San Ignacio-Cumbre de Los Pinos Granites, Huasa Pampa, La Cocha Department, Tucumán Province, Argentinai

Regional Level Types
San Ignacio-Cumbre de Los Pinos Granites	- not defined -
Huasa Pampa	Municipality
La Cocha Department	Department
Tucumán Province	Province
Argentina	Country

Located just on the border between Tucumán-Catamarca Provinces.
Elevation: 1,159 m. above sea level.

Geological history:

In the Precambrian or in the early stages of the Earth's history were depositing sediments silty, clay, charcoal and fine sands, as a result of a process of sedimentation at the bottom of the sea, which at that time covered much of the surface of Tucumán.

To remove the sea or raise these lands, materials that were gradually consolidated and later were affected by this already announced metamorphism, which transformed these sediments in metamorphic rocks that we see today. As a result of this metamorphism and movements affecting the Earth's crust cracks and planes of separation where subsequently ascended the granitic magma (material in a state of fusion from the interior of the Earth) form which cooled and crystallized form bodies granite-like "San Ignacio", "Potrerillos", "Balcosna", "Cumbre de Los Pinos", etc...

San Ignacio granite outcrops on the river of the same name from the vicinity of dock levelling in the province towards the South-West over the course of the River towards the province of Catamarca and Tucumán; It's a grey pink rock with small local variations in colour, medium-small grain, rich in biotite and fresh appearance. The body presents a fracturing and is quite a bit diaclased. Contact granite are bodies of pegmatites carrying minerals of uranium, niobium and tantalum. The granite of the Potrerillos saw from San Ignacio is strong pink, fresh appearance and large grain. At the Summit of such saw displayed a granite grey pink colouration of large grain and fresh appearance.

U-Ta-Nb MINERAL OF SAN IGNACIO-CUMBRE DE LOS PINOS GRANITE, TUCUMÁN-CATAMARCA: Was reported the second occurrence in Argentina of uranium-tantalum-niobium oxide crystals, which are associated to the quartz-muscovite pegmatite of San Ignacio and Cumbre de los Pinos granites, province of Catamarca and Tucumán. The mineral was studied by petrographic, XRD and SEM-EDAX techniques. It forms small, pale yellow to ochre crystals (~ 1 mm) or aggregates that occur among the pegmatite columbite-tantalite grains and muscovite flakes. The idealized formula for this species could be: A1-2B2O6(O,OH,F).nH2O. The presence of U partially (or completely?) oxidized, U4+ to U6+, or (UO2)++, as well as small amounts of Ca, Al, Fe and Ti, is noteworthy. This mineral is found as an alteration product of columbite-tantalite.

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References