Chuquicamata copper mine

Figure 8-2. The Chuquicamata copper mine is iocated in the Atacama desert in Chiie.

Chile is the country with the greatest production, which is also increasing. In 1996, production was 3116 thousand tonnes and in 2000 it was 4600 thousand tonnes, an increase of 48%. The Chuquicamata mine was the biggest single copper mine in the world until 1997, when this role was taken over by an Indonesian mine. 

Important examples of such ores are Bingham Canyon in Utah, USA, Sierita in Arizona, USA, and most importantly Chuquicamata in Chile. This mine is situated in Northern Chile on the western slopes of the Andes. It has an open pit, 2 3 km, with a depth of 800 m. and is one of the biggest copper mines in the world. About 600 000 tonnes of ore are mined daily. 

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