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 ae 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.

The sulphide mineralization occurs in breccias, stockwork veinlets, disseminations in andesite, and as an internal tuff unit. There are also some localized controls to mineralization in the form of faults, breccias, veins, and foliation. Candelaria has become an exploration model for Andean-type IOCG deposits t ........

Minera Candelaria consists of the Candelaria Open Pit and the Candelaria Underground mines. Minera Ojos del Salado consists of the Santos and Alcaparrosa underground mines. The Candelaria and the Minera Ojos del Salado facilities are close to each other.

The Candelaria Open Pit mine operates with an overall mining rate of approximately 310,000 tonnes per day over the next 10 years including an average of 45,000 tonnes per day of ore sent to the Candelaria processing plant together with substantial quantities of ore recovered from the WIP stockpiles. The average grade of the ore that will be mined from the open pit over the remaining life of mine (LOM) is estimated at 0.49 percent copper, while stockpiled work-in-progress material is estimated to have an average grade of 0.33 percent copper.

The LOM plan for the Candelaria Copper Mining Complex is largely driven by supplying ore to the Candelaria processing plant from the Candelaria and Española open pit open pits although higher grade underground sources are of increasing importance. Surface WIP stockpiles are fed to the plant once the open pit Mineral Reserves have been depleted. The open pit and work-in-progress stockpile Proven and Probable Mineral Reserves are estimated at 499.9 million tonnes at an average grade of 0.45 percent copper, 0.11 gram of gold per tonne, and 1.47 grams per tonne silver.

The Candelaria open pit was designed to be mined in several phases of development. As of June ........

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The Candelaria processing plant receives ore from the Candelaria Open Pit and the Candelaria Underground (North Sector) and Alcaparrosa underground mines. It has a nameplate capacity of 75,000 tonnes per day. The Pedro Aguirre Cerda (PAC) processing plant receives ore from the Santos underground mine and has a design capacity of 3,800 tonnes per day.

The Candelaria processing plant flowsheet is conventional, comprising two parallel process lines for grinding and flotation, reclaimed process water from a conventional tailings dam, final concentrate filtration, and shipping of bulk copper concentrates. Run of mine ore is trucked to a primary gyratory crusher. Grinding takes place in a multi-stage closed circuit using semi- autogenous grinding (SAG) mills, ball mills, and pebble crushing. A multi-stage flotation circuit using an arrangement of mechanical cells, regrind mills and column cells produces copper concentrate. Final flotation copper concentrate with gold and silver by ........