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Toquepala Mine

Producer in Tacna, Peru with commodities Copper, Molybdenum, Silver, Gold, Zinc
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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. Geologic structures
  12. Ore body information
  13. Controls for ore emplacement
  14. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  15. Mining district
  16. Land status
  17. Ownership information
  18. Production statistics
  19. Reserves and resources
  20. Workings at the site
  21. Links to other databases
  22. Bibliographic references
  23. General comments
  24. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10068788
MRDS ID W002039
Record type Site
Current site name Toquepala Mine
Alternate or previous names Pampa Negra, Toquepala Copper Mine
Related records 10206863

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -70.6079, -17.26435 (WGS84)
Elevation 3555
Relative position 2 KM N OF CERRO MINAS, 22 KM NNW OF ILABAYA, 92 KM N OF TACNA, 1293 KM SOUTH OF LIMA.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Tacna(province)

Peru(country)

South America(continent)

Land(continent)

Federal lands

Federal(land status)

Geographic areas

Country State
Peru Tacna
Peru Tacna

Comments on the location information

  • COORDNATES FOR ARBITRARY POINT WITHIN OPEN PIT

Commodities

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

Comments on the commodity information

  • CU PRODUCTION 25.38% OF NATIONAL OUTPUT (1990)

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Bornite Ore
Chalcocite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Molybdenite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Pyrite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Tourmaline Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Hydrothermal Alteration - The Zone Of Alteration Is Slightly Larger Than The Ore Body, In Contrast To Most Porphyry Copper Deposits. Alteration Fades Out Gradually Around The Periphery Of The Ore Body. Alteration Is Characterized By Nearly Complete Conversion Of All Rock Types. To Quartz And Mixed Sericite And Clay With Concomitant Destruction Of Original Textures. Areas Of Strongest Alteration Generally Have The Highest Sulfide Content Particularly Of Chalcopyrite

Analytical data

Result CONCENTRATE CONTAIN: CU 25-28%, AG 20 OZ/ST, AG TRACE, S 34-36%, FE 24-28%, AL2O3 2-3%, PB 0.05-0.1%, AS 0.08-0.12%, SE 0.003-0.008%, NI 0.004-0.005%

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 53
USGS model code 17
Deposit model name Porphyry Cu
Mark3 model number 4
Model code 79
USGS model code 21a
Deposit model name Porphyry Cu-Mo
Mark3 model number 2

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Paleocene
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Pyroclastic Rock > Volcanic Breccia (Agglomerate)
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Dacite
    Rock unit name Toquepala Pluton (Dacite);Yarabamba Subunit (Diorite);Cret-Etert
    Rock description Toquepala Pluton (Dacite);Yarabamba Subunit (Diorite);Cret-Etert
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Early Eocene
    Stratigraphic age (oldest) Late Paleocene
    Chronological age 63
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Rhyolite
    Rock unit name Toquepala
    Rock description Toquepala

Nearby scientific data

(1) -70.6079, -17.26435
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Incapuquio (Micalaco) Fault N50w With A Possible Sinistral Component Of Shear

Ore body information

  • General form MUSHROOM SHAPED
    Thickness 400M
    Length 1800M
    Width 800M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Breccias Comprise A Large Part Of The Altered Rock And The Orebody. N50-55e 500m Wide Shear Zone

Comments on the geologic information

  • TOQUEPALA HAS CERTAIN RESEMBLANCE TO EL TENIENTE (BRADEN) COPPER DEPOSIT IN CENTRAL CHILE.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Large
Significant No
Discovery year 1937
Discoverer O.C. Schmedeman (Cerro De Pasco Copper Corp.)
Year of first production 1959

Mining district

District name Toquepala

Land status

Ownership category Federal

Ownership information

  • Type Joint Venture Owner
    Owner Southern Peru Copper Corp.
  • Type Joint Venture Partner
    Owner Asarco (American Smelting And Refining Co.)
    Interest 52.31
  • Type Joint Venture Partner
    Owner Harman Group
    Interest 20.7
  • Type Joint Venture Partner
    Owner Phelps Dodge
    Interest 16.25
  • Type Joint Venture Partner
    Owner Newmont
    Interest 10.74
  • Type Joint Venture Operator
    Owner Southern Peru Copper Corp.

Production statistics

  • Year 1973
    Period 1960-1973
    Material CU
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^Greater Than 1% Cu
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Copper Copper 1wt-pct

Comments on the production information

  • CU PRODUCTION FOR 1971 TO 1975 IS BLISTER CU. DATA FOR 1980 AND AFTER IS FINE CU IN BLISTER AND CONCENTRATES. CU CONCENTRATES CONTAIN 2 OZ/ST AG AND TRACES OF AU. IN 1963 118,295 ST BLISTER CU WERE PRODUCED CONTAINING 80,860 OZ AG AND 1,268 OZ AU. OVERALL STRIP RATIO FROM 1960 TO 1991 WAS ABOUT 3 TO 1.

