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Huarón Mining District

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Polymetallic deposit cluster

11°01′00″S 76°26′00″W / 11.01667°S 76.43333°W / -11.01667; -76.43333

Animón mine camp (right) and talings pond (middle)
Enargite, quartz and minor pyrite of the high sulfidation core of the Huarón deposit
Typical intermediate sulfidation mineral assemblage of a vein in the Huarón mine. Sphalerite and tetrahedrite-tennantite (dark grey), rhodocrosite (orange), proustite (small deep red dots).
Pyrargyrite on carbonate mineral, Huarón mine

The Huarón Mining District is one of the richest polymetallic (Zn-Pb-Ag-Cu-(Au)) deposit clusters in Peru. It is located 20 km SSW of Cerro de Pasco, in the Huayllay District, Pasco Province, Pasco Department, between 4500 and 4700 m.a.s.l. The Huarón Mining District belongs to the Miocene polymetallic belt of the Central Andes. Hydrothermal mineralization occurs as predominantly in N-S to NNW-SSW and E-W veins as well as in "mantos" replacing favorable sedimentary rock. Epithermal hydrothermal fluids are thought to be derived from quartz-monzonitic intrusions tentatively dated at 7.4 Ma (K-Ar on adularia). The most important economic minerals are tennantite‐tetrahedrite (containing most of the silver), sphalerite, galena, and chalcopyrite. Silver is also found in pyrargyrite, proustite, polybasite, and pearceite. In the central copper core of the Huarón deposit, enargite occurs. Main gangue minerals are pyrite, quartz, rhodochrosite, and calcite.

Operating mines in the Huarón Mining District

The following three mines operate presently in the Huarón Mining District:

Nomenclature confusion

The mining company Volcan operates the Animón and Islay mines through its subsidiary Compañía Minera Chungar S.A.C. and uses the term "Mining Unit Chungar" ("Unidad minera Chungar") for the operation dealing with both mines, Islay and Animón. The use by Volcan of this term "Chungar Mining Unit" has caused some confusion, and certain sources (e.g., the data base "alicia.concytec.gob.pe", google maps, WoodMackenzie Report) use wrongly the term of "Chungar mine" for the Animón mine. The actual Chungar Mine (inactive) is located 16 km to the SW.

History of the Huarón Mining District

Entrance to the Huarón mine in 1913

Modern mining operations at the Huarón mine began in 1912 by Compagnie des Mines de Huarón, subsidiary of Sociedad Minera y Metalúrgica de Peñarroya. In 1987 the Huarón mine was acquired by the Hochschild Group, and in 2000 by Pan American Silver. On April 22, 1998, the Naticocha Lake flooded underground workings of the Animón Mine and of the Huarón mine killing several miners and causing the suspension of the mining operations at both mines. Pan American Silver acquired Huarón from Hochschild in 2000 and reopened the mine in 2001.

Modern activity in the Animón mine started in the 1960s on extensions of veins known in the Huarón mine. After the 1971 disaster at the Chungar Mine, Compañía Minera Chungar S.A.C. transferred its operations to Animón. In 2000, the mining company Volcan acquired Compañía Minera Chungar S.A.C. along with the Animón Mine. Subsequently Volcan opened the Islay mine.

References

  1. Noble, D. C., & McKee, E. H. (1999). The Miocene metallogenic belt of central and northern Peru. In: Geology and ore deposits of the Central Andes. Special Publication SEG, v. 7, p. 155–193.
  2. Bissig, Thomas; Ullrich, Thomas D.; Tosdal, Richard M.; Friedman, Richard; Ebert, Shane (July 2008). "The time-space distribution of Eocene to Miocene magmatism in the central Peruvian polymetallic province and its metallogenetic implications". Journal of South American Earth Sciences. 26 (1): 16–35. doi:10.1016/j.jsames.2008.03.004.
  3. Thouvenin, J.-M. (1984)Le gisement polymétallique à Zn-Pb-Cu-Ag de Huarn, Perou: Description des corps mineralisés, étude paragenétique, datations K/Ar des altérations hydrothermales, répartition de l'argent: Chronique de la Recherche Miniere, no. 477, p. 35-54.
  4. ^ https://www.panamericansilver.com/assets/Operations-documents/f5dd876c19/Huaron-Technical-Report-Oct-2014.pdf Archived 2020-04-07 at the Wayback Machine Pan American (2014) Technical Report for the Huaron Property, Pasco, Peru. Retrieved on April 7, 2020.
  5. "Major Mines & Projects | Huaron Mine". miningdataonline.com. Retrieved 2022-06-30.
  6. ^ "Major Mines & Projects | Chungar Mining Unit". miningdataonline.com. Retrieved 2022-06-30.
  7. "BNamericas - Compañía Minera Chungar S.A.C. (Compañía Min..." BNamericas.com. Retrieved 2022-06-30.
  8. ^ Volcan, Mining units, retrieved on April 6, 2020
  9. ^ Volcan, Unidades Mineras, retrieved on April 6, 2020
  10. Matta Venegas, Luis Stevens (2013). "Controles de mineralización del yacimiento filoniano argentífero Islay - mina Chungar, Pasco - Perú". alicia.concytec.gob.pe. Archived from the original on 2020-04-06. Retrieved 2022-06-30.
  11. https://www.google.com/maps/place/Mina+Chungar+VOLCANO/@-11.0313122,-76.4266803,905m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m12!1m6!3m5!1s0x91087fb35df24023:0xf503d1738fc56f0d!2sMinera+PAN+AMERICAN+SILVER+Unidad+Huaron!8m2!3d-11.0054463!4d-76.4114339!3m4!1s0x91087fd91fbf4ef5:0xbd8a485c7ee583cb!8m2!3d-11.0313175!4d-76.4244916 google maps, retrieved on April 8, 2020.
  12. Mackenzie, Wood (2021-08-03). "Energy Research & Consultancy". www.woodmac.com. Retrieved 2022-06-30.
  13. Matos Avalos, Carmen Rosalia (2012). Caracterización del accidente de la Laguna Naticocha (Thesis). Universidad Nacional de Ingeniería. hdl:20.500.14076/1327.
  14. Castro Urday, Manuel Jesús (2017). Evaluación geológica del cuerpo Sevilla Este (Pan American Silver Huaron S.A. (Thesis). Universidad Nacional de San Agustín de Arequipa.
  15. "BNamericas - Compañía Minera Chungar S.A.C. (Compañía Min..." BNamericas.com. Retrieved 2022-06-30.
  16. Matta Venegas, Luis Stevens (2013). Controles de mineralización del yacimiento filoniano argentífero Islay - mina Chungar, Pasco - Perú (Thesis). Universidad Nacional de Ingeniería. hdl:20.500.14076/10481.
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