Centinela mine
Satellite imagery of Centinela mine from 2018. | |
Centinela mine Centinela mine | |
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Location | Sierra Gorda |
| Region | Antofagasta Region |
| Country | Chile |
| Coordinates | 22°58′30.56″S 69°3′41.11″W / 22.9751556°S 69.0614194°W |
| Production | |
| Products | Copper, gold, molybdenum |
| Production | 162,700 tonnes copper concentrate 79,300 tons copper cathodes 900 tons of molybdenum 165,800 ounces gold |
| Financial year | 2023 |
| History | |
| Opened | 2014 |
| Owner | |
| Company | Antofagasta Minerals (70%) Marubeni Copper Holdings Limited (30%) |
The Centinela mine is a large open pit copper and gold mine located in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile.[1][2] More precisely it lies in the commune of Sierra Gorda in the Antofagasta Region.[1][2] The mine to its current form and name in 2014 when Antofagasta Minerals merged the operations of the adjoining mines of Esperanza and El Tesoro.[3][1]
As of 2023 Centinela mine employed on average 9,115 workers, including contractors.[2] It relies exclusively on desalinized water for its operation and mineral processing.[2] In 2023, with a gold production of 5,103 kg it ranked second on gold production in Chile after Escondida.[4] The company operating the mine, Minera Centinela emerged from the fusion of Minera Esperanza and Minera El Tesoro, and is controlled by Antofagasta Minerals[5][6] Minera Centinela holds the international certificates of; The Copper Mark, Moly Mark and ISO 9001:201.[6]
Copper in the mine is found in copper sulfide and iron-copper sulfide minerals.[1] The porphyry hosting copper and gold is mostly surrounded by andesite with some lesser volumes of dacite in the central part of the pit.[1] Most faults that cross the mine area runns NE-SW and are deeply dipping to the southeast.[1]
The mine's produce is largely exported as ore concentrate that contained as of 2020 an estimate of 34% chalcopyrite, 16% chalcocite, 35% pyrite and 1% pyrrhotite.[7]
Construction of the mine begun in 2008 and it then started to produce in 2011.[1] As of 2016 the mine had plans to remain operative until at least 2060.[1] In August 2025 the mine begun to develop a new opeen pit known as Encuentro Sulfuros.[8]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Catalan, A.; Onederra, I. (2016). "Implementation of leading practice in geotechnical and blasting performance evaluations at the Centinela sulphide mine". Mining Technology. 125 (3): 156–173.
- ^ a b c d "Centinela". Consejo Minero (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-05-09.
- ^ "Antofagasta Minerals integra El Tesoro y Esperanza en nueva compañía minera". Revista Nueva Minería y Energía (in Spanish). 2014-06-18. Retrieved 2025-09-09.
- ^ "The five largest gold mines in operation in Chile". Mining Technology. 2024-06-18. Retrieved 2025-05-12.
- ^ "Minera Centinela". Guía Minera de Chile (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-08-22.
- ^ a b de Vicente, Agustín (2025-07-07). "Minera Centinela celebra 11 años impulsando su proyecto de expansión que duplicará su capacidad productiva". Reporte Minero & Energético (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-08-21.
- ^ Alvear Flores, Gerardo; Risopatrón, Carlos; Pease, Joe (2020). "Processing of Complex Materials in the Copper Industry: Challenges and Opportunities Ahead" (PDF). JOM. 72 (10): 3447–3461. doi:10.1007/s11837-020-04255-9. PMC 7338138. PMID 32837132.
- ^ de Vicente, Agustín (2025-08-27). "Minera Centinela inicia construcción de nuevo rajo que es clave para su crecimiento". Reporte Minero & Energético (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-09-01.