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Potrerillos

Past Producer in Atacama, Chile with commodities Copper, Gold, Molybdenum, 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. Mineral rights holdings
  11. Ownership information
  12. Reserves and resources
  13. Workings at the site
  14. Links to other databases
  15. Bibliographic references
  16. General comments
  17. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10182822
MRDS ID W001550
MAS/MILS ID 3370090019
Record type Site
Current site name Potrerillos
Related records 10110362

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Ore Body
Geographic coordinates: -69.43391, -26.46578 (WGS84)
Elevation 3300
Location accuracy 1000(meters)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Atacama(province)

Chile(country)

South America(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country State
Chile Atacama

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Copper Primary
Gold Secondary
Molybdenum Secondary
Silver Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Azurite Unknown
Chalcopyrite Unknown
Chrysocolla Unknown
Copper Unknown
Cuprite Unknown
Enargite Unknown
Malachite Unknown
Molybdenite Unknown
Pyrite Unknown
Tenorite Unknown

Nearby scientific data

Ore Body (1) -69.43391, -26.46578
ListMap

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Field Value
    Type of Orebody #1 STOCKWORK
    Shape of Orebody #1 IRREGULAR
    Type of Orebody #2 BRECCIA FILL
    Shape of Orebody #2 TABULAR
    Type of Orebody #3 DISSEMINATED
    Primary mode of Origin HYDROTHERMAL
    Secondary mode of Origin OXIDATION
    Primary Ore Control FRACTURING
    Secondary Ore Control BEDDING
    Degree of Wallrock Alter. SLIGHT
    Type of Wallrock Alter. #1 PROPYLITIC
    Date of Last Modification 801007

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Underground
Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Large
Significant Yes
Discovery year 1894
Mining method Caving Methods - Block Caving
Year of first production 1926
Milling method Flotation

Mineral rights holdings

Type of mineral rights Unknown
Type of mineral rights Unknown
Type of mineral rights Unknown

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Codelco-Chile
    Interest 100
    Home office Chile
    Year 1990

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1979
    Indicated 50000000mt ore
    Demonstrated 50000000mt ore
    Total resources 50000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper Cu 0.87 wt-pct Copper Major 1979
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1988
    Inferred 140000000mt ore
    Total resources 140000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper Cu 0.8 wt-pct Copper Major 1988
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1990
    Demonstrated 50000000mt ore
    Total resources 50000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper Cu 0.88 wt-pct Copper Major 1990
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1990
    Demonstrated 50000000mt ore
    Total resources 50000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper Cu 0.88 wt-pct Copper Major 1990

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • D.B. HAS U.G. & PAST PRODUCER. RESERVE SOURCE: PRIVATE STUDY CHILE, DATE UNKNOWN. NO DATA AVAILABLE ON MO, AU AND AG GRADES. EXPECTED TO BE VERY LOW. PROPERTY IS PAST PRODUCER, CATAGORIZED AS EXP. PROSPECT FOR ADIT AND FOR COPPER STUDY BECAUSE OF POTENTIAL FOR PRODUCTION. CLOSED SINCE 1959, REOPENING IS BEING CONSIDERED AT US$ 40 TO 50 MILLION.
  • RESERVES BASED ON E/MJ, JULY 1966, AND GOLDER REPORT.
  • U.S. EMBASSY TRIP REPORT, 5/25-26/88, P5; CHILE ECONOMIC REPORT 1/89, P5.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Overall depth 165M
    Field Value
    MAS Development Schedule # 1
    Mining Record # 1
    Status of Mining Method ESTIMATE
    Mining Method BLOCK CAVING 10-79
    Percent Recovery 100
    Number of Shafts 2
    1st Condition of Workings OPEN
    Capacity 7500
    Capacity Units MT ORE/DAY
    Units of Production $/MT ORE
    Operating Days per Year 300
    Operating Shifts per Day 3
    Year of Information 1980

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Reserve-Resource

    MINING MAGAZINE- MAY 1979 P.446

  • Reserve-Resource

    E/MJ, JULY 1966, V. 167, NO.7, PAGE 75

  • Reserve-Resource

    PRIVATE REPORT, 1974.

  • Reserve-Resource

    CHILE ECONOMIC REPORT, JAN. 1989, P 5.

  • Reserve-Resource

    E/MJ, NOV. 1979, P 68.

  • Deposit

    MARCH, W. S. JR. 1935 ORE DEPOSITS AT POTRERILLOS, CHILE.

  • Deposit

    WASHINGTON. 16TH INT. GEOL. CONG.P 485 500

  • Deposit

    CLARK, A. H. AND SILLITOE, R. H. 1969 ARTHURITE FROM POTRERI

  • Deposit

    ATACAMA PROVENCE, CHILE MINERAL. MAG. VOL.37 NO 288 P519 520

  • Deposit

    METALS SOURCEBOOK 7/5/74 ITEM (B3436)

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit ADMITTEDLY THE MARCH REFERENCE IS SEVERELY OUTDATED, HOWEVER INCLUDED AS THIS INFORMATION IS VALUABLE IN CONSIDERING FUTU SURFACE OPERATIONS AT POTRERILLOS. MO, AU & AG ARE PRESENT IN ORE BUT BELIEVED TO BE LOW GRADE. NOT ENOUGH INFO AVAILABLE ON GRADES FOR THESE COMMOD- ITIES TO MAKE VALID ESTIMATES OF ECONOMIC EFFECT - 1980 ONE ESTIMATE BASED ON ANALYSIS OF OLD MILL TAILINGS GAVE ESTIMATED MILL FEED GRADE OF 0.02% MO.-THIS SEEMS HIGH. MILL FEED GRADE BASED ON 20% DILUTION MO,AU, AND AG ARE PRESENT BUT NO GRADES HAVE BEEN FOUND IN LITERATURE. THIS STUDY DOES NOT ADDRESS THE ECONOMICS OF MO,AU AND AG RECOVERY AT PORTRERILLOS.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 10-AUG-94 Porter, Kenneth E. U.S. Bureau of Mines

Beyond USGS

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

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