Pueblo Viejo Mine

Producer in Dominican Republic with commodities Gold, Silver, Zinc, Copper

Sections on this page

Identification information
Geographic coordinates
Site location context
Geographic areas
Commodities
Materials information
Alteration
Mineral occurrence model information
Host and associated rocks
Nearby scientific data
Ore body information
Economic information about the deposit and operations
Ownership information
Reserves and resources
Links to other databases
Bibliographic references
General comments
Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID	10073048
MRDS ID	W018854
Record type	Site
Current site name	Pueblo Viejo Mine
Alternate or previous names	Includes Moore Oxide, East Mejita, Monte Negro, Bench 5, Cumba, Oxide Deposits

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates:	-70.1715, 18.97064 (WGS84)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Dominican Republic(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country
Dominican Republic

Commodities

Commodity	Importance
Gold	Primary
Silver	Primary
Zinc Critical	Tertiary
Copper	Tertiary

Comments on the commodity information

ONLY OXIDIZED ORE PRESENTLY BEING MINED. SULFIDES ARE MORE DIFFICULT TO TREAT. AU:AG RATIO = 1:7

Materials information

Materials	Type of material
Argentite	Ore
Bournonite	Ore
Calomel	Ore
Chalcocite	Ore
Chalcopyrite	Ore
Colusite	Ore
Covellite	Ore
Electrum	Ore
Enargite	Ore
Galena	Ore
Geocronite	Ore
Gold	Ore
Hematite	Ore
Limonite	Ore
Marcasite	Ore
Pyrite	Ore
Sphalerite	Ore
Stibnite	Ore
Sulfur	Ore
Tennantite	Ore
Tetrahedrite	Ore
Albite	Gangue
Alunite	Gangue
Barite	Gangue
Calcite	Gangue
Chlorite	Gangue
Diaspore	Gangue
Epidote	Gangue
Illite	Gangue
Kaolinite	Gangue
Pyrophyllite	Gangue
Quartz	Gangue
Siderite	Gangue

Alteration

(Local) Oxidation Of Sulfide Ore, Silicification, Alunite Propylitization, Kaolinite Is Supergene

Analytical data

Result	SUBMICROSCOPIC AU IS ASSOCIATED WITH LIMONITE AND HEMATITE IN THE OXIDIZED ORE.

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code	104
USGS model code	25a
Deposit model name	Hot-spring Au-Ag
Mark3 model number	45

Host and associated rocks

Host or associated

Associated

Rock type

Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock

Rock unit name

Los Ranchos Formation

Rock description

Los Ranchos Formation

Stratigraphic age (youngest)	Early Cretaceous
Stratigraphic age (youngest)	Early Cretaceous
Stratigraphic age (youngest)	Early Cretaceous
Stratigraphic age (youngest)	Early Cretaceous

Host or associated Host

Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Siltstone
Host or associated Host

Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Chemical Sediment > Chert
Host or associated Host

Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock

Rock unit name Los Ranchos Formation

Rock description Los Ranchos Formation

Host or associated	Host
Rock type	Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Siltstone

Host or associated	Host
Rock type	Sedimentary Rock > Chemical Sediment > Chert

Host or associated	Host
Rock type	Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock
Rock unit name	Los Ranchos Formation
Rock description	Los Ranchos Formation

Nearby scientific data

(1)	-70.1715, 18.97064	ListMap

Economic information

Ore body information

General form FUNNEL

General form	FUNNEL

Comments on the geologic information

MASSIVE JASPEROID IS ASSOICATED WITH THE DEPOSIT; CARBONACEOUS SEDIMENTS ARE MAIN HOST TO DISSEMINATED AND VEIN MINERALIZATION; ALSO TO BEDDED PYRITE.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status	Producer
Commodity type	Metallic
Deposit size	Large
Significant	No
Discoverer	Native Indians
Year of first production	1505

Ownership information

Type Owner-Operator

Owner Rosario Dominicana, S. A.

Type	Owner-Operator
Owner	Rosario Dominicana, S. A.

