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Rio Blanco Cu Mine

Producer in Chile with commodities Copper, Molybdenum
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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. Controls for ore emplacement
  14. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  15. Mining district
  16. Ownership information
  17. Production statistics
  18. Reserves and resources
  19. Links to other databases
  20. Bibliographic references
  21. General comments
  22. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10068481
MRDS ID W001551
Record type Site
Current site name Rio Blanco Cu Mine
Alternate or previous names La Andina, La Americana, Rio Blanco, Cerro Blanco Ore Body

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -70.2695, -33.13914 (WGS84)
Elevation 3600
Relative position 50 KM NE. OF SANTIAGO BY AIR. 280 KM BY ROAD

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Chile(country)

South America(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country
Chile

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Copper Primary
Molybdenum Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Bornite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Covellite Ore
Enargite Ore
Molybdenite Ore
Pyrite Ore
Biotite Gangue
Hematite Gangue
Magnetite Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Hydrothermal Alteration Consists Of Silicification And Sericitization Of The Feldspars, Chloritization Of Ferromagnesian Minerals. Tourmalinization Present In Whole Deposit.

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 79
USGS model code 21a
Deposit model name Porphyry Cu-Mo
Mark3 model number 2

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Dacite
    Rock unit name Granodiorite;Dacite Porphyry;Andesite;Tourmalinized Breccia
    Rock description Granodiorite;Dacite Porphyry;Andesite;Tourmalinized Breccia
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Dacite

Nearby scientific data

(1) -70.2695, -33.13914
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description North-Trending Folds, Faults And Plutonic Masses

Ore body information

  • General form TABULAR - ZONED
    Strike N 35 W
    Dip 70-75NE
    Thickness 410M
    Length 11000M
    Width 5000M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • 2 Belts In Fractured Granite. West Belt Trends 11 Km N-S, Width 20-500 M. East Belt Trends N. 25 Deg. W., Width 200-800 M

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Large
Significant No
Discovery year 1904
Year of first production 1970

Mining district

District name Disputada, Rio Blanco

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Cerro Corp, 70%; Chile Government, 30%
  • Type Owner
    Owner Cia Minera Andina. Since July, 1971 Major Cu Have Been Nationalized By Pres. Allende

Production statistics

  • Year 1974
    Period 1970-1974
    Material ORE
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^11.9 % Cu
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Copper Copper 12wt-pct
  • Year 1978
    Period 1977-1978
    Material MO
    Description Cp_Grade: ^0.27% Mo
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Molybdenum Molybdenum 0wt-pct
  • Year 1978
    Period 1970-1978
    Material CU
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^1.6-1.9% Cu
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Copper Copper 2wt-pct

Comments on the production information

  • ECONOMIC GEOLOGY, V. 80, REPORTED CURRENT PRODUCTION RATE OF 14,000 MET TONS/DAY WITH AN AVERAGE GRADE OF 1.2% CU. THE ANNUAL PRODUCTION FIGURES FOR 1984 AND 1985 INCLUDE PRODUCTION FROM THE SUR SUR MINE.

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1984
    Total resources 200000000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper Cu 1 wt-pct Copper Major 1984

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • EST. BY G. GOUDARZI 3/73 TO HAVE POTENTIAL RESOURCES TO SUSTAIN 4 MIL. TONS ORE ANNUAL PRODUCTION FOR AT LEAST A TOTAL OF 50 YEARS
  • ESTIMATED BY G. GOUDARZI 3/73 CONSERVATIVE 50 YEARS TOTAL LIFE AT 4 MIL. TONS ANNUAL ORE PRODUCTION.

Comments on the workings information

  • BLOCK CAVING MINING METHOD USED. OPERATIONS UNDERGROUND BUT DEPOSIT CROPS OUT ON SURFACE

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    RUIZ F., CARLOS, 1965, GEOLOGIA Y YACIMIENTOS METALIFEROS DE CHILE: INST. INV. GEOL CHILE, P.186-189 (SPANISH)

  • Deposit

    BEALL, J.V., 1969, COPPER IN THE ANDES: MINING ENG., V. 21, NO. 11, P. 59-90.

  • Deposit

    MINING JOUR., ANN. REV., 1969, JUNE, P. 258.

  • Deposit

    U. S. BUREAU OF MINES MINERALS YRBK, 1969, V. 4, P. 191.

  • Deposit

    ECONOMIC GEOLOGY, V. 80, NO. 6, P. 1544-1565.

  • Deposit

    ENGINEERING AND MINING JOURNAL, NOVEMBER, 1984, P. 42-43.

  • Deposit

    MINING JOURNAL, V. 306, NO. 7865, P. 361.

  • Deposit

    SUTULOV, A., 1978, INTERNATIONAL MOLYBDENUM ENCYCLOPAEDIA, 1778-1978, VOLUME 1: SANTIAGO, CHILE, INTERMET PUBLICATIONS, P. 25, P. 81-83.

  • Deposit

    SERPLAC, 1981, ESTUDIO DEL SECTOR MINERO DE LA V REGION: SANTIAGO (6 VOL.)

  • Deposit

    1927 GEOLMAP CHILEAN GOV'T (?)

  • Deposit

    BRUGGEN, JUAN, 1927, LA GEOLOGIA DEL DISTRITO MINERO DE LAS CONDES Y RIO BLANCO, BOL. SOC. NAC. MIN., V. 39, P. 283-291. ^253 KEITH, STANTON, 1958, RIO BLANCO: UNPUBLISHED INFORMATION.

  • Deposit

    1958 COMPILE INDEPENDENT WORK

  • Other Database

    CIMRI

  • Production

    MINING JOUR. 1969, REF.; MINING JOURNAL V. 306; ECONOMIC GEOLOGY, V. 80; SUTULOV, 1978.

  • Reserve-Resource

    E/MJ, 1984; SUTULOV, 1978.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit CERRO BLANCO ORE BODY IS 600M X 400M X 400M.
Deposit RECORD # W700088 BY KENNETH LEONARD HAS BEEN INCORPORATED INTO THIS RECORD. THIS RECORD CONTAINS DATA FROM DUPLICATE RECORD W700669 OF D. BEOUGHER WHICH HAS BEEN DELETED FROM MAIN MRDS.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JUN-1981 Davidson, Claire B. (Theune, C. T.) U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-JAN-1988 Leonard, Kenneth R. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-JUL-1991 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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