Poopó

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Poopó Province, Oruro, Bolivia

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Key Information

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  • Poopó, in Bolivia’s Oruro Department, is a high-altitude mineral locality known for rare minerals like cylindrite.

  • It features a cold, semi-arid climate, with Lake Poopó drying up in 2015 due to climate change and mining impacts.

  • The area produces 55 minerals, including cassiterite and galena, with mines operating on hydrothermal veins in Paleozoic sediments.

  • Local culture blends Quechua and Aymara traditions, with agriculture and mining shaping the economy, though lake loss affected fishing communities.

  • Mining history includes tin, silver, and lead, with some mines still active, but environmental pollution from mining is a concern.

Geographic Location

Poopó is located in the Poopó Province of the Oruro Department, Bolivia, on the Altiplano plateau at a high altitude. It lies east of the Desaguadero River, connecting Uru Uru Lake and the now-dry Lake Poopó, which was once the second-largest lake in Bolivia. The region is surrounded by the Andes, with notable peaks like Chachakumani and Chuqi Nasa, and is part of a vast high-altitude plain stretching across South America.

Minerals and Geology

Poopó is renowned for its mineral wealth, with 55 valid minerals recorded, including rare finds like cylindrite (a type locality at the Santa Cruz Mine) and franckeite. Other significant minerals include cassiterite, galena, sphalerite, and stannite. The geological structure features hydrothermal veins within Paleozoic sediments, formed by the intersection of the Altiplano and South America tectonic plates, making it a hotspot for polymetallic deposits.

Mining and History

Mining in Poopó has historically focused on tin, silver, lead, zinc, and antimony, with the Santa Cruz Mine being famous for cylindrite specimens. Some mines, like those with tin-lead-silver veins, are still sporadically active, reflecting a legacy of mineral extraction that has shaped the local economy.

Culture and Community

The local culture is a rich blend of Quechua and Aymara traditions, with Spanish as the main language (86%), alongside Quechua (78%) and Aymara (22%). The population, at 16,986 in 2024, relies heavily on agriculture (61%), with mining (12%) and services (22%) also significant. The drying up of Lake Poopó in 2015 has devastated fishing-dependent communities, impacting both economy and cultural identity, with 45.2% of the population under 15 in 1992 highlighting a young demographic.

Climate and Ecology

The region has a cold, semi-arid climate, with high evaporation rates worsened by climate change since 1995, tripling water loss. Lake Poopó, designated a Ramsar site in 2002, dried up by December 2015, affecting 34 aquatic bird species, including flamingos, and 3 fish species. Pollution from mining, with elevated heavy metals like arsenic and lead, has further degraded the ecosystem, declared a disaster zone in January 2016.

Citations

Wikipedia