BRITISH GEOLOGICAL SURVEY i Natural Environment Research Council OVERSEAS MEMOIR 9 The geology and mineral resources of the Bolivian Precambrian shield M. Litherland, R.N. Annells, J.D. Appleton, J. P. Berrangé, K. Bloomfield, C.C. J. Burton, D.P.F. Darbyshire, C.J. N. Fletcher, M.P. Hawkins, B. A. Klinck, A. Llanos, W.L. Mitchell, E. A. O’Connor, P.E. J. Pitfield, G. Power and B.C. Webb London Her Majesty's Stationery Office 1986' © Con eopprighe 1986 Bibliographic mfeence Liruertano, M., and 15 others. 1986. The geology and ‘mineral resources of the Bolivian Precambrian shield. Oneseas Mem. Br. Geol Sur, No. 9 Authors M, Lirneaiano, R, N. Awseus, J.D. Arpueton, J. P. Beneanof, K. Buoowrteto, D. P.F. Daraysine, C.J. N. Furrcnex, M. P. Hawans, B.A. Kusex, WL Mircnrut, E. A. O'Cownon, PE. J. Previn, G. Power, B.C. Wes British Geological Suroey, Kenworth, Nottingham ©... J. Burrow Oveeas Declopment Administration, Eland Howse, Stag Place, Londen SWIE SDH A. Liavos Serco Gevigico de Bolivia, Regional Sena Cras, Casilla 3045, ‘Santa Crus dela Siva, Bolivia ISBN 0 11 884415 6 Printed in England for HMSOCONTENTS One: Introduction 1 Physiography, climate and vegetation 1 "The human aspect + Access 5 Previous geological work 5 Operations 5 Geological maps and reports 6 ‘Terminology and layout 7 Geological setting 7 Introduction to the geology 8 Acknowledgements 10 Two: The Metamorphic Basement (>{400Ma) 11 Geochronology 11 ‘The San Ignacio Schist Supergroup 12 ‘Stratigraphy 14 Quartzites and conglomerates 16 Feldspathie metapsammites 20 Metapelites 22 Carbonaceous rocks 22 Ferruginous rocks 22 Cale-silicates and associated rocks 23 Metavoleanic rocks 24 ‘Metamorphosed mafic/ultramafic intrusive formations 24 Deposition of-the San Ignacio Supergroup 25 ‘The Chiquitania Gneiss Complex 26 vision B gneisses 26 Division A gneisses 28 Rio Fortuna gneisses 29 Migmatisation and feldspathisation 31 Petrogenesis 31 ‘The Lomas Maneches Granulite Complex 31 Hypersthene granulites 32 Leptites and quartzites 36 Cale-silicates and non-hypersthenic basic rocks 37 Aluminous-rich rocks 37 Gneisses 38 Petrogenesis 38, Correlation of the Metamorphic Basement 38 The quest for a stratigraphy 39 ‘Three: The San Ignacio Orogeny (©1400-1280 Ma) 41 Geoehronology 41 ‘The orogenic Pensamiento Granitoid Complex 42 ‘Syne to late-kinematie granitoids (c, 1350 Ma) 43 Granophyric complexes 45 LLate-to post-kinematic granitoids (c. 1300Ma) 47, ‘The granite series of the Pensamiento Complex 49 Petrogenesis 50 Other orogenic rock units 53 Migmatites 53 San Ignacio granitoids of the Southern Zone 54 Mafic igneous complexes 59 Minor intrusions 55 ‘Tectonic framework of the San Ign The early events (Dol and Do2) 56 ‘The Do3 event 57 Secondary deformation 58 Metamorphism 59 Metamorphism in the schist belts 59 Metamorphism in the gneisses and granulites 59 ‘The Mo2 strato-metamorphic column 61 Correlation and conclusions 61 Orogeny 56 Four: The Sunsas Orogenic Cycle (c.1280-950Ma) 6 Geochronology 6 ‘The Sunsas Group 66 Distribution and stratigraphy 66 ‘The basal unconformity 68 Lithologies 68 Sedimentary structures 69 Deposition 69 ‘The Vibosi Group 70 Orogenie and post-orogenic rock units 71 “The Rineén del Tigre Igneous Complex 71 Granitoids 72 Migmatites 73 Pegmatites in the schist belts 73 Dolerites 74 ‘The Sunsas Orogeny 75 ‘Tectonic framework 75 Shear zones and tectonic fronts 76 ‘Tectonic domains 76 Metamorphism 77 Orogenic history 77 Correlation 78 ive: The Brasiliano Orogenic Cycle (€.900-500Ma) 80 Geochronology 80 Stratigraphy 81 “The Boqui Group 8! ‘The Tucavaca Group 82 ‘The Jacadigo Group 82 ‘The Murciélago Group 82 Stratigraphic correlation and sedimentation 8+ Igneous rocks 85 The Brasiliano Orogeny 85 ' ‘The Paraguay-Araguaia Belt 85 y ‘The Tucavaca Belt’ 85 Six: Proterozoic erustal evolution 87 The early history 87 ‘The Sunsas and Brasiliano cycles 89 Andean-trending belts in eastern Bolivia 89 Evolution of the enlarged Andean chain 90 Seven: Phanerozoic (post-Brasiliano) 92 Palaeozoic 92 ‘The San José and Santiago groups 92 ‘The El Prado Formation 92 Mesozoic 93Portén Group 93 asco Alkaline Complex. 94 ndelaia Alkaline Complex. 98 to Manomé Carbonatitic Complex. 98 Orta breccia reels 98 Misoaoie structures 99 Misoroie geological history 100 Genozoic 100 Early. to mid-Tertiary erosion cycles 100 The San Ignacio Laterite and Planation Surface 101 The Suma’ Ana Epeirogeny "102 paternary drainage and deposition 102 Neovectoncs 104 Eight: Mineral resources 106 Introduction 106 Precious metals 106 Gold 106 Platinum group metals (PGM) 111 Silver 11 Older major metals 111 Copper 112 Lead and zine 114 Tin 115 Light metals 118 ‘Aluminium 118 Beryllium 138 Titanium 118 Steel industry metals 118 Chromium 118 Columbium (niobium) and tantalum 120 Tron 121 Manganese 122 Molybdenum 123, Nickel 123 Nuclear metals 126 Rare-earth elements (REE) 126 ‘Thorium and uranium 128 Zirconium 129 Non-metallic and industrial minerals 129 Abrasives 129 Asbestos 130 Barite 130 Diamonds 130 Graphite 131 Gypsum 131 Kaolin 131 Magnesite 132 Mica 132 Nepheline syenite and feldspar 132 Phosphate 132 Quarz 133 ‘Semi-precious stones 133 Sillimanite and kyanite 133 Tale 133 Construction materials 134 ‘Aggregate 134 Ballast 134 Building stone and flagstone 134 Clay 134 Limestone 134 Ornamental stone 134 Sand and gravel 135, Conclusions 135 References Number references 136 Name references 136 Appendices 1 'Ghemical analyses of the Lomas Maneches Granulite Complex 142 2 Chemical analyses of granitoid rocks of the San Ignacio Orogeny 144 3 Chemical analyses of Sunsas Orogeny units 145 4 Chemical analyses of the Velasco Alkaline Complex and Cerro Manomé 146 5 Rubidium-Strontium 147 Index 149 PLAY 1 View from Gerro Pelado south to the Lomas Maneches hills 2 2. View south from Cerro Diamantina, a bald inselberg composed of unfoliated Diamantina Granite | 2 View looking east from Cerro Oricoré to the floodplain of the Rio San Martin along the shield margin in the NW of the area 3 4. The Arco Iris (Rainbow) Falls, Serrania Huanchaca 4 5 LANDSAT image of the Nuflo de Chavez area 13 6 Sedimentary structures in very low-grade rocks of the San Ignacio Supergroup of Serrania San Simén 17 7 Metamorphic structures in medium-grade pelitic schists of the San Ignacio schist belt near Estancia Motact 23 8 Migmatitic, small-folded, banded gneiss of the Santa Rita gneisses 28 9. Structures in the g Madres 29 10 Granulite pavement of the Lomas Maneches massif 36 11 Basic granulite at Las Rengas 36 12 Folded K-feldspar leptite band in the Granulite Complex near San Bartolo 37 13 The Sunsas Group unconformity of the Serranfa Huanchaca escarpment 68 14 Marrimia dolerite dyke cutting Pelado 75 Sunsas refolding of augen g Concepeién Front 78 16 LANDSAT image of the Velasco Alkaline Complex id Cerro Manomé 97 17 Flow textures within foyaite of the Todos Santos Pluton 97 18 The Tres Lagunas Surface manifested in the form of planed-off bedrock surfaces 104 neissié pavements near Estancia Las leptite at Cerro xeiss SW of theFIGURES. 1 Location of the Precambrian shield and other major worphic units of Bolivia 1 2 Access for field operations 6 3. Index map of Project reports and maps 7 4 Relationship of the Project area to the major igeotectonic units of S. America 8 5. Rb-Sr plot for the Lomas Maneches Granulite Complex and the Ascensién schist belt 11 6 Distribution and names of the San Ignacio Supergroup schist belts 13 7 Geological sketch map of the San Ignacio schist belt 14 ‘The geology around Serranfa Dalriada 15 Lithological alternations in very low-grade arenaccous rocks of the San Ignacio Supergroup 18 10 Current directions and sedimentary structures in the San Simén Group of the San Ignacio Supergroup 19 11 Geological map of the Suponema Mafic Complex 25, 12. Main divisions and local names of the Chiquitanta Gneiss Complex. 