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Cuajone Mine

Producer in Moquegua, Peru with commodities Copper, Molybdenum, Silver, Gold, Zinc, Lead
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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. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  14. Land status
  15. Ownership information
  16. Production statistics
  17. Reserves and resources
  18. Links to other databases
  19. Bibliographic references
  20. General comments
  21. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10079723
MRDS ID W029822
Record type Site
Current site name Cuajone Mine
Alternate or previous names Cuajones
Related records 10048414

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -70.70374, -17.04212 (WGS84)
Elevation 3410
Relative position 35 KM NE FROM MOQUEGUA

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Moquegua(province)

Peru(country)

South America(continent)

Land(continent)

Federal lands

Federal(land status)

Geographic areas

Country State
Peru Moquegua

Comments on the location information

  • COORDINATES FOR ARBITRARY POINT WITHIN OPEN PIT

Commodities

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

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Bornite Ore
Chalcocite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Chrysocolla Ore
Covellite Ore
Enargite Ore
Galena Ore
Malachite Ore
Molybdenite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Tenorite Ore
Calcite Gangue
Pyrite Gangue
Quartz Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Four Types: Quartz-Sericite On Intrusives; Biotite On Basalt; Propylitic Surrounding The Main Deposit And Silicification And Kaolinization Related To The Rhyolite Porphyry. Alteration Halo Is About 3 Km In Diameter.

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 53
USGS model code 17
Deposit model name Porphyry Cu
Mark3 model number 4

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Rhyolite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pliocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pliocene
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Intermediate Volcanic Rock > Andesite
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Mafic Volcanic Rock > Basalt
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Monzonite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Latite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Intermediate Volcanic Rock > Andesite

Nearby scientific data

(1) -70.70374, -17.04212
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Micalaco-Incapuquio Faults

Ore body information

  • Thickness 500M
    Length 1200M
    Width 900M

Comments on the geologic information

  • DEPOSIT OVERLAIN BY 20 TO 240 M OF PLIO-PLEISTOCENE VOLCANIC ROCKS. STRUCTURES TREND N50W, VERTICAL DIP.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Large
Significant No
Year of first production 1976

Land status

Ownership category Federal

Ownership information

  • Type Joint Venture Owner-Op
    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

Production statistics

  • Year 1991
    Period 1976-1991
    Material ORE
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^1.2% Cu
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Copper Copper 1wt-pct
  • Year 1991
    Period 1976-1991
    Material ORE
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^0.96% Cu
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Copper Copper 1wt-pct

Comments on the production information

  • 36.01% OF NATIONAL COPPER OUTPUT IN 1990. BLISTER COPPER CONTAINS 9.0 OZ/ST AG AND 0.017 OZ/ST AU. OVERALL STRIP RATIO FROM 1976 TO 1991 WAS 2.8 TO 1. CUMULATIVE: (1) OXIDE ORE; (2) SULFIDE ORE MILLED; (3) LOW-GRADE ORE LEACHED.

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1975
    Total resources 47000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper Cu 1 wt-pct Copper Major 1975
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1975
    Total resources 4684000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper Cu 1 wt-pct Copper Major 1975
    Molybdenum Mo 0.03 wt-pct Molybdenum Major 1975
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1975
    Total resources 24000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper Cu 1.29 wt-pct Copper Major 1975

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • (1) INITIAL RESERVE ESTIMATE; (2) SULFIDE MILL ORE; (3) OXIDE ORE; (4) OXIDE-SULFIDE LEACH MATERIAL; (5) ENRICHED SULFIDE ORE CONTAINED IN ORIGINAL RESERVE. (7) ORE RESERVE, (8) OXIDE ORE, (9) LOW GRADE SULFIDE ORE.

Comments on the workings information

  • BY 1990 PIT WAS 570 M DEEP.

