Cuajone mine is a large

copper mine Copper extraction is the multi-stage process of obtaining copper from its ores. The conversion of copper ores consists of a series of physical, chemical, and electrochemical processes. Methods have evolved and vary with country depending on the ...

located in the south of

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

Moquegua Region Moquegua () is a department and Regional Government of Moquegua, region in southern Peru that extends from the coast to the highlands. Its capital is the city of Moquegua, which is among the main Peruvian cities for its high rates of GDP and nat ...

. Cuajone represents one of the largest copper reserves in Peru and in the world having estimated reserves of 1.6 billion tonnes of ore grading 0.57% copper. The Cuajone Mine was officially opened in November 1976. It was owned by Southern Peru Copper Corporation, which was a 51% subsidiary of

Asarco ASARCO (American Smelting and Refining Company) is a mining, smelting, and refining company based in Tucson, Arizona, which mines and processes primarily copper. The company has been a subsidiary of Grupo México since 1999. Its three largest ...

Geology

The

porphyry copper deposit Porphyry copper deposits are copper ore bodies that are formed from hydrothermal fluids that originate from a voluminous magma chamber several kilometers below the deposit itself. Predating or associated with those fluids are vertical dikes of ...

and

hypogene In ore deposit geology, hypogene processes occur deep below the Earth's surface, and tend to form deposits of primary minerals, as opposed to supergene processes that occur at or near the surface, and tend to form secondary minerals. At great d ...

mineralization occurred in the

Early Eocene In the geologic timescale the Ypresian is the oldest age (geology), age or lowest stage (stratigraphy), stratigraphic stage of the Eocene. It spans the time between , is preceded by the Thanetian Age (part of the Paleocene) and is followed by th ...

Supergene A supergene is a chromosomal region encompassing multiple neighboring genes that are inherited together because of close genetic linkage, i.e. much less recombination than would normally be expected. This mode of inheritance can be due to genomic ...

sulfide Sulfide (also sulphide in British English) is an inorganic anion of sulfur with the chemical formula S2− or a compound containing one or more S2− ions. Solutions of sulfide salts are corrosive. ''Sulfide'' also refers to large families o ...

enrichment began in the

Late Oligocene The Chattian is, in the geologic timescale The geologic time scale or geological time scale (GTS) is a representation of time based on the rock record of Earth. It is a system of chronological dating that uses chronostratigraphy (the pro ...

and continued until the

Early Miocene The Early Miocene (also known as Lower Miocene) is a sub-epoch of the Miocene epoch (geology), Epoch made up of two faunal stage, stages: the Aquitanian age, Aquitanian and Burdigalian stages. The sub-epoch lasted from 23.03 ± 0.05 annum, Ma to ...

Chalcocite Chalcocite (), copper(I) sulfide (Cu2S), is an important copper ore mineral. It is opaque and dark gray to black, with a metallic luster. It has a hardness of 2.5–3 on the Mohs scale. It is a sulfide with a monoclinic crystal system. T ...

is the more common copper ore mineral as massive assemblages.

Environmental conflict

The Cuajone mine has faced significant environmental conflict, primarily due to claims by local communities that the mine pollutes the environment while not providing sufficient economic benefits. These long-standing grievances have led to direct action, including blockades of rail lines used to transport the mine's products and the disruption of the mine's water supply. Specifically, in February 2022, community members blockaded the railway and cut off the water supply, demanding $5 billion in compensation and 5% of the mine's profits. The disruption of the water supply was described by Southern Copper as "an attack on the life and health" of approximately 5,000 people in the Cuajone area. The mine's complex begins with a water supply at Lake Suche and ends with a smelter on the South Pacific coast.

Consequences and resulting actions

The protests have resulted in significant disruptions to the mine's operations. Production at the Cuajone mine was suspended for over 50 days. In March 2022, it was reported that production had been halted for two weeks due to the railway blockage and water supply cut-off. This suspension had significant economic consequences as the mine contributes 7% of Peru's national copper production. The Peruvian government sent the army to restore operations, dismissing the financial demands of the local communities as "irrational". Southern Copper also stated that if the mine were to close for a year, the government would lose more than 3.1 billion sales in taxes and royalties, and 8,000 jobs would be lost. Despite a deal aimed at ending the protests, the mine remained halted, as the company accused the government of failing to guarantee the safety of its workers. Other mines in Peru have faced similar protests, indicating wider social and environmental concerns.

References

{{coord, 17.0430, S, 70.7110, W, source:wikidata, display=title Asarco Mines in the Department of Moquegua Copper mines in Peru Open-pit mines Surface mines in Peru

Geology

Environmental conflict

Consequences and resulting actions

See also

References