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La Coipa

Plant in Atacama, Chile with commodities Gold, Silver
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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. Nearby scientific data
  8. Ore body information
  9. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  10. Mining district
  11. Mineral rights holdings
  12. Ownership information
  13. Production statistics
  14. Reserves and resources
  15. Workings at the site
  16. Links to other databases
  17. Bibliographic references
  18. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10206675
MRDS ID TC03761
MAS/MILS ID 3370090047
Record type Site
Current site name La Coipa
Related records 10058035

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Ore Body
Geographic coordinates: -69.25201, -26.83248 (WGS84)
Elevation 4100
Location accuracy 10000(meters)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Atacama(province)

Chile(country)

South America(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country State
Chile Atacama

Comments on the location information

  • LAT/LONG APPROXIMATE TOO OREBODY; NEAR TOWN OF CHIMBERO, AT S265500; N0696000.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Silver Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Alunite Unknown
Arsenic Unknown
Copper Unknown
Feldspar Unknown
Gold Unknown
Lead Unknown
Mercury Unknown
Quartz Unknown
Sericite Unknown
Silver Unknown
Zincite Unknown

Nearby scientific data

Ore Body (1) -69.25201, -26.83248
ListMap

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Thickness 457M
    Length 2300M
    Width 1600M
    Area 400HA
    Field Value
    MAS Matrix # 1
    MAS Column # 1
    Type of Orebody #1 FISSURE VEIN
    Shape of Orebody #1 MASSIVE
    Primary mode of Origin HYDROTHERMAL
    Secondary mode of Origin SEDIMENTATION
    Primary Ore Control UNKNOWN
    Total Surface Area (HA) 400
    Date of Last Modification 940317

Comments on the geologic information

  • GEOMETRY INCLUDES LADERA-FARELLON AND COIPA NORTA DEPOSITS.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Surface
Development status Plant
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Medium
Significant Yes
Discovery year 1980
Mining method Open Pit
Year of first production 1991
Plant type Leach
Plant subcategory Precipitation
Milling method Merrill-Crowe

Mining district

District name La Coipa District

Mineral rights holdings

Type of mineral rights Patented

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Placer Dome Inc
    Interest 50
    Home office Canada
    Year 1992
    First year 1989
  • Type Owner
    Owner Tvx Gold Inc
    Interest 50
    Home office Canada
    Year 1992
    First year 1987

Production statistics

  • Year 1989
    Description Initial Production 1100 Tons Per Day
  • Year 1991
    Description Expanded Production 16500 Tons Per Day
  • Year 1992
    Description Gold Production 193000 Oz Gold
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Gold Gold 6002971.83g
  • Year 1992
    Description Silver Production 16000000 Oz Silver
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Silver Silver 604.72mt

Comments on the production information

  • GEOMETRY INCLUDES LADERA-FARELLON AND COIPA NORTA DEPOSITS. *LA COIPA MINE PLAN YEAR TONS GOLD SILVER CONTAINED CONTAINED GOLD MINED GRADE GRADE GOLD SILVER RECOVERY (000) G/MT G/MT OZ. OZ. % 1992 5,490 1.37 124.9 241,825 22,046,633 82.1 1993 5,475 1.36 80.0 239,404 14,082,560 80.7 1994 5,475 1.39 57.5 244,684 10,121,840 79.5 1995 5,475 1.55 64.0 272,850 11,266,048 77.8 1996 5,490 1.00 94.0 176,514 16,592,342 76.8 1997 5,475 1.10 115.0 193,635 20,243,680 75.1 1998 5,475 1.25 100.0 220,040 17,603,200 73.4 1999 5,475 1.30 80.0 228,842 14,082,560 73.5 2000 5,490 1.22 70.0 215,347 12,355,999 74.3 2001 5,475 1.27 70.0 223,561 12,322,240 75.5 2002 5,475 1.37 54.0 241,164 9,505,728 77.4 2003 5,475 1.54 41.5 271,089 7,305,328 79.2 2004 2,985 1.10 53.0 105,571 5,086,601 80.9 TOTAL 68,730 1.30 78.1 2,874,525 172,614,758 77.4 _____________________________________ *LA COIPA MINE PLAN (CONTINUED) YEAR SILVER RECOVERED RECOVERED RECOVERY GOLD SILVER % OZ. OZ. 1992 77.0 198,538 16,975,908 1993 76.5 193,199 10,773,158 1994 75.9 194,524 7,682,476 1995 75.1 212,277 8,460,802 1996 73.9 135,563 12,261,741 1997 72.6 145,420 14,696,911 1998 71.0 161,509 12,498,272 1999 71.2 168,199 10,026,783 2000 71.5 160,003 8,834,540 2001 71.6 168,788 8,822,724 2002 71.7 186,661 6,815,607 2003 70.2 214,703 5,128,340 2004 73.6 85,407 3,743,739 TOTAL 73.4 2,224,791 126,721,000.

