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La Escondida

Producer in Chile with commodities Copper, Molybdenum, Lead, Zinc, Silver, Gold
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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. Host and associated rocks
  9. Nearby scientific data
  10. Ore body information
  11. Controls for ore emplacement
  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 10058041
MRDS ID TC03767
Record type Site
Current site name La Escondida
Alternate or previous names Econdida
Related records 10303825

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -69.08284, -24.25084 (WGS84)
Elevation 3326
Relative position 158 KM SE OF ANTOFAGASTA.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Chile(country)

South America(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country
Chile

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Copper Primary
Molybdenum Secondary
Lead Secondary
Zinc Critical Secondary
Silver Secondary
Gold Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Bornite Ore
Chalcocite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Covellite Ore
Galena Ore
Molybdenite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Biotite Gangue
Chlorite Gangue
Feldspar Gangue
Goethite Gangue
Hematite Gangue
Jarosite Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Silicic, Phyllic, And Argillic Zones 5km X 9km; Propylitic Halo Is 2km X 3km. Also Potassic Alteration. A Correlation Is Displayed Between Hypogene Alteration Mineralogy And Mobility Of Copper In The Supergene Environment.

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Oligocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Oligocene
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Intermediate Volcanic Rock > Andesite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Intermediate Volcanic Rock > Andesite

Nearby scientific data

(1) -69.08284, -24.25084
ListMap

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Thickness 500M
    Length 4500M
    Width 1000M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Along Falla Oeste

Comments on the geologic information

  • GEOL.COM: LEAD DATA: 206/204 - 18.598; 207/204 - 15.616; 208/204 - 38.566

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Large
Significant No
Discovery year 1981
Discoverer Minera Utah De Chile Inc. And Getty Mining Inc.

Mining district

District name La Escondida

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner Sociedad Minera Escondida, Limitada Exploration
  • Type Joint Venture Partner
    Owner Minera Utah De Chile Inc.
    Interest 60
  • Type Joint Venture Partner
    Owner Rtz Escondida Holdings Ltd.
    Interest 30
  • Type Joint Venture Partner
    Owner Japan Escondida Corp.
    Interest 10

Comments on the production information

  • SHIPMENTS OF COPPER CONCENTRATE TO JAPAN SMELTERS TO COMMENCE IN DECEMBER, 1990. CAPACITY OF 290,000T/YEAR. JUNE 1994: PRODUCED 27068 TONS OF CU; JULY 1994, 50 3 OZ TONS CU; 13174 OZ OF AU IN JULY 1994.

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1989
    Total resources 662000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper Cu 2.4 wt-pct Copper Major 1989
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1988
    Total resources 18000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper Cu 1.59 wt-pct Copper Major 1988

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • 0.7% TCU CUT-OFF; OPEN PIT MINABLE RESERVES OF 662 MILLION METRIC TONS.

Comments on the workings information

  • TO BE MINED WITH OPEN PIT. ULTIMATELY THE PIT WILL EXTEND 2.1 KM IN AN E-W DIRECTION AND REACH A DEPTH OF 500 M. DURING THE FIRST 5 YEARS THE STRIPPING RATIO WILL AVERAGE 5.6 TO 1 WITH 2.95 TO 1 OVER THE MINE LIFE.

Comments on development

  • TOTAL$: 1,400 ; ECON.COM: 35,000 T/D MILL PLANNED. ESCONDIDA WILL BECOME ONE OF THE WORLD'S LOWER COST COPPER PRODUCERS. IT WILL BE THE WORLD'S THIRD LARGEST COPPER MINE.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit EL0NGATE NORTH-SOUTH. FIRST DRILL HOLE ENCOUNTERED LEACHED ZONE TO 240M WITH CHALCOCITE ZONE AT 52M (1.51% CU DECREASING THEREAFTER TO ) 0.8% CU); THREE OTHER DRILL HOLES INTERSECTED A 128M THICK ENRICHED ZONE GRADING 0.68-1.52% CU.
Deposit TC00078 HAS BEEN COMBINED WITH THIS RECORD AND DELETED.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-OCT-1989 Bolm, Karen S. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-SEP-1990 Williams, William C. University of Arizona
Updater 02-MAR-1995 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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