Punta Guanajibo Deposits 1 & 2

Occurrence in Puerto Rico, United States with commodities Nickel, Iron, Cobalt, Chromium
Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Commodities
  6. Alteration
  7. Mineral occurrence model information
  8. Host and associated rocks
  9. Nearby scientific data
  10. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  11. Reserves and resources
  12. Links to other databases
  13. Bibliographic references
  14. General comments
  15. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10085460
MRDS ID W701051
Record type Site
Current site name Punta Guanajibo Deposits 1 & 2

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -67.17642, 18.16456 (WGS84)
Relative position DEPOSIT LIES AT NORTHWEST END OF GUANAJIBO ANTICLINE ON THE CARIBBEAN COAST. A COVER OF SILTSTONE SEPARATES THIS DEPOSIT FROM THE GUANAJIBO AT THE SURFACE AND ALSO DIVIDES IT INTO TWO PARTS-DEPOSITS 1 AND 2.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Mayagüez Municipio(county)

Puerto Rico(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Mayaguez(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Puerto Rico(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Culebrinas-Guanajibo(hydrologic unit)

Puerto Rico(hydrologic accounting unit)

Puerto Rico(hydrologic subregion)

Caribbean(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State
United States Puerto Rico

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Nickel Critical Primary
Iron Primary
Cobalt Critical Primary
Chromium Critical Primary

Alteration

  • (Local) Serpentinization

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 110
USGS model code 38a
Deposit model name Lateritic Ni

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Serpentinite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Serpentinite

Nearby scientific data

(1) -67.17642, 18.16456

Economic information

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Occurrence
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Medium
Significant No

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1959
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Nickel Ni 1.03 wt-pct Nickel Major 1959
    Iron Fe 19.03 wt-pct Iron Major 1959
    Cobalt Co 0.07 wt-pct Cobalt Major 1959
    Chromium Cr 0.63 wt-pct Chromium Major 1959

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • BASED ON A CUTOFF OF 0.6 PERCENT NICKEL; AVERAGE THICKNESS 10.5 FEET.

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

    HEIDENREICH, W. L., AND REYNOLDS, B. M., 1959, NICKEL-COBALT-IRON-BEARING DEPOSITS IN PUERTO RICO: U. S. BUREAU OF MINES REPT. INV. 5532, P. 6, 16, 31.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit DEPOSIT 1 COVERS ABOUT 80 ACRES. THE ENRICHED ZONE IS ABOUT 3,500 FEET LONG NORTHWEST-SOUTHEAST AND HAS A MAXIMUM WIDTH OF 1,200 FEET. IT IS SURROUNDED BY ERODED, BARREN SERPENTINITE. THE LATERITE AND SOFT SERPENTINE IN DEPOSIT 1 AVERAGE 9 AND 20 FEET, RESPECTIVELY, IN THICKNESS. THE ENRICHED ZONE HAS AN AVERAGE THICKNESS OF ABOUT 10.5 FEET, 3 FEET OF WHICH IS LATERITE AND 7.5 FEET SOFT SERPENTINE. DEPOSIT 2 IS ON A SUBDOME ABOUT 700 FEET SOUTH OF THE EAST END OF DEPOSIT 1. THIS DEPOSIT IS ABOUT 1,200 FEET LONG AND HAS A MAXIMUM WIDTH OF 700 FEET. THE LATERITE AND SERPENTINE IN DEPOSIT 2 AVERAGE 15 AND 8 FEET, RESPECTIVELY, IN THICKNESS; NONE OF THE INTERVAL SAMPLES FROM HOLES DRILLED IN AND ABOUT THIS DEPOSIT SHOWED ENRICHMENT AS HIGH AS 0.6 PERCENT NICKEL.
Deposit [PREVIOUS UPDATER AND DATE: BAWIEC, WALTER J., 90 08.]

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JAN-1990 Paidakovich, Matthew E. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-JUL-1991 Paidakovich, Matthew E. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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