Geology, mineralogy, and chemistry of the zoned ultramafic complex of Alto Condoto (Cuzac)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32685/0120-1425/bolgeol34.1.1994.354Keywords:
Colombia, platinum, mining extraction, Chocó, alluvial gold, zoned ultramafic complexes, petrochemicals, rare earth elements
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Abstract
Platinum, initially called "platina," was first found in Colombia in the province of Chocó, but the exact date of its discovery is unknown, although it has been reported as early as 1557 (Farabee, 1921; Espinosa, 1980). Mining of the platinum placers of Chocó began in 1778. Until 1823 it was the only source of platinum group minerals (PGM) in the world until platinum alluvium was discovered in the Urales region (Russia, 1819).
The Condoto river basin located in the Department of Chocó (Figure 1) has been a platinum and alluvial gold producer for over 200 years. Although it is one of the richest alluvial platinum zones in the world, until now, there was no geological information available for this area, nor was the origin and nature of the primary platinum environment in this zone of the San Juan and Condoto rivers known.
The first technical reports on the platiniferous zone in the Condoto river basin (Chocó) were elaborated by Castillo (1909), Kunz (1918), Duparc & Tikanowitch (1920), Ovalle (1920), Kellner (1925), and Hubach (1930). They devoted themselves to studying the platiniferous alluvium. Duparc & Tikanowitch (1920) recognized for the first time that Vira Vira serpentinites represented the source rock of platinum in the Condoto River. Another research was conducted by Singewald (1950), Restrepo (1954), Wokittel (1958), Mertie (1969), and Escorce (1971).
Several of these studies speculated on the possible source of the platinum but did not find in situ the rocks that form the Zoned Ultramafic Complex in the Alto Condoto.
In 1987 Ingeominas and CODECHOCO carried out geological investigations in the area (Salinas and Zapata, 1991), and in 1988, Ingeominas and BGR initiated studies to search for the source of platinum, its distribution, and the prevailing geological environment. The results of the first phase of this project are presented in the Ingeominas-BGR technical report (Muñoz et al., 1990).
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