.jpg) | |
| Location | |
|---|---|
  Los Pelambres mine  Los Pelambres mine | |
| Coquimbo Region | |
| Country | Chile |
| Coordinates | 31°43′00″S70°29′26″W / 31.716691°S 70.490446°W /-31.716691; -70.490446 |
| Production | |
| Products | Copper |
| History | |
| Opened | 1990 |
| Owner | |
| Company | Antofagasta Minerals |
Los Pelambres mine is acopper mine located in the north-central ofChile inCoquimbo Region. It is one of the largest copper reserves in the world, having estimated reserves of 4.9 billion tonnes of ore grading 0.65% copper.[1]
Production in 2012 was forecast at 390 tons of copper and 28,000 ounces of gold.[2][needs update] The mine is served byLos Pelambres Airport, and by a waterdesalination facility at Los Vilos. A billion-dollar expansion project is underway.[3][needs update]
William Braden prospected the area near the future mine in 1914 but he did never discover the deposits.[4] In the 1960s the ore deposit was discovered thanks to rock samples brought to the valley town ofIllapel by anarriero.[4]
TheUpper Miocenetonalitestock is a north–south oriented oval, 4.5 by 2.4 km in size, which has undergonehydrothermal alteration. The stockintruded intoandesitic host rocks.Glaciation during thePleistocene carved theU-shaped Los Pelambres valley. The head of the valley has the highest concentration ofore in aroche moutonnee. A core of potassium silicate alteration contains the economic copper-molybdenummineralization.Sulfide minerals includechalcopyrite,bornite,pyrite andmolybdenite.[5]