Lo Aguirre
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| Location | |
|---|---|
  Lo Aguirre | |
| Santiago Metropolitan Region | |
| Country | Chile |
| Coordinates | 33°26′46.77″S 70°55′16.77″W / 33.4463250°S 70.9213250°W |
| Production | |
| Products | Copper |
| History | |
| Opened | 1980 |
| Closed | 2000 |
| Owner | |
| Company | Nueva Pudahuel |
Lo Aguirre is a medium-sized copper mine located west of Santiago in central Chile.[1] The copper deposit is of stratabound type and formed during a time of extensional tectonics in what is now the Chilean Coast Range in the Jurassic and Cretaceous.[1] The mile lies at elevation between 500 and 700 m a.s.l.[1] In the late 1980s Lo Aguirre became a commercial solvent-extraction-based operation using bioleaching. It became Chile's first mine to achieve this despite a previous attempt at Chuquicamata in the early 1970s.[2][3] The mine begun operations in November 1980 and closed in 2000 but the procedures associated to the closure lasted until 2016.[1][3] The mine was known for being the mine that was closest to Chile's capital Santiago.[3]
The mine existed in the 18th century when Jesuits mined copper oxides from it.[1] Mining and exploration activity in it started again in 1865 and lasted until 1924.[1] In the last eight years of activity the mine was owned by Santiago Mining Co, a subsidiary of Anaconda Copper.[1]
There are three main mineralized orebodies in Lo Aguirre known as Principal, Amanda and Milagro.[1] Geologically the ore deposit of Lo Aguirre is similar to the deposits of Michilla, Mantos Blancos and El Soldado.[1]