Mining Intelligence and News
Chile

Chuquicamata Mine

Click for more information
Australia

Chuquicamata Mine

Location: 15 km N from Calama, Chile

Address:

Avenida 11 Norte Nº 1291, Villa Exótica
Calama
Chile

Contacts:

Additional Resources for Suppliers & Investors

Categories

Summary

Mine TypeOpen Pit & Underground
StatusActive
Commodities
  • Copper
  • Molybdenum
  • Gold
  • Silver
  • Sulphuric acid
Mining Method
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
  • Block caving
Production Start... Lock
Mine Life... Lock
SnapshotThe Chuquicamata division consists of open pit mine, underground mine, leaching plant, concentrator plant, smelter and refinery.

The Chuquicamata Underground mine considers its exploitation in three levels located at different levels. Currently, the projects in execution are located at the first level. The program considers two main investments: works associated with the “Continuity infrastructure phase I” and the “Development of mining works”.

In 2023, the first phase of level 1 continuity infrastructure reached 51% progress. In addition, the selection of Level 2 mining designs was concluded, which must continue to be refined in the coming years.

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Codelco Corp. (operator) 100 % Indirect
Codelco Corp. develops business in seven mining divisions: Chuquicamata, Minister Hales, Radomiro Tomic, Gabriela Mistral, Salvador, Andina and El Teniente, in addition to the Ventanas Refinery.

The deposits and plants belong to the State of Chile, which grants company the power to exploit and manage them.

Contractors

Lock

- subscription is required.

SourceSource

Deposit type

  • Porphyry

Summary:

The Chuquicamata district includes the Chuquicamata and Radomiro Tomic megadeposits, the exotic copper deposit Mina Sur, the newly developed Ministro Hales mine (formerly known as Mansa Mina) located 5.5 km south of Chuquicamata, and the deposits of the Toki cluster (Toki, Genoveva, Quetena, Miranda, and Opache) located about 15 km SSW of Chuquicamata.

The deposits of the district are located in the Late Eocene–Early Oligocene (43–31 Ma) porphyry copper belt that extends for about 1,400 km, from 18°S to 31°S (Sillitoe 1988; Sillitoe and Perelló 2005). The rocks in the area range in age from Paleozoic to Tertiary. The main structural feature observed is the West Fault, which is part of the Domeyko Fault System (Boric et al. 1990; Dilles et al. 1997) and divides the district in two domains: an eastern domain and a western domain.

The Chuquicamata deposit is a porphyry-type ore body. The most important feature of the ore body is a north-south regional fault, the west fissure fault, which cuts the ore on the west side and creates a sharp limit on the deposit. An oxide ore zone was a large part of the deposit and has been almost totally mined out. The mine contains a supergene enrichment layer (a redeposit of copper, by natural forces, from higher to lower layers), which has a thickness of almost 800 meters near the center of the mine. Five kilometers north of Chuquicamata, the ore body narrows and merges with the Radomiro Tomic ore body

Reserves

Lock

- subscription is required.

Mining Methods

Lock

- subscription is required.

Heavy Mobile Equipment

Lock

- subscription is required.


AV - Autonomous

Comminution

Crushers and Mills

Lock

- subscription is required.

Processing

Lock

- subscription is required.

Commodity Production

CommodityProductUnits202320222021202020192018201720162015
Copper Metal t  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe385,309320,744330,910302,010308,625
Gold Metal kg  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe1,3071,4109861,1381,037
Silver Metal kg  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe339,374261,959267,319194,936173,343
Sulphuric acid t  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe263,795640,281759,049914,5661,021,529
Molybdenum Metal t  ....  Subscribe11,49312,17215,51817,39212,637

Operational metrics

Metrics202220212020201920182017
Daily processing capacity  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe
Annual production capacity  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe
Ore tonnes mined  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe65,582 kdmt56,909 kdmt50,104 kdmt

Production Costs

CommodityUnits20212020201920182017
C1 cash costs Copper USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 1.2 / lb   1.32 / lb   1.31 / lb  

Mine Financials

Units2023202220212020201920182017
Revenue M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 3,821   3,734   3,777  
Gross profit M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 659.3   434.3   842.7  
Pre-tax Income M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe -55.1   3   233.4  
After-tax Income M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe -25.2   0.9   71  

Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required May 24, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jun 4, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required May 24, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jun 4, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required May 24, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jun 4, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required May 24, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jun 4, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jun 4, 2024

Workforce

EmployeesYear
...... Subscription required 2023
...... Subscription required 2022
...... Subscription required 2021
...... Subscription required 2020
...... Subscription required 2019
...... Subscription required 2018
...... Subscription required 2017
...... Subscription required 2016
...... Subscription required 2015
...... Subscription required 2014

Aerial view:

Lock

- subscription is required.