Chuquicamata mine, often called Chuqui, is one of the world’s largest and deepest open-pit copper mines, located in Chile’s Atacama Desert near Calama.
The mine is operated by Codelco since nationalization in the 1970s, it spans 4.3 km long, 3 km wide, and over 900 meters deep, making it the second deepest open pit mine after Bingham Canyon. It produces significant copper and molybdenum, with annual outputs around 650,000 metric tons of copper.
Open-pit operations have transitioned to underground mining using block caving, with tunnels extending 1,000 meters deep to access 1.76 billion tons of reserves grading 0.7% copper. This $4.2-4.3 billion project, started in 2019, aims to extend mine life to 2060 at 140,000 tonnes of ore per day.