27 13 Geological sketch map of the granulite/gneiss/schist transition of the Rio Fortuna-Las Rengas sector 30 14 Compositional plots\of the migmatitic elements of the Las Madres gneisses’ 30 15 Regional distribution of the Lomas Maneches Granulite Complex. 31 16 QAP classification of hypersthene granulites 33 17 Geological map of part of the Lomas Maneches. sgranulite massif 33 18 Rb-Sr plot for the La Junta Granite 41 19 Rb-Sr plot for the Diamantina Granite 42 20 Rb-Sr plot for the Piso Firme Granophyre Complex 42 21 Rb-Sr plot for the San Javier Granite 43 22 Rb-Sr plot for the Orobayaya Granite 43 23 Rb-Sr plot for the El Tigre Alkaline Complex 44 24 Rb-Sr plot for the Cerro Grande Granophyre 44 25 Regional distribution and names of elements of the Pensamiento Granitoid Complex 46 26 Facies components of the Orobay: 7 27 3-D sections of the Discordancia Granitoids exposed Huanch Possible sectional configuration Alkaline Complex 50 29 Cartoon showing possible relations between the sgranitoids of the San Ignacio Orogeny and the Metamorphic Basement 50 30 Streckeisen QAP diagrams for elements of the Pensamiento Granitoid Complex 51 31 Na;O-K,0-CaO plots for elements of the Pensamiento, Granitoid Complex 52 32 Plot of SiO, against Mol (AVNa + K + Ca/2) for the Pensamiento Granitoid Complex 52 33 Location and names of Southern Zone granitoids allocated to the San Ignacio Orogeny 34 34 Regional structural elements of the San Ignacio 37 2 48 “4 45 6 a 48 49 50 51 82 53 54 55 37 58 65 66 67 Suggested evolutionary mode! for the Metamorphic Basement 60 Major geological units of c. 1300 Ma or older in eastern Bolivia and adjacent Brazil 62 Rb-Sr plot for the Casa de Piedra Granite 64 Rb-Sr plot for the Rincén del Tigre Igneous Complex. 65 Regional distribution and palacocurrent analysis of the Sunsas and Vibosi groups 63 Lithostratigraphic correlation of the Sunsas Group 67 Sedimentary structures from the Huanchaca (Sunsas) Group 69 Palacocurrent analysis of the Sunsas Group formations of Serrania Huanchaca 70 Geological and geophysical section across the Rineén del Tigre Igneous Complex. 71 Geological map of the Talcoso Granite 73 Elements of the Sunsas Orogeny in Bolivia .74 Elements of the Sunsas Cycle in Bolivia and adjacent Brazil 79 Elements of the Brasiliano Cycle 81 Stratigraphic divisions of the Tucavaca Group as proposed by various authors 83 Stratigraphic correlations of Brasiliano sequences 84 ‘Schematic section across the Tucavaca Syncline 85, Interpreted major geotectonic elements of eastern Bolivia and environs 88 ‘Map of K-Ar ages from metamorphic and granitoid rocks 88 New interpretation of the S. American geotectonic pattern 90 ‘An evolutionary sequence for the Andean-trending belts based on ensialic orogenies 91 Map of regional Mesozoic geological elements 93 Rb-Sr plot for the Cabeza de Toro Pluton, Velasco Alkaline Complex 94 Rb-Sr plot for the Bambé Pluton, Velasco Alkaline Complex 94 Geological sketch map and intrusion-sequence for the Velasco Alkaline Complex 96 Hypothetical section of a quartz breccia reef 99 ‘Schematic section from San Ignacio to Serranfa Huanchaca illustrating Cenozoic geology, structure and geomorphology 101 Regional map of Cenozoic geology, structure and geomorphology 103 Neotectonics of the Mercedes Valley 104 Geology and auriferous potential of Serrania San Simén 108 Generalised geological map, mineral occurrences and related geochemical anomalies over the Rincén del ‘Tigre Igneous Complex 112 Geological sketch map of the Ascensién de Guarayos sector, and tin values in heavy mineral ‘ ‘concentrates 116 Geological sketch map of the La Bella pegmatite field 119 Tron and manganese deposits in the SE sector of the Bolivian shield and adjacent areas in Brazil 12268 69 + Gerro Pelin pediment grid profiles 70 Generalised relationships between nickeliferous saprolites, superficial deposits and erosion surfaces on the Rincén del Tigre Igneous Complex. 124 Variation of nickel, manganese, iron and cobalt in 125 ‘Geological sketch map of Cerro Manomé 127 ‘TABLES un 12 13 Regional stratigraphy and correlation 9 ¥ Stratigraphy of the San Simén Group 15 Stratigraphy of the Dalriada Group 16 an Ignacio Supergroup lithological divisions amd minor units 16 ‘A model San Ignacio Supergroup sequence 17 Voleaniclastic content of the metaveleanic arenite, San Simén Group 18 ‘Type succession of the El Cerrito Argillite Formation, San Simén Group 20 Detailed lithological and petrological components of the schist belts 21 ‘The type section of the Suponema Complex 25 Modal analysis of Granulite Complex lithologies (Southern Zone) 34 K-Ar ages corresponding to the San Ignacio Orogeny 45 Facies subdivisions of the Piso Firme Granophyre 46 ‘The Pensamiento Complex as a granite series of Read (1957) 53 summary of the San Ignacio Orogeny 56 15. Divisions of the Metamorphic Basement arranged as ‘a stratometamorphic column 60 16 ‘Sunsas’ K-Ar ages from Sunsas Cycle rocks 66 unsas’ K-Ar ages from minor acid intrusions cutting. pre-Sunsas Cycle rocks 66 ‘'Sunsas? K-Ar ages from pre-Sunsas Cycle rocks 67 ‘Ar ages of minor mafic intrusives 75 “Brasiliano’ K-Ar ages 80 Lithostratigraphy of the Boqué Group type area 81 Fossils from the Tucavaca Group 83 Lithostratigraphy of the Jacadigo Group at Puerto Suare-Mutiin 83 24 Fossils rom the San José and Santia 25 Mesozoic K-Ar ages 99 26 Summary of Cenozoic history 101 27 Chemical composition of gold from Serranfa San Simén 109 28 Gold values in the Vein-mine Belt, Serranta San 109 ro groups 92 29 Chemical composition of gold fram the Ramén-Santa Rosa sector 110 30 Gassiterite values in drill hole PP-AL near Ascensién de Guarayos 117 MAP Geological map of the Project area in pocketPREFACE ‘This Overseas Memoir reports on the geology and mineral resources of the area covered by Phases I and II of the Eastern Bolivia Mineral Exploration Project, ‘Proyecto Precambrico’. In this Anglo-Bolivian bilaterial technical ‘cooperation programme, the two governments, through the Servicio Geol6gico de Bolivia (GEOBOL) and the British Geological Survey (formerly the Institute of Geological Sciences), undertook, on behalf of the Overseas Development Administration (ODA), a rapid but systematic, integrated study. It has encompassed the geology and mineral potential of that part of the Precambrian Brazilian Shield lying within eastern Bolivia, an area of some 220000 km2. The long-term objective was to assist in the overall development of this virtually unmapped region by delimiting areas favourable for the location of potentially valuable minerals and rocks. The project is the largest in terms of manpower and costs to have been undertaken by BGS on behalf of ODA, At the outset, the Project was divided into two zones to be surveyed in two phases. Phase I (June 1976 -December 1979) was directed by Dr K. Bloomfield (BGS) and Ing. G. Jordan (GEOBOL); and Phase If Qanuary 1980 - March 1983) by Dr J. Berrangé (BGS) and Dr G. Donoso (GEOBOL). In terms of other BGS/ODA staff, for both phases Dr R. N. Annells acted as Petrologist and Deputy Team-Leader, Dr M. Litherland as Senior Exploration Geologist, Dr J. D. Appleton as Senior Geochemist and Dr B. A. Klinck, Dr E. A. O’Connor and Mr P. E. J itfield as Exploration Geologists. The post of Economic Geologist was held by Dr C. J. N. Fletcher (Phase I) and Mr G. C. J. Burton (Phase 11). Dr W. I. Mitchell and Dr B. C. Webb were Exploration Geologists in Phase I, and Dr G. Power and Mr M. P. Hawkins in Phase II. Mrs D. P. F. Darbyshire was the non-residential geochronologist. Ing. A. Llanos was the GEOBOL geochemist, for both phases, whilst forty other Bolivian counterpart geologists were attached to the Project for varying periods, ‘Thanks to the dedication of the Project staff, the work was completed on schedule and presented in the form of a report series together with geological maps (now published) at a scale of 1:250000 with selected areas at larger scales. ‘These form the basis for this Memoir and accompanying 1:1 000000 map, for which Dr Berrangé is responsible for Chapter 8 and Dr Litherland for the remainder. 