 Entrance to the mine | |
| Location | |
|---|---|
  La Pita Mine | |
| Location | Maripí, Muzo |
| Department | Boyacá |
| Country |  Colombia |
| Coordinates | 05°34′N74°04′W / 5.567°N 74.067°W |
| Production | |
| Products | Emeralds |
| History | |
| Opened | 2016 |
| Owner | |
| Company | Zuliana De Esmeraldas Ltda |
| Website | Website La Pita |
| Year of acquisition | 2015 |
La Pita is an emerald mine located in the western belt of the Colombian emerald mining area. It is owned and operated by the Colombian company, Zuliana De Esmeraldas Ltda.
La Pita is one of Colombia's largest emerald mines in Colombia, tantamount to its competitor, previously called Puerto Arturo, at present known as the Muzo Mine. La Pita has been one of the biggest contributors to Colombia's emerald production at times producing more than 80% of the total output of emeralds in Colombia. La Pita was discovered when an access road was being built, the workers and owners of the land descended towards Río Minero and noticed a yellowish patch of earth accompanied by the black carbonate altered shales of the Muzo Formation. This area is known as Amariallal and marked the establishment of La Pita Mine. The entrance of the mine was first opened in a ravine at the bottom of the mountain near Río Minero and extends approximately 500 metres (1,600 ft) until the tunnel makes contact with the principle fault line running through the length of the La Pita property.
La Pita is north of neighboring mine Cunas. Previously, a dispute between the two mines existed and both groups founded a mining agreement, that is defunct today. The agreement proposed that mining 35 metres (115 ft) north and south of the border between the mining districts was allowed by both parties. Today, the building structures and campsite are located on the property of Cunas.
Recently, La Pita had entered into an agreement with a publicly traded company, FURA Emeralds Inc. [1] This has since been terminated. [2]
Following that, a Canadian company entered into a non-binding agreement and was unable to successfully close on the contract. In 2016, a third company was entering into agreements for full operation at La Pita Mine and to acquire a stake in Zuliana De Esmeraldas Ltda.
La Pita mine is mining emeralds from the Muzo Formation, operations are currently focused wholly in the footwall of the Río Minero Fault. The property lies on a productive portion of the fault, with ~1 km of the NNE, moderate to steeply dipping fault (~025/75(?)) running along the long-axis of the property. The Rio Minero fault is characterized by an ~80m wide, very irregular, but sharp contact breccia zone. This breccia is a carbonate altered, with minor content kaolinite altered clasts, localized fluorite matrix, polymicitic carbonate altered shale and carbonate vein clasts, laminated to massive euhedral to anhedral carbonate matrix, chaotic order, clast-supported to matrix-support, fine to very coarse unsorted sharp clast contacts, sub-angular to angular. At present the mine is focused only on the footwall of the fault, exploiting oblique fractures in the Muzo Formation shales of the western flank of the fault. There appears to be a periodicity to the occurrence of variable thickness (1 to 30 centimetres (0.39 to 11.81 in)) calcite veins (observed between 070/35 and 320/65 orientations), that are the primary target for emerald production. The intersections of vein sets are a fertile setting and may represent an upgrading feature. Where these secondary fractures intersect with the primary vein orientation, anecdotally it has been observed that there appears to be an improvement in both quality (colour and clarity) as well as, sometimes, quantity/size. These oblique vein sets (which may simply be conjugate fractures as a product of how the faulting influenced the host Muzo Formation (rheology during formation)) represent the primary source of emeralds in the current operations at La Pita. These vein sets are productive up to several meters away from the fault itself.
Muzo Formation (K1m - Hauterivian-Barremian age), outcropping in the sector of Las Pavas, Peñas Blancas, Coscuez, also appears in Vélez, Chiquinquirá and La Palma. It is part of the flanks of La Chapa-Borbur Anticlinal, also observed in the syncline of Otanche, in the sector of Coscuez. In the region of Muzo and Calcetero, the formation is also part of the syncline of El Almendro and forms the nucleus of the Pauna Anticlinal.
