1. Mineral Resources
  2. Online Spatial Data
  3. Mineral Resource Data System (MRDS)

Chepica

Producer in Chile with commodities Bromine, Lithium
Map
XML
JSON
KML
C
Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Commodities
  6. Host and associated rocks
  7. Nearby scientific data
  8. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  9. Mining district
  10. Ownership information
  11. Links to other databases
  12. Bibliographic references
  13. General comments
  14. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10106744
MRDS ID I000504
Record type Site
Current site name Chepica
Alternate or previous names Salar De Atacama

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -68.24949, -23.49752 (WGS84)
Relative position 200 KM EAST OF ANTOFAGASTA.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Chile(country)

South America(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country
Chile

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Bromine Primary
Lithium Critical Primary

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Chemical Sediment > Evaporite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Holocene

Nearby scientific data

(1) -68.24949, -23.49752
ListMap

Economic information

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Both
Significant No
Year of first production 1984

Mining district

District name Salar De Atacama

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Sociedad Chilena De Litio Ltda. (Joint Venture: Cyprus Foote Mineral Co. (55%) And Corfo (45%)
  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Sociedad Chilena De Litio Ltda. (Joint Venture: Cyprus Foote Mineral Co. (55%) And Corfo (45%)

Comments on the workings information

  • BRINES ARE PUMPED FROM 30 M DEPTH TO EVAPORATION PONDS WHERE THEY ARE CONCENTRATED FROM A CONTENT OF 0.17% LI TO 4.3% LI. THE EVAPORATION PONDS ARE BUILT ON THE SURFACE OF THE SALAR AND HAVE A 0.5MM LINER PROTECTED BY 300 MM OF CRYSTALLISED SODIUM CHLORIDE. IN 1988, THE TOTAL POND AREA WAS CLOSE TO 1 SQ KM (12 PONDS). 1990 EXPANSION HAS LED TO TOTAL OF 14 PONDS.

Comments on development

  • ECON.COM: THE LITHIUM CARBONATE PLANT IS IN ANTOFAGASTA. THE CONCENTRATED LI BRINE (4.3% LI) IS TRANSPORTED BY TRUCK AND RAIL 170 KM TO THE LA NEGRA LITHIUM CARBONATE PLANT NEAR ANTOFAGASTA.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    INDUSTRIAL MINERALS, 1990, WORLD OF MINERALS: NO. 269, P. 9-10.

  • Deposit

    CROZIER, R.D., 1986, LITHIUM: RESOURCES AND PROSPECTS: MINING MAGAZINE, V. 154, NO. 2, P. 148-152.

  • Deposit

    INDUSTRIAL MINERALS, 1993, AMAX AND CYPRUS MERGER HITS DELAY, IN WORLD OF MINERALS: NO. 312, P. 21-22.

  • Other Database

    CIMRI

  • Production

    INDUSTRIAL MINERALS, 1993.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit THE SALAR COVERS AN AREA OF 3000 SQ KM AND HAS A SALT NUCLEUS COVERING 1400 SQ KM. THE TOTAL SALT THICKNESS EXCEEDS 400 M. THE TOP 30 M ARE POROUS AND IMPREGNATED WITH BRINES. SEDIMENTS OCCUPY THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE SALAR, BECOMING FINER TOWARDS THE SOUTH. K, LI, AND B ARE CONCENTRATED IN THE SALAR. THE SULFATE CONTENT IS HIGHER IN THE NORTH AND THERE IS AN AREA OF HIGHER CALCIUM CONTENTS TO THE SOUTH. THE BRINE CHEMISTRY IS SUCH THAT MURIATE AND POTASH SULFATE CAN BE PRECIPITATED SEQUENTIALLY. THE DRAINAGE BASIN OF THE SALAR EXTENDS OVER AN AREA OF 13,300 SQ KM. THE LITHIUM CONCENTRATION AT ATACAMA IS 7 TIMES THAT AT SILVER PEAK, NEVADA.
Deposit FRESH WATER EVAPORATION RATES ARE ABOUT 3000 MM/YEAR AND RAINFALL IS 12.5-25 MM/YEAR. TEMPERATURES RANGE FROM FREEZING TO 24 DEG C IN JUNE (WINTER) AND 9 DEG C TO 35 DEG C IN JANUARY (SUMMER). SEE MRDS RECORD I000198: SALAR DE ATACAMA- MINSAL. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-FEB-1991 Orris, Greta J. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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

Maps centered on this site