Mineral Resources of Colombia (Other Than Petroleum)
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Mineral Resources of Colombia (other than Petroleum) By QUENTIN D. SINGEWALD GEOLOGIC INVESTIGATIONS IN THE AMERICAN REPUBLICS, 1949 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 964-B Prepared in cooperation with the Foreign Economic Administration UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON i 1950 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Oscar L. Chapman, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY W. E. Wrather, Director For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office Washington 25, D. C. - Price $1.00. (paper cover) CORRECTION In the table of contents of Bulletin 964-B, page iv, credit for the section on gold was inadvertently given to Charles Mentzel. As stated on page 120, this section was reproduced, with slight modification, from a summary report written by J. K. Cathcart for FEA. CONTENTS Page Abstract-_____-_-----------__--__ _______________________ 53 Introduction... __.____-_______--- ______________ _______ 56 Scope of report _________________________________ _______ 56 Status of mining and prospecting in Colombia__________ ____ 57 Maps.____________-__-_______---___-____-_-__---_- 58 Personnel and acknowledgments __ __________________ _ 60 Geography and geology_____________ ________________________ 61 Topographic features.____________________________________ _ 61 Economic geography___-________ ______________________ 62 General geology: Andean province___________________-___--_- 63 Pre-Cretaceous metamorphic and plutonic igneous rocks _____ 64 Cordillera Oriental_______________--_-___---- _____ 65 Cordillera Central. _________________ 66- Other ranges_______-___________________-___-------_--_ 68 Paleozoic sedimentary rocks______________________________ 68 Mesozoic sedimentary rocks. ____________________________ 69 Cordillera Occidental subprovince_______________________ 69 Cordillera Oriental subprovince ____________________ _ 71 Tertiary sedimentary rocks_________________________________ 75 Marine strata_____________________________ _ 75 Nonmarine strata___________________________-__- _ 77 Post-Jurassic igneous rocks___-________________________ __ 79 Colombian mining law. ____________________________________________ 80 Generalstatement_____________________________________________ 80 Title by "adjudicaci6n"________ _____ _____ _______ 81 "Contracts" (concessions)________________________________ 82 Comment__________________________________________ 83 Antimony._______________________________________________________ 84 Caldas_________...___..__________._._____ 85 La Gloria mine_________________________________.__-__-____ 85 La Cristalina mine_________________________________._ 85 Jesus Gomez' mine______________________-_____--_---_-____ 85 La Palma prospect_-__________________________________ 86 Other localities__________________________________________ 86 Cauca________________________________ 86 Tolima_____________________________________ 86 El Diamante antimony concession___________________________ 86 El Porvenir prospect_____________________________________ 87 Other localities__________________________________________ 87 Asbestos_______________________________________________________ 87 Barite____________________________________________ 88 Bauxite. _____________________________._________ 90 Cement. _____________________________________________ 90 Antioquia.___________________________________________________ 90 Atldntieo_____________________________________________________ 91 Cundinamarca_ ____________________________________________ 91 Santander__________________________________________________ 92 Valle del Cauca__________________________________ 92 Chromite_______________________________________ 92 Clay___._____________________________________________________ 93 zn IV CONTENTS Page Coal.- . .__________________ 94 Cundinamarca and Boyacd___________________._________________ 95 Antioquia.___________________________________________________ 99 Valle del Cauca and northern Cauea_____________________________ 101 Norte de Santander_-----_-_______-_________________-_....___ 104 Caldas____ __ ________....._________________ 105 Southern Cauca and Narifio______________.._.__._____________ 106 Santander-_____________________________________ 106 Magdalena and Guajira________________________________________ 107 Mining methods_----_______________L_____________-__________ 108 Copper___ ____________ ____________________________ 109 Antioquia. _________-______--_-__---__-___________-_____ 109 Boyacd ________________________________________ 110 Caldas_____________________________________ 110 La Diamantina prospect__________________________________ 110 La Tascon prospect________________________________________ 110 £!undinamarca________________________________________________ 110 Cerro de Cobre prospect__________________________________ 110 San Rafael prospect_____________________________________ 111 Cocunche prospect_______________________________________ 112 Other localities________________________________________ 112 Choc6_____--_-.