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1993
    Demonstrated 69476000mt ore
    Total resources 69476000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Gold Au 1.151 g/mt Gold Major 1993
    Silver Ag 68.023 g/mt Silver Major 1993
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1994
    Demonstrated 63030000mt ore
    Total resources 63030000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Gold Au 1.27 g/mt Gold Major 1994

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • PUBLISHED RESERVE DATA. SEE BIBLIOGRAPHY.
  • PLACER DOME ACQUIRED AN INDIRECT 50% INTEREST IN LA COIPA IN FEBRUARY 1989 AT A COST OF $63 MILLION. THE PRIMARY CONCESSIONS ARE HELD BY COMPANIA MINERA MANTOS DE ORO, A NEWLY FORMED CHILEAN COMPANY IN WHICH PLACER DOME HAS A 50% INTEREST. INITIA L PLAN IS FOR PROCESSING PLANT TO TREAT 1,100 STPD BEGINNING IN MID-1989. PLANS CALL FOR 16,500 STPD MINE AND PLANT BEGINNING IN EARLY 1991 AT A COST OF $229 MILLION. *INCLUDES LADERA-FARELLON AND COIPA NORTA DEPOSITS. LADERA- FARELLON: RESERVES 49.3 MILLION MT @ 1.54 G/MT AU, 77.17 G/MT AG COIPA NORTE: RESERVES 15.2 MILLION MT @ 0.27 G/MT AU, 122.27 G/MT AG.
  • MAT. 1 COL. 1 RESOURCE DATA USED IN THE 1993 GOLD STUDY PROPERTY EVALUATION.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface
    Area 380HA
    Field Value
    MAS Development Schedule # 1
    Mining Record # 1
    Status of Mining Method ACTUAL
    Mining Method OPEN PIT
    Percent Waste Rock 34
    Hardness of Ore M-HARD ROCKS
    Max. Pit Slope (degrees) 45
    Capacity 15000
    Capacity Units MT ORE/DAY
    Preprod. Stripping Vol. 6000
    Operating Days per Year 365
    Operating Shifts per Day 2
    Year of Information 1990

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Reserve-Resource

    THE NORTHERN MINER, JUNE 28, 1993, PAGES B1-B2.

  • Reserve-Resource

    AME MINERAL ECONOMICS QUARTERLY MINE ANALYSIS, JUN 1993,

  • Reserve-Resource

    P. 30.

  • Deposit

    *PLACER DOME INC., LA COIPA MINE, MAR. 1990.

  • Deposit

    *?, PP. 39-41.

  • Deposit

    *THE NORTHERN MINER, JUNE 28, 1993, PP. 81-82; MAR. 2, 1992,

  • Deposit

    P. 3; JUNE , 1990, P. A24.

  • Deposit

    *FAX FROM R. J. GALLAGHER, CIA MINERA MANTOS DE ORO, 4 PAGES

  • Deposit

    *LAML, DEC. 2, 1988, P.7; DEC. 15, 1988, P.7; APR. 18, 1989,

  • Deposit

    P. 5; JULY 15, 1988, P. 5; JUNE 16, 1988, P. 9; APR. 16,

  • Deposit

    1988, P. 5; JUNE 5, 1989, PP. 5-6; FEB. 17, 1989, PP.4-5;

  • Deposit

    NOV. 14, 1992, P. 2.

  • Deposit

    *SKILLINGS MINING REVIEW, DEC. 24, 1988, P. 6; FEB. 18, 1989

  • Deposit

    P. 15; FEB. 20, 1988. P.3; AUG. 12, 1989, P. 8.

  • Deposit

    *??, NOV. 15, 1991, P. 4.

  • Deposit

    *MINING JOURNAL, LONDON, MAY 13, 1988; APR. 15, 1988; DEC.

  • Deposit

    16, 1989, P. 481; AUG., 28, 1987, P.; ??; MAR. 12, 1993,

  • Deposit

    P. 182.

  • Deposit

    *E&MJ, APR. 1988, P. 92; MAR. 1989, PP. 91-92; JULY 1990,

  • Deposit

    P. 15-16; SEPT. 1988, P. 183; OCT. 1989, P. 62.

  • Deposit

    *MINING ACTIVITY DIGEST, 1990?, P. 6; 1990?, PP. 4-5.

  • Deposit

    *CHILE ECONOMIC REPORT, SEPT. 1991, P. 5.

  • Deposit

    *??? PP. 13-14; PP. 107-108.

  • Deposit

    *INTERNATIONAL MINING, OCT. 1989, P. 85.

  • Deposit

    *MINING JOURNAL.

  • Deposit

    *????, AUG. 3, 1989, P. 6.

  • Deposit

    *LAT91G-L.DOC/P. 4/6 JAN 1992.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 28-JUL-1994 Peterson, Gary R. U.S. Bureau of Mines

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:

  • Placer Dome Inc — acquired by Subsidiary of Barrick Gold (2006)
    Acquired by Barrick Gold in 2006.

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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