Metalliferous Ore Deposits of Bolivia

This book deals mainly with the mineralization and its associated resource potential in the different tectonic md geological units of Bolivia. It reports a general description of the geology, structure, and lithostratigraphy of Bolivia, and of the various metallogenic provinces, mining districts, metal deposits, and most representative mineral occurrences. The book emphasizes the discoveries made during the last twenty years, and the distribution in styles of mineralization, geotectonic setting, stratigraphic controls, and conceptual models. The term metallogenetic province or region refers to a relatively large area, characterized by a particular association of mineral deposits, which may contain one or more styles and/or episodes of mineralization. A belt is an elongated area comprised of a group of metalliferous deposits or occurrences without genetic or historical connotations. District covers a smaller area in extent that includes one or more deposits with similar geological features and controlled by certain lithologies, structural elements, and hydrothermal alteration. The book also summarizes the magmatism associated with the metallogeny, describes the evolution of prices and production of major metals, and provides an analysis of mineral prospecting over the short, medium, and long term, based on an estimate of mineral resources of deposits in current production and prospects under exploration. The geological information and the mineral-geological analysis are, in part, products of more than twenty rears of research and exploratory work. This work also has incorporated the findings of other authors, who have published important geological information on certain metal deposits in the country, and which after validation and correlation, are referenced within the text. While the basic geological information regarding the deposits currently in operation or undergoing advanced exploration is relatively available, such information for several dozens of prospects discovered during the last twenty rears is virtually unknown. Indeed, one objective of this work is to make available, where possible, information about new sites and prospects from the companies that have generated it. This study aims to provide a comprehensive tool for students, researchers, professionals, and investors summarizing geology, metallogeny, and mineral exploration in Bolivia. Finally, it shows mining investment opportunities offered by the country and the urgent need to discover new economically exploitable deposits, due to rapid depletion of existing ones, and due to the country itself, during the last ten years, starting to slip in ts global ranking as a major producer of metals. The new findings will undoubtedly form the basis of a future modern Bolivian mining industryand one of the pillars of the national economy for a long time into the future.