Farallón Negro, Hualfín, Belén Department, Catamarca Province, Argentinai

Regional Level Types
Farallón Negro	Mine
Hualfín	Municipality
Belén Department	Department
Catamarca Province	Province
Argentina	Country

A gold, silver and manganese mine. Produced 600 kg Au in 1984.
Hydrothermal (epithermal) veins related to Tertiary volcanics. Elevation: 2508 metres above sea level.
Farallón Negro is a village and municipality in Catamarca Province in northwestern Argentina.

HISTORY OF THE FARALLON NEGRO MINING DISTRICT. CATAMARCA, ARGENTINA:
The history of one of more significant the mining district of the Argentine northwest is described briefly. According to the tradition of the people of the region the mining history of this zone goes back to the Hispanic time, when first that worked in the extraction of their metals they were the natives of the region. Testimony of these workings is you open in them superficial, trenches and caverns that are even conserved and in found archaeological rest in old mining galleries. Marayes partially destroyed, existing ruins of constructions and ways in the Aconquija are given to workings realised by the native thing directed by jesuits and spaniards in centuries XVI and XVII. From mid century XIX already the Agua de Dionisio were mentioned and mines detected in the Belén Department register. All these primitive workings were made mainly with the purpose of to obtain silver, which in those times had high value. At the beginning of century XX some investigators elaborated missed opinions and so the seams took bad fame, the one that lasted until making forget them in the time. Just in 1936, with the works of Peirano, one of the great mining professionals of our country, the first technical report was had on the mining possibilities of the district.
According to legends and the tradition of the people of the region, the mining history of Agua de Dionisio may refer the indigenous tribes in the past to the conquest, having then increased that activity with the arrival of the Spaniards, and although there are no valid indications that confirm, this may have been possible, to serve sample numerous washouts, work and liberalizations surface (not even filled out completely favored by the location of your entries) and the few archaeological remains that were found. We must remember that in areas near cerro shrines (La Restauradora mine) is demonstrated this age in the wreckage where benefited veins of gold-bearing ore. In some parts of the district, near the hot spring Agua de Dionisio and nearby Hualfín, are several marayes semi-destroyed without knowing the date of its facilities, but comparing them with others in the region, they would correspond to farm work carried out by the Jesuits and Spanish in the centuries 16Th and 17TH, who is credited also ruins of buildings and roads in the Aconquija. Since the end of the 19th century, several authors made brief references to the mines in Agua de Dionisio, being Espeche(1875) and Peirano(1938), the first giving specifics on the area to occupy the Belén Department. In short, very little was known of the area in the first part of the last century, since outside of those named there are few data of other authors who leave writings on the region, as the complaint of other mines of silver (1883-1889), gold and silver (1894) and gold, silver and lead (1904) and some reports of Hunicken 1894. Only after 1936, when Dr. Abel Peirano visits the region for the first time, guided by the locals Santiago Abarza and Domingo Iturralde, is the first technical report on the possibilities of the district. During the year 1941 does register in the registration of Catamarca mines the requests and explorations carried out the experimental mine section of the Institute of Geology and mining of the UNT. Starts the construction of a camp in water covered in 1948 and is the first work mining on the reef with a vertical pique reached 68 m of depth. Also perform other tasks in the area of Santo Domingo and La Josefa and the construction of two shafts of 150 and 24 m depth in the Farallón Negro grain.
This mineral was in the experimental pilot plant of cyanidation, flotation and installed amalgamation in Agua Tapada, getting here the first ingot of gold and silver. In 1951, the PEN dictates the Decree-Law No. 1934 declaring reserve area an area of 1,428 km2; in 1953, by Decree No. 8635 reduces the reservation to 343,98 km2. In June 1956 the National University of Tucumán raises a note to the Executive National requesting the creation of an "autarchic entity" depending on the University, for the exploitation of Agua de Dionisio deposits. Serious disputes arising between the UNT and the province of Catamarca They demanded the intervention of the national Government, who achieved the agreement of the parties through the "Farallón Negro Act" on 7 June 1958, establishing that the nation will fund an "autarchic entity" for exploration and exploitation of the deposits. In October 1958, the Congress approves the law 14771 creates Mineral Agua de Dioniso Deposits, becoming the city of Catamarca on 25 March 1959. Your Directory integrates with two members appointed by the Superior Council of the National University of Tucumán, two representatives appointed by the Government of Catamarca and a President appointed by the power National Executive. This organism is which is currently responsible for the integral development of the entire area mineralized, both how scattered vein (except the surrounding area which covers the exploitation of Bajo La Alumbrera) covering an area of 343,98 km2 in total.

MINERALOGIC STUDY OF HYDROTHERMAL ALTERATION OF WALL ROCK OF THE FARALLÓN NEGRO RAMA NORTE VEIN, CATAMARCA PROVINCE, ARGENTINA:
The Agua de Dionisio mining district is located in Belén department, Catamarca province, at 2.600 m.a.s.l. The stratigraphic sequence is conformed by low-grade metamorphic rocks, continental clastic sedimentites, rocks of Farallón Negro volcanic complex, sandstones and tuffites. A preliminary study of mineralogy, texture and alteration characteristics of the wall rock of Farallón Negro Rama Norte vein was completed. The Farallón Negro Rama Norte vein has banding texture, with alternance of Mn oxides and quartz-calcite fined bands. The wall rock is a medium-grained, hypidiomorphic monzonite. This rock is composed by potash feldspar, plagioclase, biotite, pyroxene, quartz, apatite, and opaque minerals. Based on study it was determined that the monzonite wall rock presents sericitic and propylitic hydrothermal alteration of moderate intensity.
Native gold is disseminated within the manganese ore as small sheets of a few millimeters.

four hypogene vein stages. Each of these four stages are comprised of a texturally early quartz, followed by a sulfide-sulfosalt and a late Mn-carbonate sub-stage. Stage 1 is characterized by a quartz, base metal and Mn-carbonate sub-stage showing high δ18OVSMOW (δ18OQuartz = 13.7 ± 0.4‰ and δ18OMn-Calcite = 11.6 ± 0.2‰) and low δ13CVPDB values (δ13CMn-Calcite = –4.7 ± 0.2‰). Stage 2 includes most gold and silver minerals in a tennantite-tetrahedrite-sphalerite-pyrite-galena±electrum sub-stage. Fluid inclusions trapped in vein-anhydrite, only associated with stage 2, record the highest temperatures (TEntrapment = 327–335°C) and highest salinity (3.8 NaCleq.wt.%) when compared to all other stages. Stage 2 quartz (δ18OQuartz = 9.9 to 11.9‰) and carbonate display lower δ18OVSMOW (δ18OMn-Calcite = 7.9 to 10.3‰), as well as lower δ13CVPDB values (δ13CMn-Calcite = -5.2 to 4.7‰) than all other stages. Stages 3 and 4 consist of barren quartz and carbonate sub-stages that show lower temperatures (TEntrapment = 187–262°C) and higher δ18OVSMOW (δ18OQuartz = 13.4 to 13.9‰ and δ18OMn-Calcite = 10.7 to 11.8‰) and δ13CVPDB values (δ13CMn-Calcite = –3.5 to −3.9‰) when compared to earlier stages.

Other Databases

Wikipedia:	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farall%C3%B3n_Negro
Wikidata ID:	Q5434807

Localities in this Region

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References