El Tofo Explained

El Tofo is an iron ore mine in the Chilean Norte Chico region.[1] The mine lies in northern Coquimbo Region within a larger mining district known as the Chilean Iron Belt. Geologically El Tofo is an iron oxide-apatite deposit.[2]

The first record of the iron ores of El Tofo dates to a 1840 study of Ignacy Domeyko.[3] While the mine presents good geological aspects for 19th century mining geographical aspects made access difficult despite being close to the Pacific coast.[3] The mine began to be exploited in 1870 but by 1955 mining diminished as the deposit were close to depletion.[3] Subsequently the El Romeral mine was opened 30 km to the south in replacement.[4] Compañía de Acero del Pacífico obtained the ownership of El Tofo and El Romeral in the early 1970s when it was nationalized during the Presidency of Salvador Allende.[3] [4] Later the ownership passed to Compañía Minera del Pacífico as it was privatized during the Pinochet dictatorship.[3] As of 2017 El Tofo is not active.[2]

References

-29.45°N -71.25°W

Notes and References

  1. Web site: El Tofo mine, Elqui Province, Coquimbo Region, Chile. 2019-12-01. mindat.org. Old Fe open cast mine, now reopening: mineralization hosted in porhyr, diorite and amphibolized rocks..
  2. Barra . Fernando . Reich . M.. Selby . D.. Rojas . P. . Simon . A.. Salazar . E. . Palma . G. . 2017 . Unraveling the origin of the Andean IOCG clan: a Re-Os isotope approach . Ore Geology Reviews . 81 . 1 . 62–78 .
  3. Web site: Historia de la mina de hierro El Tofo. 2019-12-01. Museo Histórico Gabriel González Videla. Servicio Nacional del Patrimonio Cultural. es.
  4. AUGUSTO MILLAN, Historia de la minería del hierro en Chile. Santiago, Editorial Universitaria, 1999, 220 páginas. . . Couyoumdjian . Juan Ricardo . 33 . 10.4067/S0717-71942000003300012 . 2000 . Spanish. free .