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El Indio

Producer in Chile with commodities Gold, Silver, Copper, Arsenic, Antimony, Lead, Zinc
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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. Reserves and resources
  18. Links to other databases
  19. Bibliographic references
  20. General comments
  21. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10084810
MRDS ID W700018
Record type Site
Current site name El Indio
Alternate or previous names Tambo Pit, Wendy Norte Deposit

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -69.97951, -29.76579 (WGS84)
Elevation 4200

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Chile(country)

South America(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country
Chile

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Silver Primary
Copper Primary
Arsenic Critical Secondary
Antimony Critical Secondary
Lead Tertiary
Zinc Critical Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Bornite Ore
Chalcanthite Ore
Chalcocite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Covellite Ore
Digenite Ore
Enargite Ore
Galena Ore
Gold Ore
Pyrite Ore
Silver Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Tennantite Ore
Tetrahedrite Ore
Alunite Gangue
Barite Gangue
Jarosite Gangue
Limonite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Sulfur Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Argillic, Advanced Argillic, Sericitic, Silicic, Propylitic, Phyllic (Propylitic Is Located Outside Of Bounding Faults)

Analytical data

Result SURFACE: 3-12 OZ/T AU
Result 5 OZ/T AG
Result 2.6% CU QUARTZ-VEIN ORE: <20 OZ/T AU SULFIDE-VEIN ORE (AVG.): 2 OZ/T AU
Result 5.6 OZ/T AG
Result 6-12% CU LEACHED-ZONE ORE: 0.35 OZ/T AU
Result <15 OZ/T AG
Result 0.1-0.5% CU
Result 4% AS
Result 0.5% SB

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 154
USGS model code 25e
Deposit model name Epithermal quartz-alunite Au
Mark3 model number 38

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
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene
    Chronological age 10.7
    Dating method K-Ar
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Rhyolite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene
    Chronological age 11
    Dating method K-Ar

Nearby scientific data

(1) -69.97951, -29.76579
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Local
Structure description 2 Major Nw-Dipping Faults

Ore body information

  • Dip 65; 45
    Width 10M
  • Dip 65; 45

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Inca Sur And Nica Norte Faults Bound Mineralization Within Caldera Complex

Comments on the geologic information

  • BASEMENT ROCKS ARE JURASSIC AND CRETACEOUS SEDIMENTARY ROCKS AND GYPSUM. PROXIMAL TO MINERALIZED CALDERA ARE REMNANTS OF TWO VOLCANIC CONES; QUARTZ DACITE PORPHYRY IS PRINCIPAL HOST ROCK. DEPOSIT FORMATION AT 225 DEGREES C AND RELATED TO BOILING AND HYDROGEN SULFIDES INJECTED AT HIGH PRESSURES.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Medium
Significant No
Discovery year 1974
Year of first production 1980

Mining district

District name El Indio

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Lac Minerals

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1987
    Total resources 46190000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Gold Au 181.3 g/mt Gold Major 1987
    Silver Ag 116 g/mt Silver Major 1987
    Copper Cu 4.28 wt-pct Copper Major 1987
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1987
    Total resources 5536000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Gold Au 7.7 g/mt Gold Major 1987
    Silver Ag 95 g/mt Silver Major 1987
    Copper Cu 4.49 wt-pct Copper Major 1987
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1987
    Total resources 2818000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Gold Au 1.6 g/mt Gold Major 1987
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1988
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Gold Au 8.188 g/mt Gold Major 1988
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1994
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Silver Ag 84.706 g/mt Silver Major 1994

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • DEPOSIT SIZE BASED ON 1982 RESERVES PLUS 1978-1981 PRODUCTION.
  • ORE (1) IS DIRECT SMELTING ORE. ORE (2) IS PLANT GRADE ORE. ORE (3) IS HEAP LEACH ORE. (4) EL INDIO AND EL TAMBO MINES. ORE (5) MINEABLE RESERVE IN TAMBO OPEN-PIT.

Comments on the workings information

  • DIRECT SHIPPING-GRADE ORE FROM QUARTZ VEINS IS MINED BY UNDERGROUND OPERATIONS; LOWER-GRADE MASSIVE-SULFIDE ORE IS MINED AT MULA MUERTA AND INDIO SUR OPEN PITS WHERE STRIPPING RATIO IS 5.5:1.

