Name of the Mine
Mantoverde mine.

Location  
The Mantoverde mine is a copper mine located in the province of Chañaral, Atacama region, Chile.

Mine Owner/s
Capstone Copper Corp (70%) and Mitsubishi Materials Corporation (30%).

Brief Description  
The Mantoverde mine comprises four pits situated along the Mantoverde fault, each of which contains sulphide and oxide ores. The mine currently processes only the oxide ore to produce copper concentrates/cathodes. 

Brief History  
Openpit mining operations started in 1995.

Primary Metals/Minerals  
Copper.

Secondary Metals/Minerals  
Not stated.

Geology/Mineralisation  
The Mantoverde deposit is a typical iron oxide/copper/gold deposit located within the Atacama fault system. It is located in an ancient mining district with numerous iron, iron/copper/gold, and gold/manganese deposits in the southern sector of the Atacama fault system within the cretaceous ironbelt. 

Copper mineralisation is oxidised down to about 200 m depth and two types of oxidised copper ores are recognised. The breccias in the sloping fault block contain abundant haematite with brochantite, minor antlerite, chrysocolla, malachite and atacamite, which occur in veinlets, patches and disseminated in the specularite matrix. 

Hypogene mineralisation at depth occurs disseminated in the specularite matrix and comprises chalcopyrite and pyrite. Between the oxidised zone and the hypogene sulphide zone there is a thin subhorizontal zone of weak supergene enrichment (3 m to 5 m thick), which includes native copper, cuprite, tenorite and chalcocite (±covellite) partially replacing the hypogene sulphides.

Reserves  
Total proven and probable reserves for sulphides and mixed (flotation recovery) as at December 31, 2023, were estimated at 236.28-million tonnes grading 0.59% copper and 0.11 g/t gold.

Total proven and probable reserves for oxides and mixed (dump and heap-leach recovery) were estimated at 200.53-million tonnes grading 0.22% copper.

Resources  
Measure and indicated resources for sulphides and mixed (flotation recovery) as at December 31, 2023, were estimated at 527.85-million tonnes grading 0.47% copper and 0.10 g/t gold. Inferred resources for sulphides and mixed (flotation recovery) were estimated at 588.91-million grading 0.37% copper and 0.08 g/t gold.

Measured and indicated resources for oxides and mixed (dump and heap-leach recovery) were estimated at 456-million tonnes grading 0.20% copper. Inferred resources were estimated at 70.47-million grading 0.15% copper.

Type of Mine
Openpit.

Mining Method  
Truck-and-shovel.

Major Infrastructure/Equipment  
Infrastructure includes four openpits; mine and process support buildings; a truck shop; low-grade and high-grade heaps (static and dynamic heaps respectively); waste rock storage facilities; a primary and secondary crushing plant; a solvent extraction and electrowinning plant; seawater desalination plant – the intake, filtration and reverse osmosis building is located on the coast; pumping stations and water storage ponds (located at the mine site); a desalinated water pipeline; power lines; an accommodation camp; and sewage treatment facility.

Prospects  
Mantoverde has significant potential to develop a larger mining district. 

Several oxide and sulphide near-mine resource expansion opportunities exist within the mine’s 23 km land package along the Atacama fault system. District targets identified to date include the Las Animas, Paloma, Las Juntas, San Manuel and Santa Clara targets, north of the current pit design.

Contact Details
Capstone Copper Corp. 
Tel +1 604 684 8894 
Email info@capstonecopper.com

Sources
Capstone Copper Corp. Website: https://capstonecopper.com/