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1959
    Total resources 4000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper Cu 1 wt-pct Copper Major 1959
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1963
    Total resources 1112000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper Cu 1.37 wt-pct Copper Major 1963
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1977
    Total resources 73000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper Cu 1.06 wt-pct Copper Major 1977
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1960
    Total resources 509000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Molybdenum Mo 0.013 wt-pct Molybdenum Major 1960
    Copper Cu 0.86 wt-pct Copper Major 1960
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1991
    Total resources 36000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper Cu 1 wt-pct Copper Major 1991

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • (4) INITIAL ORE RESERVE ESTIMATED IN 1993 FROM PRODUCTION AND REMAINING RESERVES. (5) REMAINING RESERVE AT 0.45% CU CUTOFF GRADE.
  • ESTIMATED BY REPORTER 2/73 BASED ON PRODUCTION HISTORY TO HAVE POTENTIAL RESOURCES OF MINABLE ORE EQUIVALENT TO THE PRESENT DAY RESERVES - REPORTED AT 400 MIL TONS
  • TOTAL ORIGINAL OPEN PIT RESERVES WOULD APPEAR TO BE 594 MILLION ST AT ABOUT 1% CU PLUS AT LEAST 30 MILLION ST 0.2-0.45% CU ORE STOCKPILED.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface
    Overall depth 615M
    Overall length 1161.29M
    Overall width 1100M

Comments on the workings information

  • APPROXIMATE OPEN PIT DIMENSIONS 1984. PIT WILL ULTIMATELY BE 825 M DEEP WITH A FINAL PIT SLOPE OF 45 DEG.

Comments on development

  • SURFACE OUTCROPS KNOWN BY LATE 19 TH CENTURY. FIRST RECOGNIZED AS A PORPHYRY COPPER IN 1937. EXPLORED 1938-1942 BY CERRO DE PASCO BY ADITS AND DRILLING. EVALUATED 1945-1948 AND DRILLED 1949-1952 BY NORTHERN PERU MINING AND SMELTING CO. (ASARCO). SOUTHERN PERU COPPER CORP FORMED 1953-1954 TO MINE THE DEPOSIT. ; ECON.COM: CONCENTRATOR CAPACITY (1990) 38,062 MT/DAY WITH FEED GRADE OF 0.809% CU. ABOUT 85% OF CU AND 30 TO 40% OF MO RECOVERED IN CONCENTRATES. LEACH PROCESS FOR ABOUT 433 MILLION METRIC TONS OF 0.55% CU MADE UP OF 80% CHALCOPPYRITE, 13% CHALCOCITE, 5% BORNITE, AND 2% OXIDES.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit MINERALIZED AREA IS ELLIPTICAL AND ELONGATED IN NW DIRECTION. OREBODY IS MUSHROOM SHAPED WITH A FLAT-LYING CROWN OF SUPERGENE ORE (OXIDE TO 200 TO 250 M DEPTH) AND A STEM OF HYPOGENE ORE IN A RIND AROUND THE PRINCIPAL BRECCIA PIPE. A NUMBER OF SMALL MINERALIZED PIPES OCCUR WITHIN A 3 KM RADIUS OF THE MAIN PIPE. ORE MINERALS OCCUR AS VUG-FILLINGS IN BRECCIA AND DISSEMINATED IN ALTERED ROCK.
Deposit THE YOUNGEST INTRUSIVE ROCKS ARE POST-MINERAL DIKES AND SMALL STOCKS OF PORPHYRITIC ANDESITE AND LATITE THAT OCCUR WITHIN THE DACITE AGGLOMERATE, BUT LOCALLY EXTEND INTO THE ORE BODY.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-FEB-1973 Goudarzi, Gus H. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-JUL-1978 Theune, C.T. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-MAY-1981 Ericksen, George E. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-JAN-1993 Long, Keith R. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-AUG-1993 Page, Norman J. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 06-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.

Operator history (post-MRDS)

MRDS records operators as of each record's last update (≤ 2019). Some of the operators listed here have since changed hands or dissolved:

  • Asarco (American Smelting And Refining Co.) — acquired by Asarco LLC, subsidiary of Grupo México (2009)
    American Smelting and Refining Co. Filed Chapter 11 in 2005; acquired out of bankruptcy by Grupo México in 2009.
  • Phelps Dodge — acquired by Subsidiary of Freeport-McMoRan (2007)
    Acquired by Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold in 2007 in what was then the largest mining-industry deal ever (~US$26 B).

Curated by qvyshift.com from publicly-reported M&A activity (SEC filings, press releases, USGS Mineral Yearbooks). Not authoritative — verify against primary sources before relying on it. The MSHA panel above is the current authoritative source for actively-permitted mines.

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