The Geology and Mineral Resources of Northern Haïti.

The geology of Northern Haïti corresponds to a volcanic arc of Meso-Cenozoic Age that can be traced from Central Cuba, through the Dominican Republic and forms part of the mountains of the Massif du Nord Group in Haïti oriented NW-SE. This group is composed of volcanic tuffs and lavas from the volcanic belt, ranging in composition from felsic, through intermediate, to mafic and ultramafic rocks. The belt is composed of numerous lenticular bodies of lavas and pyroclastic material of felsic composition, varying from dacite to rhyolite, embedded in a thick series of andesites with lesser amounts of basalts and with numerous intercalations of radiolarians cherts, carbonate rocks, and tuffs. Copper and gold are the two main ore types in the area. Copper is usually found associated with the porphyritic facies, the apophyses microtonalitics, and the silicified zones, filling fissures and fractures, as well as disseminated. Within the quartz vein systems, the copper is contained in the chalcopyrite, while the gold appears both as native gold and as a very fine disseminated gold in the sulphide zone. It can also form spectacular concentrations on the oxidised cap. Gold is usually found associated with the chlorite, as well as in grains of pyrite and chalcopyrite. A second generation of gold is found associated to the quartz and the chlorite. The gold content is extremely variable, with some samples reaching up to 226 g/t on surface. As a rule of thumb, the more chalcopyrite, the greater the gold content. However, the reverse is not always true, since there is also gold associated to quartz and chlorite. Gold rich quartz veins are usually enriched in Cu, Pb, Zn, Ba, Mn, Mo, Cr, and Ti, and depleted of Ag, Hg, As, Bi, Th, U, Sr, Rb, Ir, Se, and F. The Author conducted a thorough exploration program while he was working for St. Genéviève Resources Ltd. (SGV). The program included geological mapping, geophysical and geochemical surveys, trenching and diamond drilling, as well as metallurgical studies. The program stopped when the political situation in Haïti deteriorated to a point when SGV was forced to leave the country. We systematically drilled the known targets and discovered several new mineralized points elsewhere within the limits of the studied area. Also, the Author completed a compilation of all the data from the UN and the BRG exploration programs in the region. The ore potential of Northern Haïti remains important and with a more stable political situation and with the latest advances in the hydrometallurgical process to produce both copper and gold presented by Inotel Inc., I believe that the work should be completed.海地北部的地质构造对应一条中新生代（Meso-Cenozoic）火山弧，该火山弧可追溯至古巴中部，途经多米尼加共和国，构成海地北部地块群（Massif du Nord Group）内NW-SE走向的山地组成部分。该地块群由该火山带的火山凝灰岩与熔岩组成，岩石成分从长英质、中性质延伸至镁铁质及超镁铁质岩石。该火山带由众多长英质成分的熔岩与火山碎屑透镜状体组成，岩性从英安岩（dacite）至流纹岩（rhyolite）不等，赋存于一套厚层安山岩系中，该岩系含少量玄武岩，并夹有大量放射虫燧石、碳酸盐岩及凝灰岩。 该区域的主要矿石类型为铜与金。铜通常赋存于斑岩相、细英云闪长岩岩枝及硅化带中，充填于裂隙与节理内，亦呈浸染状产出。 在石英脉系中，铜以黄铜矿形式赋存；而金则以自然金及极细浸染状形式存在于硫化物带中，亦可在氧化帽中形成极具规模的富集体。 金通常与绿泥石伴生，亦赋存于黄铁矿及黄铜矿的晶粒中。第二期金则与石英及绿泥石伴生。金的品位变化极大，部分地表样品的金含量可达226克/吨。经验表明，黄铜矿含量越高，金的品位也越高，但反之并不尽然，因为亦有金与石英及绿泥石伴生的情况。 富金石英脉通常富含铜、铅、锌、钡、锰、钼、铬及钛，而贫银、汞、砷、铋、钍、铀、锶、铷、铱、硒及氟。 笔者任职于圣热纳维耶芙资源有限公司（St. Genéviève Resources Ltd., SGV）期间，曾牵头开展一项全面的勘探项目，内容涵盖地质填图、物探与化探测量、槽探、金刚石钻探以及冶金试验研究。 后因海地政局恶化至SGV被迫撤离该国，该项目被迫中止。此前我们已针对已知靶区开展系统性钻探，并在研究区内其他位置发现了多处新的矿化点。此外，笔者还完成了该区域内联合国及BRG勘探项目所有数据的汇编工作。 海地北部的矿石资源潜力依然可观，若政局趋于稳定，再结合Inotel公司最新推出的铜金联合湿法冶金工艺，笔者认为该项目理应继续推进并完成。