El Yunque

Occurrence in Puerto Rico, United States with commodities Copper, Gold
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. Ore body information
  12. Controls for ore emplacement
  13. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  14. Mining district
  15. Ownership information
  16. Links to other databases
  17. Bibliographic references
  18. General comments
  19. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10085458
MRDS ID W701049
Record type Site
Current site name El Yunque
Alternate or previous names Luquillo Mine, Betamon Y Compania, Catinesterlila, Monserrate, Union, American Ermestita, Perla Gold, Catalina, San Narciso, Reina Cristina, Brigida, Maria Josefina, La Acacia, La Casualidad, La Castellana, C.P., Columbian, Santa Cruz, Santa Amalia, Santa Teresa

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -65.77223, 18.30759 (WGS84)
Relative position DOWN STREAM FROM THE LA MINE FALLS APPROXIMATLY .5 MILE

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Río Grande Municipio(county)

Puerto Rico(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

El Yunque(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Puerto Rico(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Eastern(hydrologic unit)

Puerto Rico(hydrologic accounting unit)

Puerto Rico(hydrologic subregion)

Caribbean(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

El Yunque National Forest(National Forest)

National Forest FS(Type of land area)

FS(Federal land areas administered by FS)

Geographic areas

Country State
United States Puerto Rico

Comments on the location information

  • DIFFICULT TO FIND, OVERGROWN

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Copper Primary
Gold Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcopyrite Ore
Magnetite Gangue
Pyrite Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Hornfels, Epidote, Garnet, Quartz, Calcite

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 59
USGS model code 18b
Deposit model name Skarn Cu
Mark3 model number 8

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Early Cretaceous
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Mudstone
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Sandstone
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Pyroclastic Rock > Tuff

Nearby scientific data

(1) -65.77223, 18.30759

Economic information

Ore body information

  • General form IRREGULAR

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Proximity To Stock

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Occurrence
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1650
Discoverer Spanish

Mining district

District name El Yunque

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner National Forest Preserve

Comments on the workings information

  • NUMEROUS SHORT EXPLORATORY ADITS THROUGHOUT THE DISTRICT

Comments on development

  • MINE

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    COX, DENNIS P., AND BRIGGS, REGINALD P., 1973, METALLOGENIC MAP OF PUERTO RICO: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, MISCELLANEOUS GEOLOGIC INVESTIGATIONS MAP I-721, ACCOMPANIED BY EXPLANATORY PAMPHLET, 6 P.

  • Deposit

    CARDONA, W.A., 1984, EL YUNQUE MINERAL PROSPECTS, EASTERN PUERTO RICO: CARIBBEAN JOURNAL OF SCIENCE, VOL. 20, PP 79 -87.

  • Deposit

    COX, D. P., MARVIN, R. F., M'GONIGLE, J. W., MCINTYRE, D. H., AND ROGERS, C. L., 1977, POTASSIUM-ARGON GEOCHRONOLOGY OF SOME METAMORPHIC, IGNEOUS, AND HYDROTHERMAL EVENTS IN PUERTO RICO AND THE VIRGIN ISLANDS: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY JOUR. RESEARCH, VOL. 5, NO. 6, P. 689-703.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit SMALL SKARN BODIES IN HORNFELS AND GARNET SKARNS, SOME SHEARING CONTROL
Deposit POTENTIAL IS GOOD FOR GOLD SKARNS, LAND IS NOT AVAILABLE IN A PROTECTED RAIN FOREST. [PREVIOUS UPDATER: MCKELVEY, G.H., 90 07.] ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 2 UNPUB REPT
Deposit Discovery Year: 1600'S

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JAN-1990 Paidakovich, Matthew E. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-JUL-1991 Schellekens, J.H. University of Puerto Rico

Beyond USGS

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