Metalliferous Ore Deposits of Bolivia
Publisher: SPC Impresores
Published: March 2009
Place of publication: La Paz, Bolivia
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 305
Description: This book deals mainly with the mineralization and its associated resource potential in the different tectonic and geological units of Bolivia. It reports a general description of the geology, structure, and lithostratigraphy of Bolivia, and of the various metallogenic provinces, mining districts, metal deposits, and most representative mineral occurrences.  The book emphasizes the discoveries made during the last twenty years, and the distribution in styles of mineralization, geotectonic setting, stratigraphic controls, and conceptual models. 

The term metallogenetic province or region refers to a relatively large area, characterized by a particular association of mineral deposits, which may contain one or more styles and/or episodes of mineralization. A belt is an elongated area comprised of a group of metalliferous deposits or occurrences without genetic or historical connotations.  District covers a smaller area in extent that includes one or more deposits with similar geological features and controlled by certain lithologies, structural elements, and hydrothermal alteration. The book also summarizes the magmatism associated with the metallogeny, describes the evolution of prices and production of major metals, and provides an analysis of mineral prospecting over the short, medium, and long term, based on an estimate of mineral resources of  deposits in current production and prospects under exploration. 

The geological information and the mineral-geological analysis are, in part, products of more than twenty years of research and exploratory work.  This work also has incorporated the findings of other authors, who have published important geological information on certain metal deposits in the country, and which after validation and correlation, are referenced within the text. 

While the basic geological information regarding the deposits currently in operation or undergoing advanced exploration is relatively available, such information for several dozens of prospects discovered during the last twenty years is virtually unknown. Indeed, one objective of this work is to make available, where possible, information about new sites and prospects from the companies that have generated it. 

This study aims to provide a comprehensive tool for students, researchers, professionals, and investors summarizing geology, metallogeny, and mineral exploration in Bolivia. Finally, it shows mining investment opportunities offered by the country and the urgent need to discover new economically exploitable deposits, due to rapid depletion of existing ones, and due to the country itself, during the last ten years, starting to slip in its global ranking as a major producer of metals. The new findings will undoubtedly form the basis of a future modern Bolivian mining industryand one of the pillars of the national economyfor a long time into the future. 

