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Potrerillos Cu Mine

Producer in Chile with commodities Copper, Molybdenum, Gold, Silver, Lead, 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. Host and associated rocks
  9. Nearby scientific data
  10. Geologic structures
  11. Ore body information
  12. Controls for ore emplacement
  13. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  14. Mining district
  15. Ownership information
  16. Production statistics
  17. Links to other databases
  18. Bibliographic references
  19. General comments
  20. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10110362
MRDS ID W001550
Record type Site
Current site name Potrerillos Cu Mine
Related records 10182822

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -69.42951, -26.47415 (WGS84)
Elevation 3200
Relative position 40 KM FROM EL SALVADOR COPPER DEPOSIT, 145 KM E. OF COAST CITY CHANARAL

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Chile(country)

South America(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country
Chile
Chile

Commodities

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

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Bornite Ore
Chalcocite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Chrysocolla Ore
Copper Ore
Covellite Ore
Cuprite Ore
Galena Ore
Malachite Ore
Molybdenite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Tenorite Ore
Tetrahedrite Ore
Calcite Gangue
Chlorite Gangue
Dolomite Gangue
Epidote Gangue
Orthoclase Gangue
Pyrite Gangue
Sericite Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Hydrothermal Alteration, Contact Metamorphism. Sericitization In Stockwork, Propylitization In Halo. Potassic, Phyllic.

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Tonalite
    Rock unit name Post Mineral Dikes, Andesite & Diorite Porphyry;;Rhyolite Volcanic Dikes, Flows, And Breccia;Andesite Volcanic Flows & Breccia
    Rock description Post Mineral Dikes, Andesite & Diorite Porphyry;;Rhyolite Volcanic Dikes, Flows, And Breccia;Andesite Volcanic Flows & Breccia
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Eocene
    Chronological age 38.6
    Dating method K-Ar
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Tonalite
    Rock unit name Cerro Negro Formation, Shl, Limestone, Sst;Potrerillos Formation, Shl, Limestone, Sst, Sills Of Melaphyre Occur In Shl
    Rock description Cerro Negro Formation, Shl, Lst, Sst;Potrerillos Formation, Shl, Lst, Sst, Sills Of Melaphyre Occur In Shl
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Eocene
    Chronological age 38.6
    Dating method K-Ar

Nearby scientific data

(1) -69.42951, -26.47415
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description North Trending Fold, Faults And Plutonic Masses. Along Falla Oeste.
Type of structure Local
Structure description Structure Consists Of Asymmetric Anticline; Porphyry Stock Intruded Into West Flank Of Anticline; 3 Ages Of Faults: Pre-Andesite, Pre-And Post-Porphry. Anticline Strikes N 10 Deg E. 32ma Ew Dikes Suggest Ew Conpression (Ns Tension) At This Time

Ore body information

  • General form TABULAR & CRESCENT SHAPED
    Strike N 20 E
    Dip 65NW
    Thickness 450M
    Length 600M
    Width 350M
    Depth to top 120M
    Depth to bottom 585M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Steeply Dipping West Limb Of Anticline Was Zone Of Weakness Intruded By Cobre Porphyry

Comments on the geologic information

  • COBRE PORPHYRY INTRUDES ALL FORMATIONS AS DIKES, SILLS AND SMALL STOCKS WHICH CONTAIN ALL ORE DEPOSITS OF AREA. DACITIC DOMES ASSOCIATED WITH PORPHYRY PLUTONS.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Large
Significant No
Discovery year 1894
Discoverer William Braden
Year of first production 1926
Year of last production 1959

Mining district

District name Poterillos

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Chilean Government
    Interest 51
  • Type Operator
    Owner Anaconda Chile Ltd.
    Interest 49
  • Type Owner
    Owner Andes Copper Mining Co (Anaconda) In 1913 Who Owned It Until Depletion In 1959.

