(Facility) Mantos Blancos Copper Smelter

Plant in Antofagasta, Chile with commodity Copper
Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Commodities
  6. Nearby scientific data
  7. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  8. Ownership information
  9. Production statistics
  10. Links to other databases
  11. Bibliographic references
  12. General comments
  13. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10279405
MRDS ID W001246
MAS/MILS ID 3370051001
Record type Site
Current site name (Facility) Mantos Blancos Copper Smelter
Alternate or previous names Mantos Blancos Smelter
Related records 10110314

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Plant
Geographic coordinates: -70.04954, -23.44753 (WGS84)
Location accuracy 1000(meters)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Antofagasta(province)

Chile(country)

South America(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country State
Chile Antofagasta

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Copper Primary

Nearby scientific data

Plant (1) -70.04954, -23.44753

Economic information

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Processing Plant
Development status Plant
Commodity type Metallic
Significant Yes
Year of first production 1960
Plant type Smelter

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Empresa Minera De Mantos Blancos S. A.
    Interest 100
    Home office Chile
    Year 1986
  • Type Owner
    Owner Hochschild Group And Anglo American
    Interest 72
    Year 1986
  • Type Owner
    Owner Ifc (World Bank)
    Interest 12
    Year 1986
  • Type Unknown
    Owner Other Private Investors
    Interest 16
    Year 1986

Production statistics

  • Year 1980
    Description Copper Anode @ 82.5% Capacity Use 33000 Mt
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Copper Copper 33000mt 83wt-pct
  • Year 1981
    Description Copper Anode @ 94.3% Capacity Use 37700 Mt
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Copper Copper 37700mt 94wt-pct
  • Year 1982
    Description Copper Anode @ 94.3% Capacity Use 37700 Mt
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Copper Copper 37700mt 94wt-pct
  • Year 1983
    Description Copper Anode @ 95.5% Capacity Use 38200 Mt
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Copper Copper 38200mt 96wt-pct
  • Year 1984
    Description Copper Anode @ 95.5% Capacity Use 36700 Mt
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Copper Copper 36700mt 96wt-pct

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • NOT REVERB. COMBINED SMELTING, FIRE REFINING AND LEACH CIRCUIT. CUCL TO CRUDE CU. OWNED BY HOCHSCHILD GROUP AND ANGLO AMERICAN.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    SUTULOV, ALEXANDER: EL COBRE CHILENO, 1975, P. 399-409.

  • Deposit

    1978 E/MJ INTERNATIONAL DIRECTORY OF MINING AND MINERAL

  • Deposit

    PROCESSING OPERATIONS, P. 279.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit THE SMELTING PROCESS USED AT MANTOS BLANCOS IS A RARELY USED PROCESS WHICH LIBERATES THE CU FROM CUCL USING HIGH TEMPERATURE (1200 C) IN LURGI GYRATORY FURNACES. THIS PROCESS YIELDS AROUND 4.5 MT. OF "CRUDE" COPPER FROM A FEED OF 13 MT. OF PELLETS. THIS CRUDE COPPER GENERALLY YIELDS AROUND 99.5-99.90% CU. THE CRUDE COPPER IS THEN FIRE REFINED. THE REACTION-REFINING PROCESS IS A TWO-STAGE SINGLE PROCESS. SEE 3370052001 FOR A FURTHER DESCRIPTION OF THE REFINING STAGE. LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE COORDINATES ARE FOR THE TOWN OF SIERRA GORDA. AS OF 6/23/94, NO CURRENT INFORMATION HAS BEEN FOUND TO UPDATE. PILOT PLANT STARTED IN 1955, WHERE IT PRODUCED 5 T/D. THE PILOT PLANT RAN UNTIL 1958, AND PLANT CONSTRUCTION BEGAN IN THE LAST HALF OF 1958. IN DECEMBER OF 1960, THE FIRST PRODUCTION OF CRUDE COPPER BARS TOOK PLACE. FULL CPACITY WAS REACHED IN SEPTEMBER OF 1961. THE PLANT WAS EXPANDED IN 1984.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 25-SEP-1996 Peterson, Gary R. U.S. Bureau of Mines

Beyond USGS

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