3 Sir Malcolm Brown DSc, FRS Director British Geological Survey ‘ Keyworth Nottingham NG12 5GG 5 August 1985ONE Introduction ‘This memoir reports on the geology and mineral resources of about 220000 km? of ground, roughly the size of the island ‘of Great Britain, constituting almost the sum total of what is loosely called here the ‘Bolivian shield’; that part of the Preeambrian Brazilian Shield lying in Bolivia (Figure 1), ‘The area lies in the Bolivian departments of Santa Cruz and Beni and is bounded to the north and east by Brazil ‘The region constitutes a large part of the ‘unknown’ Bolivia, sparsely populated and difficult of access, which swelters under a tropical forest, and contrasts with the pic- turesque snow-capped Andes of the tourist brochures. Since the expulsion of the Jesuits in 1767 the region has been a lawless outback for explorers and exploiters. Iti the country of Colonel Faweett who, on missions to map Bolivia’s fron- tiers, wandered around the river systems witnessing, amongst other things, the human sufferings of the ‘rubber boom’. He penetrated the ‘poisoned hell’ of the Rio Verde in exploring Serranfa Haunchaca, describing the scenery 10 Arthur Conan Doyle from whose vivid imagination came the novel of the Lost World in which man confronted evolution: locked prehistoric monsters isto this area then, that the first Project brigades set out from Santa Cruz de la Sierra in 1976, and whence the last returned, mission completed, in 1982. PHYSIOGRAPHY, CLIMATE AND VEGETATION Precambrian shield is one of the three geomorphic ‘mega-units of Bolivia, the others in a westward direction be- ing the Beni-Chaco plains and the Andean chain (Pigute 1). Figure 1 Location of the Precambrian shield and other geomorphic units of Bolivia SOUTH AMERICA tees2 ONE: INTRODUCTION Geologically the shield is mainly composed of Precambrian Cataine rocks; geomorphologically it conforms (0 an up: faked "Tertiary laterised planation surface buried by the {Quaternary alluvial basins at the shield margins. The height vis, the San Ignacio Surface, is at a maximum of 550 (Gibove mean sea level) just east of Santa Ana, near San Ix trio, falling to levels of 150 to 300 m towards the shield margins (Figure 61). Whilst the area is essentially flat, reflecting the San Ignacio Surface, its straight horizon is broken in places br roots or relics of older Tertiary erosion surfaces, pro od 2), These roots are usually in the form of small inselberys or ving a characteristic two-tier topography (Plates 1 ridges of resistant rocks rising not more than 200m above the plain, whist the relics take the form of mesas, the largest Plate 1 View from Cerro Pelado south to the Lomas Maneches hills, The two-tier topography is typical of the Bolivian shield and is here con: structed of granulite (K-feldspar lep- tite) hills, which are roots of a mid: ‘Tertiary (Pega Pega) erosion surface, rising above the flat regional late- Tertiary San Ignacio Surface. The photograph also exhibits the leaffall Of the subhumid semi-deciduous forest of the Southern Zone Photograph by P. E. J. Pitfield Plate 2 View south from Cerro Diamantina, a bald inselberg com posed of unfoliated Diamantina Granite. Note the straight horizon which marks the regional San Ignacio Surface, and the typical Northern Zone humid evergreen forest (cf Plate 1), Photograph by M. Litherland of which, Serrania Huanchaea, is 6800 kn? in area and at tains heights of 950m in Bolivia, 750m above the laterite plain, Folded quartztes and faulted cover sequences form Fi ridhgex in the southern border of the shield where the nestor of the serranias Santiago and Sunsas can be singled out etraly mountainous with peaks reaching 1300 m, Over the eain shiekl area the stall forested hills and ridges arc Kencrally composed of quartzites, metapsammites Kcfeldspar leptites and quartz breccia reefs, whilst larger par lep a ten bald invelbergs reflect non-foliated granitoid bodies (Plate 2). The drainage pattern is consequent to the slope of the regional San Ignacio Surface and thus radiates from the San Tekna sector, which is transected by the continental water hed waters eventually flows either north to the Amazon orSE to the River Plate sluggish and ephemeral: slope, reduced slope and the floodplain of the shield margin (Pitfield, 1982) across which the northern rivers are peren- nial (Plate 3). A relic of a much older Tertiary drainage system is preserved ‘perched! over Serrania Huanchaca, ex its being marked by rapids, waterfalls and gorges (Plate 4) The watershed plateau drainage is followed by zones of maximum The area possesses a tropical climate which varies from ssub-humid in the south (c. 950 mm annual rainfall) to humid in the north (¢. 1350 mm). The five driest months are May to September inclusive, during which rainfall is about 20 per cent of the annual figure. Average daily temperatures vary from about 28°C (September to November in the north) to 20°C (June and July in the south), the five coolest months being from April to August region of 80 per cent in February and varies in August from about 55 per cent in the south to 65 per cent in the north Winds are from N to NW from October to March, but for the winter months these are mixed with S to SE polar winds Relative humidity is in the (Gurases) which cause a sudden drop in temperature with Plate 3 slvcll meg inthe: NW View looking east from Cerro Oricoré to the the area, ‘The Modlin igrase whilst the better-drained river levées mark belts of forest. Cerro Oricoré foliated Orobayaya Granite, is one of the most westerly outcrops of bedrock along the shield with the alluvial plains of the Beni, Photograph by P. F PIIYSIOGRAPHY, CLIMATE AND VEGEEXTION ground frost not unknown in the south, Although surazos are infrequent, only one or two per winter in the north, itis pr dent 10 carry sweaters and sleeping bags on jong. foot traverses even though these constitute an unnecessary burden on most occasions, However, the winter months are the driest and coolest and best for fieldwork Most of th those well-drained se underlain by bedrock or laterite The forest in the drier south is semi-deciduous often with a denye thorny undergrowth, It becomes more evergreen t predominates north of latitude 15° S with a canopy about when sunlight ean 30m high. Lush forms penetrate this canopy, e.g. along water courses or in man imadle clearings. Lowland savannas occur over some seasonally-floode and poorly-drained alluvial vall and the floodplains of the shield margins. Slig oodplain of the Rio San Martin along the Twampy in the wet aeason, supports only ‘composed of un: the border of J. Pinfield& ONE: INTRODUCTION Plate 4 The Arco Iris (Rainbow) Falls, Serrania Huanchaca, ‘The se tania isthe original Lost World Useribed to Arthur Conan Doyle by Gol. PH tfeipitous cliffs of the Haawchaca Fawcett. It is bounded by {Sunsas) Group with elevations up 700m above the peneplain. OF its two major river systenis, the Rio Verde exits via a series of cataracts, whilst the Paucerna (right) leaves the Hrrania by a series of waterfalls, the greatest of which is the Arco Iris Falls, ¢. 