The second edition is a product of an extensively revised work of the first edition, which was published in Spanish and had a great demand from readers. Some sections were slightly modified, in particular section on orogenic gold (antimony), BIF hosted and epigenetic fault related deposits that were improved. I am grateful to Dr. Richard Goldfarb for his comments on it.  Also, Chapter 7  was reviewed and some modifications and updating were made, especially on the section related to  Metaliferous Resources, Section of  Mineral Production, Mining Projects, and Estimate of the Metalliferous Resources, in response to the importance of viewing mineral deposits from an economic standpoint, and the changing situation of the mining industry following the prices crisis.
Table of contents: title: Contents; title: 1. Introduction; title: 2. Synthesis of the Geology of Bolivia; title: 2.1 The Bolivian Precambrian Shield; title: 2.2 The Chaco-Beni Plains; title: 2.3 The Bolivian Andean Orogen; title: 2.3.1 The Subandean Zone; title: 2.3.2 The Eastern Cordillera; title: 2.3.3 The Altiplano; title: 2.3.4 The Western Cordillera; title: 3. Structural Geology and Lithostratigraphy of Bolivia; title: 3.1 Structural Geology; title: 3.1.1 Proterozoic; title: 3.1.2 Phanerozoic; title: 3.2 Stratigraphy; title: 3.2.1 Lomas Manechis Granulitic Complex Superunit, Paleoproterozoic; title: 3.2.2 Chiquitanía, Santa Rita, Río Fortuna and Aventura Metamorphic Complexes Superunit, Lower Mesoproterozoic; title: 3.2.3 San Ignacio Schist Supergroup, Mid-Mesoproterozoic; title: 3.2.4 Tacsara Supersequence, Upper Cambrian- Mid-Ordovician (Mid Caradocian); title: 3.2.5 Chuquisaca Supersequence, Mid/Upper Ordovician (Upper Caradocian) – Upper Devonian (Mid Famennian); title: 3.2.6 Villamontes Supersequence, Upper Devonian (Upper Famennian) – Lower Carboniferous (Mississippian); title: 3.2.7 Cuevo Supersequence, Mid/Upper Carboniferous (Pennsilvanian) – Lower Triassic; title: 3.2.8 Serere Supersequence, Mid Triassic-Mid Jurassic; title: 3.2.9 Puca A+B Supersequence: Upper Jurassic – Mid Cretaceous (Turonian); title: 3.2.10 Puca C Supersequence: Upper Cretaceous (Senonian) - Mid Paleocene; title: 3.2.11 Corocoro Supersequence: Final-Recent Paleocene; title: 4. Magmatism; title: 5. Types of Metalliferous Mineral Deposits in Bolivia; title: 5.1 “Bolivian-type” polymetallic veins; title: 5.1.1 Tin porphyry deposits; title: • Llallagua; title: • Chorolque; title: 5.1.2 Deposits associated with volcanic domes and/or subvolcanic stocks; title: • Cerro Rico de Potosí; title: • Oruro; title: • Colquechaca; title: • Maragua; title: • Porco; title: • MallKu Khota; title: • Colavi District; title: • Tasna; title: • Tatasi; title: • Animas, Siete Suyos y Gran Chocaya District; title: • Esmoraca – Galán District; title: 5.1.3 Deposits hosted in sedimentary rocks; title: • Huanuni; title: • Cañadón Antequera Polymetallic District; title: • Bolivar; title: • Avicaya; title: • San Vicente; title: • Monserrat; title: • Japo-Santa Fe-Morococala District; title: • Matilde; title: • Independencia District; title: 5.1.4 Characteristics and Conceptual Model of the Bolivian-type Polymetallic veins; title: 5.2 Pluton-associated polymetallic vein deposits; title: • Cascabel-Muñecas Province; title: • Chacaltaya-Huayna Potosí Tin District; title: • Kellhuani deposit; title: • La Solución deposit; title: • Illimani District; title: • Himalaya deposit; title: • Rosario de Araca-Laramcota Province; title: • La Chojlla deposit; title: • Chambillaya deposit; title: • Colquiri District; title: 5.2.1 Characteristics and Conceptual Model of the Pluton-associated; title: polymetallic vein deposits; title: 5.3 Orogenic gold (±antimony) deposits; title: 5.3.1 Slate belt-hosted Orogenic gold (±antimony) ore deposits; title: • Yani-Aucapata Gold District; title: • Apolobamba Gold District; title: • Oruro-Challapata Gold District; title: • San Bernardino deposit; title: • Iroco (Kori Chaka) deposit; title: • Vinto prospect; title: • Amayapampa gold-antimony District & prospect; title: • Cajuata District; title: • Los Machos deposit; title: • Cocapata District; title: • El Molino-Choquecamata prospect; title: • Carma prospect; title: • Caracota District; title: • Chilcobija-Candelaria Antimony District; title: 5.3.1.1 Characteristics of and Conceptual Model for slate belt-hosted orogenic gold (±antimony) deposits (Fig. 5.30); title: 5.3.2 BIF-hosted and fault-related orogenic gold prospects/deposits; title: 5.3.2.1 BIF-hosted orogenic gold; title: • Puquio Norte; title: 5.3.2.1.1 Characteristics of BIF-hosted orogenic gold