THE CU B A R B V I i: \\ 1!) 



in Cuba— those of the Caledonia, Cayoguan group, and Potosi claims are aear the 

 Qortheasl coasl of Oriente, In a region difficull of access. They may yield 72,500 to 



possibly 130,000 t <>iis of ore, hkisI of which can be brought to present com rclal 



grade by simple concent ration. Willi suitable transportation facilities and mining 

 equipment and sufficienl labor mosl of tliis ore could be mined and shipped within 

 two years after these conditions had been established; At the time of the examina- 

 tion only one deposit was ready for production and on a very small scale, but it 

 seemed that the rate of production could he greatly Increased by the employment of 

 more miners and pack animals. II would require some time to put the Other deposits 

 in tins region in shape for production. 



The next largest known group of deposits is near Camaguey. They are very 

 easy of across, hut are of lower grade than those in Oriente Province. They appear 

 to contain 2II.OOO to 10,000 Ions of ore, most of which can be gathered by hand from 

 the surface. 



Near Matanzas, Cardenas and Holgufo there are small slocks of ore thai are 

 ready for shipment, perhaps 1,000 tons in all. The ore near Holguin is of medium 

 grade, bul thai near Matanzas and Cardenas is generally of lower made. The ex- 

 pense of hauling the ore is reported to be almost prohibitive. 



MANGANESE ORES— DISTRIBUTIONS OF DEPOSITS 



Manganese ore is found in Cuba in Oriente, Santa Clara and Pinar del Rio 

 Provinces, but only in Oriente Province does it occur in large commercial quantities. 

 In Oriente Province the deposits are in three areas, one north and northeast of 

 Santiago de Cuba, another south of Bayamo and Baire, and the third on the Caribbean 

 coast between Torquino Peak and Portillo. The first two include the only extensive 

 deposits on the island. In Santa Clara Province a little ore has been found near 

 Caribbean coast west of Trinidad, and in Pinar del Rio Province a little ore occurs 

 north of the City of Pinar del Rio and farther west near Mendoza. All these deposits 

 were examined, but as only the deposits in the two areas in Oriente Province men- 

 tioned above give promise of considerable production only these will be described 

 here. 



GEOLOGIC AND TOPOGRAPHIC FEATURKS 



The manganese ores of Cuba occur principally in sedimentary rocks such as 

 limestone, sandstone and shale, which are in places metamorphosed, but in the most 

 heavily mineralized localities are associated with masses of siliceous rock locally 

 termed "jasper" and "bayate." At one locality the manganese and its siliceous asso- 

 ciates are in igneous rocks, such as latite-porphyry and latite. 



The sedimentary rocks with which the manganese deposits are associated are 

 in some places nearly horizontal but generally show dips ranging from a few degrees 

 to 45 degrees or more. These inclined beds usually represent portions of local folds. 

 Some faulting is shown in the vicinity of certain manganese deposits and may have 

 influenced the localization of the deposits. 



The area north of Santiago and that south of Bayamo are both north of the 

 mountain range known as the Sierra Maestra, but that on the coast east of Portillo 

 is at the south base of this range. The area north of Santiago is, broadly speaking. 

 in the basin formed by the Sierra Maestra on the south and the sierras de Nipe and 

 del Cristal on the north, the greater pari of which is drained westward by Rio Canto 

 and its tributaries, and small parts <d' it by Rio Purgatorio and Rio Guantanamo to 

 the south and east. The deposits of manganese ore are found on both sides of the 

 basin. The deposits in the area south of Bayamo are in the foothills of the Sierra 

 Maestra, drained by Buey, Bayamo, Yao and Cautillo Rivers. 



The deposits in the two areas north of the Sierra Maestra show an interesting 