70m high. Ph M. Litherland jograph by laterite and some floodplain alluvial interfluves. However, there are expanses of alluvium which are overgrown by thick eneat such ae the plains to the SW ofthe shield towards San- ta Cruz Highl: tile soils and are found over prominent mesas such as the ser veniae Huanchaca and San Simén and Cerro Manomé. There are also local arid regimes such as rock pavements, Which are populated by succulents, and aquatic regimes in the sluggish rivers and perma th. A. treatise on local flora species and regimes is given in Report No. 15. \ ASP! ‘THE HUMA In pre-Columbian times the area was largely inhabited by the’ Amerindian Chiquito tribe, with lesser groups such as the Trondma, Jéora, Sirioné, Bauré, Méxo, Guardyo and Paucerna-Guarasug’we in the north, and Ayoreode in the south, Relics of their petroglyphs and carth constructions such as the Moxos evuseway" lines which can be seen on aerial photography in the NW of the area, ‘Colonisation beyan with the arrival of the Spanish from Paraguay, who in 1599 founded Santa Cruz de la Sierra near the present site of San José de Cl ‘cultures are found as artifacts, iquitos in the south of the area, The town wats resited close to its present 1595 and the Indians remained virtually unmolested until 692 when the Jesuits arrived from Paraguay. ‘Then, in the relatively short period up to the expulsion of 1767, the In- dans became servants of the great Jesuit empire, being com Verted and ‘domesticated’ by these indefatigable priests Almost all the towns in the south of the areas are of Jesuit and many retain the carved wooden churches, Foundation, some of which have IMory. The Jesuits also occupied the Beni department, work: rng the gold of Serrania San Simén (15) een recently restored to their former The Chipuitanos became so dependant on the Jesuits that after their expulsion they were easy prey to the Bolivians tizos) of Santa Cruz who appropriated land id set up the feudal system (coupled with (whites and mi Absentecisin) which sill exists coday. Then followed the rub ber “booms” (1880-1945) during which thousands of Ch ijufanes were Forced to work in the rubber-producing area wen of the 15th parallel as unpaid oF poorly-paid man power for Bolivian or foreign capitalists. It was during this period that the smaller tribes in the north were either exter ‘orabsorbed, so that at present there are no “free” in diane living in the forests of eastern Bolivia The present population, now mostly Catholic and Spanish-speaking, isin the region of 100 000 but is unevenly Abaributeel, For example, the San Ignacio quadrangle (Figure 3) possesses about 17 000 inhabitants (1 person Pe kin), whilst the Perseverancia sheet was inhabited in 1982 by oaly three families (1 person per 1000 km). Settlements range from provincial capitals with up to 7000 inhabitants to Jeolated one-family dwellings, They are sited close to perma: nent water—although in the drier south this is often provid ri by dams or boreholes—and are generally within easy Teach of grazing grounds (savannas on alluvium), leaving, the forest essentially uninhabited and relatively unexplored, ges the people live above flood level in simple hhuts surrounded by afew small They practise ‘slash and Tn the vill palm-thatched adobe Gomestic animals and fruit trees. burn’ subsistance farming in the forest close by and plant mnuize, rice, mandioc, cane and banana whieh they supple rent with fish and game, Local industries inchude the collec tion and export of rubber latex, Brazil nuts, ipecucuans (0 pharmaecutical herb root) and palm hearts; the huntin Trapping (often illegal) of animals, for skins, and birds for Thee export, and cottage industries such as hammock weav ing, leatherwork, carpentry and canoe buildin TLarger sources of revenue come from livestock rearing the savannas, and the dry season lumbering (ofici illic Neale such that valuable hardwoods, usually mahogany andpurple heart, disappear over large areas, Of all the varied i. licit operations the most profitable involved the processit and export of cocaine and the mining and export of hi ‘quality amethyst from the La Gaiba/Anai area, With the ex- ception of this latter operation, mineral exploitation is negligible; primitive small-scale gold mining and prospec tion is carried out in Serranfa San Simén and in the Nuflo de Chavez area. Pegmatites are exploited for kaolin apc columbite-tantalite, whilst bricks and tiles are made from local clays. ACCESS [A single-track railway skirts the south of the area providing fan important trans-continental link between Santa Cruz and the Brazilian network at Corumbé. Trains are slow, unpune= tual and often interrupted by wash-outs in the rainy season. ‘A network of vehicle tracks links the towns and villages of the Southern Zone to the railway and Santa Cruz (Figure 2) ‘Money has recently been unvisely spent (0 construct certain stretches of all-weather road, which, after a year or so, are reduced to the state of the’ tracks they were intended to replace; i.e, passable in the rainy season only with four- wheel-drive vehicles and winches. This is due to poor ‘maintenance and the installation of cheap culverts instead of bridges. Certain stretches of track cannot by considered any form of motor vehiele until June or July, by which time the Forest over the Southern Zone watershed is ity and difficult for field operations, on notorable tracks fink the Southern Zone with oodplains skirting the north and west of the shield. ‘The uninhabited central region is drained by rivers (Negro and San Martin), the upper reaches of which are unnavigable in the dry season, and the lawer reaches blacked by aquatic vegetation. This inaccesible area measures approximately 200.200 km. ‘There are numerous bush airstrips serving towns of larger farms, some capable of landing large aircraft (c.g. DC-3); a few of the southern towns receive scheduled flights from Santa Cruz PREVIOUS GEOLOGICAL WORK [At the start of the Project little had been published on the frea and there had been no systematic geological survey. Probably the first recorded geological observations were those of the great French naturalist and explorer Alcides DOrbigny (1835—47) who sojourned in the area; son his notes concerned mineral deposits previously e Jesuits. Parts of the interior of the districts, were studied inthe the pare ticularly the gold and 1950's and 1940's anel geological sketch maps were produced for certain sectors (Peiser, 1943; Peiser, 194; Kemplt and Peiser, 1945). Then the railway opened up the southern fringe of the area and studies were made of the Upper Pro- terozoic and Phanerozoic sedimentary sequences by ‘geologists of the Bolivian Gulf Oil Company (later Yacimien- tos Paroles. Fiscales Bolivianos). ‘The unpublished work of OPERATIONS 5 W. A. Hess was particularly notable in this context. In the north there have been limited unpublished studies of Ser- ania Huanchaca by Canedo Reyes and Haberfelner (of the 1951 German Scientific Mission), and studies of the gold potential of Serranfa San Simén. For a more detailed sum- ‘maty of the state of geological knowledge of the area prior to this project, the reader is referred to texts on the geology and mineral occurrences of Bolivia (Ablfeld, 1954; Ablfeld and Branisa, 1960; Ablfeld and Schneider-Scherbina, 1964), OPERATIONS The project was an integrated survey of the gcology and mineral potential using conventional gcological mapping techniques, geochemistry and geochronology. Its base was the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra ‘At the start, it was decided to divide the area along the 16th parallel (Figure 3), first mapping the Southern Zone (Phase 1, 1976-79) and then the Northern Zone (Phase 1 1979-83); the idea being to initiate the project in the more accessable region. Logisteally this was a wise decision although, as it turned out, the field geologists moved from a Zone with complex Proterozoic tectono-metamorphic over= printing, to a zone without it, The commencement of the furvey in the more complex region made the understanding of the regional geology more dificult to attain, Phase I utilised the primitive road network of the Southern Zone to place field brigades in positions to enter the forest-on foot using mache traverses. generally along. dirninage courses, Coverage, in terms of reconnaissance mapping was good to adequate. A helicopter was used to enter ane inaccessible area (Figure 2). The Northern Zone, further from the Santa