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La Coipa

Producer in Chile with commodities Gold, Silver
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Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Commodities
  6. Materials information
  7. Alteration
  8. Mineral occurrence model information
  9. Host and associated rocks
  10. Nearby scientific data
  11. Ore body information
  12. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  13. Mining district
  14. Ownership information
  15. Reserves and resources
  16. Links to other databases
  17. Bibliographic references
  18. General comments
  19. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10058035
MRDS ID TC03761
Record type Site
Current site name La Coipa
Alternate or previous names Ore Bodies: Coipa Norte, Can Can, Don Eduardo, La Dera, Farellon
Related records 10206675

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -69.26618, -26.83081 (WGS84)
Elevation 4100
Relative position 130KM NE OF COPIAPO

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Chile(country)

South America(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country
Chile

Comments on the location information

  • IN THE DOMEYKO CORDILLARA

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Silver Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Argentite Ore
Bornite Ore
Cerargyrite Ore
Chalcocite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Covellite Ore
Electrum Ore
Embolite Ore
Enargite Ore
Galena Ore
Gold Ore
Pyrite Ore
Silver Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Tennantite Ore
Tetrahedrite Ore
Alunite Gangue
Barite Gangue
Dickite Gangue
Gypsum Gangue
Illite Gangue
Jarosite Gangue
Kaolinite Gangue
Sericite Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Silicification Occurs In Brecciated Zones, Is Dominant In Upper Parts Of Coipa Norte; Advanced Argillic (Alunite-Kaolinite-+/- Dickite-Quartz) Associated With High Grade Au In Coipa Norte And Farellon, In Deep Part Of Ladera; Occurs As Stockwork Veins; Intermediate Agrillic (Illite-Smectite +/- Sericite) Peripherial To Ore Zones (Some Ag-Rich Lenses In Clays); Vuggy Silica, Dominant Above Ladera Ore Body; Supergene (Jarosite-Goethite +/- Gypsum +/- Barite).

Analytical data

Result 1.5 G/T AU
Result 149 G/T AG
Result 220 G/T CU INITIAL MINING EXTRACTED 5-7 OZ/T AG
Result OVIEDO AND OTHERS (1991) SHOW PROFILES FOR CU, AS, PB, HG, ZN, AG, AU IN DIFFERENT BODIES.

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 154
USGS model code 25e
Deposit model name Epithermal quartz-alunite Au
Mark3 model number 38

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Dacite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Sandstone

Nearby scientific data

(1) -69.26618, -26.83081
ListMap

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Name COIPA NORTE
    General form SEMITABULAR, MUSHROOM-SHAPED
    Dip }}}}}
    Length 4000M
  • Name FARELLON
    General form SEMITABULAR, MUSHROOM-SHAPED
    Dip }}}}}
  • Name CADERA
    General form SEMITABULAR, MUSHROOM-SHAPED
    Dip }}}}}
  • Name CAN CAN
    General form SEMITABULAR, MUSHROOM-SHAPED
    Dip }}}}}
  • Name DON EDUARDO
    General form SEMITABULAR, MUSHROOM-SHAPED
    Dip }}}}}

Comments on the geologic information

  • LOCATED IN IGNIMBRITES, LITHIC TUFFS, AND THREE DACITE DOMES NEAR DOWN-DROPPED BLOCK OF A CALDERA; MORE RECENT EXPLORATION HAS FOCUSSED WITHIN JURASSIC SEDIMENTS.
  • 15.5 +/- 0.5 MA, 17.3 +/- 0.5 MA, 20.2 +/- 0.6 MA ON ALUNITE IN ROCKS OF 23 MA. MAXIMUM AGE 22-33 MA BASED ON VEINS IN DACITE DOME.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Medium
Significant No
Discovery year 1981

Mining district

District name La Coipa, Maricunga

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner Compania Minera Mantos De Oro (Placer Dome - 50%) And Consolidated Tvx Mining Group (50%)

Comments on the production information

  • WILL PRODUCE 300,000 OZ OF GOLD PER ANNUM AT FULL PRODUCTION OVER A 12-YEAR LIFE. AU PRODUCTION EXPECTED TO BE 2.2 MILLION OZ AND AG PRODUCTION EXPECTED TO BE 142 MILLION OZ DURING MINE LIFE.

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1989
    Total resources 51400000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Gold Au 1.43 g/mt Gold Major 1989
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1991
    Total resources 120000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Silver Ag 59.096 g/mt Silver Major 1991

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • COIPA NORTE CONTAINS 9,100,00T OF 0.006 G/T AU AND 171 G/T AG. AU AND AG CONTAINED METAL. ORE BODY 4, 2, 3 BASED ON AVERAGE CUTOFF GRADE OF 1.0 G/MT AU EQUIVALENT.

Comments on development

  • IN LATE 18TH CENTURY AND EARLY 19TH CENTURY PRECIOUS METALS PROSPECT WAS RECOGNIZED IN AREA 2 KM SE OF MAIN ORE BODY. BY 1911 THERE WAS A SMALL UNDERGROUND CU-AG MINE THAT WAS WORKED INTERMITTENTLY. IN 1970'S, SMALL MINERS DISCOVERED DON EDUARDO ORE BODY. 1981- EXPLORACIONES Y MINERALES SIERRA MORENA S.A. (SMSA) SUBSIDIARY OF PHELPS DODGE AND LATER GOLDFIELDS MINING CORP. DID 1750 SOIL SAMPLES AND FOUND SEVERAL ANOMALOUS AG (900 PPM) AND AU (12 PPM) AREAS. IN 1982, 60 M LONG CHANNEL SAMPLE GAVE 668.7 G/MT AG. THIS LED TO PERCUSSION DRILLING AND DISCOVERY OF LADERA ZONE. DRILLING AND EXPLORATION CONTINUED 1982-1985 WITH 90000 M OF DRILLING AND 800 M OF UNDERGROUND. SMALL PIT DESIGNED TO EXPLOIT 1.2 MILLION MT LADERA ORE BODY AT 1000 MT/DAY BY MILLING, LEACHING, BELT FILTRATION, USING MERRILL-CROWE PROCESS. ; TOTAL$: 276 ; MILL$: 250 ; ECON.YEAR: 1991 ; ECON.COM: MILL TO BE COMPLETED BY FIRST HALF OF 1991. ; MILL.CAP : 16,500T/D

Reference information

Bibliographic references

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit Discovery Year: 1980-1982
Deposit GENERALIZED DESCRIPTION, LOW AU-HIGH AG IN SHALES, SANDSTONES AND TUFFS IMMEDIATELY OVER TRIASSIC. HIGH AU-LOW AG IN FRACTURES AND FAULTS. COIPA NORTE IS DELIMINATED BY NE-SW FAULTS AND FARELLON AND CADERA BY NNE-SSW STRUCTURES. CADERA HAS HIGH AG CONTENT.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-SEP-1990 Williams, William C. University of Arizona
Updater 01-NOV-1993 Page, Norman J. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

Supplemental information added by qvyshift.com. Not part of the original USGS MRDS record.

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