Name of the Mine
Chuquicamata mine.

Location  
The mine is located 15 km north of Calama, 2 870 m above sea level, in the Antofagasta region of Chile.

Mine Owner/s  
State-owned mining company Corporación Nacional del Cobre de Chile, or Codelco.

Brief Description  
Chuquicamata, popularly known as Chuqui, is one of the largest and richest porphyry copper deposits in the world and is found within a specialised copper metallogenic province, which stretches from southern Peru to central Chile along the western flank of the Central Andes.

Brief History  
The Chuquicamata mine has been operating since 1915.

Primary Metals/Minerals  
Copper.

Secondary Metals/Minerals  
Molybdenum.

Geology/Mineralisation  
Chuquicamata is in the Precordillera of northern Chile, which runs parallel and west of the volcanoes that form the modern continental arc of the Andean Cordillera. It is related to the Eocene-early Oligocene porphyritic intrusions that occur within the middle to late Cenozoic Domeyko fault system. 

The setting is similar to that of several Eocene and Oligocene porphyry copper deposits in the belt stretching from at least Potrerillos to Quebrada Blanca; however, Chuquicamata is the most closely related in space and time to this fault system, according to ‘Geology of the Chuquicamata mine: A progress report’.

Reserves  
Total mineral reserves as at December 31, 2024, were estimated at 1.22-billion tonnes grading 0.63% copper.

Resources  
Total mineral resources as at December 31, 2024, were estimated at 2.68-billion tonnes grading 0.62% copper.

Type of Mine
Openpit and underground.

Mining Method  
Truck-and-shovel with on-site milling and concentrating. As mining operations progress, underground block-cave mining methods will be used.

Major Infrastructure/Equipment  
Chuquicamata comprises an extensive openpit with a 182 000 t/d mill, flotation plant, and a smelting and refining complex.

Prospects  
Chuquicamata is transitioning to underground block-caving through the multimillion-dollar Chuquicamata subterranean project, which will extend the life of the operation by at least 40 years.

Contact Details 
Codelco 
Tel +56 2 2690 3000
Email comunicacionexterna@codelco.cl
Website: www.codelco.com