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Sitio De Chico Copper Occurrence

Occurrence in Alagoas, Brazil with commodities Copper, Iron, Chromium, Titanium, Metal, Nickel
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Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10069036
MRDS ID W002318
Record type Site
Current site name Sitio De Chico Copper Occurrence

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -37.49889, -9.34789 (WGS84)
Relative position CURACA RIVER VALLEY
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Geographic areas

Country State
Brazil Alagoas

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Copper Primary
Iron Primary
Chromium Primary
Titanium, Metal Primary
Nickel Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcopyrite Ore
Chromite Ore
Ilmenite Ore
Magnetite Ore
Pentlandite Ore
Pyrite Gangue
Pyrrhotite Gangue

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Gneiss
    Rock unit name Caraiba Group, Hornblende Biotite Gneiss
    Rock description Caraiba Group, Hornblende Biotite Gneiss
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic

Nearby scientific data

(1) -37.49889, -9.34789
ListMap

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Sitio De Chico Complex Is A Sheared-Off Part Of A Longer Intrusive Originally 15 Km Long

Ore body information

  • General form TABULAR SILL
    Thickness 130M
    Depth to top 40.5M
    Width 300M
    Length 2500M

Comments on the geologic information

  • THE ULTRABASIC COMPLEX CONTAINS FROM 1-5% MINERALIZED ORE. THE ORE IS COMPOSED OF ABOUT 50% MAGNETITE, ILMENITE AND CHROMITE. THE OTHER HALF OF THE ORE IS PYRROTITE (20%), PYRITE (15%), CHALCOPYRITE (10%), PENTLANDITE (5%)
  • NO PYROCHLORE IS REPORTED AT THIS SITE. CARBONATITE AND JACUPIRANGITE HAVE NOT BEEN IDENTIFIED AT THIS SITE. THIS IS ONE OF SEVERAL ALKALINE PIPES IN THE REGION WHICH MAY BE FOUND NOT HAVE CARBONATITE AND ACCOMPANYING PYROCHLORE, AS THIS ALKALINE EVANT BELONGS IN THE 60-80 MA AGE RANGE AND THE CARBONATITE ASSOCIATION IS IN THE 120-130 MA RANGE. THE POCOS DE CALDAS INTRUSIVE ROCK TYPES ARE: NEPHELINE SYENITE ON THE NORTHERN THIRD OF THE PLATEAU, WITH NEPHELINE SYENITE AND PHONOLITE INTRUDING EACH OTHER AT VARIOUS REMAINING OUTCROPS. MASSIVE FINE GRAINED BLACK PHONOLITE UNDERLIES MOST OF THE PLATEAU. ORE DEPOSITS ARE CLUSTERED IN THREE MAIN AREAS:.

Economic information

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Occurrence
Commodity type Metallic
Significant No
Discovery year 1925
Discovery method Geophysical Anomaly

Comments on the production information

  • ZIRCONIUM ORE IS HEAVY ENOUGH (SP. GRAV. 5.0-5.5) TO BE SEPARATED FROM OTHER MATERIAL BY ORDINARY GRAVITY CONCENTRATION METHODS. MEDIUM LEVEL OF PRODUCTION OF ZR OXIDE.

Comments on development

  • POCOS DE CALDAS PLATEAU IS NEARLY CIRCULAR WITH AN AREA OF ABOUT 1000 SQUARE KILOMETERS AND HAS A MAX. DIAMETER OF 35 KM. AVERAGE ALTITUDE IS ABOUT 1300 METERS.

Reference information

Links to other databases

Agency Database name Acronym Record ID Notes
USGS Mineral Resources Data System MRDS W002318

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    WRITTEN COMMUNICATION FROM W. MARHOLZ

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit SOIL SAMPLES IN THE AREA OF THE BASIC COMPLEX INDICATE HIGH ANOMALIES IN SOILS (3000 PPM CU AND 1000 PPM NI) OVER ULTRAMAFIC ROCKS WITH ONLY ACCESSORY CONTENT OF COPPER AND NICKEL MINERALS (400 PPM CU AND 800 PPM NI).
Deposit THIS RECORD CONTAINS DATA FROM DUPLICATE RECORD W001057 OF MAX WHITE WHICH HAS BEEN DELETED FROM MAIN MRDS.
Deposit VEINS OF ZIRCONIUM ARE LOCALIZED ALONG ONE OR MORE FRACTURES THAT STRIKE N. 30 DEG W TO N. 30 DEG E. AT QUIRINOS-SERROTE DEPOSIT VEINS STRIKE EAST-WEST.
Deposit Discovery Year: EARLY TWENTIETH CENTURY

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-APR-1974 Warfle, Thomas M. U.S. Geological Survey