Rio Negro

About Rio Negro Projects

In Rio Negro province, Argentex holds 100% mining rights to 12 prospective properties totaling 113,737 acres (46,028 hectares). The properties are in the Los Menucos epithermal silver-gold region of the Somuncura Massif located approximately 620 miles (1,000 kilometers) southwest of Buenos Aires.

Although at an earlier stage of exploration, the regional geological setting of the emerging gold area of Somuncura Massif, where the Argentex claims are located, is geologically similar to the Deseado Massif in Santa Cruz.

The company's claims in this area cover prospective geology (Permo Triassic aged volcanics) noted for hosting epithermal silver-gold occurrences. Argentex has created value on this originally unexplored real estate, identifying two significant and separate gold discoveries. Visible gold has been discovered in highly oxidized outcrops but extents of the mineralization remain open ended and untested by trenching or drilling.

About Rio Negro Province, Argentina

Rio Negro is located at the northern edge of Patagonia. Neighboring provinces are from the south clockwise Chubut, Neuquén, Mendoza, La Pampa and Buenos Aires. To the east lies the Atlantic Ocean.

Argentina's ninth-largest, Rio Negro's economy is a diversified service-based one with vigorous agricultural and light manufacturing sectors. Its 2006 output was an estimated US$5.4 billion, or, US$9,800 per capita (about 12% above the national average). The province's agriculture (about 10% of output) is concentrated in the fertile valleys of the Río Negro River, specially at the Alto Valle but also at the Valle Medio. The province produces almost 70% of the apples and pears of the country, most it for exportation with 38% of it as fresh fruit and 40% as juice concentrate, through the port of San Antonio Oeste.

In the Valle Medio, besides apples and pears, tomatoes (specially around Lamarque), onions and other fresh vegetables are produced for local and national consumption. The crops around the city of El Bolsón are mainly berries, and hops with 70% of the national production.

Outside the most fertile valleys used for agriculture cattle (specially on the North), goats (on the South) and sheep are raised. 13% of the national sheep meat and wool production comes from the Río Negro Province.

There is a relatively small petroleum extraction area around the town of Catriel near General Roca, but it cannot be compared with those in other provinces such as Santa Cruz and Neuquén. Most of what is extracted is taken non-processed to plants in the Buenos Aires Province. There is also some mining activity for diatomite, gypsum, salt and others.

Industrial fishing takes place in the Atlantic Ocean waters of the San Matías Gulf with an annual recollection of 11,000 tons of fishes, and 8,000 of seafood. Hake, squid, and shellfishs are the most common capture, most of which are frozen and exported.

Manufacturing and light industries are concentrated mostly in the Alto Valle (especially food processing, but also other industries), with some industries in Viedma and in Bariloche. High-tech industries concentrate in Bariloche: the most noteworthy being a state-owned firm called INVAP which produces, among other things, nuclear reactors and satellite components. Nuclear research is carried on at the Centro Atomico Bariloche, dependent on the Comision Nacional de Energia Atomica, and the Instituto Balseiro awards degrees in Physics, Nuclear Engineering and other hard sciences to a handful of rigorously selected students every year.

Source: Wikipedia