The Igarape Bahia gold mine is located in the Carajds region, Para State, northern Brazil. The area is a typical example ofsupergene gold mineralization related to gossans, where superimposed lateritization processes obliterated their upper horizon and gave rise to new and wider dispersion of gold and of other metals, with meaningful consequences for geological exploration in this environment. An exploration program in this area was carried out by Docegeo, a subsidiary of "Companhia Vale do Rio Doce - CVRD", which is the sponsor of the Carajds mining district and, currently, is also minigfor gold at Igarape Bahia.

The Igarape Bahia Au-Cu-(REE-U) deposit is located in the Carajas Mineral Province - Northern Brazil - and is hosted by an Archaean low-grade metamorphosed volcanosedimentary sequence characterized by metavolcanic rocks of the footwall and metavolcanoclastic/metasedimentary rocks of the hangwall. An intense hydrothermal alteration occurred in this sequence, promoting intense chloritization, Fe-metasomatism, Cu-sulphidation (chalcopyrite and bornite), carbonatization, silicification, tourmalinization and biotitization.