2007 Minerals Yearbook ISLANDS OF THE CARIBBEAN U.S. Department of the Interior May 2010 U.S. Geological Survey [Revised November 2011] THE MINERAL INDUS T RIES OF T HE ISLANDS OF T HE CARIBBEAN ARUBA , THE BAHA M AS , BARBADOS , DO M INI C AN REPUBLI C , JA M AI C A , TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO , AND OT HER ISLANDS By Susan Wacaster ARUBA was based on tourism (including tourism-based construction and manufacturing); however, the country did mine aragonite, Aruba is a 194-square-kilometer Caribbean island located limestone, and salt in reportable quantities (table 1). The 25 kilometers (km) off the north coast of Venezuela. The island percentage of gross value added to the economy from the is composed of basaltic lavas intruded by quartz diorite and mining sector was just 0.4% in 2007 (Central Bank of the gabbroic plutons, as well as metamorphic schists, carbonate reef Bahamas, The, 2008). rocks, and gold-bearing quartz veins, which were mined until gold supplies diminished in the late 1800s. Reference Cited Minerals in the National Economy Central Bank of the Bahamas, The, 2008, National accounts 2007: The Central Bank of the Bahamas, August 11. (Accessed January 31, 2009, at http://www.centralbankbahamas.com/statistics_dos.php?cmd=view&id=16046.) The Aruban economy grew by 2.1% in 2007 compared with 0.6% in 2006. Tourism accounted for more than 50% of Aruba’s BARBADOS real gross domestic product (GDP). The country’s economy did not rely upon mining in 2007; however, Valero Energy Corp.’s The island of Barbados is located in the eastern Caribbean Sea Aruba Refinery accounted for 13.2% of the real GDP and to the north of Trinidad and Tobago. In 2007, the country was 12.4% of the island’s employment. The refinery produced heavy a crude petroleum and natural gas producer. Crude petroleum crude oil derivatives that were marketed to the countries of the production decreased by 11.8% compared with that of 2006, to Caribbean, Europe, and South America and to the United States 303,000 barrels (bbl), after a reduction of 1.5% between 2005 and had an annual refining capacity of greater than 001 million and 2006. Other mineral commodities produced in the country barrels (Mbbl). In 2007, the volume of refinery production included clay, hydraulic cement, limestone, natural gas, sand, increased by 6.6%. There was at least one quarry on the island and shale (table 1; Central Bank of Barbados, 2008). and, considering the availability of limestone and hard plutonic rocks, quarry production was probably important to the local Reference Cited economy (Pride, 2006; Aruba Department of Economic Affairs, 2007, p. 61; Valero Energy Corp., 2007; Centrale Bank Van Central Bank of Barbados, 2008, 2007 annual report: Bridgetown, Barbados, Aruba, 2008; Archeological Museum of Aruba, undated). Central Bank of Barbados, March 31, 85 p. (Accessed January 31, 2009, at http://www.centralbank.org.bb/WEBCBB.nsf/vwPublications/ References Cited 6E46D180F568F6D804257515006997E8/$FILE/Annual_Report_2007.pdf.) Archeological Museum of Aruba, [undated]: Geological origins of Aruba: DOMINICAN REPUBLIC Oranjestad, Aruba, Archeological Museum of Aruba, 3 p. (Accessed February 9, 2009, at http://brochures.aruba.com/georigin/georigin.pdf.) The Caribbean island of Espanola is occupied by the Aruba Department of Economic Affairs, 2007, Economic outlook Aruba 2008: Oranjestad, Aruba, Department of Economic Affairs, 80 p. Dominican Republic on the east and Haiti on the west. Mineral Centrale Bank Van Aruba, 2008, Annual report and financial statements for the deposits of primary economic interest in the Dominican year 2007: Oranjestad, Aruba, Centrale Bank Van Aruba, 67 p. Republic were associated with massive sulfide ores and Pride, Douglas., 2006, Aruba: Geology and the forensic spotlight [abs]: hydrothermal replacement in laterites. In 2007, the island nation Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, v. 38, no. 4, p. 55. Valero Energy Corp., 2007, Visit our refineries—Aruba Refinery: San was the ninth ranked producer of nickel in the world. Canada’s Antonio, Texas, Valero Energy Corp. (Accessed February 9, 2009, at Barrick International announced that it planned to develop the http://www.valero.com/AboutUs/Refineries/Aruba.htm.) Pueblo Viejo gold project, which was reported to be one of the largest gold deposits in the Western Hemisphere. Barrick’s THE BAHAMAS pre-production capital was expected to be about $1.6 billion. The company’s proven and probable reserves at Pueblo Viejo The Bahaman archipelago is composed of hundreds of increased to about 350,000 kilograms (kg). Artisanal and carbonate islands located in the Atlantic Ocean southeast of small-scale mining continued to be important to local economies. Florida and northeast of Cuba. The economy of the Bahamas The General Directorate of Mining (DGM) planned to modernize ISLANDS OF THE CARIbbean—2007 13.1 those sectors for the benefit of mining cooperatives, which Mineral