This unit houses most of the emerald-producing mines in the region such as Coscuez. The Muzo Formation is a generally calcareous sequence, while to the north of the Ibacapí Fault it is observed to be weathered and its calcareous composition is not recognized. To the north of Pauna the formation has a siliceous character. In general it is composed of dark gray calcareous claystones with lenses and limestone concretions. Additionally, it is common to find pyrite and calcite veins. These claystones are interspersed with sandy siltstones and quartz sandstones. Towards the middle of the segment arise shales and albitized limestone, somewhat calcareous. At this level appear a brecciated and mineralized zone with veins of calcite and sheets of oxidized sulphides. The upper part of the segment is interspersed with layers of gray claystones with layers of siltstones containing fauna depicted in ammonite molds. At the bottom of this unit is the La Marina Mine and to the south the emerald mines of La Pita, Consorcio, Totumos, Polveros and others. The first calcareous package becomes thicker towards the south, it has a thickness of 2 metres (6.6 ft), and in the sector of Totumos and Polveros reaches 45 metres (148 ft), and is composed of intercalations of limestone (micrite), loam and sandy siltstones. The zone of hydrothermal breccias that is immediately above the calcareous rocks, in the La Pita Mine has a thickness of approximately 30 metres (98 ft), and at the Totumos Mine can reach to 50 metres (160 ft). This unit in the area of Coscuez and Muzo presents emeralds; its characteristic remains limestone in layers of calcareous siltstones interspersed with calcareous claystones. To the south of the area, this unit presents similar characteristics. A stratigraphic column along the La Palma-Yacopí road, shows that this unit is composed of a black marl with a solid appearance with black calcareous claystone intercalations. [3] In the upper part, intercalations of black shale with gypsum flakes and abundant pyritic micritical concretions appear, some with ammonites. [4] [5]
The La Pita concession agreement is active and registered with the National Mining Agency of Colombia. The title holders of Las Pita have a 30-year exploration/exploitation license, this title granted the exclusive right to extract the corresponding minerals and to conduct the necessary efforts to explore, exploit, process, transport and ship the relevant minerals.
Site security currently has several weak points, from the working face to processing of potential ore. The mine is not currently managed with consideration for who is in the mine when it is open and material is not properly processed before being dumped and accessed by the general public. Improvement in security would be relatively simple both from a capital expenditure and implementation perspective. There are 4 points of access, which can be controlled by guards, cameras and doors/walls. The ore would need to be handled differently than it currently is, as there is a substantial amount of material being moved out of the mine and into public area, with only the identified mineralization isolated, but emeralds being present in the other material after. Although effort is made to capture emeralds coming off the face, it has been demonstrated that there are emeralds winding up in the tailings with regularity, of variable quality. The two primary security issues are, access to the mine site when the workings are open and ore processing. Porto Gringo access to the north may represent the greatest weakness to securing the site right now, because of the agreement to allow access to the neighbouring operation.
The mining region, despite its poor reputation is actually safe and community orientated, the violence is now a faint memory of the past.[ citation needed ] Security in the mine is a collaboration between private security, National Police of Colombia and the National Armed Forces of Colombia. This presence provides for a very secure work place and community support, where the police and military often participate in community social projects ranging from building homes, aqueducts and road maintenance.
Sedimentary rocks are types of rock that are formed by the accumulation or deposition of mineral or organic particles at Earth's surface, followed by cementation. Sedimentation is the collective name for processes that cause these particles to settle in place. The particles that form a sedimentary rock are called sediment, and may be composed of geological detritus (minerals) or biological detritus. The geological detritus originated from weathering and erosion of existing rocks, or from the solidification of molten lava blobs erupted by volcanoes. The geological detritus is transported to the place of deposition by water, wind, ice or mass movement, which are called agents of denudation. Biological detritus was formed by bodies and parts of dead aquatic organisms, as well as their fecal mass, suspended in water and slowly piling up on the floor of water bodies. Sedimentation may also occur as dissolved minerals precipitate from water solution.