Comments on the production information

PRODUCTION STARTED APRIL 1975. PLAN 10,886 KG AU AND 46,654 KG AG PER YEAR. 250-300 OZ/DAY FROM OXIDE ORE IN 1991; TRANSITION ORE EXPECTED TO YEILD 500-750 OZ/DAY OVER 3 YEARS. OXIDE ORE DEPLETED, BEGAN MINING TRANSITION ORE IN 1991-1992. MINED BY SPANIARDS 1505-1525 WHEN ABANDONED; REDISCOVERED BY R. ZOPPIS IN 1950; INITIAL EXPLORATION BY ROSARIO BEGAN IN 1969. MOORE ORE BODY MINED FIRST; EAST MEJITA BEGAN PRODUCTION IN 1980.

Reserves and resources

Type

In-situ

Estimate year

1976

Total resources

27200000000mt ore

Commodity	Subtype	Grade	units	Group	Importance	Year
Gold	Au	4.23	g/mt	Gold	Major	1976
Silver	Ag	21.6	g/mt	Silver	Major	1976

Type

In-situ

Name

SULFIDE ZONE

Estimate year

1986

Total resources

70000000000mt ore

Commodity	Subtype	Grade	units	Group	Importance	Year
Gold	Au	2.8	g/mt	Gold	Major	1986
Silver	Ag	23	g/mt	Silver	Major	1986
Zinc	Zn	0.8	wt-pct	Zinc	Trace	1986
Copper	Cu	0.2	wt-pct	Copper	Trace	1986

Type

In-situ

Estimate year

1991

Total resources

10000000000mt ore

Commodity	Subtype	Grade	units	Group	Importance	Year
Gold	Au	4.4	g/mt	Gold	Major	1991
Silver	Ag	20	g/mt	Silver	Major	1991

Type

In-situ

Estimate year

1979

Total resources

17000000mt ore

Commodity	Subtype	Grade	units	Group	Importance	Year
Gold	Au	4.043	g/mt	Gold	Major	1979
Silver	Ag	34.835	g/mt	Silver	Major	1979
Zinc	Zn	2.19	wt-pct	Zinc	Trace	1979
Copper	Cu	0.25	wt-pct	Copper	Trace	1979

Comments on the reserve resource information

ITEM ONE - OXIDIZED ORE ONLY. ORE (2) TRANSITION ORE; ORE (3) SULFIDE ORE; AU AND AG TOTAL CONTENT (RUSSELL AND KESLER, 1991); SULFIDE ORE CONTINUES TO AN UNKNOWN DEPTH. ORE (3) CUTOFF GRADE 1 G/T AU. HG RECOVERED RANGES FROM 1 TO 6 G/T.

Comments on development

MAIN PRODUCTION BEGAN IN APRIL 1975. ; MILL.CAP: 9000 MTPD(1979) ; ECON.YEAR: 1976

Reference information

Links to other databases

Agency	Database name	Acronym	Record ID	Notes
USGS	Mineral Resources Data System	MRDS	W018854

Bibliographic references

Deposit

SCHISSLER, J. H. JR, 1976, PUEBLO VIEJO - ROSARIO'S GOLD - SILVER PRODUCER, MINING CONGRESS JOUR. 6 - 76 P. 41, 42, 72, 73.
Deposit

MINING MAGAZINE, JANUARY, 1986, P. 71.
Deposit

BOYLE, R.W., 1979, THE GEOCHEMISTRY OF GOLD AND ITS DEPOSITS (TOGETHER WITH A CHAPTER ON GEOCHEMICAL PROSPECTING FOR THE ELEMENT): GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA BULLETIN 280, 584 P.
Deposit

KESLER, S.E., RUSSELL, N., SEWARD, M., RIVERA, J., MCCUROY, K., CUMMING, G.L., AND SUTTER, J.F., 1981, GEOLOGY AND GEOCHEMISTRY OF SULFIDE MINERALIZATION UNDERLYING THE PUEBLO VIEJO GOLD-SILVER OXIDE DEPOSIT, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: ECONOMIC GEOLOGY, V. 76, P. 1096-1117.
Deposit

ELLIS, G., 1992, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, MINING ANNUAL REVIEW - 1992: MINING JOURNAL, LONDON, JUNE 1992, P. 70.
Deposit