Trade were composed of some 15,000 individuals. The country was known for its distinctive blue pectolite, commonly known as Total exports were valued at $7.2 billion in 2007 compared larimar, and amber, both of which were produced on a small with $6.6 billion in 2006, which was an increase of nearly 9%. scale. Approximately one-half of the national territory was The major mineral exports included about 80,400 metric tons (t) geologically mapped at a 1:50,000 scale. The geological service of ferronickel valued at more than $1.1 billion and about expected to complete the mapping within 4 years, and, by 2010, 3.3 Mbbl of fuel products valued at $394 million. The combined to have an Internet-based geographic information system (GIS) value of these commodities accounted for about 21% of the interface for the entire territory. In 2007, 48 new applications for total value for exports. Haiti was the primary recipient of most mining concessions were submitted to the DGM for base and industrial products, followed by Puerto Rico; however, the precious metallic minerals, including copper, gold, lead, silver, Netherlands was the leading recipient of ferronickel (23,922 t), and zinc, as well as rocks and nonmetallic minerals, including followed by the United States (20,072 t). The United States was bauxite, clays, conglomerates, evaporites, gypsum, larimar, the leading recipient of Dominican bauxite (109,703 t); marble limestone, marble, silica sand, and volcanic rock (Dirección (rocks, tiles, and otherwise processed) (500 t); limestone slabs General de la Minería, Sub-Dirección de Fiscalizacion y (7,880 t); and some quantity of scrap zinc and scrap aluminum. Fomento Minero, 2007; Barrick Gold Corp., 2008, p. 2). Taiwan imported 365 t of Dominican scrap copper, China received 283 t, and the United States received 267 t (Banco Minerals in the National Economy Central de la Republica Dominicana, 2008a). The country imported 13.5 Mbbl of crude oil valued at The Dominican Republic’s national economy grew by 8% $920 million. Other raw material imports included iron and in 2007. The contribution of mining to the GDP in 2007 was steel ($493.5 million) and coal ($61.5 million). Mineral fuel about $281 million compared with $180 million in 2006, imports, which were valued at $2.3 billion, included 7.5 Mbbl of which was a nearly 56% increase. The production of coke and diesel oil ($647 million); a quantity of liquefied petroleum gas refined petroleum products increased to $115 million from ($478.7 million); 5 Mbbl of gasoline, ($423 million); 6.4 Mbbl $129 million, or by about 10.9% compared with production of fuel oil ($353.5 million); natural gas ($162.5 million); and in 2006. The combined value of those industries amounted to 11,585 bbl of aviation fuel, and other fuel products (about a net increase of 28% compared with that of 2006, which was $2.6 million) (International Herald Tribune, 2007; Banco not quite 1% of the total GDP for the year (Banco Central de la Central de la Republica Dominicana, 2008a). Republica Dominicana, 2008b). Commodity Review Government Policies and Programs Metals In 2007, the Dominican Republic entered into the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). The CAFTA would Gold.—Barrick Gold Corp. submitted a feasibility study allow for duty-free exports of consumer and industrial goods for its Pueblo Viejo project and supplied notice to proceed from the Unites States to Central American countries, including in the first quarter of 2008. The company increased its gold Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, reserve estimates by about 40,000 kg (1.4 million troy ounces) as well as the Dominican Republic. The geological survey of for proven reserves of more than 21,000 kg (757,000 troy the Dominican Republic was organizing around heightened ounces) and probable reserves of about 326,000 kg (11,501,000 interest in the country’s mineral resources. Their objectives contained troy ounces). The project was expected to produce were effective monitoring and control of mining throughout the 17,000 kilograms per year (kg/yr) (600,000 troy ounces per territory. Under consideration were policies that leaned toward year) for the first full 5 years. Measured, indicated, and inferred a sustainable mining sector as a major source of socioeconomic resources were about 5,000 kg, 53,000 kg, and 50,000 kg, development in the country. The Central Government aimed respectively (reported as 191,000 troy ounces, 1,885,000 troy to support small-scale mining cooperatives while promoting ounces, and 1,776,000 troy ounces, respectively). Obstacles exploration by foreign investors (Public Broadcasting Service, to development included an insufficient supply of electricity 2005; Dirección General de Minería, Sub-Dirección de and environmental contamination. The company requested Fiscalizacion y Fomento Minero, 2007). that the Government contribute to a cleanup project, the cost of which the company estimated would be $100 million.