Overview
| Stage | Production |
| Mine Type | Open Pit |
| Commodities |
|
| Mining Method |
|
| Production Start | ...  |
| Mine Life | 2044 |
Antucoya mines and leaches oxide ore to produce copper cathodes using the solvent extraction and electrowinning (SX-EW) process.
Patented Cuprochlor®-T technology has completed industrial-scale testing and unlocked a solution to economically leach low-grade primary sulphides. It is now being incorporated into Antucoya mine plans.
In 2022 Antofagasta completed the transition of all operations to electricity generated exclusively from renewable sourced contracts.
In 2022, Antofagasta participated in pilot projects to develop electricpowered haulage trucks at Antucoya. |
Source:
p. 213,256
Minera Antucoya S.A., is a 70%-owned subsidiary of Antofagasta, and holds the Antucoya operations. Marubeni Corporation, the Antofagasta’s 30% minority partner in Centinela and Antucoya.
Contractors
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Summary:
The Antucoya porphyry copper deposit is situated 120 km northeast of Antofagasta in the Early Cretaceous metallogenic belt of the Coastal Cordillera.
The mineralized system is related to granodioritic porphyry (Antucoya porphyry) and dacite porphyry (Buey Muerto porphyry). Late dacitic dikes intrude the former ore-related intrusions and Jurassic andesitic host rocks in a tectonic environment dominated by splays of the Atacama Fault System.
The principal mineralization constitutes a column 350 m thick, composed of atacamite, brochantite, Fe-Cu sulfates, Cubearing limonite, chrysocolla and black oxides, with rare chalcocite and covellite in a thin supergene enrichment blanket.
In the underlying hypogene zone, the mineralization is dominated by chalcopyrite>pyrite>bornite hosted by A- and B veins in potassic alteration, and in C-veins on the periphery of the porphyry intrusions. The pyrite/chalcopyrite ratio is greater in D-veins within a shallow phyllic zone. The Mo distribution is erratic and poorly characterized.
Summary:
Antucoya is a low-grade, low strip-ratio, oxide deposit.
Conventional open-pit mining method with preliminary drilling and blasting operations is utilized for extraction oxide ore.
There are electric shovels and Front-end loaders used for extraction-and-loading.
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Flow Sheet:
Summary:
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Reserves at December 31, 2022:
The ore reserve cut-off grade is 0.16% copper, while the cut-off grade for mineral resources is 0.15% copper.
| Category | Tonnage | Commodity | Grade |
|
Proven
|
436.2 Mt
|
Copper
|
0.33 %
|
|
Probable
|
281.4 Mt
|
Copper
|
0.29 %
|
|
Proven & Probable
|
717.6 Mt
|
Copper
|
0.31 %
|
|
Measured
|
463.7 Mt
|
Copper
|
0.32 %
|
|
Indicated
|
348.5 Mt
|
Copper
|
0.29 %
|
|
Measured & Indicated
|
812.3 Mt
|
Copper
|
0.31 %
|
|
Inferred
|
302.3 Mt
|
Copper
|
0.26 %
|
|
Total Resource
|
1,115 Mt
|
Copper
|
0.3 %
|
Pipelines and Water Supply
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Corporate Filings & Presentations:
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