Deposit Types
The copper-gold sulphide mineralization present at the Candelaria Copper Mining Complex is generally referred to as iron oxide copper gold (IOCG). Depending on lithology and the structural setting, the polymetallic sulphide mineralization can occur as veins, hydrothermal breccias, replacement mantos, and calcic skarns (Sillitoe, 2003).

The Candelaria IOCG deposit lies within the metamorphic aureole of the Lower Cretaceous magmatic arc plutonic complex that is located within the Candelaria-Punta del Cobre district, Atacama Region, northern Chile. IOCG deposits are primarily defined by their elevated magnetite and / or hematite with elevated copper and gold contents (Sillitoe, 2003). The IOCG belt located in the Coastal Cordillera of northern Chile and southern Peru is part of a volcano-plutonic arc of Jurassic to Early Cretaceous age. The arc is characterized by voluminous tholeiitic to calc-alkaline plutonic complexes of gabbro to granodiorite composition and primitive, mantle-derived parentage. Major arc-parallel fault systems developed in response to extension and transtension induced by subduction roll-back at the retreating convergent margin.

Most of the sulphide mineralization at Candelaria and Ojos del Salado occurs in breccias, stockwork veinlets, and disseminations in andesite, especially where the rocks are strongly foliated. Highergrade copper mineralization is controlled by stratigraphy in mantos and by faults, trending pre ........

Minera Candelaria consists of the Candelaria Open Pit, La Española Open Pit and the Candelaria Underground mines. Minera Ojos del Salado consists of the Santos and Alcaparrosa Underground mines. In response to a sinkhole that occurred near the Alcaparrosa mine on July 30, 2022 and a subsequent infraction notice from the Superintendencia de Medio Ambiente (SMA) alleging four environmental permit breaches and a subsequent request from SERNAGEOMIN for a temporary stoppage of the Alcaparrosa mine, mineralized material from the Alcaparrosa mine have been excluded from the LOM plan and Mineral Reserves.

The Candelaria and the Minera Ojos del Salado operations are located close to each other, resulting in shared surface infrastructure such as the concentrator and tailings dam, as well as a common management structure. The ore from the Candelaria Open Pit, Candelaria Underground is processed at the Candelaria processing plant. Ore from the Santos mine is hauled to the PAC processing plant located on the Minera Ojos del Salado property.

The open pits will operate with an overall mining rate of approximately 294,000 tonnes per day for the next 10 years. As the final Candelaria Phase 13 waste stripping is completed the overall mining rate will decline. A stockpile strategy has been developed to maximize the grade of material going to the processing facility. Direct milling ore will average 0.61% copper from Candelaria and 0.43% copper from Española. A lower grade ........

Minera Candelaria Plant
Run-of-mine ore is trucked to a primary gyratory crusher. The crushed product is transported using an overland conveyor belt to a coarse ore stockpile with a total capacity of 500,000 tonnes. Semiautogenous grinding mills are followed by ball mills with crushing of the SAG mill generated pebbles. A portion of the crushed pebbles are sent to a dedicated grinding mill, with the remainder retuned to the SAG mills. The ball mills are operated in closed-circuit with hydrocyclones ahead of flotation.

Minera Ojos del Salado PAC Plant
The concentrator flowsheet comprises a closed-circuit crushing plant including a primary jaw crusher (48 by 60 inches), a secondary cone crusher (Symons 7-foot standard) and two tertiary cone crushers (Symons 7-foot short head).

The grinding circuit includes three ball mills (one Marcy 9 ft x 9 ft and two Allis-Chalmers 10.5 ft x 13 ft) operating in parallel, in closed-circuit with hydrocyclones.

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