Tapian, Marcopper Mines, Mardinique

Past Producer in Sulu, Philippines with commodities Copper, Gold, Molybdenum, Silver
Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Commodities
  6. Materials information
  7. Nearby scientific data
  8. Ore body information
  9. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  10. Mining district
  11. Mineral rights holdings
  12. Ownership information
  13. Reserves and resources
  14. Workings at the site
  15. Links to other databases
  16. Bibliographic references
  17. General comments
  18. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10231414
MAS/MILS ID 5650170002
Record type Site
Current site name Tapian, Marcopper Mines, Mardinique
Alternate or previous names N Orebody

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Ore Body
Geographic coordinates: 121.97788, 13.42998 (WGS84)
Elevation 200

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Sulu(province)

Philippines(country)

Asia(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country State
Philippines Sulu

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Copper Primary
Gold Secondary
Molybdenum Tertiary
Silver Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Bornite Unknown
Chalcopyrite Unknown
Gold Unknown
Pyrite Unknown

Nearby scientific data

Ore Body (1) 121.97788, 13.42998

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Strike N01E
    Dip 90E
    Thickness 450M
    Length 1600M
    Width 600M
    Depth to top 30M
    Field Value
    MAS Matrix # 1
    MAS Column # 1
    Strike And Dip N01E:90E
    Minimum Depth to Top 10
    Min. Thick. Unconsol. Mat. 10
    Date of Last Modification 810813
  • Area 100HA
    Field Value
    Total Surface Area (HA) 100
    Date of Last Modification 910418

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Surface
Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Significant No
Year of first production 1969

Mining district

District name Marinduque

Mineral rights holdings

Type of mineral rights Unknown

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner Philippine Government
    Interest 100
    Home office Philippines
    Year 1980
  • Type Operator
    Owner Marcopper Corp.
    Home office Philippines
    Year 1980

Comments on the ownership information

  • THE EXPLOITATION CONCESSION FOR THIS DEPOSIT IS HELD BY THE MARCOPPER CORP. WHICH IS OWNED 40% BY PLACER DEVELOPMENT LTD., VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA. THE REMAINING 60% IS HELD BY PHILIPPINE NATIONALS.

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1977
    Measured 77200000mt ore
    Demonstrated 77200000mt ore
    Total resources 77200000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper Cu 0.58 wt-pct Copper Major 1977
    Iron Fe 0.3899 wt-pct Iron 1977
    Gold Au 9.3299 g/mt Gold Minor 1977

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • Q MATRIX=1 REPRESENTS THE 1980 GEOLOGICAL RESERVES; GOLDER Q MATRIX=3 REPRESENTS THE 1980 RECOVERABLE RESERVES; GOLDER Q MATRIX=2 REPRESENTS THE RESERVE THAT HAS BEEN STOCKPILED AND IS NOW TO BE LEACHED. TOTAL RESERVES WERE 20 MILLION TONNES OF WHICH 12 MILLION TONNES HAD BEEN MINED AND LEACHED PRIOR TO 1980. OF THE REMAINING 8 MILLION TONNES ONLY A SMALL PORTION IS RECOVERABLE. ABOUT 65% OF THE ACID SOLUBLE COPPER HAS BEEN RECOVERED TO DATE-DEC. 1979

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface
    Field Value
    MAS Development Schedule # 1
    Mining Record # 1
    Status of Mining Method ACTUAL
    Mining Method OPEN PIT
    Percent Waste Rock 63.9
    Capacity 26000
    Capacity Units MT ORE/DAY
    Unit Production Cost 1.85
    Units of Production $/MT ORE
    Operating Days per Year 365
    Operating Shifts per Day 3
    Year of Information 1980
  • Type of workings Surface
    Field Value
    MAS Development Schedule # 1
    Mining Record # 2
    Status of Mining Method PROPOSED
    Mining Method OPEN PIT
    Percent Waste Rock 63.9
    Capacity 30000
    Capacity Units MT ORE/DAY
    Unit Production Cost 1.85
    Units of Production $/MT ORE
    Operating Days per Year 365
    Operating Shifts per Day 3
    Year of Information 1980
  • Type of workings Surface
    Field Value
    MAS Development Schedule # 1
    Mining Record # 3
    Status of Mining Method ACTUAL
    Mining Method OPEN PIT
    Capacity 4
    Capacity Units MT CONC/DAY
    Unit Production Cost 3.63
    Units of Production $/MT CONC
    Operating Days per Year 365
    Operating Shifts per Day 3
    Year of Information 1980

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    MARCOPPER MINING CO.,1974,10TH ANNUAL RPT.

