El Tofo

Past Producer in Chile with commodities Iron, Phosphorus-Phosphates
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. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  12. Ownership information
  13. Production statistics
  14. Reserves and resources
  15. Links to other databases
  16. Bibliographic references
  17. General comments
  18. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10105965
MRDS ID W026286
Record type Site
Current site name El Tofo

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -71.24122, -29.44414 (WGS84)
Elevation 710
Relative position SERENA, 50 KM N OF

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Chile(country)

South America(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country
Chile

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Iron Primary
Phosphorus-Phosphates Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Hematite Ore
Magnetite Ore
Apatite Unknown

Alteration

  • (Local) Silicic, Propylitic, Argillic

Analytical data

Result 67.6 % FE, 0.043 % P205, 0.009 % CU.

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cretaceous
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cretaceous
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite

Nearby scientific data

(1) -71.24122, -29.44414

Economic information

Ore body information

  • General form STOCKWORK, IRREGULAR

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Both
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1925

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner Bethlehem Iron Mines Co.

Production statistics

  • Year 1953
    Period 1911-1953
    Material ORE
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^>60% Fe
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Ore Iron Iron 60wt-pct

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1965
    Total resources 20000000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Iron Fe 60 wt-pct Iron Major 1965
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1980
    Total resources 4000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Iron Fe 60 wt-pct Iron Major 1980

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • MORE THAN 20 MILLION M.T. EQUIVALENT 60 % FE ORE
  • MORE THAN 20 MILLION M.T. OF EQUIVALENT 60 % FE ORE.

Comments on development

  • BEGINNING OF IRON MINING IN CHILE STARTED AT EL TO FO IN 1922

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    RUIZ FULLER, CARLOS, 1965 , GEOLOGIA Y YACIMIENTOS METALIFEROS DE CHILE (GEOLOGY AND METAL DEPOSITS OF CHILE): CHILE INST. GEOL. INV., 305 P., TABLES. (SPANISH) ( 430 ) R858G

  • Deposit

    RUIZ, C. AND PEEBLES, F., 1988, YACIMIENTOS METALIFEROS DE CHILE: SANTIAGO, 334 P.

  • Deposit

    GEIJER, P., 1931, THE IRON ORES OF THE KIRUNA TYPE: SVERIGES UNDERSOKNING: SER C. #367.

  • Other Database

    CIMRI

  • Reserve-Resource

    RUIZ FULLER, 1965

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit Discovery Year: BEGINNING OF 1900'S.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-MAY-1973 Cooper, Margaret (Shaffer, Glenn L.) U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-SEP-1990 Williams, William C. University of Arizona

Beyond USGS

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