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

  1. ↑ "El Tofo mine, Elqui Province, Coquimbo Region, Chile". mindat.org. Retrieved 2019-12-01. Old Fe open cast mine, now reopening: mineralization hosted in porhyr, diorite and amphibolized rocks.
  2. 1 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" (PDF). Ore Geology Reviews. 81 (1): 62–78.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Historia de la mina de hierro El Tofo". Museo Histórico Gabriel González Videla (in Spanish). Servicio Nacional del Patrimonio Cultural. 2019-12-01.
  4. 1 2 Couyoumdjian, Juan Ricardo (2000). "AUGUSTO MILLAN, Historia de la minería del hierro en Chile. Santiago, Editorial Universitaria, 1999, 220 páginas". Historia (in Spanish). 33. doi:10.4067/S0717-71942000003300012.

29°27′S 71°15′W / 29.45°S 71.25°W / -29.45; -71.25


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