tse, wetter, and with its limited vehicle access, presented much greater logistical pro- blems. With rivers taking the place of the roads, ransporta- tion i ery canoes al equipment ta river embarkation points was by road, fixed wing aeroplanes and helicopter (Figure 2), By this means, and by foot traverses, almost all Sectors of bedrock outerop were reached Photogeologial studies were made of satellite and conven tional imagery prior to fieldwork, Photogcological expres sion of Precambrian units and structures s poor to non: txistent in most places owing to the laterite. blanket. However, the aerial photographs were used in the fed as a basis for navigation and plotting. During the Southern Zone work, topographic base maps at a 1:50000 scale became available forthe entire area except the Concepeién sheet. For the Northern Zone, 1:250 000 topographic base maps were Constructed on the Universal Transverse Mercator projec: tinn from TANDSAT satellite. images. using” satel fbserved control points. Because of the unexplored and ich of this northern area, many hie Teaturen were named by Projet geologists conventional guidelines Field operations inckaded (a) mapping and description of cology: (b) collection of petroogical samples; (6) collection St-stream and sil samples for geochemical analysis and (4) Collecting of rocks for age determination. A field brigade tsually consisted ofone BGS and one GEOBOL exploration trologis, together with a driver if necessary, and locally inhabited mature of 16 ONE: INTRODUCTION Puerto Villazon i |San Ramon Figure 2 Access for field operations recruited porters/macheteras, ‘There brigades and two follow-up brigades which concentrated on. areas singled out for their economic potential, mineral pro: pects or geochemical anomalies, Individual field cam- paigns, which lasted up to three months, were exhausting € Southern Zone forest with its were six mapping periences, particularly in t ry season paradox of scanty water and thick undergrowth; progress could be as litle as 2km per day. Hordes of ticks, Anis, wasps, gnats, bees, mosquitoes and horseflies added to the difficulties particularly in dhose sectors already colonised by the colmena bee, Brazil's unwise import from Alrica, where serious geological studies were virtually impossible. Foot traverses in the forest could last up to three weeks $e Anrtip med n 00-3 Proec 3 ceeratone », | . Towns \ Acension de OO erazit San Javie_Aconcepcion san Ignacio . 7 san Maen HHH Railway Road, main dry season access by 4-wheol drive vehicle River, navigated by Project, canoe parti: River, unnavigated Helicopter-supported Project ‘operations Helicopter-supported Project ‘operations involving canoe waverses Santo Corazon before returning to some form of base camp with a tarpaulin oF roof GEOLOGICAL MAPS AND REPORTS es Land 1 of the The final twenty one reports covering P Project are listed as the Number Refe are concerned with the description hnineral potential of the fourteen 1:250 000 seale geological colour-printed maps (Figure 3). ‘The remainder are concer ted with regional syntheses, age determination results and snces. Eleven of these of the geology and more detailed mapping and mineral explorations econpanied by larger-scale maps. ‘Throughout the test these reports are referenced by their number. There are also numerous unpublished maps and reports held in the files at GEOBOL Santa Cruz which include filty seven 1:100 000 scale maps of the Southern Zone ‘TERMINOLOGY AND LAYOUT In the line with the recent IUGS suggestions, the Proterozoic Era is divided into the Lower (2500~1600 Ma), Middle (1600-900 Ma) and Upper (900-570 Ma) Proterozoic ‘The term ‘orogenic cycle’ is used to account for Proterozoic periods involving deposition followed by tectonism even though these may not involve geosynclines or proven sub- duction zones. TERMINOLOGY ANDLAYOUT 7 Decay constants used in the geochronology ( ‘Jiiger, 197) are as follows ORD = 1429 10- Mant AWK = 4.963 x 10- Ma! MOK, + MWK, = 0.581 x 10- Ma! ‘Atomic abundance: #K, = 0,01167 atom per cent Chapters on the Proterozoie attempt to précis the geological data in chronological order using a limited degree of inter pretation and correlation, In Chapter 6 this data forms basis for speculation on the Proterozoic crustal history GEOLOGICAL SETTING .e Project area forms part ofthe vast South American Plat form (Almeida and others, 1976), an ancient Precambrian ST te Road Raiiway | Inverational Boundary 1:250 000 geological map and report PHASE Il-NORTHERN ZONE > 1:100 000 geotogiea! map and report Detaled follow-up survey: report and map 100 200K hse ¥ O_o mrs re : a 3 : RSTO wna " Figure $ Index map of Project reports and maps. For report titles see Vumber References8 ONE: INTRODUCTION cratonic unit bounded on all sides by younger Phanerozoic gecotectonic mega-units (Figure 4), The western boundary is the Andean Mobile Belt, the southern boundary ix the Patagonian Platform, consolidated in the Palaeozoic; whilst north and east lies the youngest of all, the Atlantic Ocean The basement ofthe South American Platform, composed of ictamorphic and igneous rocks, crops out the form of shields, the Project area being part af the Cent South American Platforn nd tectonic pm 900 Ma andl erm Valacozoic, reterred to as the Brasiliano Orogenie Cycle ‘The pattern of Brasiliano fold belts across the shields and under the Phanerozoic cover (Figure 4) isolates smaller, colder nucleii which stabilised prior to 900 Ma and remained gest of these js consolidat cratonic during the Brasiliano Cycle, the Amazonic Craton which forms the entire Guyana Shield and the bulk of the Central Brazil Shield, where it is referred to as the Guaporé Craton (Almeida, 1964) or the Tapajés Province of the Amazonic Craton (Almeida and others, 1981). No serious attempt has yet been made to subdivide the Amazonic Craton into smaller cratonic units with respect to older mobile belts Figure 4 Relationship of the Project area to the major geotectonic units of S. America (modified from Almeida and others, 1976) ‘The Project area was only marginally affected by the Brasiliano Orogeny and can thus by regarded as part of the ‘Tapajés Province, believed to have consolidated during the ‘Trans-Amazonian Orogenic Cycle which closed atc 1700 Ma (Almeida and others, 1981), However, this memoir. will show that one sector of the Bolivian shield area was con solidated at 1300 Ma (San Ignacio Orogeny) and the other at 1000 Ma (Sunsas Orogeny), and there are no nuclei of the ‘Trans-Amazonian Orogeny INTRODUCTION TO THE GEOLOGY ‘The oldest rocks, underlying about half the area, are referred to as the Metamorphic Basement, which comprises three metamorphic superunits: the’ San Ignacio Schist Supergroup, the Chiquitania Gneiss Complex and the Lomas Maneches Granulite Complex. The latter yields Rb- Sr dates of up to c. 2000Ma, the age of the Trans. Amazonian Orogeny. ‘The outerop pattern of these superunits is largely determined by the regional folds of the San Ignacio Orogeny (c. 14001280 Ma): the granulites are found along the anticlinoria’ and the schists along synelinoria. ‘The San Ignacio Orogeny affected the entire ‘Andean Mobile Belt tagonia Platform Phanerozoic cove Brezilang fold bets (€900 Me) scamtrin cans with over rocks (800 Ma ‘Amazone Craton: Gui ‘Shiels A2__Amazonic Craton: Central Braz Shield S27 Craton tinINTRODUCTION TOTHEGEOLOGY 9 Table 1 Regional stratigraphy and correlation se ln Sei Coigeionng Min Corin iho i Sot Ran Soredeicas” forme pees sete Tae Star ‘eshcg pti ot Ri Cn con th a ris Netcemices, Mimrmteeba On ceecour sees ae Peete Sreeeresee ranean rere eee Semcon Bn Seed nad ie cin ial —— oo Sorel ace PRG else Se ee an Seemseaiea Aloe Coe Say = Reale ; ?Canvonirenous El Prado Formation ‘Small intracraronic basin = ?Casa Branca Arenite ans | ioe Eee Fim nite Dating a | oun SiS See peeraertan eee a sonereces Srmtah” Seemet