUTO ECUATORIANO DE MINERIA, 1986, MINING IN ECUADOR 1986, INST. ECUAT. MINER., QUITO, 31 P.

  • Deposit

    KROON, T.P. AND A. DE GRYS, 1970, A GEOCHEMICAL DRAINAGE SURVEY IN CENTRAL ECUADOR, NEWSLETTERS ON STRATIGRAPHY, 9 (3), P. 157-168.

  • Deposit

    ANON., WORLD MINING V. 24, NO. 13, P. 80.

  • Deposit

    1968 GEOCHEM UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

  • Deposit

    UNDP, NEW YORK AND ECUADORIAN NATIONAL GEOLOGICAL SURVEY.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit GOOSENS CONSIDERS THE GRANODIORITE TO BE OLDER THAN THE QUARTZ DIORITE WHICH SEEMS UNLIKELY.
Deposit RECORD W001527 WAS COMBINED WITH RECORD W002103.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-FEB-1974 Irving, Earl M. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-MAR-1993 Lopez, Tony U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-FEB-1994 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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