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Chile
Spence Mine (Pampa Norte Operation)

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 Location:
50 km SW from Calama, Chile

  Regional Office:
Cerro El Plomo 6000, Las Condes
Santiago
Chile
7560623
Phone  ...  Subscription required
WebsiteWeb
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  • Geology
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  • Filings & News

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Overview

StageProduction
Mine TypeOpen Pit
Commodities
  • Copper
  • Molybdenum
  • Gold
  • Silver
Mining Method
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
Production Start...
Mine Life40 years (as of Jan 1, 2022)
The molybdenum plant at Spence produced and sold its first batch of molybdenum concentrate during Q4 FY2022. During May 2022, the new copper concentrator in Spence was inaugurated. The concentrator operates on desalinated seawater and is powered from renewable sources, and will allow the operation to be extended by 50 years.


Owners

Source: p. 42,349
CompanyInterestOwnershipInvestor's Info
BHP Group Ltd. 100 % Indirect
Minera Spence S.A. (operator) 100 % Direct
Spence is owned by BHP: 100 percent.
Operator: BHP.

Contractors

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Deposit Type

  • Porphyry


Summary:

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.


Mining Methods

  • Truck & Shovel / Loader


Summary:

Spence is an Open-cut mine.


Crushing and Grinding


Processing

Flow Sheet: Subscription required

Summary:

- subscription is required.


Production:

CommodityProductUnits2022202120202019201820172016
Copper Metal in concentrate kt  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
Copper Cathode kt  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required200190174
Molybdenum Metal in concentrate t  ......  Subscription required
Gold Metal in concentrate oz  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
Silver Metal in concentrate koz  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Operational Metrics:

Metrics202220212020201920182017
Total tonnes mined  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required82,513 kt89,976 kt93,442 kt
Tonnes milled  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required20,670 kt19,447 kt20,093 kt
Annual production capacity  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required200 kt of copper cathode200 kt of copper cathode200 kt of copper cathode
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Reserves at June 3, 2022:
Cut-off criteria:
Mineral Resources: Oxide - 0.20%TCu; Low-grade Oxide - 0.20%TCu; Supergene Sulphide, Transitional Sulphide & Hypogene Sulphide - 0.20%TCu.

Ore Reserves: Oxide - 0.30%TCu; Supergene Sulphide - 0.20%TCu or - 0.30%TCu depending on processing, Transitional Sulphide & Hypogene Sulphide - 0.20%TCu.

CategoryOreTypeTonnage CommodityGrade
Proven & Probable Oxide 17 Mt Copper 0.67 %
Proven & Probable Supergene sulphide 99 Mt Copper 0.55 %
Proven & Probable Transitional sulphide 16 Mt Copper 0.59 %
Proven & Probable Hypogene sulphide 1,410 Mt Copper 0.45 %
Proven & Probable Transitional sulphide 16 Mt Molybdenum 90 ppm
Proven & Probable Hypogene sulphide 1,410 Mt Molybdenum 150 ppm
Total Resource Oxide 20 Mt Copper 0.65 %
Total Resource Supergene sulphide 100 Mt Copper 0.55 %
Total Resource Transitional sulphide 16 Mt Copper 0.59 %
Total Resource Hypogene sulphide 2,340 Mt Copper 0.43 %
Total Resource Transitional sulphide 16 Mt Molybdenum 90 ppm
Total Resource Hypogene sulphide 2,340 Mt Molybdenum 120 ppm


Pipelines
TypeMaterialDiameterLengthDescription


Heavy Mobile Equipment:
HME TypeModelQuantityRef. Date
Drill ....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Dec 6, 2021
Truck (haul) ....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Apr 29, 2022
Truck (haul) ....................... Subscription required Jun 17, 2022
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Mine Management:

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Sep 29, 2022
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Sep 29, 2022
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Sep 29, 2022
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Sep 29, 2022
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Corporate Filings & Presentations:

DocumentYear
Annual Report 2022
Other 2022
Press Release 2022
................................... Subscription required 2021
................................... Subscription required 2021
................................... Subscription required 2021
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2019
................................... Subscription required 2019
Annual Report 2018
Press Release 2018
Annual Report 2017
Press Release 2017
Annual Report 2016
Fact Sheet 2016
Corporate Presentation 2015
Corporate Presentation 2012
Other 2011
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