oer, a ioe Seer nee, CE TNE topics eer oree =a ea oo ee : — on egos acerca aoe a Coe Sete nae saan tga Ses Soap . ee ee oe oped ease goeireayeeeae freee SANT scat: Meneame eon Sate Sonnet in Mem aoe Did an oi aot Gpettubk Op smnec, Peel Sa Spe aa tial A eeee : iauaamamcann Oeatigws ne Unie patient Gambedgicnratee! Erenamumscomes — Qorreitic ta oman tine Sh ie Maes fore te, nrc porate Rett en ee rome sence Sxiaveeesaeteanies rand Sanaa A eer ochonmon nasa Meum Ramen” Ein orngaiic” Ean agg oh en Moret tere Sntrcrnetey Rigi Geote ea pee | SMreccssitorene SELES emcee pvivertaien See Chriquitanta Gress Compler. ‘tome possibly he-the fst San Ignacio metamorphism Comemoracio schists, with te rane eke’ cite’ a cera ei Complex Orageny (above). Party of ‘Group and Roosevekt volcanics ere oe esata | reset a See . = * Trai rite capita0. ONE: INTRODUCTION ‘area and was accompanied by the generation of the granites sshich dominate the Northern Zone. He Suunsas- Oragenic Gyele (e, 1280-950 Ma) began with the deposition of the molassic Sunsas and! Vibosi Groups separated from te erystalline basement by the oldest clea tified stratigraphic unconformity, The Sunsas Orogeny ine eration of granitoid vol¥ed folding, metamorphism and Trafic bodies within belts, the finits of which ‘oF mafie/ult ire marked by major tectonic discontinuities or fronts, That part of the area in the north not affected by the Sunsas Orageny is termed the Paragué Craton. The dolerite dykes null ofthe Fuanchacar Marrimia Suite represents late oor post-Sunsas event Sediments belonging to the Paraguay-Araguaia fold belt of the Upper Proterozoic Brasitiano Cyele are found in the form of the Boqut and Murciélago Groups in the SE of the rea Tueavaea Group sediments occur in an offshoot of this bolt ‘The rocks were not strongly affected by the Brasiliano Orogeny which closed at ¢. 500 Ma “The Phanerozoic history began with marginal Palacozoie ation of the San José and Santiago groups and El tion, followed by Mesozoic fracturing accom Group sandstone c igneous complexes, car sedin Prado panied by the deposition of the El Ports find the emplacement of alkali ponatites and quartz breccia reefs. There were various st of Genosoic uplift and peneplanation resulting in lateritic oF Giiceous weathering surfaces, the last major event producing, the regional San Ignacio Laterite, the warping of which con- fe pattern and sites of Quaternary trols the present drain. alluvial basins ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS TThe destabilisation of the country’s economy during Phase It created many repercussions for the Project, none more serious than the rapiel changeover of GEOBOL, geologists fe are now a large number of Bol mbrian experience, including the ‘On the positive side th vian geologists with Prec Thilecinge Braject *stabearts? with two af snore years of eX perience: E. Aguilera, A. Aponte, E, Barrientos, B, Borda Gore, NM. Equez, E. Justiniano, G, Montermurra, R. Mocebono, J. C. Naller, A, Oquendo, R. Roca, A. Soliz Tesamly. G, Sensano, H, Salas, P. Steimbach, C. Ter ones, anid H. ‘Toledo, The GEOBOL geologist A. Yevara tragically died in June 1982, after contracting an illness on field duty effort andl its sec Proyecto Preciobrico was a “dlusion is due to the combined effort and enthusiasm of those ‘cho participated in it, Perhaps the biggest debt of gratitude Pelongs to the lowest paid members of the Project: the ‘anpesinos of eastern Bolivia who joined the field brigades as vem teras/porvers and boat-men, ‘heir stamina, bush erat set inaty for survival and companionship were never taken for granted, and perhaps our fondest memories are of them Many’ Bolivians of higher station also contributed (0 the run ning of the Project in the field. ‘These include the civil ine) religous authorities and their Focal represen military tatives, ranch owners ‘Administrative support for the Project was provided by the Latin America department of the Overseas Development ‘Adtministration; the British Geological Survey, through its Overseas Directorate; the British Embassy, La Paz: the Ministry of Mines and Metallurgy, La Paz, and the Bolivian Gealogieal Survey (GEOBOL), La Pa Scettitic support. was provided by the GEOBOL Laboratories at Santa Cruz and La Paz, GEOBOL'S SLANDSAT" programme, and individual units of B UK, who abo provided specialists for advisory and working visits as well as additional training programmes for Bolivian counterparts ind pilotsTWO The Metamorphic Basement (> 1400Ma) ‘The Metamorphic Basement of eastern Bolivia is defined here as those rocks which existed prior to the ©. 1400-1280 Ma San Ignacio Orogeny, the first coherently identifiable orogeny of eastern Bolivia. Tt does not include those granitoids and other rocks formed during that orogeny, those will be treated in chapter 3; nor the unconfor= mably overlying Sunsas Group (chapter 4), the first recognisable supracrustal unit, which was in places metamorphosed during the Sunsis Orogeny. “The Metamorphic Basement, exposed over half the shield area, is no different to many other Precambrian terrains in that the first problem confronting the geological map maker is the selection of the criterion to classify the rocks: lithology, composition, stratigraphy, structure or any other. In Bolivia the rocks are composed, essentially, of schists, gneisses and igranulites: all are steeply-dipping, stratified units believed 10 be predominantly metasedimentary. However, no useful stratigraphic subdivisions can be made at the present owing, to lack of detailed mapping and geochronology coupled with observations that certainly the gneisses and probably th sgranulites are, in places, the highersgrade equivalents of the schists, Thus the rocks are classified here according 0 metamorphic grade rather that by composition ting the schists, gneisses and granulites, so clearly distinguishable in the field, a group or complex status, and differentiating compositional types within each unit on the 1:250000 scale maps. The distribution of these three division, or supei units, are plotted to produce a metamorphic map, without distinguishing stratigraphic units as such. ‘The lowest grade rocks occur as schist belts, target areas for mineral prospec- ting, presumed to be aligned along synclinoria traces and separated by the gneisses from the granulitic anticlinoria, e7sye6sr 0.860 The three superunits are called the San Ignacio Schist Supergroup, the Chiquitanfa Gneiss Complex and the Lomas Maneches Granulite Complex. In this chapter they ‘described in a prograde sequence, in order to establish rade rock parentages before tracing the lithologies into jigher-grade terrains, GEOCHRONOLOGY 'A suite of 22 rocks was collected from the Lomas Maneches Granulite Complex of the Southern Zone (9). The Rb-Sr data points (Figure 5) show obvious scatter and numerous trial calculations have shown that no matter how the samples, fare grouped—whether according to lithology or to the subgroups of Pithield and others (1981)—satisfactory isochrons cannot be derived. However, model age calcula tions can be made assuming an initial strontium ratio of (0.704 (sce data for samples nos. 88,103 and 106, Appendix 5), Those model ages for nos. 68, 71, 101 and 140 are consis tent with an age of ¢, 1900 Ma for the assemblage. This is close to a K-Ar age of 1991Ma for a basic granulite (BOLIAD/S7; %K = 0.2047; vol. rad. arg. = 28.88) Figure 5 shows « 1961 Ma reference isochron drawn through the plot of sample no. 140. This sample isa charnockite from the Lomas Maneches massif (Figure 15) and shows litte field evidence of tectona-metamorphie reworking. Itis considered that this is the best estimate of the minimum age of the bulk. ‘of the Granulite Complex with samples falling below this line reflecting Rb-Sr readjustments in response to subsequent events, This age corresponds to the Trans-Amazonian Cyele ‘of Brazil (Almeida and others, 1976). Leptives 0.840 Basle and enderbitic granultes CChotnockit 0.820 Cordierte granuites Gnolases > 0.800 0.780 0.760 0.740 Figure 5 Rb-Sr plot for the Lomas Maneches Granulite Complex and the AscensiGn schist belt 0.720] ‘Aacenin Schist Belt AGE 1244 + 18 Ma (sigma) Intercept 0.7058 + 0.0008 MSWO 1.9 ‘e7Rb/e6sr12 “1WOCTHE METAMORPHIC BASEMENT “Three samples were collected from the Ascensin Forma- tion af the San Ignacio Supergroup. One sample was of Inetaarkose, the other two of intercalated medium-grade fqneises with, prominent K-feldspar-megacrystsaligned dong the Do3 ‘San Ignacio foliation. These samples plot dtongean Rb-Sr regression line corresponding to an age of 13H £10 Ma (MSWD + 1.9). This was considered (1) to be the metamorphic event which had distributed the Rb-Se Systematics of the Granulite Complex rocks the data points Stvwhich were confined to within the 1961 Ma and 1344 Ma, fines on the correlation diagram (Figure 5). The simiarity of this 1344 Ma age with that of the San Ignacio Orogeny (© 14009 1300 Ma) as indicated by the Rb-Sr data on the tranitolds (p42) gave rise to the theory (I, Litherland and Bloomfield, 1981) of a San Ignacio Orogenie Cycle beginn- Ing with the depastion of the Schist Supergroup on a cold ‘qanulitic basement of Trans-Amazonian age: the Two Cy- tle Mode! (p39) “This theory appeared at the time to be both elegent simple, All that was required was to find the unconfor Xpurating basement from cover. However, it-gradualy eeame. apparent that this was represented neither by the ‘gunal shisvgneiss contact nor the gneiss granulite contact Sind thus could not be drawn on the map. Indeed doubss roxe as to its existance at all, leading tothe proposal ofthe One Cycle Model (0.39). THE SAN IGNACIO SCHIST SUPERGROUP ‘The San Ignacio Supergroup crops out in the form of diserete belts composed of quartzite feldspathic metapsam- ‘mites and micaccous schists or phyllites with subordinate fer~ imetavolcanic and graphite-tich units iso contain metamorphosed! malic ig- Haginous, calesili In the south many neous rocks. These belts are not regarded as true analogues Of the classic Archaean greenstone belts (Windley, 1977), which are predominantly metavoleanic sequences, usually ‘with distinet cuspate contacts with the surrounding granitoid rocks, their shapes being related to deformation around early plutonic bodies (Litherland, 1973). The Bolivian belts are almost certainly younger, mainly metasedimentary, and ‘show a variety of individual forms believed to be due to the refolding of synformal cores during one or more orogenies. However, like the greenstone belts, they are generally sur~ rounded by gneisses and granitoid rocks, and are favourable sites for mineralisation, As such they have received rather more detailed mapping than the surrounding basement dur~ ing the present surve The term ‘San Ign plied (3) to the layered, folded, metasedimentary and mets neous rocks of the San Ignacio schist belt, where mapping, began in 1976, The term was extended to include the other schist belts of the south (1, Litherland and Bloomfield, 1981), and, later, those discovered in the north (21). The term “supergroup” is now preferred based on the wide {geographical extent of the unit and the possiblity of group divisions and unconformities within it. ‘The San Ignacio Supergroup can be d » Schist Group" was originally ap- ed as: ‘pre: Sunsas Group schists and phyllites and other intercalated metasedimentary and metarigncous rocks, ‘This metamor- phic definition is appropriate to the many observations that Contacts with the Gneiss Complex reflect an increase in metamorphic grade, However, although some, if not al, of these gneisses are higher-grade equivalents of the Supergroup, the schist belts are believed to belong to a Tithostratigraphie unit, even though they do not define its sum total. The same cannot be said of the Gneiss and Granulite complexes at the present state of knowledge Moreover, the name is retained even though there are doubis concerning its status as the sedimentary stage of the ‘San Ignacio Orogenie Cycle (Litherland and Bloomfield, 1981) In the south of the area most of the schist belts exhibit transitional contacts with the Gneiss Complex, although a few are bounded by granitoids. In the north the reverse is true and many of the belts are megaxenoliths within, or ‘roofing’, the great Pensamiento Granitoid Complex. With regard to relationships with other major units, the Schist Supergroup and Granulite Complex are in closest proximity just north of San Ignacio (3) over poorly exposed ground, ‘whilst the unconformity with the overlying Sunsas Group has been seen at Serranta Huanchaca (10) and inferred at Talibos (2), AsensiGn and Las Petas (4) and Serrania Lucma (6) Ivis particularly important to emphasise the unconfor~ rable relationship between the San Ignacio Supergroup and Sunsas Group seen at Serranfa Huanchaca (10), since, as will become clear in the text, the two units are similar in lithology, and certain low-grade Supergroup rocks could easly be mistaken for deformed Sunsas Group. ‘Apart from a few, rare, high-gradient stream sections (c.g Figure 8) and road cuttings, outerop of the Supergroup is generally poor. Significant thicknesses of quartzite, meta- psammite or silicified lithologies form hill ridges but these tisvaly lack in situ outcrop. In contrast, the softer units pro- duce low relief usually mandled by laterite. The presence of resistant units and the absenee of laterite provide optimum photogeological expression to facilitate mapping: these con ditions are fulfilled over much of the Nuflo de Chaves schist belt (2) (Plate 5) and Serrania San Simén (15), Over belts consisting predominantly of softer schists there may be litle relief even afer partial or total erosion of laterite has oc~ Cured, e.g. the San Ignacio and Cristal belts, The forms of, such belts were largely ascertained by foot traverses, the schists occuring generally in a rotted condition in gulleys or Iman-made excavations, as fragments at the roots of fallen tees, near animal excavations, or as micaceous soils. “The schist belts in the north of the area are the most dif- ficult to delimit owing to the greater degree of preservation ‘of the laterite cover which buries the softer units to depths teeter than headwater stream incision and leaves isolated hills or hill-chains of quartzite/psammite as the only indica- tion of the presence of the Schist Supergroup. This is especially true in the extreme NW of the area where the Schist belt outlines are marked as speculative on the accom’ panying map and where it may be assumed that softer rock Units are missing from this area on Table 8.Plate 5 LANDSAT image of the Nuflo de Chavez area, over which photogeological expression is suffi- cient to distinguish many Precam= brian units owing to the absence of the laterite blanket. Quartzites of the San Ignacio Supergroup form the spines of Serranias La Cruz (2) and San Lorenzo (L). The Talcoso Granite (T) is also prominent. The town of Concepcién (C) lies on the ‘extensive laterite peneplain in the Figure 6 Distribution and names of the San Ignacio Supergroup schist belts "THE SANIGNACIOSCHIST SUPERGROUP 13 1 Puente N , [Bloor resins ee Arbitrary line dividing \ the northern from the southern arc of schist¢-1WO: THE METAMORPHIC BASEMENT Stratigraphy In certain sheet reports (2,10,11,15) the described under two local groups, raising the question lohether it is a ‘bucket term for units of different ages, Cxpecially when its regional extent is considered. However, the schjst belt rocks show common lithological affiliations, in terms of Supergroup is a ore important, common cetonie hist ihe San Ignacio Orogeny, there being no evidence of eadir inuprints. So if there is more than one group and a true arimreroup is present, this would represent the deposition of