Gold Occurrences in Central America

Map of Central America

With the exception of Belize gold is found throughout Central America to the extent that the area has become a Mecca for gold seekers.  The big attraction is the chain of volcanoes that reaches from one end to the other going north to south.  Central America is also one of the youngest landmasses on Earth that hardly exceeds 5 million years old.  The lode gold deposits are all epithermal deposits in nature where the gold is deposited in concentric rings around the volcanoes in the many shear zones in the area.

Recently the level of gold exploration in Central America has increased because the region is not well explored and one might say it is under explored. At the present time ounce of gold carries a high price tag combined with the laws of all the nations in Central America that for the most part are pro-mining and exploration.

The very formation of Central America as an island arc of volcanic islands that was in filled by sediments from both North and South America would be enough to form gold deposits.  Most of the lode deposits found in Central America are epithermal in nature associated with volcanism forming in fault and shear zones.  The volcanism is formed by the Cocos Plate being subducted beneath the area west of Central America just offshore.

Several gold mining companies started exploring the area during the late 1990s in the long isthmus that connects the America’s finding the whole of Central America is spotted with high grade gold deposits.  Central America may prove to be one of the premier gold bearing areas on earth.  Success prospecting Central America will prove to be more successful for those companies that strive for community support among the inhabitants rather then the old time methods of dig and run leaving a mess behind.  This will also help them to get exploration permits leading to the development of a mine if it is economically feasible.

Central America is about the size of the Yukon Territory of Canada but contains several countries all of which except one have gold deposits.  The one exception is Belize that does not contain any reported gold deposits.  Throughout most of the area are mining laes similar to those found in Canada meaning overall they are friendly to the mining community.

Now that the price of gold is hovering around US$1,600.00 per ounce has caused a significant number of grassroots discoveries of gold throughout the region.  Central America is a virtual treasure chest of minerals, more then gold is found there.  One nation, Panama is estimated to hold the largest copper deposit in the whole world.  It is not only a miner’s paradise but one for investors too.