Pachuca Range Explained

The Pachuca Range (Sierra de Pachuca) is a mountain range in the Sierra Madre Oriental of central Mexico, in the state of Hidalgo.^[1]

History and etymology

The mountains were named Pachoacan (Pachyohcan) (place of hay) by the native Nahuatl speakers,^[2] although there are also a variety of other theories about the origin and meaning of the name.^[3] The earliest recorded settlement name is "Pachuquillo" a diminutive of Pachuca. Later the town of Pachuca de Soto and the municipality were named Pachuca.

Geography

The Pachucas form the northeastern boundary of Mezquital Valley.^[4] They trend northwest–southeast and run about 45km (28miles) from Cerro Monte Noble in the north to Real del Monte at the southeast.^[5]

Geology

The surface rocks are volcanics beginning with Miocene andesites and microdiorites followed by alkaline basalts.^{[6] [7]}

The rocks are highly mineralized and contain ores of gold, silver, lead zinc, mercury and other metals.^[8] The mining districts of Pachuca and Real del Monte lie on opposite sides of the Pachucas.

Notes and references

Notes and References

1. Web site: Hidalgo: Regionalización . Enciclopedia de los Municipios de México . https://web.archive.org/web/20170623040122/http://siglo.inafed.gob.mx/enciclopedia/EMM13hidalgo/regionalizacion.html . 23 June 2017 . live . dmy.
2. Book: Vargas, Gerardo Bravo . Etimología de Pachuca . Nepapan Tlaca . Mexico . es . 978-607-00-4908-8.
3. Web site: Pachuca de Soto . Enciclopedia de los Municipios de México . https://web.archive.org/web/20141119233718/http://www.e-local.gob.mx/work/templates/enciclo/EMM13hidalgo/municipios/13048a.html . 19 November 2014 . dead . dmy . 5 August 2018 .
4. Ordoñez . Ezequiel . 1902 . The Mining District of Pachuca, Mexico . Transactions of the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers . 32 . 224–241 .
5. Book: Segerstrom, Kenneth . 1962 . Geology of South-central Hidalgo and Northeastern Mexico, Mexico . Geological Survey Bulletin 1104-C . United States Geological Survey (printed by U.S. Government Printing Office) . Washington, D.C. .
6. Cantagrel . Jean-Marie . Robin . Claude . 1979 . K-Ar dating on eastern Mexican volcanic rocks—relations between the andesitic and the alkaline provinces . Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research . 5 . 1/2 . 99–114 . 10.1016/0377-0273(79)90035-0.
7. Book: Spurr, Josiah Edward . 1905 . Chapter IX: Comparison with similar ore deposits elsewhere . Geology of the Tonopah Mining District, Nevada . United States Geological Survey . Washington, D.C. . 267 .
8. Bastin . Edson Sunderland . 1948 . Mineral relationships in the ores of Pachuca and Real del Monte, Hidalgo, Mexico . Economic Geology . 43 . 1 . 53–65 . 10.2113/gsecongeo.43.1.53 .