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El Abra

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Porphyry copper deposit in Antofagasta, Chile

Names and other identifiers

GMRAP ID 284
Tract name Chile Eocene–Oligocene Chuquicamata (005pCu1010)
Included sites Ichuno
Site status deposit

Geographic location

Country Chile
State or province Antofagasta
Geographic location -68.8325, -21.920555556
Geologic map unit -68.8325, -21.920555556
Nearby data
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Geologic information

Deposit type Porphyry copper
Age (Ma) 36Ma
Age determination method unknown
Age range 38–34 Ma
Age reference Singer and others (2008)
Minerals anhydrite/gypsum, antlerite, apatite, biotite, bornite, brochantite, chalcocite/digenite, chalcopyrite, chlorite, chrysocolla, copper, cuprite/tenorite, enargite, epidote, galena, hematite/specularite, ilmenite, kaolinite, magnetite, molybdenite, montmorillonite, pyrite, pyrophyllite, rutile, sericite, sphalerite, tennantite/tetrahedrite, tourmaline, turquoise, zeolite
Associated rocks aplite, breccia, dacite porphyry, granodiorite porphyry, quartz monzonite porphyry, rhyodacite porphyry, andesite, ignimbrite, rhyolite, sedimentary rocks, diorite, granodiorite, quartz diorite, quartz monzonite
Tectonic setting continental margin
Stratigraphic age Eocene

Commodity and development information

Development status Producer
Major commodities Cu, Mo
Tonnage (Mt) 1,779Mt
Cu grade (%) 0.494%
Mo grade (%) 0.0058%
Contained copper 8,790,000t
Gold-Moly ratio -9999

Reference information

Comments Exposed.
Study area name Andes
References Ambrus (1977); Anonymous (1996a); Briggs (2006); Codelco (2006); Cunningham and others (2008); Dean and others (1996); Dilles and others (1997); Little (1994a); Münchmeyer (1996); Sillitoe (1991); Sillitoe and McKee (1996); Zappettini and others (2001); Singer and others (2008)
Site reference Cunningham and others (2008)
Ambrus, Jozsef, 1977, Geology of the El Abra porphyry copper deposit, Chile: Economic Geology, v. 72, p. 1062–1085. (Also available at http://dx.doi.org/10.2113/gsecongeo.72.6.1062.)
Anonymous, 1996a, El Abra: Mining Magazine, May, p. 290–291.
Briggs, D.F., 2006, Mining operations report, ver. 2005: unpublished report, [unknown] p.
Codelco, 2006, Corporación Nacional del Cobre de Chile (Codelco), Annual Reports 1983–2006.
Cunningham, C.G., Zappettini, E.O., Vivallo S., Waldo, Celada, C.M., Quispe, Jorge, Singer, D.A., Briskey, J.A, Sutphin, D.M., Gajardo M., Mariano, Diaz, Alejandro, Portigliati, Carlos, Berger, V.I., Carrasco, Rodrigo, and Schulz, K.J., 2008, Quantitative mineral resource assessment of copper, molybdenum, gold, and silver in undiscovered porphyry copper deposits in the Andes Mountains of South America: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2008-1253, CD-ROM, 282 p. (Also available at http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1253/.)
Dean, D.A., Graichen, R.E., Barett, L.E., and Burton, W.D., 1996, El Abra porphyry copper deposit, in Green, S.M., and Struhsacker, E., eds., Geology and ore deposits of the American Cordillera: Geological Society of Nevada Field Trip Guidebook Compendium, 1995, p. 457–464.
Dilles, J.H., Tomlinson, A.J., Martin, M.W., and Blanco, N., 1997, El Abra and Fortuna complexes—A porphyry copper batholith sinistrally displaced by the Falla Oeste: VIII Congreso Geologico Chileno, Actas, v. 3, p. 1883–1887.
Little, M.L., 1994a, Exploration review—South America—Chile: Society of Economic Geologists SEG Newsletter, no. 16, p. 17–18. (Also available at http://www.segweb.org/pdf/publications/newsletters/1994/SEG-Newsletter-16-1994-January.pdf.)
Münchmeyer, C., 1996, Exotic deposits—Products of lateral migration of supergene solutions from porphyry copper deposits, in Camus, F., Sillitoe, R.H., and Petersen, R., eds., Andean copper deposits—New discoveries, mineralization, style and metallogeny: Society of Economic Geologists Special Publication 5, p. 43–58.
Sillitoe, R.H., 1991, Gold metallogeny of Chile—An introduction: Economic Geology, v. 86, p. 1187–1205. (Also available at http://dx.doi.org/10.2113/gsecongeo.86.6.1187.)Sillitoe, R.H., and McKee, E.H., 1996, Age of supergene oxidation and enrichment in the Chilean porphyry copper province: Economic Geology, v. 91, p. 164–179. (Also available at http://dx.doi.org/10.2113/gsecongeo.91.1.164.)Singer, D.A., Berger, V.I., and Moring, B.C., 2008, Porphyry copper deposits of the world—Database and grade and tonnage models, 2008: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2008-1155, [45] p. and digital data, accessed December 31, 2013, at http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1155/.
Zappettini, Eduardo; Miranda-Angles, Vitaliano; Rodriguez S., Carolina; Palacios, Oscar; Cocking,Robert; Godeas, Marta; Uribe-Zeballos, Hernán; Vivallo S., Waldo; Paz, M.M.; Seggiaro, Raúl; Heuschmidt, Bertand; Gardeweg P., Moyra; Boulangger Rondoy, Elmere; Korzeniewski, Lidia I.; Mpodozis M., Constantino; Carpio R., Mario; and Rubiolo, Daniel, 2001, Mapa metalogénico de laregión fronteriza entre Argentina, Bolivia, Chile y Perú (14ºS–28ºS): Santiago, Chile, Servicio Nacional de Geología y Minería, Publicacion Geológica Multinacional No. 2, 222 p., 1 map, scale 1:1,000,000.