Mineral resources of the departments of Norte de Santander and Santander
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32685/0120-1425/bolgeol18.3.1970.256Keywords:
Colombia, deposits, metallic mineral resources, non-metallic mineral resources, phosphoric rock, reserves calculation
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Copyright (c) 1970 Servicio Geológico Colombiano
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Abstract
The area covered by this report is in the Eastern Cordillera and includes part of the departments of Santander and Norte de Santander (Bucaramanga and Pamplona Plates). This part of the Eastern Cordillera consists of a complex core of Precambrian to Mesozoic metamorphic and igneous rocks (called Santander Massif) flanked to the east and west by faulted and folded Upper Paleozoic to Tertiary sedimentary rocks. Sunken and faulted blocks of sedimentary rocks are locally present in the massif. Unconsolidated Quaternary deposits, mainly alluvial terraces, are partly extensive in the valleys on the flanks of the mountain range. The massif contains the main gold deposits and some small deposits of copper, lead, zinc, and fluorite. The sedimentary rocks flanking the massif contain important phosphate rock deposits, gypsum, and other non-metallic minerals such as limestone, barite, glass sand, and coal. A belt of lead-zinc mineral occurrences in Cretaceous limestones and sandstones on the eastern side of the range merits further investigation.
Gold and silver are the only important metallic minerals that have been produced in the Santander Massif. Their exploitation dates to colonial, possibly pre-colonial times, and continues today on a small scale. The California and Vetas district were the main area of investigation for metallic minerals during the present project. The geochemical sampling of active sediments and phylogenic material assays indicate that the area’s main potential is for gold, with minor amounts of copper, lead, zinc, and silver. Mineralization in the district is probably Lower Post-Cretaceous.
Small occurrences of copper minerals, indicated by patches of malachite and azurite, are observed in various parts of the massif. Deposits of greater superficial extension are grated in the arkosic conglomerates of the Girón Formation, being explored, and sampled at present (1969). Some lead was mined for a short time and on a small scale in the past. Small amounts of lead, zinc, and copper ores accompany Cretaceous dolomitic limestone replacement in a few scattered locations, and several promising prospects are being investigated by trenching and drilling. One magnetite and several hematite prospects were studied, but none offer potential for economic development.
Gypsum layers in the limestones of the Rosa Blanca Formation (Lower Cretaceous) at Mesa de Los Santos, south of Bucaramanga, are being open pit mined for cement manufacture. The deposit was discovered shortly before the present project began. Although its extent beneath the overlying strata has not yet been determined by drilling, it appears to be a small evaporation basin with a radius of about three-kilometer s. However, the gypsum reserves are large, and future exploitation will have to be by underground mining.
Outcrops of high purity Cretaceous limestone are extensive and adequate to meet all demands, which at present are cement and quicklime, road building material, agricultural lime, and decorative stone. Limestones of the Upper Paleozoic Diamante Formation outcrop in a few places and are used near Bucaramanga to manufacture cement.
Marble occurs in several localities of the Massif in Devonian and Lower Palaeozoic rocks. Impurities, fractures, and solution cavities make it mostly unsuitable for decorative purposes; selected parts are used in flooring and mosaics. The crystalline limestone of the Diamante Formation, generally called marble, is of uniformly high purity throughout a thick, continuous section and is a source of calcareous raw material. It is currently used for agricultural lime. The potential of this deposit has not been fully evaluated.
Dolomite-bearing zones are present in the crystalline limestone of the Diamante Formation and the White Rose Formation. However, the potentials of these dolomites have not been evaluated.
Phosphate rock deposits are the most important resources discovered during the present project and occur in Upper Cretaceous sedimentary rocks, mainly in the La Luna Formation. Exploration and evaluation are in progress.
Coal is being mined on a small scale in several localities in Paleocene and Upper Cretaceous rocks. The coal varies from subbituminous to semi-anthracite and is mostly used as fuel in brick and lime kilns. The main obstacles to development on a larger scale are thin seams, structural complexities, and transport.
Asphaltite occurs in scattered lenticular bodies as fracture fillings in rocks of the La Luna Formation. Some of the larger bodies are mined, and the asphaltite is used as fuel in kilns for brick, lime, and industrial purposes.
White quartz sand suitable for making glass, obtained from sand pits in the quaternary terraces of the Magdalena Valley. The Bucaramanga to Puerto Wilches railroad passes through the area and provides adequate transportation to major markets in other parts of the country. In addition, large seams of almost pure quartz outcropping near Berlin are a potential source of silica for industrial uses.
Barite has been mined from seams in several places, but none has constituted a permanent mining work. Most of the deposits are found in limestones of the Lower Cretaceous in the Mesa de Los Santos area. Lower Cretaceous in the Mesa de Los Santos area. Other deposits currently being mined are in limestones and dolomites of the Diamante Formation. There is a growing demand for barite by the petroleum industry for use in drilling muds.
Fluorite seams in the Pescadero pink granite are small sources of this mineral in two localities. They are mined by “apiques”, and the underground potential for further exploitation is not known.
Low- quality sandy clays are widely used to make ordinary bricks and building tiles. Better quality clays are present in the Girón Formation, but little use has been made of them.
The sand and gravel used in Bucaramanga are sieved mainly from poorly sorted alluvial deposits around the base of the city terrace. Better classified and more abundant deposits located to the west do not currently justify their exploitation because of the distance.
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