La Vega de San Juan, Gachalá, Cundinamarca Department, Colombiai
| Regional Level Types | |
|---|---|
| La Vega de San Juan | Area |
| Gachalá | Municipality |
| Cundinamarca Department | Department |
| Colombia | Country |
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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
4° 43' 21'' North , 73° 28' 22'' West
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
Köppen climate type:
Mindat Locality ID:
418697
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:2:418697:0
GUID (UUID V4):
1e87619b-6139-4b15-8f5a-b91234711530
History
La Vega de San Juan has been a prolific producer of emerald and euclase for more than 50 years, although most samples from this area are simply labeled as coming from the larger area of Gachalá. The Gachalá Emerald, one of the most valuable and famous emeralds in the world, was found at La Vega de San Juan in the 1970's; it is currently in the collection of the Smithsonian Institution. At that time, open pit mining was the dominant mining method for emeralds. Nowadays, the extraction is exclusively through artisanal-scale underground mining due to a moratorium on open pit mining for environmental reasons.
Geology
Emerald and euclase mineralization is hosted by Lower Cretaceous mudstones from the Santa Rosa Formation. Their formation is linked to the circulation of hydrothermal fluids through sedimentary strata and subsequent precipitation of veins consisting of dolomite, calcite, albite, pyrite, and minor muscovite, fluorapatite, quartz, and emerald. These veins may also occasionally host blue euclase. Euclase from this region is typically paler in color than that from the more famous La Marina Mine. Both emerald and euclase occur in hydrothermal veins or breccias in areas of intensive albitization and carbonization.
Select Mineral List Type
Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsDetailed Mineral List:
| ⓘ 'Apatite' Formula: Ca5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH) References: |
| ⓘ Beryl Formula: Be3Al2(Si6O18) References: |
| ⓘ Beryl var. Emerald Formula: Be3Al2(Si6O18) References: |
| ⓘ Calcite Formula: CaCO3 References: |
| ⓘ Euclase Formula: BeAl(SiO4)(OH) References: |
| ⓘ Pyrite Formula: FeS2 References: |
| ⓘ Quartz Formula: SiO2 References: |
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
| Group 2 - Sulphides and Sulfosalts | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ⓘ | Pyrite | 2.EB.05a | FeS2 |
| Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides | |||
| ⓘ | Quartz | 4.DA.05 | SiO2 |
| Group 5 - Nitrates and Carbonates | |||
| ⓘ | Calcite | 5.AB.05 | CaCO3 |
| Group 9 - Silicates | |||
| ⓘ | Euclase | 9.AE.10 | BeAl(SiO4)(OH) |
| ⓘ | Beryl | 9.CJ.05 | Be3Al2(Si6O18) |
| ⓘ | var. Emerald | 9.CJ.05 | Be3Al2(Si6O18) |
| Unclassified | |||
| ⓘ | 'Apatite' | - | Ca5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH) |
List of minerals for each chemical element
| H | Hydrogen | |
|---|---|---|
| H | ⓘ Euclase | BeAl(SiO4)(OH) |
| H | ⓘ Apatite | Ca5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH) |
| Be | Beryllium | |
| Be | ⓘ Beryl | Be3Al2(Si6O18) |
| Be | ⓘ Beryl var. Emerald | Be3Al2(Si6O18) |
| Be | ⓘ Euclase | BeAl(SiO4)(OH) |
| C | Carbon | |
| C | ⓘ Calcite | CaCO3 |
| O | Oxygen | |
| O | ⓘ Beryl | Be3Al2(Si6O18) |
| O | ⓘ Calcite | CaCO3 |
| O | ⓘ Beryl var. Emerald | Be3Al2(Si6O18) |
| O | ⓘ Euclase | BeAl(SiO4)(OH) |
| O | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| O | ⓘ Apatite | Ca5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH) |
| F | Fluorine | |
| F | ⓘ Apatite | Ca5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH) |
| Al | Aluminium | |
| Al | ⓘ Beryl | Be3Al2(Si6O18) |
| Al | ⓘ Beryl var. Emerald | Be3Al2(Si6O18) |
| Al | ⓘ Euclase | BeAl(SiO4)(OH) |
| Si | Silicon | |
| Si | ⓘ Beryl | Be3Al2(Si6O18) |
| Si | ⓘ Beryl var. Emerald | Be3Al2(Si6O18) |
| Si | ⓘ Euclase | BeAl(SiO4)(OH) |
| Si | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| P | Phosphorus | |
| P | ⓘ Apatite | Ca5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH) |
| S | Sulfur | |
| S | ⓘ Pyrite | FeS2 |
| Cl | Chlorine | |
| Cl | ⓘ Apatite | Ca5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH) |
| Ca | Calcium | |
| Ca | ⓘ Calcite | CaCO3 |
| Ca | ⓘ Apatite | Ca5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH) |
| Fe | Iron | |
| Fe | ⓘ Pyrite | FeS2 |
Other Databases
| Wikipedia: | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gachal%C3%A1_Emerald |
|---|---|
| Wikidata ID: | Q772466 |
Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality
Colombia
- Cundinamarca Department
- Guavió-Guatéque mining districtMining District
North Andes plateTectonic Plate
South AmericaContinent
- AndesMountain Range
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References
La Vega de San Juan, Gachalá, Cundinamarca Department, Colombia