Mining Intelligence and News
Chile

Pampa Norte Operation

Click for more information

Categories

Overview

Mine TypeOpen Pit
StatusActive
Commodities
  • Copper
  • Molybdenum
  • Gold
  • Silver
Mining Method
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
Production Start... Lock
Mine Life... Lock
SnapshotPampa Norte Operation consists of two assets – Spence and Cerro Colorado.

Spence produces copper cathodes and copper concentrate, with by-products including gold, silver and molybdenum. In March 2024, Spence achieved fully autonomous mine haulage operations.

The Spence's concentrator plant modifications which commenced in August 2022 were completed in June 2024.

Cerro Colorado produced copper cathodes up until the asset entered temporary care and maintenance in December 2023.

Cerro Colorado operation is planning the execution of several projects for the next five to seven years, including: care and maintenance activities, closure works on the Parca Slope, geo/hydro physical drillings and the Cerro Colorado Life Extension (CCLE) project.

BHP is assessing the application of novel leaching technologies to utilise latent capacity and allow for a potential restart of operations early next decade.
Related AssetsCerro Colorado Mine, Spence Mine

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnershipInvestor's Info
BHP Group Ltd. 100 % Indirect
The Pampa Norte mine is 100% owned by BHP Group Ltd.

Contractors

Lock

- subscription is required.

Deposit type

  • Porphyry

Summary:

Spence
The Spence porphyry copper deposit is related to three stocks of dacitic porphyries and tourmaline-bearing hydrothermal breccias, which were emplaced in andesitic volcanic rocks of the Upper Cretaceous–Lower Tertiary. Laser 40Ar/39Ar plateau ages in magmatic biotites of pre- and post-mineralization dacitic stocks show evidence that hypogene mineralization (chalcopyrite, pyrite, molybdenite, and lesser amounts of bornite and tennantite) occurred between 56 and 57 Ma.

Unconsolidated gravel deposits and a leach cap cover an oxidation blanket characterized by atacamite, chrysocolla, and minor brochantite, in which the Cu-hydroxychloride is by far the dominating mineral. Underlying the oxide zone is a well-developed chalcocite- and lesser covellite-bearing supergene enrichment blanket.

Spence is enriched and oxidised porphyry copper deposit containing in situ copper oxide mineralisation that overlies a near-horizontal sequence of supergene sulphides, transitional sulphides and finally primary (hypogene) sulphide mineralisation.

Representative samples from pit walls and drill cores were selected in order to cover most of the hypogene and supergene zones, including chalcopyrite from the hypogene-enriched sulfides and hypogene zones, chalcocite from the supergene-enriched sulfides and hypogene-enriched blankets, chrysocolla from the oxide blankets, and atacamite from the oxide zone within the host rocks and gravels and leach cap.

Cerro Colorado
The Cerro Colorado porphyry copper deposit is the northernmost currently active copper mine in Chile. It belongs to one of the Paleocene to early Eocene porphyry copper deposits that are distributed along the western slope of the main Andean Cordillera in Northern Chile.

Cerro Colorado is enriched and oxidised porphyry copper deposit containing in situ copper oxide mineralisation that overlies a near-horizontal sequence of supergene sulphides, transitional sulphides and finally primary (hypogene) sulphide mineralization.

The geological evolution of Cerro Colorado area can be generalized as follows. The Cretaceous Cerro Empexa Formation, consisting of a sequence of volcanic rocks, mainly andesitic lava and breccia, lahars, some ignimbrite intercalations and dacitic tuff, was intruded by tonalitic to dioritic magma in Middle-Eocene. Magmatic activities generated brecciated rocks accompanying with different alteration zones radiate outward from the intrusion. The mineralized hypogene protore later interacted with ground water, creating the supergene blanket, which is now the principal mining target of Cerro Colorado.

Reserves

Lock

- subscription is required.

Mining Methods

Lock

- subscription is required.

Comminution

Crushers and Mills

Milling equipment has not been reported.

Processing

Lock

- subscription is required.

Production

Cerro Colorado entered temporary care and maintenance in December 2023.
CommodityProductUnits2024202320222021202020192018201720162015
Copper Cathode kt  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe246264254251250
Copper Metal in concentrate kt  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe
Molybdenum Metal in concentrate t  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe
Gold Metal in concentrate oz  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe
Silver Metal in concentrate koz  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe
^ Guidance / Forecast.

Operational metrics

Metrics2024202320222021202020192018201720162015
Total tonnes mined  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe149,971 kt167,232 kt151,677 kt141,856 kt151,033 kt
Tonnes milled  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe39,558 kt37,747 kt35,266 kt37,202 kt34,768 kt

Production Costs

Commodity production costs have not been reported.

Financials

Units20242023202220212020201920182017
Capital expenditures M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 1,194   757   213  
Revenue M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 1,502   1,831   1,401  
EBIT M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 320   626   306  
EBITDA M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 701   924   620  

Heavy Mobile Equipment

Fleet data has not been reported.

Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Sep 27, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Sep 27, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Sep 27, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Sep 27, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Sep 27, 2024

Aerial view:

Lock

- subscription is required.