deposits; title: 5.3.2.2 Fault-related orogenic gold; title: • San Simón deposit; title: 5.3.2.2.1 Characteristics of fault-related orogenic gold deposits; title: 5.4 Epithermal Deposits; title: 5.4.1 Intermediate Sulfi dation Epithermal deposits; title: • Berenguela Polymetallic District; title: • Orkho Piña prospect; title: • Carangas Silver District; title: • Salinas de Garci-Mendoza District; title: • Pulacayo deposit; title: • San Cristóbal deposit; title: • San Antonio de Lípez District; title: • Jaquegua prospect; title: 5.4.2 High Sulfi dation Epithermal deposits; title: • Laurani deposit; title: • La Española prospect; title: 5.4.3 Transitional deposits; title: • Kori Kollo; title: • Lipeña-Lamosa prospect; title: 5.4.4 Characteristics and Conceptual Model of the Epithermal ore deposits; title: 5.5 Red-bed copper; title: • Corocoro deposit; title: • Cuprita deposit; title: • Red-bed copper in the Lípez region; title: 5.5.1 Characteristics of the red-bed copper deposits; title: 5.6 Sedimentary rock-hosted zinc-lead (silver) veins; title: 5.6.1 Western Corridor; title: • Toropalca-Cornaca District; title: • Tupiza-Suipacha District; title: • Mojo-Villazón District; title: 5.6.2 Eastern Corridor; title: • San Lucas District; title: • Huara Huara District; title: 5.6.3 Characteristics of the sedimentary rock-hosted zinc-lead (silver) veins; title: 5.7 Iron Oxide-Copper-Gold (IOCG) deposits; title: • Don Mario; title: 5.7.1 Characteristics of the Iron oxide-copper-gold (IOCG) deposits; title: 5.8 Sedimentary Exhalative (SEDEX) Pb-Zn prospects; title: • Tucavaca Basin; title: 5.8.1 Characteristics and Conceptual Model of the Sedimentary Exhalative “SEDEX” Pb-Zn prospects; title: 5.9 Banded Iron Formation (BIF) hosted iron ores; title: • El Mutún; title: 5.9.1 Characteristics of Banded Iron Formation (BIF) hosted iron ores; title: 5.10 Volcanogenic Massive Sulfi de (VMS) Cu-Zn-Au-(Pb) deposits; title: • Miguela; title: 5.10.1 Characteristics and Conceptual Model of Volcanogenic Massivefi de (VMS) Cu-Zn-Au-(Pb) deposits; title: 5.11 Ultramafi c and mafi c intrusion-related Ni and PGE deposits; title: • Rincón del Tigre Complex; title: 5.11.1 Characteristics and Conceptual Model of Ultramafi c and Mafi c Intrusion-related Ni and PGE deposits; title: 5.12 Mississippi Valley-Type (MVT) deposits; title: • The Tucavaca Basin, Precambrian; title: • The Cuevo Basin, Subandean; title: 5.12.1 Characteristics and Conceptual Model of Mississippi Valley-Type (MVT) deposits; title: 5.13 Placer gold deposits; title: Alluvial gold deposits; title: 5.13.1 Characteristics of alluvial gold deposits; title: Fluvioglacial gold deposits; title: 5.14 Other types of deposit; title: 5.14.1 Lovozero-type rare metal (Nb, Ta and REE) deposits; title: 5.14.2 Evaporitic deposits; title: 5.14.3 Precious and Semi-precious stone deposits; title: 5.14.4 Pegmatite deposits; title: 5.14.5 Sulfur deposits; title: 6. General Metallogeny; title: 6.1 Precambrian Shield; title: 6.1.1 The Paraguá Craton Auro-manganesiferous Belt; title: 6.1.2 The Sunsás Polymetallic Belt; title: 6.1.3 The Mutún-Tucavaca Ferro-manganesiferous Belt; title: 6.2 The Chaco-Beni Plains; title: 6.2.1 The Amazon Gold Basin; title: 6.3 The Central Andes; title: 6.3.1 The Polymetallic Belt of the Altiplano and Western Cordillera; title: 6.3.2 The Tin Belt; title: 6.3.3 The Gold-antimony Belt; title: 6.3.4 The Lead-Zinc Belt; title: 7. Metalliferous resources of Bolivia; title: 7.1 Western Cordillera; title: 7.2 Altiplano; title: 7.2.1 Northern and Central Altiplano; title: 7.2.2 Southern Altiplano; title: 7.3 Eastern Cordillera; title: 7.3.1 Northern Segment; title: 7.3.2 Central Segment; title: 7.3.3 Southern Segment; title: 7.4 Subandean; title: 7.5 The Chaco-Beni Plains; title: 7.6 Precambrian Shield; title: 7.7 Mineral Production, Mining Projects and Estimate of the Metalliferous Resources in Bolivia; title: 7.8 Trends in prices of the main metals that Bolivia produces; title: 7.8.1 Productions vs. Prices of main metals produced in Bolivia between 1980-2008; title: 8. Synopsis; title: 8.1 Distribution of provinces, districts, and ore deposits in Bolivia; title: 8.2 Discovery of ore deposits; title: 8.3 Historical Framework; title: 8.4 Deposit Types; title: 8.5 Metalliferous Resource Potential of Bolivia; title: 9. References; title: Appendices; title: 1. Mineral Resource Estimate of ore deposits in the Physiographuc Provinces of Bolivia.; title: 2. Main mines and prospects for Sn, Ag, Au, Zn, Pb, Sb, W, Cu and Bi in Bolivia.; title: 3. Historical Review of the Mining and Mineral exploration in Bolivia.; title: Index