Muzo is a town and municipality in the Western Boyacá Province, part of the department of Boyacá, Colombia. It is widely known as the world capital of emeralds for the mines containing the world's highest quality gems of this type. Muzo is situated at a distance of 178 kilometres (111 mi) from the departmental capital Tunja and 118 kilometres (73 mi) from the capital of the Western Boyacá Province, Chiquinquirá. The urban centre is at an altitude of 815 metres (2,674 ft) above sea level. Muzo borders Otanche and San Pablo de Borbur in the north, Maripí and Coper in the east, Quípama in the west and the department of Cundinamarca in the south.
Clastic rocks are composed of fragments, or clasts, of pre-existing minerals and rock. A clast is a fragment of geological detritus, chunks, and smaller grains of rock broken off other rocks by physical weathering. Geologists use the term clastic to refer to sedimentary rocks and particles in sediment transport, whether in suspension or as bed load, and in sediment deposits.
Trapiche emerald is a rare variety of the gemstone emerald, characterized by a six-arm radial pattern of usually black spokes separating areas of green emerald. If weathered, the black spokes may become light in color. Trapiche emerald is one of an assortment of trapiche or trapiche-type minerals. Others include trapiche ruby, sapphire, tourmaline, quartz, and chiastolite. The name comes from the Spanish term trapiche, a sugar mill, because of the resemblance of the pattern to the spokes of a grinding wheel. Emerald is a gem variety of the mineral beryl, and owes it distinctive green color to the presence of chromium and/or vanadium.
Chivor is a town and municipality in the Eastern Boyacá Province, part of the Colombian department of Boyacá. The mean temperature of the village in the Tenza Valley is 18 °C (64 °F) and Chivor is located at 215 kilometres (134 mi) from the department capital Tunja. Economic activity includes emerald mining.
Uranium ore deposits are economically recoverable concentrations of uranium within Earth's crust. Uranium is one of the most common elements in Earth's crust, being 40 times more common than silver and 500 times more common than gold. It can be found almost everywhere in rock, soil, rivers, and oceans. The challenge for commercial uranium extraction is to find those areas where the concentrations are adequate to form an economically viable deposit. The primary use for uranium obtained from mining is in fuel for nuclear reactors.
The Enon Formation is a geological formation found in the Eastern and Western Cape provinces in South Africa. It is the lowermost of the four formations found within the Uitenhage Group of the Algoa Basin, its type locality, where it has been measured at a maximum thickness of 480 metres (1,570 ft). Discontinuous outcrops are also found in the Worcester-Pletmos and Oudshoorn-Gamtoos Basins, including isolated occurrences in the Haasvlakte, Jubilee, and Soutpansvlakte Basins near the small town Bredasdorp.
The Paja Formation is an Early Cretaceous geologic formation of central Colombia. The formation extends across the northern part of the Altiplano Cundiboyacense, the Western Colombian emerald belt and surrounding areas of the Eastern Ranges of the Colombian Andes. In the subsurface, the formation is found in the Middle Magdalena Valley to the west. The Paja Formation stretches across four departments, from north to south the southernmost Bolívar Department, in Santander, Boyacá and the northern part of Cundinamarca. Well known fossiliferous outcrops of the formation occur near Villa de Leyva, also written as Villa de Leiva, and neighboring Sáchica.
Emeralds are green and sometime green with a blueish-tint precious gemstones that are mined in various geological settings. They are minerals in the beryl group of silicates. For more than 4,000 years, emeralds have been among the most valuable of all jewels. Colombia, located in northern South America, is the country that mines and produces the most emeralds for the global market, as well as the most desirable. It is estimated that Colombia accounts for 70–90% of the world's emerald market. While commercial grade emeralds are quite plentiful, fine and extra fine quality emeralds are extremely rare. Colombian emeralds over 50 carat can cost much more than diamonds of the same size.
The Blackleaf Formation is a geologic formation in Montana. It preserves fossils dating back to the Albian to Cenomanian stages of the Cretaceous period.
