Italy
The Centinela mine (Spanish: mina Centinela) is a large open pit copper and gold mine located in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. More precisely it lies in the commune of Sierra Gorda in the Antofagasta Region. The mine to its current form and name in 2014 when Antofagasta Minerals merged the o
perations of the adjoining mines of Esperanza and El Tesoro. As of 2023 Centinela mine employed on average 9,115 workers, including contractors. It relies exclusively on desalinized water for its operation and mineral processing. In 2023, with a gold production of 5,103 kg it ranked second on gold production in Chile after Escondida. The company operating the mine, Minera Centinela emerged from the fusion of Minera Esperanza and Minera El Tesoro, and is controlled by Antofagasta Minerals Minera Centinela holds the international certificates of; The Copper Mark, Moly Mark and ISO 9001:201. Copper in the mine is found in copper sulfide and iron-copper sulfide minerals. The porphyry hosting copper and gold is mostly surrounded by andesite with some lesser volumes of dacite in the central part of the pit. Most faults that cross the mine area runns NE-SW and are deeply dipping to the southeast...
Listen to the audio guide for Centinela mine Free on WIP — starts by itself when you arrive, even with the screen off