• Data Access
  • Your Email  
  • Your Email  
Keep me signed in.
Forgot your password?
Close
  • Forgot Your Password?
  • Enter the email you signed up with and we'll email it to you.
  • Your Email  
Close
Back
MDO
Mining Data Solutions
  • Home
  • Database
  • Subscribe
  • Sign In
  • Sign In
Chile
Salar de Atacama Mine

This page is not tailored to
devices with screen width under 750 px.
 Location:
210 Km E from Antofagasta, Chile

  Address:
El Trovador 4285, Las Condes
Santiago
Chile
Phone  ...  Subscription required
EmailEmail
WebsiteWeb
Additional Resources for Suppliers & Investors
Drill results over 30 g/t Au
Stay on top of recent discoveries.
Search drill results by commodity and grade.
Largest mines in the Americas
Mining and mill throughput capaciites.
Full profiles of select mines and projects.
Deepest underground mines
Shaft depth and mill throughput data.
Full profiles of select mines and projects.
Heavy mobile equipment
HME type, model, size and quantity.
Full profiles of select mines and projects.
Permitting and construction projects
Projects at the permitting or construction stage. Full profiles of select projects.
Mines with remote camps
Camp size, mine location and contacts.
Full profiles of select mines and projects.
Mines & projects in Chile
A list of country's mines and projects.
Full profiles of select mines and projects.
  • Overview
  • Owners
  • Geology
  • Mining
  • Processing
  • Production
  • Reserves
  • Financials
  • Fleet
  • Personnel
  • Filings & News

Thank you for browsing through mine profiles compiled by the Mining Data Online team.

Would you like to subcribe or schedule a Demo?
  • Name:
     
  • Company:
     
  • Position:
     
  • Phone:
  • Email:
  • Message:

Overview

StageProduction
Mine TypeIn-Situ
Commodities
  • Lithium
  • Potassium
  • Boron
  • Sulfate of potash (SOP)
  • Boric acid
Mining Method
  • Brine mining
Production Start...
Mine Life2030
In 2020, Company (Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile S.A.) begans the ISO 14.001 certification process for operations in the Salar de Atacama and Salar del Carmen.

In 2021, in the Salar de Atacama, Company begans preparing an external audit with the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) for a mining certification process.


Owners

Source: p. 192
CompanyInterestOwnership
Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile S.A. 100 % Indirect
SQM subsidiary SQM Salar S.A. (“SQM Salar”), as leaseholder, holds exclusive and temporary rights to exploit mineral resources in the Salar de Atacama in northern Chile.

Contractors

Subscription required - Subscription is required.


Deposit Type

  • Brine


Summary:

The Salar de Atacama is a salt-encrusted depression in the Atacama Desert, within which lies an underground deposit of brines contained in porous sodium chloride rock fed by an underground inflow from the Andes mountains, which is the result of millions of years of climatic and tectonic impacts. Deposit Types The Salar de Atacama brine deposit is contained within porous media filled with interstitial brine rich in Li, K, and boron among other ions. The Salar de Atacama nucleus is constituted by a thick section of evaporites over a surface area of 1,100 square km and up to a depth of 900 m (Bevacqua, 1992; Xterrae, 2011). It is surrounded by a marginal zone of clastic sediments over an area of about 2,000 square km of extension (Díaz del Río, et al., 1972). The nucleus is mainly constituted by halite (>90%) with sulfate and a minor percentage of clastic sediments as well as some interbedded clay sediments and sulfates. Therefore, the Salar de Atacama is classified as a mature salt flat, according to the site geology and Houston, et al. (2011) classification. Property Geology Upper Halite This unit comprises pure halite and halite with clastic sedimentary material and/or gypsum. The clastic sedimentary material comprises clay, silt, and sand, which are more abundant near surface and decrease with increasing depth. The Upper Halite has a mean thickness of 17 m in the West Block and 23 m in the East Block. In the West Block, the Upper Halite is underlain by a clay lens, gypsu ........


Mining Methods

  • Brine mining


Summary:

SQM’s mining operation at Salar de Atacama utilizes brine extraction from pumping wells. Brine extraction is characterized by the construction of vertical pumping wells capable of pumping brine from the subsurface reservoir. The brine is accumulated in different gathering ponds for distribution to the evaporation ponds and metallurgical plants.

