Caracterización geoquímica y mineralógica de esmeraldas del Cinturón Esmeraldífero Oriental y Occidental como base para su diferenciación : caso de estudio : Chivor y Muzo (Colombia)

Abstract

Colombian emeralds, recognized worldwide for their gem quality, are found in the Eastern Cordillera, and are distributed along two prominent parallel belts: The Western Emerald Belt and the Eastern Emerald Belt, represented by the Muzo and Chivor mining districts, respectively. These emeraldiferous corridors were part of the Colombian Cretaceous sedimentary basin, which, under the influence of diverse geological parameters, managed to concentrate particular geochemical anomalies in each region, which allowed establishing criteria to differentiate both belts at a geochemical and mineralogical level. This work aims to define solid criteria to differentiate the Muzo and Chivor regions, providing information for the identification of the distinctive characteristics of these two important mining districts in Colombia.