The Future of Sustainable Development Mining
The exploration of Cerro Impacto and the Great Cacaro Dyke presents a significant opportunity to implement a sustainable development approach to mining. With their rich mineral potential in Southern Venezuela's Guayana region, future investors could develop in a manner that ensures minimal environmental impact, responsible resource extraction, and long-term economic benefits. The adoption of advanced geophysical methods for initial assessments allows for a low-impact exploration strategy, ensuring that only the most promising areas are targeted for future development.
We can gain detailed insights into subsurface resources without invasive ground-based exploration by utilizing high-resolution airborne geophysical surveys. This data-driven approach will precisely assess mineral potential while reducing unnecessary disruption to the natural environment. Additionally, focusing on strategic minerals such as rare earth elements, niobium, and platinum group metals is crucial, as these materials are essential for green technologies, clean energy, and modern infrastructure, aligning with the increasing global demand.
Geological Overview
Cerro Impacto
Volcanic and plutonic rocks that intrude the Cuchivero Group comprise a supracrustal terrane, a potential host for deposits that formed near, or within a few kilometers of, the surface during the Early and Middle Proterozoic. These deposits include carbonatite and diamond pipes, as well as undiscovered deposit types such as tin greisen, porphyry copper and veins. CARBONATITE is a carbonate-rich rock of magmatic origin that is present as intrusive bodies and flows; it contains 4.0-55.4 weight percent CaO (Heinrich, 1966). They are concentrically zoned and associated with alkaline intrusive complexes, with or without ring dikes. They may be of any age but is commonly intrusive into Precambrian shields. Their commonly circular surface expression may be identifiable on radar images and may be delineated by radiometric, magnetic, or gravity anomalies. Carbonatite may contain economic grades of phosphate, niobium, rare earth elements, uranium, thorium, titanium, iron, copper, zirconium, vermiculite, fluorite, and barite.
Figure 1 shows the CERRO IMPACTO (6 km long by 2 km wide) in the central of three discontinuous north-trending ridges in Estado Bolivar (limit of municipio Cedeño with Amazonas State) that stand out within an irregularly shaped depression that has a maximum diameter of 20 km. This feature was first identified on radar imagery and the CODESUR Airborne Geophysical Exploration Magnetic and Radiometric in 1971. Subsequent field work and geochemistry identified the central ridge as carbonatite (Aarden andothers, 1973). The laterite covering the area may be 200-300 m thick(Rodriguez, 1986; Woolley, 1987). The age of Cerro lmpacto is unknown; however, it is intrusive into plutonic rocks of the Cuchivero Group and is therefore younger than 1,900-1,800 Ma.
Geochemical analyses of samples from Cerro Impacto indicate significant contents (maximum value in weight percent oxide)of Ce (6.5), La (2.7), Nb (0.5), Th (0.4), Y (0.16),Nd (0.84), and Ba (57.8) (Rodriguez,1986). North of the central carbonatite, the laterite was sampled: 500 m by 800 m area having an estimated of 324,000 Tons and an average cerium content of 0.5 percent. The uranium to thorium ratio of the rocks at Cerro Impacto is 2:1 (Premoli and Kroonenberg, 1981); the uranium content is too low to be considered an economic target, but uranium may be recovered as a byproduct.
The Great Cacaro Dyke
The Precambrian Earth Crust shows a large and complicated pattern of Basaltic Intrusive. The Amerilik swarms, west of Greenland over one hundred intrusive Basaltic Dykes older than 3000 ma is the oldest known. The Basaltic Dykes and associated stratified complexes are common in the Middle Proterozoic (3500ma to 1500 ma), The emplacement of these dyke and Gabbroid intrusions have been possible by an extensional tectonic in the Cratonic continental crust. These types of intrusive bodies are commonly in the main Cratons of the world (Greenland, Canada , Western Australia and Africa). As an example, Figure 2 shows the Zimbabwe Great Dyke (Rodesia) and Bushbeld Complex (South Africa ) location. The Zimbabwe Great Dyke with more that 500Km of longitude and up to 10Km wide accros the Archean Shield of Zimbabwe is a body with four intrusions. Its igneous horizons are alternative layers of Cromite, Gabro, Anorthosite, Peridotite and ultramafic. The dyke is the principal source of Crome of the world but also as byproducts Niquel, Cupper and Platinum Group metals.
The Great Cacaro Dyke is unexplored mainly but holds high potential for economic mineralization, particularly for chromium, nickel, and platinum group metals (PGMs). Given its geological setting, composition, and estimated age, this dyke could be a significant target for future mineral exploration.
There are hundreds of Basalts Dykes in the Venezuelan Guayana Shield, however the most relevant is the GREATCACARO DYKE (Figure 3). It is a mafic-ultramafic dyke intrusive in the Caicara volcanic rocks. The dyke outcrops over 170 Km along a N-S to Northeast direction forming an angle of 45 degrees with the Caura river, and between 3 to 8 Km wide.
Proposal for Exploration Strategy and Data Acquisition
The first step in unlocking the mineral potential of Cerro Impacto and the Great Cacaro Dyke is through a systematic, non-invasive exploration approach. Phase I will focus on acquiring high-resolution airborne geophysical surveys to map the subsurface characteristics of these formations, ensuring minimal disruption to the natural environment.
Geophysical Surveys
The airborne gravity, magnetometry, and gamma-ray spectrometry surveys will be conducted over Cerro Impacto and the Cacaro Dyke (Cuchivero Province, Bolívar State). The survey specifications include:
- Production lines spaced 500 meters apart in a W-E direction.
- Control lines spaced 2 kilometers apart, oriented perpendicularly to production lines.
- Use of state-of-the-art geophysical instrumentation to ensure high precision and accuracy.
Implementation and Adjustments
Given that a company has acquired rights for geoscience studies, an operator could make adjustments to the survey area may be proposed to optimize coverage while ensuring that:
- The total survey kilometers remain unchanged.
- The number and direction of survey lines adhere to the defined specifications.
- Any modifications are pre-approved by the supervising authority from the Ministry.
Operational and Safety Considerations
- The airborne survey will cover some of Bolívar State, located within the Cuchivero Geological Province.
- The aircraft used for the project must comply with all international and local aviation regulations and be fully suited for the required survey work.
- Although an on-site visit is not required, bidders must include a written declaration of their familiarity with the study area in their proposal. Claims or price adjustments related to a lack of familiarity with the site will not be accepted. If a site visit is undertaken, the bidder is responsible for all associated costs and risks.
- The contractor must establish an operational office in Tumeremo for technical coordination with the supervisory body and to handle administrative matters related to the contract.
This document outlines the technical and operational requirements for Phase initial of the mineral exploration program in the Great Cacaro Dyke and Cerro Impacto region. Through the application of cutting-edge geophysical survey techniques, we aim to:
- Minimize environmental impact while acquiring critical subsurface data.
- Identify and assess mineral resource potential to guide sustainable mining initiatives.
- Support responsible, data-driven exploration efforts for long-term economic and environmental benefits.
Professor Victor Graterol made this proposal as a public knowledge contribution to ensure the geophysical assessment of these important resources.
Contact us about our technical recommendations for geophysical acquisition and operations proposal at info@u3explore.com