Comments on development

  • TAMBO OPEN PIT PRODUCES 4800 TPD AND TREATED IN MILL OF 6000 TPD.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    MOSIER AND OTHERS, 1986: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 1666, P. 14-15.

  • Deposit

    MINING MAGAZINE, JANUARY, 1987.

  • Deposit

    SIDDELEY, G., AND ARANEDA, R., 1986, THE EL INDIO-TAMBO GOLD DEPOSITS, CHILE, IN MCDONALD, A.J., ED., GOLD 86, AN INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON THE GEOLOGY OF GOLD DEPOSITS, PROCEEDINGS, P. 445-456.

  • Deposit

    SIDDELEY, G., AND ARANEDA, R., 1987, THE EL INDIO-TAMBO GOLD DEPOSITS, CHILE, IN WORKSHOP FIELD GUIDE, IUGS/UNESCO DEPOSIT MODELING PROGRAM WORKSHOP, HYDROTHERMAL SYSTEMS IN VOLCANIC CENTERS.

  • Deposit

    RUIZ, C. AND PEEBLES, F., 1988, YACIMIENTOS METALIFEROS DE CHILE: SANTIAGO, 334 P.

  • Deposit

    LLAUMET, C., Y HENRIQUEZ, F., 1976, FAJA DE MINERALIZACION DE ORE, PLATA, COBRE, Y ARSENICO EN LA CORDILLERA ANDINA DE LA III Y IV REGIONES DE CHILE: I CONGRESO GEOLOGICO CHILENO.

  • Deposit

    ARANEDA, R., 1982, EL INDIO YACIMIENTO DE ORE, PLATA, Y COBRE, COQUIMBO, CHILE: REV. MINERALES 160.

  • Deposit

    ELEVATORSKI, E.A., WORLD GOLD: MINES-DEPOSITS-DISCOVERIES, VOL. 1: NORTH, CENTRAL, AND SOUTH AMERICA: MINOBRAS MINING SERVICES.

  • Deposit

    SERPLAC, 1981, INVENTARIO DE LOS RECURSOS MINERALES DE LA IV REGION: SANTIAGO (28 VOLS).

  • Deposit

    CUADRA, W.A., AND DUNKERLEY, P.M., 1991, A HISTORY OF GOLD IN CHILE: ECONOMIC GEOLOGY, V. 86, NO. 6, P. 1155-1173.

  • Deposit

    LITTLE, M. L., 1994, EXPLORATION REVIEW: SOUTH AMERICA: SEG NEWSLETTER, NO. 16, JANUARY '94, P. 17.

  • Other Database

    CIMRI

  • Production

    CUNNINGHAM (1988); LITTLE (1994).

  • Reserve-Resource

    MOSIER AND OTHERS, 1986

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit VEINS OCCUR IN A 400 M X 100 M BLOCK ORIENTED NE-SW BETWEEN 2 MAJOR NW-DIPPING FAULTS. MASSIVE SULFIDE VEINS ARE >10 M WIDE, 170 M LONG, 230 M DIP LENGTH, AND DIP 45 DEGREES. QUARTZ VEINS HAVE 2 M WIDTH, 150 M STRIKE LENGTH, 270 M DEPTH, AND DIP 65 DEGREES NW. QUARTZ-VEIN ORE: 2M WIDE, DIP 65, NEAR FOOTWALL OF INCA SUR FAULT, FINE-GRAINED GOLD WITH MINOR SULFIDES AROUND CLASTS OF WALL ROCK AND/OR QUARTZ. SULFIDE-VEIN ORE: < 10 M WIDE, DIP 45, ENARGITE/PYRITE/QUARTZ WITH TETRAHEDRITE, TENNANTITE, GALENA, COVELLITE, AND SPHALERITE AT DEPTH. LEACHED-ZONE ORE: SILICEOUS GANGUE, BOXWORK AFTER ENARGITE WITH REMNANTS OF ENARGITE, SCORODITE, AND SULFUR.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-DEC-1987 Orris, Greta J. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-JAN-1988 Cunningham, Skip U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-SEP-1990 Williams, William C. University of Arizona
Updater 01-AUG-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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