RUSSELL, N., AND KESLER, S.E., 1991, GEOLOGY OF MAAR-DIATREME COMPLEX HOSTING PRECIOUS METAL MINERALIZATION AT PUEBLO VIEJO, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, IN MANN, P., DRAPER, G., AND LEWIS, J.F., EDS., GEOLOGIC AND TECTONIC DEVELOPMENT OF NORTH AMERICA-CARIBBEAN PLATE BOUNDARY IN HISPANIOLA: GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA SPECIAL PAPER 262, P. 203-215.
Deposit

ROSARIO DOMINICANA, S.A., 1980, FIELD TRIP B, GOLD DEPOSITS OF PUEBLO VIEJO: FIELD GUIDE, 9TH CARIBBEAN CONFERENCE, SANTO DOMINGO, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, P. 51-67.
Deposit

1969 DIREXPL ROSARIO RESOURCES - RICH OXIDIZED ZONE DISC
Production

ELLIS (1991)
Reserve-Resource

SCHISSLER, 1976; BOYLE, 1979, ELLIS (1992), KESLER, ET AL (1981); ROSARIO DOMINICANA, S.A. (1980)

General comments

Subject category	Comment text
Deposit	WEATHERED ZONE IS 30 M THICK AND COMPLETELY LEACHED OF SULFIDES, LEAVING ONLY AU AND AG IN A LATERITIC RESIDIUM AND GOSSAN. THE MINERALIZED ZONE IS FUNNEL-SHAPED. OXIDIZED ORE BODIES ARE MOORE, EAST MEJITA, MONTE NEGRO, AND LOS CACAOS. CONSIDERED TO BE ACID SULFATE EPITHERMAL DEPOSIT FORMED IN A MAAR (RUSSELL AND KESLER, 1991). FLUIDS HAD PH 1.5-2 AT 250-300 DEGREES C; S, C, PB AND SR DERIVED FROM CRETACEOUS SEA H2O AND LOS RANCHOS FM; TEMPERATURES OF FLUID INCLUSIONS 130-190 DEGREES C.; SALINITY LESS THAN 5%. ALSO FITS QUARTZ-ALUNITE MODEL # 25E.

Subject category

Comment text

Deposit

WEATHERED ZONE IS 30 M THICK AND COMPLETELY LEACHED OF SULFIDES, LEAVING ONLY AU AND AG IN A LATERITIC RESIDIUM AND GOSSAN. THE MINERALIZED ZONE IS FUNNEL-SHAPED. OXIDIZED ORE BODIES ARE MOORE, EAST MEJITA, MONTE NEGRO, AND LOS CACAOS. CONSIDERED TO BE ACID SULFATE EPITHERMAL DEPOSIT FORMED IN A MAAR (RUSSELL AND KESLER, 1991). FLUIDS HAD PH 1.5-2 AT 250-300 DEGREES C; S, C, PB AND SR DERIVED FROM CRETACEOUS SEA H2O AND LOS RANCHOS FM; TEMPERATURES OF FLUID INCLUSIONS 130-190 DEGREES C.; SALINITY LESS THAN 5%. ALSO FITS QUARTZ-ALUNITE MODEL # 25E.

Reporter information

Type	Date	Name	Affiliation
Reporter	01-JUL-1976	Schruben, Paul G.	U.S. Geological Survey
Updater	01-APR-1988	Orris, Greta J.	U.S. Geological Survey
Updater	01-OCT-1992	Page, Norman J.	U.S. Geological Survey
Updater	01-FEB-1993	Page, Norman J.	U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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

Pueblo Viejo Mine

Geologic information

Identification information

Geographic coordinates

Site location context

Geographic areas

Commodities

Comments on the commodity information

Materials information

Alteration

Analytical data

Mineral occurrence model information

Host and associated rocks

Nearby scientific data

Economic information

Ore body information

Comments on the geologic information

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Ownership information

Comments on the production information

Reserves and resources

Comments on the reserve resource information

Comments on development

Reference information

Links to other databases

Bibliographic references

Deposit

Deposit

Deposit

Deposit

Deposit

Deposit

Deposit

Deposit

Production

Reserve-Resource

General comments

Reporter information

Beyond USGS

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