Pacajake Mine

Producer in Potosi, Bolivia with commodities Silver, Selenium, Cobalt, Nickel, Palladium, Platinum, Rhodium, Gold, Iridium, Copper, Lead
Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Commodities
  6. Materials information
  7. Host and associated rocks
  8. Nearby scientific data
  9. Geologic structures
  10. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  11. Ownership information
  12. Links to other databases
  13. Bibliographic references
  14. General comments
  15. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10109594
MRDS ID M046559
Record type Site
Current site name Pacajake Mine
Alternate or previous names Paca Jake, Virgen De Surumi

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -66.86614, -18.59763 (WGS84)
Elevation 3800
Relative position 17 KM N60E OF COLQUECHACA

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Potosi(province)

Bolivia(country)

South America(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country State
Bolivia Potosi
Bolivia Potosi

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Silver Primary
Selenium Primary
Cobalt Critical Primary
Nickel Critical Primary
Palladium Critical Secondary
Platinum Critical Secondary
Rhodium Critical Secondary
Gold Secondary
Iridium Critical Secondary
Copper Secondary
Lead Secondary

Comments on the commodity information

  • PGM SELENIDE DEPOSITS ARE QUITE RARE. THIS MAY BE THE ONLY KNOWN OCCURRENCE OF BLOCKITE.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Naumannite Ore
Barite Gangue
Calcite Gangue
Hematite Gangue
Siderite Gangue

Analytical data

Result AN ANALYSIS OF BLOCKITE: 69.72% SE, 6.70% CU, 14.09% NI, 1.73% AG, 2.45% CO, 1.29% FE, 9.35% PB, .022% PT METALS. A SPECTROMETER ANALYSIS OF A SAMPLE OF BLOCKITE INCLUDING A SILVER GRAIN GAVE: .4% PD, .2% PT, .03% RH, .1% AU, TRACE OF IR

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Silurian
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Metasedimentary Rock > Quartzite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Shale
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Sandstone

Nearby scientific data

(1) -66.86614, -18.59763

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description On Axis Of A Nw-Se Trending Anticline

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Significant No
Discovery year 1850
Discoverer Unknown; Hans Block
Year of last production 1937

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Hans Block

Comments on development

  • DEPOSIT FIRST LOCATED AND WORKED FOR SILVER. HANS BLOCK RECOGNIZED PGM-SE MINERALIZATION IN 1935. ; ECON.COM: HAND SORTED ORE

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    QUIRING, 1962, DIE METALLISCHEN ROHSTOFFE: PLATINMETALLE 16 BAND, ENKE VERLAG STUTTGART, P. 111

  • Deposit

    RAMDOHR, P., 1969, ORE MINERALS & INTERGROWTHS: PERGAMON PRESS, N. Y., P. 807

  • Deposit

    AHLFELD, F., 1937, MINERALES DE BOLIVIA: GENERAL DE MINAS, LA PAZ, P. 13

  • Deposit

    AHLFELD, F., AND SCHNEIDER-SCHERBINA, A., 1964, LOS YACIMIENTOS MINERALES Y DE HIDROCARBUROS DE BOLIVIA: DEPARTAMENTO NACIONAL DE GEOLOGIA BOLETIN 5, P. 123-124.

  • Deposit

    GUSTAVSON ASSOC., 1992, COMPENDIUM OF THE ECONOMIC GEOLOGY OF BOLIVIA

  • Other Database

    CIMRI

  • Production

    GUSTAVSON ASSOC. (1992); AHLFELD AND SCHNEIDER-SCHERBINA (1964) P. 124.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit POCKETS AND CLOTS OF SELENIDES IN A SIDERITE-BARITE-CALCITE-HEMATITE VEIN. NEARBY ALTERED DIKES HOST STOCKWORK VEINLETS THAT CONTAIN ANOMALOUS AU AND PGM.
Deposit Discovery Year: 1800'S; 1935

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-MAR-1976 Blair, Will N. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-MAR-1991 Guerra, Edwin Servicio Geologic de Bolivia
Updater 01-NOV-1993 Long, Keith R. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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