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Chile
Salar de Atacama Mine

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 Location:
210 Km E from Antofagasta, Chile

  Address:
El Trovador 4285, Las Condes
Santiago
Chile
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  • Overview
  • Owners
  • Geology
  • Mining
  • Processing
  • Production
  • Reserves
  • Financials
  • Fleet
  • Personnel
  • Filings & News

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Overview

StageProduction
Mine TypeIn-Situ
Commodities
  • Potassium
  • Lithium
  • Boron
  • Sulfate of potash (SOP)
  • Boric acid
Mining Method
  • Brine mining
Production Start...
Mine Life2030
The Salar de Atacama operation has one of the lowest carbon footprints on the planet. Ar4

The brine deposits of the Salar de Atacama, a salt-encrusted depression in the Atacama Desert, contain high concentrations of lithium and potassium as well as significant concentrations of sulfate and boron.


Owners

Source: p. 201
CompanyInterestOwnership
Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile S.A. 100 % Indirect
SQM subsidiary SQM Salar S.A., as leaseholder, holds exclusive and temporary rights to exploit mineral resources in the Salar de Atacama in northern Chile.

Contractors

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Deposit Type

  • Brine


Summary:

The brine deposits of the Salar de Atacama, a salt-encrusted depression in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile, contain high concentrations of lithium and potassium as well as significant concentrations of sulfate and boron.

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, gypsum, or carbonate units, depe ........


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

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Summary:

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Production:

CommodityProductUnits20222021202020192018
Potassium Salt kt  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required1,049
Lithium Carbonate kt  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Operational Metrics:

Metrics202220212020
Annual production capacity  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required70 kt of lithium carbonate
Annual production capacity  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required2,680 kt of potassium salt
Annual production capacity  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required245 kt of Sulfate of potash (SOP) salt
Annual production capacity  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required15 kt of boric acid
Annual production capacity  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required13.5 kt of lithium hydroxide
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Reserves at December 31, 2022:
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 & Probable 250 M cu.m Potassium 2.26 % 5.15 Mt
Proven & Probable 250 M cu.m Lithium 0.2 % 0.32 Mt
Proven & Probable 250 M cu.m LCE 1.69 Mt
Proven & Probable 250 M cu.m KCl 9.82 Mt
Measured & Indicated 3,689 M cu.m Potassium 1.77 % 79.8 Mt
Measured & Indicated 3,689 M cu.m Lithium 0.18 % 8.2 Mt
Inferred 1,614 M cu.m Potassium 1.77 % 34.9 Mt
Inferred 1,614 M cu.m Lithium 0.13 % 2.6 Mt
Total Resource 5,303 M cu.m Potassium 1.77 % 114.7 Mt
Total Resource 5,303 M cu.m Lithium 0.17 % 10.8 Mt

Financials:

Units2023
Capital expenditures (planned) M USD  ......  Subscription required
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Water Supply
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Heavy Mobile Equipment as of November 23, 2022:
HME TypeSizeQuantity
Truck (dump) 28 t ....................... Subscription required
Truck (haul) ....................... Subscription required
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Mine Management:

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Sep 16, 2023
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Sep 16, 2023
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Sep 16, 2023
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Sep 16, 2023
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Sep 16, 2023
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Staff:

EmployeesYear
Subscription required 2021
Subscription required 2020

Corporate Filings & Presentations:

DocumentYear
Annual Report 2023
Annual Report 2022
Form 20-F 2022
Other 2022
Sustainability Report 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.

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