Study of the copper-uranium deposits at Vilcabamba, Department of Cuzco, Peru

Author

Oscar Aguilar

Abstract

"Uranium has been known in the Vilcabamba district of Cuzco, Peru since 1954. Copper ores of high silver content were worked by the Spaniards during the seventeenth and the early eighteenth centuries, At the beginning of the twentieth century these ores were worked intermittently; during the last fifty years no mining operation has been going on.

The oldest rocks in the thesis area consist of Ordovician phyllites. The presence of Devonian in the area is questionable, but has been recognized 5 km. away from the thesis area. A conglomerate of limited lateral extent of Mississippian age overlies the Devonian (?) or Ordovician formation. Middle (?) and Upper Pennsylvanian and Dower Permian rocks are represented by about 2000 m, of Tarma and Copacabana limestone. Igneous rocks of Middle (?) Permian age appear to overlie the limestone formation. This is called the Mitu group and consists, in addition to the igneous rocks, of coarse red clastics overlying unconformably the Copacabana group. In the limestone area, two main dikes of grachyandesite composition appear to intersect the formation.

Copper-nickel-uranium minerals of probable hydrothermal and contact mesosomatic origin occur as lenses or fissure fillings in the Permocaraboniferous limestone some associated with skarn.

The ore minerals are tetrahedrite, bornite, chalcopyrite, covellite, niccolite, pitchblende, molybdenite and a variety of sulforarsenides of nickel and cobalt. Gangue is predominantly calcite and dolomite, with quartz in minor amounts. Skarn minerals are garnet epidote, apatite, hematite, and magnetite.

The major amount of ore minerals seems to be structurally controlled, but chemical-physical conditions of the host rock may also play important roles.

An economic evaluation can not be made at the present stage of exploration. More drilling and mapping is needed. Other factors which will affect this evaluation are the high cost of transportation and difficulty in evaluating tonnage due to the irregular distribution of the ore zones"--Abstract, pages viii-ix.

Advisor(s)

Armstrong, James C.

Committee Member(s)

Legsdin, Adolph, 1899-1969
Proctor, Paul Dean, 1918-1999
Christiansen, Carl R., 1921-1997

Department(s)

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering

Degree Name

M.S. in Geology

Comments

Two plates folded in the back pocket of the manuscript are included here in the pdf. They are also included as supplemental files for greater detail.

Publisher

Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy

Publication Date

1962

Pagination

ix, 170 pages

Note about bibliography

Includes bibliographical references (pages 163-169).

Geographic Coverage

Peru

Rights

© 1962 Oscar Aguilar M., All rights reserved.

Document Type

Thesis - Open Access

File Type

text

Language

English

Thesis Number

T 1399

Print OCLC #

5938222

Electronic OCLC #

1066114594

Recommended Citation

Aguilar, Oscar, "Study of the copper-uranium deposits at Vilcabamba, Department of Cuzco, Peru" (1962). Masters Theses. 2711.
https://scholarsmine.mst.edu/masters_theses/2711