Synopsis top ↑
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.