____________-___-.____-_______ 112 Magdalena ________________________----__----__--_---_---_-_-_ 112 Santander ____________________________________________________ 113 Tolima______-__-___________________________________ 113 Natagaima district_________ __________________________ 113 Mina Vieja, El Sapo, and Venecia prospects._______ __ 114 Showings in municipio of Rovira.___________________________ 115 Emeralds...--------- __ ____ ___________ __ ------- 115 Muzo mines__________________________-_____-----_---_-----_-- 117 Geography. _ ___________-_____---____------.-_-------_-- 117 Bedrock_____________________________-__-- --_- 117 Hypogene alteration products_____---_-_---_---_------------ 118 Veins. _________________________________ _ _ --- 119 Occurence of emeralds____________________^______________ 119 Chivor mines.__________________----_--_--------_------------- 119 Gold, from a report by Charles Mentzel__---_-_________--_----------- 120 Antioquia _________________________--------------------------- 122 Production summary_________________-_-___---_---------- 122 Placer mines._________________--__---___------------------ 123 Pato district._________________--__-_------------------ 123 Cuturti property___________________-__-_------------ 125 Viborita property_________--_-_-___------------------ 125 East-central Antioquia placers._________________________ 125 San Andre"s niine-___-------_---------------------- 128 Providencia, Caramanta, and Gallinazo mmes_________ 128 Porcecito property__-____---__--------------------- 128 Lode mines__--_______-__--_-----_------------------------ 129 Segovia district-____________-________-_-_-_---------- 129 Silencio mine____-_____--------_------------------- 129 Marmajito mine_____-__--------------------------- 130 Berlin mine________----------------------------------- 131 Small-scale lode mines___________________----_-------- 132 CONTENTS V Gold Continued Pag« Caldas____________________________________... 133 Production summary_______________________________________ 133 Marmato mines___________________________________________ 134 Supfa mine________________________.______________________ 135 Vendecabezas mine________________________________-_______ 136 Guayaquil mine ___________________________________________ 136 Cauca______________________________________________ 136 Production summary__-_________________-_______-_-___-_--_ 136 Aznazti mines___________ ______ ____________________________ 136 Munchique and California mines.___________________________ 137 Choc6-_______-_--_-_-____------_____-__-_-__--_____-----_--_- 138 Narifio.______________________________________________ 138 Tolima__.________________.________.__._____.__ 139 Gypsum__ _ _______________________________________________________ 140 Iron_________________________________________ ________ ___________ 142 Paz del Rfo district.-^_____________ .________. ,_______ 143 Medellfn district--_______.___________...__________ 143 Cundinamarca localities ________________________________________ 144 Lead____-________-_________________________-_____________________ 145 Antioquia ____________________________________________________ 145 Boyac&--_-___-___________________________________ 146 Tipacoque (Mochancuta) prospect_____----__________________ 146 Showings in municipio of Rdquira________---____-_. _________ 146 Caldas_ _______________________________________________________ 147 Cauca.____-__--____--_--__________________._____._______ 147 Cundinamarca________________________________________________ 148 East-central section______________________________________ 148 North-central section ______________________________________ 148 Norte de Santander__________________________________________ 148 Santander_ ___________________________________________________ 149 Manganese.______________________________________________________ 149 Caldas_ ____________________________________________ 149 Prospects in municipio of Apia._____________________________ 149 Prospects in municipio of Manzanares______________________ 150 Huila_ _________________________________________________ 150 Meta________________________________________ 151 Narino_______________________________________________________ 151 Mercury________________________________________________________ 151 Mica_ __________________________________________________________ 155 Phlogopite_______________________________________ 156 Huila-___________________________________________________ 156 Ocafia district.--._________________________________________ 157 Muscovite. -_--_--__--_-______-:_____-____-___--_________-____