Argentina's San Juan province ordered Barrick Gold Corp's Veladero mine to suspend some activities after a pipe became decoupled, state-run news agency Telam reported on Thursday.

Reuters could not immediately reach the provincial government to confirm the report. A spokesman for Barrick said the company was confirming its understanding of the order.

Barrick said on Wednesday the decoupling of a pipeline carrying gold and silver solution late on Tuesday posed no threat to the environment.

Operations at the mine were temporarily suspended last September after falling ice damaged a pipe and spilled some ore saturated with cyanide solution over a berm, or raised bank. One year earlier, there was a spill of cyanide solution at the mine, due to an equipment failure.