The Muzo people are a Cariban-speaking indigenous group who inhabited the western slopes of the eastern Colombian Andes. They were a highly war-like tribe who frequently clashed with their neighbouring indigenous groups, especially the Muisca.
The Las Pavas, also called La Pava, is a Colombian emerald mining area that is neighboring Colombia's largest emerald mine, Puerto Arturo. It is located 200 kilometres (120 mi) northwest of the capital Bogotá in the western emerald belt of Muzo, and about 235 kilometres (146 mi) west of Chivor, which is in the eastern emerald belt. The mining area spans the municipalities Quípama and Muzo.
Furatena Airport is an airport serving the emerald region of the western emerald belt and town of Quípama in the Boyacá Department of Colombia. The airport is four nautical miles west of Muzo Airport.
The Nam Con Son Basin formed as a rift basin during the Oligocene period. This basin is the southernmost sedimentary basin offshore of Vietnam, located within coordinates of 6°6'-9°45'N and 106°0-109°30'E in the East Vietnam Sea. It is the largest oil and gas bearing basin in Vietnam and has a number of producing fields.
The geology of Tunisia is defined by the tectonics of North Africa, with large highlands like the Atlas Mountains as well as basins such as the Tunisian Trough. Geologists have identified rock units in the country as much as a quarter-billion years old, although most units date to the Mesozoic and Cenozoic, in the past 250 million years. Tunisia has a small but active mining industry and a significant oil and natural gas sector.
The Roca Formation is a Cretaceous to Paleogene lithostratigraphic unit, located in the Neuquén Basin. It crops out in the Argentinian provinces of Río Negro, Neuquén, La Pampa, and Mendoza. Its deposition is diachronous, beginning during the Maastrichtian in the north of its distribution, and later moving to the south, where its strata reached the Late Danian. It lies transitionally above the Jagüel Formation, and the top of the formation is marked by a regional unconformity due to an Eocene and Oligocene orogenic pulse. These two units belong to the Malargüe Group. The marine sediments of the Jagüel and Roca Formations were deposited during a transgression from the Atlantic Ocean, beginning in the Maastrichtian and ending in the Danian.
The Jagüel Formation is a geological formation, located in Patagonia, Argentina. It underlies the Roca Formation and overlies the Allen Formation. All of these formations belong to the Malargüe Group. Its name was coined by Windhausen in 1914. This unit, defined in the eastern area of the Neuquén Embayment, registers an event of marine flooding that happened during the ages Maastrichtian and Danian. It consists of mudrocks formed between the upper section or "Gypsum" of the Allen Formation, and the base of the first organogenic limestone of the Roca Formation. The Jagüel Formation is particularly important since a vast area of the formation contains the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary that marks the end of the Mesozoic Era. It also shows evidence of the Cretaceous–Paleogene (K–Pg) extinction event. In this period of time, animal species became extinct, such as non–avian dinosaurs, the last marine reptiles, ammonites, and many groups of microfossils.
The Santa Teresa Formation is a geological formation of the western Eastern Ranges of the Colombian Andes, west of the Bituima Fault, and the southern Middle Magdalena Valley. The formation spreads across the western part of Cundinamarca and the northern portion of Tolima. The formation consists of grey claystones intercalated by orange quartz siltstones and sandstones of small to conglomeratic grain size. The thickness at its type section has been measured to be 118 metres (387 ft) and a maximum thickness of 150 metres (490 ft) suggested.
FURA Gems is a private global mining company that produces colored gemstones: emeralds, rubies, and sapphires. Founded in 2017 by Dev Shetty, FURA has its headquarters in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and operates mining subsidiaries in Colombia, Mozambique, and Australia. In 2021, the company managed approximately six million carats of Mozambican rubies and 300,000 carats of Colombian emeralds. In 2022, FURA Gems unveiled the world's largest gem-quality ruby ever mined, which was sold by Sotheby's for $34.8 million in 2023.
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| Platinum | ||
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| Coltan | ||
| Emeralds | ||
| Coal | ||
| Salt | ||
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