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.

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.

The current study focuses on the vein samples obtained from on-site drill cores that penetrated the hypogene zone. The principle aim is to determine the forming conditions of ore mineralization by using fluid inclusions trapped in associated vein minerals, in majority, quartz.

Spence and Cerro Colorado are comprised of open pit mines. At these mines, overburden is removed after blasting, using a truck and shovel. Ore is then extracted and further processed into high- quality copper concentrate or cathode.

Open-cut 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.

Facilities, use & condition:
2 primary, secondary and tertiary crushers, leaching pads, solvent extraction plant, electrowinning plant.