Jadeite is a very rare mineral. There are only ten jadeite deposits in the world. The Motagua Valley in Guatemala, where the jade for Joya Energía is extracted, is one of the most important deposits in the world. This deposit has a particularity that is not found in any other part of the planet: American scientists from the Department of Planetary Sciences of the American Museum of Natural History, discovered in Guatemala two jadeite deposits, of different ages and different mineralogy. This is indeed a unique event! The ancient Mesoamerican people were fully supplied from these sources of jadeite.
Guatemala extends over an area of 109,000 km2.It is mainly located on the North American tectonic plate. This plate is next to the Cocos, along the Pacific coast, to the south of the country. In front of the Cocos plate is the Caribbean plate. The movement of the plates is the cause of volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and faults.
The jadeite deposits are on the edge of a great fault, the fault of Motagua. This natural gap is situated between the North American tectonic plate and the Caribbean plate. The geology of these two plates is very different. That’s why the jade found in the North and the jade found in the South of the fault are different too.
According to studies made by George E. Harlow, from the Planetary Sciences Department of the American Museum of Natural History, the oldest jades are found at the Southern side and their age is estimated between 113 and 125 million years. To the north, the jadeites are younger, between 65 and 77 million years.
What is the jadeite geological environment?
So there is jadeite on the ground, it’s necessary to have a serpentinite, a metamorphic rock formed through the magma and sediments on the ground, which gets its name because of its resemblance to snake skin and scales. It is also necessary to consider the blue schists belts and eclogites, as well as major faults, such as the Motagua one.
The serpentinites that are found in the north of Guatemala does not have the same characteristics as the ones in the south. It is a unique feature: there is no other place on Earth with two belts of different rocks like this. To the North of the Motagua fault, several jadeite deposits are alluvial, where small closed blocks of degraded serpentinite were formed. Here, several jadeites are white, grayish or green; there is very little Imperial jade, usually only in lodes or perforations in white or dark green jade.
To the south side of the Motagua fault, the new jade from Guatemala, recently discovered in 1999, contains several alluvial deposits. However some large blocks retain their edges with embedded serpentinite. The beautiful jades are translucent, sometimes blue and green. They look like small clouds. There are also jades with very strong blue veins. They are magnificent and unique jades in the world.
Guatemala has a huge network of caves. The pouring water below the limestone rocks dug the soil for millions of years. Underground rivers, sinkholes, caves … Guatemala makes speleologists and passionate geologists very happy people.
Below Guatemala, there is a confluence of three tectonic plates. This explains the 30 volcanoes and earthquakes in this country. Four volcanoes are active: Pacaya, the Fuego volcano, Santiaguito and Tacaná. To the north is the North American plate. To the south, the Caribbean plate and to the west the Coco plate.
ALFA