Palmarejo

Occurrence in Puerto Rico, United States with commodities Gypsum-Anhydrite, Copper, Gold, Mercury
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. Ownership information
  15. Links to other databases
  16. Bibliographic references
  17. General comments
  18. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10096716
MRDS ID W701133
Record type Site
Current site name Palmarejo
Alternate or previous names Quemad

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -67.0817, 18.04873 (WGS84)
Relative position .5 TO 3 KM NW FROM PLAMERIJO

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Lajas Municipio(county)

Puerto Rico(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

San German(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Puerto Rico(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Southern(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
Gypsum-Anhydrite Primary
Copper Primary
Gold Primary
Mercury Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Gypsum Ore
Pyrite Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Quartz, Sericite, Trace Alunite = Dominatly Phylic

Analytical data

Result COPPER TO 150 PPM, HG TO 1050 PPB, TRACE OF AU

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 85
USGS model code 22c
Deposit model name Polymetallic veins
Mark3 model number 46

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Serpentinite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cretaceous

Nearby scientific data

(1) -67.0817, 18.04873

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Length 1524M
    Width 609.6M
    Depth to top 0M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Intense Stockwork Quartz Sulfide Veining To +100 Per Meter

Comments on the geologic information

  • ALTERATION APPEARS TO CROSS CUT ALL THE VOLCANIC ROCKS, AND IS YOUNGER THAN THE LIMESTONE UNITS.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Occurrence
Commodity type Both
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1957
Discoverer A.D. Fraser

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner Cominco American Resources

Comments on the workings information

  • GOOD OUTCROPS ALONG NUMEROUS ROADS

Comments on development

  • MINERAL OCCURRENCE

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

    LUDDEN, R.B., 1961, PREPORT ON GEOLOGIC RECONNAISSANCE IN CABO ROJO AND SAN GERMAN-SABANA GRANDE PERMITE AREA, PUERTO RICO: PHELPHS DODGE PRIVATE REPORT ON FILE AT THE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RECOURSES, PUERTO RICO.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit THE GEOCHEMISTRY SHOWN IN THE FILES DOES NOT POINT TO A TARGET FOR EITHER GOLD OR BASE METALS. IF A COPER SYSTEM IS PRESENT IT WOULD BE AT DEPTH IN A BIOTITE OR K-SPAR ZONE. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 2 UNPUB REPT
Deposit LARGE AREAS OF ALTERATION AND INTENSE STOCKWORK QUARTZ VEIN CROSS CUTTING THE HOST SERPENTINITES AND COVERED BY UNALTERED LIMESTONES. THE OCCURENCES ALIEGN N 45 W.

Reporter information

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

Beyond USGS

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