El Carmen mine
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| Location | |
|---|---|
  El Carmen  El Carmen | |
| Atacama Region | |
| Country | Chile |
| Coordinates | 26°24′35″S 70°18′48″W / 26.40962°S 70.31346°W |
| Production | |
| Products | Iron |
| Owner | |
| Company | Compañía Minera Carmen |
El Carmen is an iron mine in northern Chile about 50 km east of the port of Chañaral. The ore of the mine is one of various iron oxide-apatite (IOA) ores that are part of the north-south Chilean Iron Belt. In the ores extracted at El Carmen was have ore grades of 62 to 63% iron and is usually mixed with iron ores from other mines to dilute its high phosphorus content.[1][2] Alongside Cerro Imán, Huantemé and El Dorado, El Carmen is considered the basis for the medium-scale iron mining in Chile.[3]
The geology of the mine contain parts of massive magnetite ore as well as ore-rich gravels that are part of alluvial deposits.[4]
Part of the mine is an open-pit and part of it is made of underground workings.[4]