Santa Elena Mine

Past Producer in Ancash, Peru with commodities Copper, Silver, Gold, 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. Ore body information
  11. Controls for ore emplacement
  12. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  13. Ownership information
  14. Production statistics
  15. Links to other databases
  16. Bibliographic references
  17. General comments
  18. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10068917
MRDS ID W002191
Record type Site
Current site name Santa Elena Mine
Alternate or previous names Veins: Huinac, Elizabeth, Enlace Elizabeth, Crucero Huinac, Julia, Vein A, B, C, D, Paralela, Monte Cristo Group

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -72.69019, -13.68669 (WGS84)
Elevation 4275
Location accuracy 5000(meters)
Relative position THE SANTA ELENA MINE IS AT HUINAC ON THE SOUTH SLOPE OF CERROS CARPAPAMPA ABOUT 24 KM SW OF HUARAS IN THE PROVINCIA DE HUARAS(RECUAY SHEET). THE MINE IS ACCESSIBLE BY ROAD FROM CALLAN PASS ON THE HUARAS-CASMA ROAD.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Ancash(province)

Peru(country)

South America(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country State
Peru Ancash

Comments on the location information

  • NO. 12 ON METALLOGENIC MAPS OF PERU, 1969

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Copper Primary
Silver Primary
Gold Primary
Lead Secondary
Zinc Critical Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Bornite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Enargite Ore
Galena Ore
Pyrite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Stibnite Ore
Tetrahedrite Ore
Alunite Gangue
Calcite Gangue
Quartz Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Propylitic, Sericitic, Kaolinitic

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Shale
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Siltstone
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Sandstone
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Limestone

Nearby scientific data

(1) -72.69019, -13.68669

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Name GENERAL
    General form IRREGULAR
    Strike E TO ENE}N80W}N80W}N80-85E}NW}NW
    Dip 60-80S}60-80S}60-80S}60-65S}80-85SW}60-75SW
    Thickness 2M
    Length 325M
    Width 200M
    Depth to bottom 300M
  • Name HUINAC VEIN
    General form IRREGULAR
    Strike E TO ENE}N80W}N80W}N80-85E}NW}NW
    Dip 60-80S}60-80S}60-80S}60-65S}80-85SW}60-75SW
    Length 260M
  • Name CRUCERO HUINAC VEIN
    General form IRREGULAR
    Strike E TO ENE}N80W}N80W}N80-85E}NW}NW
    Dip 60-80S}60-80S}60-80S}60-65S}80-85SW}60-75SW
    Length 260M
  • Name ELIZABETH VEIN
    General form IRREGULAR
    Strike E TO ENE}N80W}N80W}N80-85E}NW}NW
    Dip 60-80S}60-80S}60-80S}60-65S}80-85SW}60-75SW
    Length 300M
  • Name ENLACE VEIN
    General form IRREGULAR
    Strike E TO ENE}N80W}N80W}N80-85E}NW}NW
    Dip 60-80S}60-80S}60-80S}60-65S}80-85SW}60-75SW
    Length 162.5M
  • Name JULIA VEIN
    General form IRREGULAR
    Strike E TO ENE}N80W}N80W}N80-85E}NW}NW
    Dip 60-80S}60-80S}60-80S}60-65S}80-85SW}60-75SW
    Length 175M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Veins

Comments on the geologic information

  • THE ROCKS OF THE AREA ARE LOWER CRETACEOUS CLASTICS, MAINLY SHALES, OVERLAIN UNCONFORMABLY (?) BY SANDSTONE AND CONGLOMERATE AND BY FLAT-LYING RHYOLITE AND ANDESITIC VOLCANICS OF TERTIARY AGE. THESE ROCKS ARE CUT BY A VERY IRREGULAR MASS OF PORPHYRITIC ANDESITE AND THE ENTIRE ASSEMBLEGE IS PERFORATED BY SEVERAL IRREGULAR BODIES OF EXPLOSIVE BRECCIA, CONCENTRATED MAINLY IN THE ORE-BEARING AREAS.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Significant No
Discovery year 1677
Year of last production 1949

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Compania Minera Santa Elena S. A. )
    First year 1943

Production statistics

  • Year 1945
    Material AG
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^2.6% Cu, 229 G/T Ag
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Minor Silver Silver 229g/mt
    Major Copper Copper 3wt-pct

Comments on the production information

  • IN 1943-1944, CU GRADE WAS 6% CU; IN 1908, GRADE WAS 8-12% CU, 1-2 KG/TON AG.

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • INSUFFICIENT DATA 3/74 TO MAKE ESTIMATE. METALLOGENIC MAPS OF PERU INDICATE A SMALL DEPOSIT OF LITTLE ECONOMIC SIGNIFICANCE.

Comments on the workings information

  • 8 LEVELS OF WORKINGS.

Comments on development

  • 1868 MINE INOPERATIVE BECAUSE OF LOW AG CONTENT; 1906 ENGLISH CO. WAS DEVELOPING PROPERTY. BY 1948 BETTER SILVER-COPPER ORE MINED OUT.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    SIMONS, FRANK, 1960, UNPUBLISHED REPORT, P. 581

  • Deposit

    PERU-MAPA METALOGENETICO, 1969, AND, GUIA PARA EL MAPA METALOGENETICO DEL PERU, SOCIEDAD NACIONAL DE MINERIA Y PETROLEO, LIMA, PERU, NOV. 1969

  • Deposit

    BODENLOS, ALFRED J., AND STRACZEK, JOHN A., 1957, BASE METAL DEPOSITS OF CORDILLERA NEGRA, DEPARTAMENTO DE ANCASH, PERU: USGS BULL. 1040, 165 P.

  • Deposit

    1960 COMPILE FRANK SIMONS, UNPUB. REP

  • Production

    F. SIMONS, 1960, UNPUB. REP.; ANNUAL PRODUCTION INFO. FROM BODENLOS AND STRACZEK (1957).

  • Reserve-Resource

    METALLOGENIC MAPS OF PERU. 1969, 1972

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit SHOOTS WITH LENGTH 300 M; VEINS OCCUPY AREA 600 M X 130 M. THE PRINCIPAL SANTA ELENA VEINS STRIKE EAST TO ENE AND DIP 60-80 DEG S. THEY ARE ALONG WEAK FAULT ZONES AND CONSIST OF PYRITE, ENARGITE, TETRAHEDRITE, SPHALERITE, GALENA, QUARTZ, CALCITE, AND MANGANIFEROUS CARBONATES. ENARGITE PREDOMINATES NEAR THE SURFACE IN THE CENTRAL AREA AND TETRAHEDRITE MORE ABUNDANT AT DEPTH. LEAD AND ZINC MINERALS OCCUR IN A ZONE PERIPHERAL TO THE COPPER CORE.
Deposit Discovery Year: COLONIAL PERIOD

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-DEC-1973 Shaffer, Glenn L. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-MAY-1994 Page, Norman J. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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