Los Colorados mine
| Location | |
|---|---|
  Los Colorados | |
| Atacama Region | |
| Country | Chile |
| Coordinates | 28°17′45.47″S 70°48′22.87″W / 28.2959639°S 70.8063528°W |
| Production | |
| Products | Iron |
| History | |
| Opened | 1997 |
| Owner | |
| Company | Compañía Minera del Pacífico |
Los Colorados is an open-pit iron mine in northern Chile about 45 km northeast of the port of Huasco. The ore of the mine is one of various iron oxide-apatite (IOA) ores that are part of the north-south Chilean Iron Belt. The mine opened in 1997 and in 2021 it had a production of 2,559,000 metric tons of iron.[1] It is owned by Compañía Minera del Pacífico (CMP).[1] The mine is considered a replacement for El Algarrobo a nearby mine that became exhausted of profitable ore in the 1990s.[2] Its planned cut-off grade in the 1990s was 30% Fe.[2] Currently the mine feeds iron ore to the pelletizing plant Planta de Pellets at the coast in Huasco for the manufacture of iron pellets.[3] It produces annualy 4.5 million metric tons of pellets.[3] Besides this, Los Colorados mine feeds the inland Planta Magnetita in Tierra Amarilla (which also receives tailings from Candelaria).[1][4] From Planta Magnetita ore concentrate is transported in a pipeline for 120 km to the port of Punta Totoralillo.[4]
In 2025 the mine has submitted an environmental impact assessment for approval by authorities to expand its produce of iron pre-concentrate from 9.1 to 9.8 million tonnes.[5]
References
- ^ a b c "Mina Los Colorados". Consejo Minero (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-05-09.
- ^ a b Millán 1999, p. 189.
- ^ a b "Planta Pellets". Consejo Minero (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-07-09.
- ^ a b "Planta Magnetita". Consejo Minero (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-05-09.
- ^ "Especial Proyectos Mineros: La Farola, Minera Candelaria y Mina Los Colorados". Revista Nueva Minería (in Spanish). 2025-02-10. Retrieved 2025-07-03.
Bibliography
- Millán, Augusto (1999). Historia de la minería del hierro en Chile (in Spanish). Santiago de Chile: Editorial Universitaria. ISBN 956-11-1499-2.