Comments on development

  • CUAJONE WAS EXPLORED BY CERRO DE PASCO FROM 1942 TO 1945 (40 DDH), FROM 1952 TO 1954 BY CERRO DE PASCO/NEWMONT (88 DDH), AND FROM 1965 TO 1966 BY SOUTHERN PERU (83 DDH). DEVELOPMENT BEGAN 1970, FIRST ORE PRODUCTION 1976. PLAN TO REACH ABOUT 14 MILLION TONS OF OXIDE MATERIAL IN 6 DUMP PILES NEAR THE MINE (OXIDES PREDOMINANTLY ARE CHRYSOCOLA AND MALACHITE (1994). ; ECON.COM: CONCENTRATOR IN 1990 HAD 54,459 MT/DAY CAPACITY WITH FEED GRADE OF 0.823% CU

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    BELLIDO BRAVO, E.AND MONTREUIL D., L., 1972, ASPECTOS GENERALES DE LA METALOGENIA DEL PERU, P.65, ED. SERVICIO DE GEOLOGIA Y MINERIA, MINISTERIO DE ENERGIA Y MINAS, OCT. 1972

  • Deposit

    ARGALL JR., GEORGE O., 1977, CUAJONE PRODUCING COPPER AT FULL CAPACITY, P.32 TO 39, WORLD MINING, JAN. 1977

  • Deposit

    MINING MAGAZINE, JANUARY, 1987, P. 59.

  • Deposit

    BOGGIO, M.S., 1985, PERU: A MINING COUNTRY, INGEMMET V.3, P. 187-189.

  • Deposit

    CAVANAGH, J., AND GLOVER, M., EDS., 1990, LAS MINAS DEL PERU: THE PERU REPORT'S GUIDE TO MINES AND MINERS IN PERU: LIMA, PERU REPORTING SERVICIOS EDITORIALES S.R.L., P. 287-289.

  • Deposit

    MINING MAGAZINE, 1993, PERUVIAN COPPER: MINING MAGAZINE, APRIL 1993, P. 181.

  • Deposit

    CLARK, A.H., AND OTHERS, 1990, GEOMORPHOLOGIC ENVIRONMENT AND AGE OF SUPERGENE ENRICHMENT OF THE CUAJONE, QUELLAVECO, AND TOQUEPALA PORPHYRY COPPER DEPOSITS, SOUTHEASTERN PERU: ECONOMIC GEOLOGY, V. 85, P. 1604-1628.

  • Deposit

    RODRIGUEZ HOYLE, DANIEL, INFORME TECNICO, YACIMIENTO CUAJONE; BANCO MINERO DEL PERU. 1966; COD.: B0033.

  • Deposit

    MATTOS, RUBEN; OCURRENCIA Y DISTRIBUCION DE LA MOLIBDENITA EN EL YACIMIENTO CUAJONE 1987; COD.: CDU P/061.3:622.271.3/CT4/5.

  • Deposit

    SATCHWELL, PAUL; GEOLOGIA DE LA MINA CUAJONE; SGP. BOL 72.

  • Deposit

    BELLIDO BRAVO, ELEODORO; "GEOLOGIA DEL CUADRANGULO DE MOQUEGUA" BOL. #15. CARTA GEOLOGICA NACIONAL; INGEMMET 1979.

  • Deposit

    ANON., 1994, PERU: SPCC PRODUCIRA POR LIVIVACION 35.000 TONS/ANO DE CATODOS: LATINOMINERIA, AUGUST 1994, P. 12.

  • Deposit

    FLUORUTAH ENGINEERS AND CONSTRUCTORS, INC., 1970, SUMMARY REPORT AND BUDGET ESTIMATES, 2 VOLUMES.

  • Other Database

    CIMRI

  • Production

    ANNUAL: CAVANAGH AND GLOVER (1990); CUMULATIVE: SPCC ANNUAL REPORTS

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit DEPOSIT HAS A LEACHED CAP ABOUT 100 M THICK. MAIN "OXIDE" OREBODY OCCURS AT NORTH END OF DEPOSIT AND CONSISTS OF ABOUT 50% SULFIDE AND 50% CARBONATE/OXIDE. THREE SMALL, ISOLATED "OXIDE" OREBODIES OCCURE IN SOUTHERN PART OF THE DEPOSIT. ZONE OF SECONDARY ENRICHMENT IS TABULAR AND OF IRREGULAR THICKNESS, AVERAGING 20 M THICK.
Deposit SEE RECORD NUMBER MOQ0027.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JUL-1978 Theune, C.T. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-MAR-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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