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Chile
Ojos Del Salado Mine (Candelaria Complex)

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 Location:
12 km SE from Copiapó, Chile

  Address:
Inside Ojancos Bridge Km. 9
Tierra Amarilla
Chile
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Overview

StageProduction
Mine TypeUnderground
Commodities
  • Copper
  • Gold
  • Silver
Mining Method
  • Sub-level stoping
Processing
  • Flotation
Mine Life2029
Ojos del Salado comprises two underground mines: Santos and Alcaparrosa. The Santos Mine provides copper ore to the PAC processing plant with a capacity of 3,800 tpd. The remainder of the ore extracted from the Santos and the total production of Alcaparrosa Mines is treated at the Candelaria processing plant.


Owners

Source: p. 77
CompanyInterestOwnership
Sumitomo Corp. 4 % Indirect
Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd 16 % Indirect
Lundin Mining Corp. 80 % Indirect
Lundin Mining Corp. owns 80% of Compañia Contractual Minera Candelaria S.A. and Compañia Contractual Minera Ojos del Salado S.A.’s copper mining operations and supporting infrastructure in Chile. The remaining 20% ownership stake is held by Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd. and Sumitomo Corporation.

Deposit Type

  • IOCG
  • Breccia pipe / Stockwork
  • Vein / narrow vein
  • Manto


Summary:

The copper-gold sulphide mineralization found at the Candelaria Copper Mining Complex is generally referred to as iron oxide copper gold (IOCG) mineralization. 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 that display close relationships to the plutonic complexes and broadly coeval fault systems. Depending on lithology and the structural setting, the polymetallic sulphide mineralization can occur as veins, hydrothermal breccias, replacement mantos, and calcic skarns. The Candelaria IOCG system lies within the thermal aureole of the Lower Cretaceous magmatic arc plutonic suite in the Candelaria-Punta del Cobre district.

Chalcopyrite is the only primary copper sulphide present in the Santos mine. Additionally to copper mineralization, there are economic values of gold. Most frequent gangue minerals are pyrite, magnetite, actinolite, k-feldspar, chlorite, biotite and hematite.

In the Santos mine, three types of mineralized bodies are observed: veins, mantos, and breccia bodies. An important vein in the Santos mine is the Isabel, which is oriented northwest-striking, and extends over 1 kilometre in length and between 4 and 30 metres in width. Manto-type mineralization occurs as tabular bodies hosted in two sedimentary horizons located in the floor and roof of the albitophyre. The manto mineralization is characterized by variable iron contents with magnetite common in the north and deeper areas, and specular hematite in the south. Mineralization occurs within breccia bodies is typically contained with the albitoforo and lower andesite and is formed by steeply west-dipping and north-northwest- to northwest-striking bodies.

Mineralized bodies at the Alcaparrosa mine have a manto-type geometry that trend to the northeast and dip to the west. Ore and gangue mineralogy consists of chalcopyrite, pyrite, and magnetite, with trace pyrrhotite, molybdenite, and arsenopyrite.

Mineralization styles at the Alcaparrosa mine also occurs as veinlets defining dense stockwork, breccias (hydrothermal potassium feldspar and magnetite), as well as fine dissemination in biotite meta-andesites. High grade bodies are also found in massive veins striking north-northwest, north, and east.


Mining Methods

  • Sub-level stoping


Summary:

Minera Ojos del Salado consists of the Santos and Alcaparrosa underground mines.

The three underground mines (Candelaria Underground, Santos, and Alcaparrosa) utilize a sublevel stoping mining method for ore extraction. This method is ideal for relatively large, vertical, as well as thick deposits with favourable and stable host rock. Stopes can typically be up to 180 metres high with sublevels at 20 to 60 metre intervals. The length of the stopes is generally 40 to 100 metres with widths varying between 20 to 30 metres. Stopes are drilled down from the sublevel drilling drifts as benches using 114 to 140 mm diameter down-the-hole holes. The holes are loaded and blasted in vertical slices towards an open face created by the slot blasting. The blasted ore gravitates to the bottom of the stope and is collected in draw points at the production level below. This lower level also consists of the haulage (transport) drift. The undercut levels, which feed the draw points, are 15 to 20 metres high and inclined at 50 to 60 degrees to allow the blasted ore to flow easily by gravity. An Epiroc Simba tophammer rig drills 64 mm up holes within the undercut, which are loaded and blasted with the downholes. Once the stope is mined, a remaining rib pillar, which can be another 20 to 30 metres wide, may be blasted into the stope to increase the extraction tonnage. Typically, a 20-metre structural pillar remains between each stope and no backfill is used at these operations. Mucked ore is dumped into 60 tonne underground trucks or 30 tonne highway type trucks (being replaced by the former trucks) and hauled up the ramp to a surface stockpile for subsequent re-handling and processing.