done orogenic eyele only. ‘What het writers were encouraged to formalise the local Tthostratigraphies of the Schist Supergroup, so providing @ vtealth of focal formation and group names, the task of cor Nhating these from one schist bele to another, with the Uumate aim of erecting a unified stratigraphic column, is beset with difficulties, ‘These include the lack of useful vrarker horizons, and, commonly, the destruction of ‘way up’ exidence by regional metamorphism. Furthermore, the ae amp ecmtarts ofthe schist elt prohibit the Feo Monat bath stratigraphic base and basement 10 the Supergroup. In view of these problems it would be foolhardy at such an early stage of research to attempt the erection of formal Stratigraphic column, However, a careful analysis of the Tithologies, particularly those of the selected areas below. in Mubdlivisions are present and the position is not dlicates th altogether hopeless. Thrce subdivisions can be made, a basal arkosie subdi ine, anid, completing the se- quence, a quartzite subdivision Over the Nuflo de Chavez schist belt (Figure 6) the ‘were erected (2): the low-grade Naranjal and medium-grade La Bella, overlain unconformably by the Tajibos (Sunsas) Group. More recently O'Connor (1982a), after mapping its northern extension (11) and undertaking fresh photogeological and petrological studies, eame to the concu- Fion that only one group is involved, with the exception of the Tajibos Group of the type locality. In spite of the ap: parent confusion thus created, there appears to be an up- Ward structural sequence from feldspathic quartzite or meta~ arkose (Porvenir and Paquié formations), through phyllites for mica schists (La Honda, Quiser and Zapocé formations), fives (Sutto an Suriquizo formations andl ex os Group), with the semi-pelitic Dalorida Formation ion, a pelitic roups ‘Los Patos Schist Formation Hi ‘Suponema Matic Igneous Formation Motaci Schist Formation FA Ir San Rafael Metagranite SSynform (002): San tgnacio Tete rogeny =f Anton: Sunsas orogeny, with plunge 7 ge Synform : Sunsas Orogeny, > / with plunge: 5 pz Refer to Suponema, Pachori land Quebrada Zapocoz complexes 4 Abandoned pegmatite work ings (mice, beryl, tantalite) + SAN IGNACIO @ DE VELASCO ° 10 20km PARAGNEISSES, AND GRANULITES PARAGNEISSES WITH GRANULITES AT DEPTH SECTION Figure 7 Geological sketch map of the San Ignacio schist belt (adapted from Litherland and Bloomfield, 1981). Laterite cover and minor units omittedpossibly forming a transitional unit (Table 4). ‘Thus there is the basis for three lithological divisions, with a thickness in the region of 4000 to 800m, but without stratigraphic order. Inthe Son gnacio schist belt (Figure 7), the Motacii and Los Patos Schist formations represent a pelitie sequence with a thickness in the region of 3000 m (3). ‘The succession is the right-way-up with respect to the evidence in the troctolite still at Pachorri and it overlies metasomatic granite and Gneiss Complex containing cale-silicates reminiscent of those associated with the arkosic rocks of the Nuflo de Chavez schist belt. ‘The San Simin schist belt (Figure 63) is divided into a low grade synformal core, which crops out over the area of Ser ranfa San Simén and is referred to as the Serranfa San Simén Group; surrounded by higher-grade rocks of the Ser tania Martinez Group (15). Detailed work supported by way-up evidence has established a sequence for the San Simén Group (Table 2), The El Cerrito Formation is almost certainly the upper part of a. stratigraphically. THE SAN IGNACIO SCHIST SUPERGROUP_ 13 underlying semi-pelitic Cerro Azul Unit of the Serrania Martinez Group (oral communication, P. E. J. Pitfield, 1983), which in turn structurally overlies the” feldspathic metapsammites of the Paquiosal gneisses. In the area of the Dalriada schist belt (10) (Figure 8), certain ‘way-up evidence tentatively indicates that the sequence of folded low-grade metasediments is inverted and should read as in Table 3, This gives a minimum thickness of 3000 m for the succession which exhibits a change from pelitic to quart; Table 2 Stratigraphy of the San Simén Group Estimated thickness (rm) Stratigraphic unit Tor Bonanza Metasubgreywacke Formation 1600~ 1650 Fl Colorado Quartzte Formation 1300-1350 Base El Cerrito Argilite Formation 300-350 i edaing and Do? cleat SecTION Huancnaca Group 180+ Dolerite sit 70 | Huanchaca Group 30 | Granioid (130M) A rephie pie 600 J Fos at puso = [E80 TBE Ancor overumed | Sd sya on a 5 as0 TE Src overunes fan § : “= t mnactn nit ln ure 3% | T vesaee aeeton | eyanen common |g 1 coweraang baa PES, owas pia wwe — With cordierite: Figure 8 The geology around Serranfa Dalia: folded San Ignacio Supergroup (Dalrad Group) unconforma ly over in by Sunsas (Huanchaca) Group16 “PWO-THHE METAMORPHIC BASEMENT [A sudy of minor lithologies (Table 4) reveals fairly consis= tent afliations with the major divisions giving a “model Schist Supergroup sequence (Table 5) ‘One interesting feature about the above scheme is that the metamorphic grade of those formations attributed to the ‘Arkosie Division (Table 4) is almost invariably higher than those the Quartite Division, Te could be argued that they repreent the same unit at ferent metamorphic grades, the Figher-grade rocks being somewhat feldspathised. It may be pertinent thatthe quartzites, when studied in detail, e.g. at Serrania San Simin (13), are found to be “dirty” or fetdspathie in places. I ihe Quartztie andl Akos divisions were} stratigraphic. equivalents it would simplify che Stratigraphy and aid in the structural interpretation of the San Ignacio Onageny. However, the presence of o- feldspathised orthoquartztes within the Arkosie Division, fg: inthe Primavera Group (Table 8), seems to rule out this pssiblity Tt has already been pointed out that the Tajibos Group of the type locality i tll correlated with the Sunsax Group (2) (Chapter 4) whilst other outcrops are allocated. a. Schis Supergroup status. However, since even the type locality is anomalous in terms of Sunnis Group reliet and metanor phism, itis posible thatthe Tajibos Group is totally part of the San Ignacio Supergroup, Quartzites and conglomerates Low-grade quartzites and conglomerates are best exposed in. ‘outcrops of the Cantera Formation (12) and San Simén Group (15), the latter having been studied in most detail ‘The 3000m San Simén sequence (Table 2) is composed of ‘metamorphic derivatives of litharenites, sublitharenites and subgreywackes. The sequence is intercalated at various levels by quartzites to quartz-wackes, subarkoses to arkosic wackes, siltstones to argillies and para- to ortho- conglomerates (nomenclature after Pettijohn, 1975). Figure 9 illustrates typical intercalated sequences from the El Colorado Formation of San Simén. Cross-bedding is pro- minent throughout on scales varying from ripple cross- laminations in pelites to units up to 3m thick in coarse- grained lithologies, Phinar-tabular erasebedding is 0 ‘Table 3 Stratigraphy of the Dalriada Group, Tow Ferruginous phyllites 2100 Quartz wackes 400 Meta-conglomerate 100 Quartz phyllites 500 Silver slates 350 Pale quartzite 350 Graphitie phyllites 600 Bast Metavsltstones 2600 Table 4 San Tgnacio Repo Aide Dion Pete Dson Quantic Dion ‘Supergroup SS ee Tithological Porvenir Fm. Ca — Quiser Fm. Fe, ma, vo, divisions and Dolorida Fm, Ca, gr, sino units La'Honda Fn. 0 ExTajbos Gp. og gr Sam Ros Fe. gr Sao Fn 364 Ascensin Fn Loe Pas & Ga, ma, Fe Morac i 3 Tarund, Junama. Ca, Fe Low Hunsos & San Dino Fos 6 rial Fm = 10 Primavera Gp. Ca Dalriada Gp. (pat 0). v0 Dainda Gp og Fe (part of) 1 Piguio Fm. Ca, Dalorda Fm Suriguioo Fm, om ws EGcloF, og Zayed F = & = ate 12 Porvenir Fm. Ca Quiser Fm. Fe, ma Camera Fm. of, Fe fg = conglo Ciel: gt eee atHonds Fm. Fema, vo tice te San Joaquin Fm. Fe San Antonio Fm sities; is Boamorm Fe Bonanza Fm 6g gr yo = meta Cerro Azul Div. Fe El Colorado Fm. eg