  • Deposit

    UN.,1970, WORLD IRON RESOURCES.

  • Deposit

    UN.1968,UNESCAFE,MIN.DEVEL.ASIA-FAR EAST NO.33.

  • Deposit

    MINING MAGAZINE, JUNE 1971, VOL. 124, NO. 6, P. 438-455.

  • Deposit

    PHILIPPINE GEOLOGY, VOL. 12, NO. 3, JAN., P. 85-90.

  • Deposit

    MINING JOURNAL, MARCH 25, 1977, P. 233.

  • Deposit

    ENGINEERING AND MINING JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL DIRECTORY, 1977

  • Deposit

    P. 332.

  • Deposit

    ANNUAL REPORT MARCOPPER MINING CORPORATION, DEC. 31, 1977,

  • Deposit

    P. 5, 8-9, 14, 15.

  • Deposit

    MINING JOURNAL, DEC. 9, 1977, P. 483.

  • Deposit

    ENGINEERING AND MINING JOURNAL, MAY 1977, P. 175.

  • Deposit

    ENGINEERING AND MINING JOURNAL, MARCH 1968, P. 230.

  • Deposit

    PERSONAL CORRESPONDENCE, 1978, MARCOPPER MINING

  • Deposit

    CORPORATION, 6TH FLOOR, V. MADRIGAL BLDG. 6793 AYALA AVE.,

  • Deposit

    MAKATI, RIZAL, D-711, PHILIPPINES #, COPY ON FILE AT BUREAU

  • Deposit

    OF MINES IN DENVER.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit 1974 ORE MINED WAS 18.6DMST;6.45 DMST OF ORE WAS PROCESSED @ COPPER;103.3M POUNDS COPPER PRODUCED. 50% EXPANSION OF SULFI DUE FOR COMPL. IN 1975. IMPROVED RECOVERY & RETREATMENT OF WILL INCREASE PROD. BY 3%. 1967- EST. 5MMT OF COPPER OXIDE O %. STRIPPING RATIO IS ABOUT 1.8 <0 1. OXIDE TREATED BY DUMP RESERVES AS OF 1969 IN TABLE. RPT. OF MARCOPPER(1975) INDICA 5MMT OF ORE @ 0.58 AVE. GRADE. IN AREAS OF MORE INTENSE ALTERATION, SOME SULFIDE DISSEMINATION OCCURS. CHALCOCITE OCCURS IN THE SUPERGENE ZONE, ALONG WITH QUANTITIES OF MALACHITE, AZURITE, CHRYSOCOLLA, NATIVE COPPER AND CUPRITE. MINOR AMOUNTS OF ANTLERITE, CHALCANTHITE, TENNORITE, AND CHALCOTRICHITE ALSO OCCUR IN THE SUPERGENE ZONE. THE CEMENT COPPER IS PRODUCED BY A SULFURIC ACID LEACHING PROCESS. IN 1978, A COMPLETE RE-EVALUATION OF THE LONG TERM MINE PLANNING WAS BEING MADE. THIS RE-EVALUATION WAS TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE EXISTING LOW METAL PRICES AND THE FACT THAT THE ORE IN THE MT. TAPIAN DEPOSIT WOULD BE LESS PROFITABLE TO MINE AND PROCESS THAN THE ORE EXPECTED TO BE AVAILABLE FROM THE NEW SAN ANTONIO DEPOSIT AFTER 1981. THE RE-EVALUATION REPORT HAD NOT BEEN RELEASED AS OF THIS TIME.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 06-JUL-1992 Dab / Golder U.S. Bureau of Mines

Beyond USGS

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