Bolsa Negra Mine

Producer in La Paz, Bolivia with commodities Tungsten, Tin, Copper, Arsenic, Bismuth, 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. 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. Production statistics
  18. Links to other databases
  19. Bibliographic references
  20. General comments
  21. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10080340
MRDS ID W031460
Record type Site
Current site name Bolsa Negra Mine
Alternate or previous names Nevada Mine

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -67.79367, -16.54602 (WGS84)
Elevation 4290
Relative position 17 KM N 87 E OF PALCA

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

La Paz(province)

Bolivia(country)

South America(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country State
Bolivia La Paz

Comments on the location information

  • AT THE HEADWATERS OF RIO UNDUAVI, 2 KM N OF TRES RIOS
  • LOCATED AT THE UPPER REACHES OF TRIBUTARIES TO THE LA PAZ RIVER, ABOUT 15 KM SW OF JUNCTION OF LA PAZ AND CHUNGAMAYO RIVERS. IN A NW-SW LINE WITH THE TAQUESI-MURURATA BATHOLITH AND THE CORDILLERA QUIMSA CRUZ.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Tungsten Critical Primary
Tin Critical Secondary
Copper Tertiary
Arsenic Critical Tertiary
Bismuth Critical Tertiary
Zinc Critical Tertiary

Comments on the commodity information

  • VEINS HAVE PRODUCED BETWEEN 3 AND 5% WO3.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Bismuthinite Ore
Cassiterite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Scheelite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Wolframite Ore
Barite Gangue
Chlorite Gangue
Fluorite Gangue
Hematite Gangue
Jarosite Gangue
Limonite Gangue
Muscovite Gangue
Pyrite Gangue
Pyrrhotite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Siderite Gangue
Tourmaline Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Narrow, Irregular Muscovite-Chlorite Selvages Around Stockwork Veins; Host Rock Hornfelsed (Chlorite-Muscovite-Tourmaline-Carbonate)

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 46
USGS model code 15a
Deposit model name W veins

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Ordovician
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Triassic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Triassic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Triassic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Ordovician
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Granite
    Rock unit name Taquesi-Mururata Batholith
    Rock description Taquesi-Mururata Batholith
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Shale
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Sandstone
    Rock unit name Unduavi Formation
    Rock description Unduavi Formation

Nearby scientific data

(1) -67.79367, -16.54602

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Doming Of Sediments Due To Intrusion Of Taquesi-Mururata Batholith

Ore body information

  • General form BLANKET
    Strike N 50-60 E
    Dip 0-15 SE
    Length 1000M
    Width 60M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Faults And Shear Zones

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Large
Significant No
Discovery year 1914
Discoverer L. D. Rasley
Year of first production 1919

Mining district

District name Taquesi-Mururata

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Comibol ; Cooperativa Minera Bolsa Negra Limitada )
    First year 1952
    Last year 1965
  • Type Owner
    Owner Corporacion Minera De Bolivia (Comibol; 1952-)

Production statistics

  • Year 1966
    Material CON?
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^72.18% Wo3
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    WO3 Tungsten Tungsten 72wt-pct
  • Year 1967
    Material CON?
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^71.75% Wo3
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    WO3 Conc. Tungsten Tungsten 72wt-pct
  • Year 1968
    Material CON?
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^69.50% Wo3

Comments on the production information

  • MINE WAS AN IMPORTANT PRODUCER OF TUNGSTEN DURING WORLD WAR I

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • (1) POSITIVE; (2) PROBABLE; (3) POSSIBLE

Comments on the workings information

  • INCLINED ADITS, CROSSCUTS, AND DRIFTS.

Comments on development

  • ECON.COM: GRAVITY AND FLOATATION CONCENTRATION

Reference information

Bibliographic references

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit FIVE MANTOS, 0.02-0.5 M WIDE, IN ALTERED COUNTRY ROCKS 1200 M SOUTH OF THE CONTACT ZONE OF THE TAQUESI-MURURATA BATHOLITH. TRUE THICKNESS OF MINERALIZED ZONE IS 40 M.
Deposit NUMEROUS MINERALIZED VEINS OCCUR IN THE COUNTRY ROCKS ON BOTH SLOPES OF THE CERRO NEGRO RIDGE. WOLFRAMITE QUARTZ VEINS IN THE DISTRICT OCCUR WITH CASSIFERITE AND SPHALERITE MINERALIZATION IN SEVERAL LOCALITIES. SEVERAL VEIN SYSTEMS ARE PRESENT: A GROUP WEST OF THE RIDGE AXIS NEAR LAICACOLLO HILL AS DESIGNATED "FLORES", "AGUIRRE" AND "CANO". A SECOND SYSTEMS KNOWN AS "TRES HERMANOS" OUTCROPS WITH STRIKE N45W, DIP 75NE. THE SAN JUAN MINE, NE OF THE RIDGE, CONTAINS CASSITERITE VEINS. VEINS EXTEND UP TO 1000 METERS IN LENGTH WITH THICKNESS 10 TO 50 CMS.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JUN-1978 Urquidi-Barrau, Fernando Department of State
Updater 01-AUG-1981 Ericksen, George E. (Rowe, William D.) U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-DEC-1993 Long, Keith R. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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