The Cuajone deposit is considered to be an example of a porphyry copper–molybdenum deposit. Mineralization and alteration at the Cuajone deposit is directly related to a multi-stage latite porphyry that intrudes basaltic andesites and the overlying 370 m of rhyolite porphyries of the Toquepala Group. The Cuajone porphyry deposit exhibits a zoned alteration pattern that includes potassic, propylitic, sericitic and intermediate argillic hydrothermal alteration styles. Hypogene mineralization represents >98% of the remaining mineralization within the Cuajone open pit. The mineralogy is typically simple and consists of pyrite, chalcopyrite, and bornite, with sparse sphalerite, galena, and enargite. The first, pre-mineral intrusive in the mine area, situated approximately 1–2 km to the west of the deposit, was a north–south-elongated, 0.7 x 0.35 km, grey to grey-green holocrystalline to equigranular, medium grained, porphyritic diorite stock. This was followed by emplacement of three latite porphyry stages, producing a 2.5 x 0.7 km, northwest–southeast-elongated intrusive body. The latite multiphase intrusion hosts the mineralization. The first magmatic pulse of the latite porphyry was concentrated in the southeastern part of the multiple intrusive mass and was responsible for the introduction of the bulk of the hypogene copper and molybdenite mineralization in the Cuajone orebody and the associated intense alteration of both the latite and surrounding Toquepala Group andesite ........

The Cuajone Operations use conventional truck-and-shovel open pit mining methods.

The Cuajone pit is approximately 930 meters deep. The Cuajone pit will reach a depth of 1,320 meters.

Nine pit phases remain in the LOM plan, starting with phase 6 and ending with phase 10C. Three pit phases will be operational at any one time, to ensure that production rates can be met. A maximum mining capacity per phase of 110 Mt/a is assumed, with a maximum vertical advance rate of 10 benches per year. The mine plan assumed a maximum mining capacity of 158 Mt of annual movement and a nominal processing rate of 90 kt/d of sulfide ore at the concentration facility.

The mill crusher is located at elevation 3295 masl in the northern zone of the pit. Material is supplied either directly by haul trucks or is fed from a short-term sulfide stockpile near the crusher. From the crusher, the crushed material is transported using a 7 km long conveyor belt to the concentrator plant. The mill crusher throughput is a nominal 90 kt/d.

Material destined for the heap leach can be sent either directly to a short-term stockpile, or to the leach crusher that is located at elevation 3,480 masl, 5.9 km southwest of the pit. Crushed leachable material is rehandled by loaders and trucks and deposited on a heap leach pad approximately 1.0 km northeast of the leach crusher.

Equipment is conventional, and consists of drill, load, haul and support equipment.