The utilized mining method of brine extraction by pumping wells does not require the development of geotechnical studies, because operations are executed without significant excavation. Furthermore, the dominant lithology in the salt flat nucleus (massive evaporites) is typically stable from a geotechnical perspective. However, the mining process includes some salt dumps. These salt dumps have a maximum height of 30 m (environmental restriction). SQM undertook a geotechnical analysis, concluding that the design of the dumps is stable according to the current operating conditions.

Integrated production process can be classified according to natural resources: brines from the Salar de Atacama, which contain potassium, lithium, sulfate, boron and magnesium.

Brines are pumped from depths of 15 to 150 meters below surface, through a field of wells that are located in the Salar de Atacama, distributed in areas authorized for exploitation, and which contain relatively high concentrations of potassium, lithium, sulfates, boron and other minerals. The brines are estimated to cover a surface of approximately 2,80 ........


Crushing and Grinding


Processing

Flow Sheet: Subscription required

Summary:

- subscription is required.


Production:

CommodityProductUnits2021202020192018
Lithium Carbonate kt  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required62
Potassium Salt kt  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Operational Metrics:

Metrics20212020
Annual production capacity  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
Annual production capacity  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
Annual production capacity  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
Annual production capacity  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Reserves at December 31, 2021:
The mineral resource estimate considers a 0.05 wt.% cut-off grade for Li.

The mineral reserve estimate considers a 0.05 wt.% cut-off grade for Li.

CategoryTonnage CommodityGradeContained Metal
Proven 183 M cu.m Lithium 0.2 % 0.22 Mt
Proven 183 M cu.m Potassium 2.29 % 3.91 Mt
Proven 183 M cu.m LCE 1.2 Mt
Proven 183 M cu.m KCl 7.45 Mt
Probable 107 M cu.m Lithium 0.2 % 0.14 Mt
Probable 107 M cu.m Potassium 2.13 % 2.12 Mt
Probable 107 M cu.m LCE 0.75 Mt
Probable 107 M cu.m KCl 4.04 Mt
Proven & Probable 290 M cu.m Lithium 0.2 % 0.36 Mt
Proven & Probable 290 M cu.m Potassium 2.22 % 6.03 Mt
Proven & Probable 290 M cu.m LCE 1.95 Mt
Proven & Probable 290 M cu.m KCl 11.49 Mt
Measured 2,254 M cu.m Lithium 0.2 % 5.4 Mt
Measured 2,254 M cu.m Potassium 1.8 % 49.8 Mt
Indicated 1,435 M cu.m Lithium 0.16 % 2.8 Mt
Indicated 1,435 M cu.m Potassium 1.7 % 30 Mt
Measured & Indicated 3,689 M cu.m Lithium 0.18 % 8.2 Mt
Measured & Indicated 3,689 M cu.m Potassium 1.77 % 79.8 Mt
Inferred 1,614 M cu.m Lithium 0.13 % 2.6 Mt
Inferred 1,614 M cu.m Potassium 1.77 % 34.9 Mt
Total Resource 5,303 M cu.m Lithium 0.17 % 10.8 Mt
Total Resource 5,303 M cu.m Potassium 1.77 % 114.7 Mt

Financials:

Units2022
Capital expenditures (planned) M USD  ......  Subscription required
Subscription required - Subscription is required



Heavy Mobile Equipment as of November 23, 2022:
HME TypeSizeQuantity
Truck (dump) 28 t ....................... Subscription required
Truck (haul) ....................... Subscription required
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Mine Management:

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Sep 6, 2022
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Sep 6, 2022
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Sep 6, 2022
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Sep 6, 2022
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Sep 6, 2022
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Staff:

EmployeesYear
Subscription required 2021
Subscription required 2020

Corporate Filings & Presentations:

DocumentYear
Other 2022
Technical Report 2022
................................... Subscription required 2021
................................... Subscription required 2021
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2020
Technical Report 2017
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Terms of Use Privacy Policy © 2017-2023 MDO Data Online Inc.