Crushing and Grinding
Flow Sheet: Source
Crusher / Mill TypeModelSizePowerQuantity
Jaw crusher 48" x 60" 1
Cone crusher ....................... Subscription required 7' 3
Ball mill ....................... Subscription required 10.5' x 13' 2
Ball mill ....................... Subscription required 9' x 9' 1
Ball mill 6' x 5' 2

Summary:

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 plant has three ball mills (one 9 by 9 feet and two 10.5 by 13 feet) operating in parallel and in closed-circuit with hydrocyclones.


Processing

  • Flotation

Flow Sheet: Subscription required

Summary:

Minera Ojos del Salado PAC Plant
The PAC concentrator of Minera Ojos del Salado has been in operation since 1929. The concentrator processes 3,800 tonnes per day of fresh feed from the Santos underground mine with an historical average head grade of 0.85 percent copper with a copper recovery of 94 percent. Copper concentrate produced has averaged 30 percent copper, 5 g/t gold, and 67 g/t silver since 2004. Gold and silver recoveries are slightly lower than Candelaria, at 72 percent each.

The flotation plant uses multi-stage, mechanical (self-aspirated and forced-air) flotation cells varying in size from 100 to 1500 cubic feet. After rougher flotation, regrind milling and column cells are used to generate a final concentrate which is thickened and filtered using a 30-square- metre ceramic disc filter. Final flotation tailings from the PAC plant are pumped to the main Minera Candelaria tailings storage facility but not processed through the magnetite recovery plant.


Production:

CommodityUnits2013
Copper M lbs 65
Gold koz  ......  Subscription required
All production numbers are expressed as metal in concentrate.

Operational Metrics:

Metrics20212020201920182017
Daily ore mining rate  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required9,500 t9,400 t
Daily processing capacity  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required3,800 t
Annual processing capacity  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required1.3 Mt
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Reserves at June 30, 2018:
Underground Mineral Reserves for Santos and Alcaparrosa are reported cut-off grades of 0.64 percent copper and 0.59 percent copper, respectively.

CategoryTonnage CommodityGradeContained Metal
Proven 17,194 kt Copper 0.89 % 152 kt
Proven 17,194 kt Gold 0.2 g/t 111 koz
Proven 17,194 kt Silver 1.94 g/t 1,071 koz
Probable 15,841 kt Copper 0.83 % 131 kt
Probable 15,841 kt Gold 0.19 g/t 98 koz
Probable 15,841 kt Silver 1.76 g/t 898 koz
Proven & Probable 33,035 kt Copper 0.86 % 283 kt
Proven & Probable 33,035 kt Gold 0.2 g/t 210 koz
Proven & Probable 33,035 kt Silver 1.85 g/t 1,968 koz
Measured 68,756 kt Copper 1.05 % 725 kt
Measured 68,756 kt Gold 0.24 g/t 522 koz
Measured 68,756 kt Silver 1.69 g/t 3,738 koz
Indicated 39,051 kt Copper 0.98 % 381 kt
Indicated 39,051 kt Gold 0.21 g/t 266 koz
Indicated 39,051 kt Silver 1.64 g/t 2,054 koz
Measured & Indicated 107,807 kt Copper 1.03 % 1,106 kt
Measured & Indicated 107,807 kt Gold 0.23 g/t 788 koz
Measured & Indicated 107,807 kt Silver 1.67 g/t 5,792 koz
Inferred 1,929 kt Copper 1.06 % 20 kt
Inferred 1,929 kt Gold 0.17 g/t 11 koz
Inferred 1,929 kt Silver 1.44 g/t 89 koz


Heavy Mobile Equipment as of November 28, 2018:
HME TypeModelSizeQuantityLeased or
Contractor
Drill ....................... Subscription required Leased
Drill ....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Leased
Drill jumbo (two boom) ....................... Subscription required Leased
Loader (FEL) ....................... Subscription required Leased
Load-Haul-Dump (LHD) ....................... Subscription required Leased
Truck (haul) 30 t ....................... Subscription required Leased
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Mine Management:

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Mar 11, 2022
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Mar 11, 2022
Subscription required - Subscription is required.


Corporate Filings & Presentations:

DocumentYear
................................... Subscription required 2021
................................... Subscription required 2021
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2019
................................... Subscription required 2019
Technical Report 2018
Technical Report 2017
Annual Information Form 2015
Technical Report 2015
Technical Report 2014
Form 10-K 2013
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Aerial view:

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