Production statistics

  • Year 1959
    Period 1926-1959
    Material ORE
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^1.11% Cu Sulfides
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Ore Copper Copper 1wt-pct
  • Year 1959
    Period 1926-1959
    Material ORE
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^1.07% Cu Oxides
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Ore Copper Copper 1wt-pct

Comments on the workings information

  • BLOCK CAVING MINING METHOD USED

Comments on development

  • MINING AT POTRERILLOS ENDED IN 1960 WHEN ORE AT LA MINA WAS MINED OUT AND NEW MINE AT NEARBY EL SALVADOR WAS DEVELOPED. ; ECON.COM: DEPOSIT EXHAUSTED.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    BEALL, J.V., 1969, COPPER INTHE ANDES: MIN. ENG. V. 21, NO. 11, P.51-90

  • Deposit

    RUIZ, F., CARLOS, 1965, GEOLGIA Y YACIMIENTOS METALIFEROS DE CHILE: INST. INV. GEOL. CHILE, P. 184-186, (SPANISH)

  • Deposit

    MARCH, W., 1933, COPPER RESOURCES OF THE WORLD: INTERNAT. GEOL. CONG. 16TH WASH. D.C. P. 485-500

  • Deposit

    HOLLISTER, V. F., 1973, REGIONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF PORPHYRY COPPER DEPOSITS OF SOUTH AMERICA, A.I.M.E. PREPRINT 73-I-2 P. 29

  • Deposit

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

  • Deposit

    DIAZ, ET AL., 1980, MAPA METALOGENICO PRONOSTICO DE LA III REGION: CORPORACION DE FOMENTO DE LA PRODUCCION, SANTIAGO (5 VOLS.)

  • Deposit

    MARCH, W., 1933, ORE DEPOSITS AT POTRERILLOS (CHILE), IN COPPER RESOURCES OF THE WORLD, XVI IGC, WASHINGTON, P. 485-500.

  • Deposit

    SILLITOE, R.H., 1988, EPOCHS OF INTRUSION-RELATED COPPER MINERALIZATION IN THE ANDES: JOUR S. AM EAR SCI, 1, 89-108.

  • Deposit

    OLSON, S.F., 1989, THE STRATIGRAPHIC AND STRUCTURAL SETTING OF THE POTRERILLOS PORPHYRY COPPER DISTRICT, NORTHERN CHILE; REV. GEOL CHILE, 16, 3-29.

  • Other Database

    CIMRI

  • Production

    MARCH, 1933, REF.; OLSON, 1989.

  • Reserve-Resource

    INFO. LACKING TO ESTIMATE 3/73

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit COBRE PORPHYRY INTRUDES RHYOLITE, ANDESITE CERRO NEGRO AND POTRERILLOS FMS. AS DIKES, SILLS AND STOCKS. STOCKS CONTAIN ALL ORE DEPOSITS OF AREA. LARGEST IN ELONGATE STOCK WITH DIMENSIONS 1740 M BY 612 M HALO AROUND STOCK IS 150 M THICK AND CONSISTS OF CONTACT SILICATES, GARNET, WOLLASTONITE, ENSTATITE, DIOPSIDE, EPIDOTE, ZOISITE, TREMOLITE ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT
Deposit DEPOSIT CONSISTS OF 3 OREBODIES IN COBRE PORPHYRY. FIGURES ARE MAXIMUM DIMENSIONS OF DEVELOPED PARTS OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN ONES. 3 VEINLET CLASSES: 1) EARLY, IRREGULAR, WITH POTASSIC ALTERATION HALOS; CP-BN; 2) TRANSITIONAL, REGULAR; PY-CP-MO +/- BN; 3) LATE WITH QUARTZ-SERICITE HALOS; PY-EN. OXIDIZED TO 80 M WITH 3 ZONES: 1) UPPER LEACHED, 2) INTERMEDIATE WITH CU-OXIDES AND CU=1.65% (INTERPRETED AS FIRST ENRICHED ZONE WHICH WAS LATER OXIDIZED), 3) LOWER LEACHED, 0-50 M, WHICH IS CAP TO SUPERGENE-ENRICHED ZONE. ENRICHED ZONE CONTAINS 1.43% CU; UPPER SUBZONE IS 90 M THICK COMPRISED PRIMARILY OF CHALCOCITE WHICH REPLACED ENARGITE, BORNITE, CHALCOPYRITE, AND PYRITE; LOWER SUBZONE CONSISTS OF CHALCOCITE, CHALCOPYRITE, ENARGITE, AND COVELLITE.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JAN-1973 Davidson, Claire B. 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.

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