Medium-scale Mining
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Medium-scale Mining
Medium-scale mining refers to mining that is larger than artisanal or small-scale mining but smaller than large-scale mining. Its exact definition may vary by country and also between different organizations within a country. Some criteria are based on the yearly man-hours employed in the mining operation and others on either the total mass ore extracted, the mass of metal (or non-metallic mineral) extracted or the dry-equivalent mass of ore concentrate produced. Definitions The Chilean mining guild Sociedad Nacional de Minería (SONAMI) defines medium-scale mining as those producing copper in the range of 1,500 to 50,000 metric tons per year. For the mining of other metals and non-metallic mining SONAMI's definition of medium-scale mining is based on equivalents on the tonnage that defines medium-scale copper mining. For Chile's National Geology and Mining Service medium-scale mining is that which employ between 1 million and 200 thousand man-hours per year, which is equivalent ...
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Artisanal Mining
Artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) is a blanket term for a type of subsistence mining involving a miner who may or may not be officially employed by a List of mining companies, mining company but works independently, mining minerals using their own resources, usually by hand. While the terms are generally used interchangeably or synonymously, by definition ‘artisanal mining’ refers to purely manual labor while ‘small-scale mining’ typically involves larger operations and some use of mechanical or industrial tools. While there is no completely coherent definition for ASM, artisanal mining generally includes miners who are not officially employed by a mining company and use their own resources to mine. As such, they are part of an informal economy. ASM also includes, in small-scale mining, enterprises or individuals that employ workers for mining, but who generally still use similar manually-intensive methods as artisanal miners (such as working with hand tools). In addi ...
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Mining In Chile
The mining sector in Chile has historically been and continues to be one of the pillars of the Chilean economy. Mining in Chile is concentrated in 14 mining districts, all of them in the northern half of the country and in particular in the Norte Grande region spanning most of the Atacama Desert. Chile was, in 2024, the world's largest producer of copper, iodine and rhenium, the second largest producer of lithium, the third largest producer of molybdenum, the seventh largest producer of silver, and salt, the eighth largest producer of potash, the thirteenth producer of sulfur and the fourteenth producer of iron ore in the world. In the production of gold, between 2006 and 2017, the country produced annual quantities ranging from 35.9 tons in 2017 to 51.3 tons in 2013. In 2021 mining taxes stood for 19% of the Chilean state's incomes. Mining stood for about 14% of gross domestic product (GDP) but by estimates including economic activity linked to mining it stood for 20% of GDP ...
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Environmental Impact Assessment
Environmental impact assessment (EIA) is the assessment of the environmental impact, environmental consequences of a plan, policy, program, or actual projects prior to the decision to move forward with the proposed action. In this context, the term "environmental impact assessment" is usually used when applied to actual projects by individuals or companies and the term "strategic environmental assessment" (SEA) applies to policies, plans and programmes most often proposed by organs of state. It is a tool of Environmental management system, environmental management forming a part of project approval and decision-making. Environmental assessments may be governed by rules of Administrative law, administrative procedure regarding public participation and documentation of decision making, and may be subject to judicial review. The purpose of the assessment is to ensure that decision-makers consider the environmental impacts when deciding whether or not to proceed with a project. The I ...
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Consejo Minero
Consejo Minero (lit. Mining Council) is a guild grouping large mining companies active in Chile. According to Consejo Minero in 2025 its companies produce 94% of Chile's copper, 96% of its iron, 90% of its silver and 63% of its gold and lithium. Its members are Anglo American, BHP, CMP, Minera Centinela, Codelco, Compañía Minera Doña Inés de Collahuasi, El Abra (owned by Freeport-McMoRan and Codelco), Minera Escondida, Freeport-McMoRan, Glencore, Gold Fields, KGHM, Kinross, Lundin Mining, Pampa Norte, Minera Los Pelambres, Rio Tinto, South32, Sociedad Química y Minera and Teck Resources. Prior to the joining of Compañía de Acero del Pacífico (CMP) in 2017 the guild lacked any company engaged in the production of iron. See also * Canadian mining in Latin America and the Caribbean *Chilean nationalization of copper The nationalization of the Chilean copper industry, commonly described as the Chilenization of copper () was the process by which the Chilean gover ...
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Volatility (finance)
In finance, volatility (usually denoted by "sigma, σ") is the Variability (statistics), degree of variation of a trading price series over time, usually measured by the standard deviation of logarithmic returns. Historic volatility measures a time series of past market prices. Implied volatility looks forward in time, being derived from the market price of a market-traded derivative (in particular, an option). Volatility terminology Volatility as described here refers to the actual volatility, more specifically: * actual current volatility of a financial instrument for a specified period (for example 30 days or 90 days), based on historical prices over the specified period with the last observation the most recent price. * actual historical volatility which refers to the volatility of a financial instrument over a specified period but with the last observation on a date in the past **near synonymous is realized volatility, the square root of the realized variance, in turn c ...
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Mine Closure
Mine closure is the period of time when the ore-extracting activities of a mine have ceased, and final decommissioning and mine reclamation are being completed. It is generally associated with reduced employment levels, which can have a significant negative impact on local economies. It is also the period when the majority of mine reclamation is completed, making the land safe and useful again. In South Africa, which is a major mining country, closure planning has not yet been formalized. This has led to a range of unintended consequences that have the potential to become sovereign risk if not adequately managed. Closure planning, a relative newcomer to mine planning, continues throughout the life of a mine, starting with conceptual closure plans prior to production, periodic updates throughout the life of the mine, and a final decommissioning plan. This is captured more coherently in the Australian Model to mine closure. At most mines, progressive reclamation over the life of t ...
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Andes
The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the List of longest mountain chains on Earth, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long and wide (widest between 18th parallel south, 18°S and 20th parallel south, 20°S latitude) and has an average height of about . The Andes extend from south to north through seven South American countries: Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela. Along their length, the Andes are split into several ranges, separated by intermediate depression (geology), depressions. The Andes are the location of several high plateaus—some of which host major cities such as Quito, Bogotá, Cali, Arequipa, Medellín, Bucaramanga, Sucre, Mérida, Mérida, Mérida, El Alto, and La Paz. The Altiplano, Altiplano Plateau is the world's second highest after the Tibetan Plateau. These ranges are in turn grouped into three majo ...
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Andacollo
Andacollo (, from quechua a''nta,'' copper, gold; ''coya,'' queen) is a city and commune in the Elqui Province, Coquimbo Region, Chile. It is the central town of a mining district dominated by medium-scale mining. There are gold placers and gold mineralizations within felsic volcanic rock in its vacinities. The copper mine Carmen de Andacollo lies next to the town and most of workers live in the town. History Andacollo is a copper and gold mining city located in the semi-arid mountains of the Norte Chico. It was founded in 1891. The town was subject to gold rush in the early 1930s when there was a large inflow of gold miners exploiting local placer deposits. While gold mining declined in the late 1930s, around 1935 Andacollo produced as much as 43% of all placer gold of Chile causing a shortage of water needed for processing. Several legends are told about the name of the city. Some say that it comes from the Quechua ''Anta-Goya'' which means cobre-reina (copper queen) ...
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Huasco
Huasco () is a Chilean city and commune, in the Huasco Province, Atacama Region. It is the central town of a mining district dominated by medium-scale mining. The port city of Huasco is located 50 km west of Vallenar and close to the town of ''Huasco Bajo'', which lies on the southern bank of the Huasco River and only a few kilometers from its mouth. The coastal route between Huasco Bajo and Carrizal Bajo provides one of the two accesses to Llanos de Challe National Park. The port was used between 1851 and 1873 to ship copper ore, copper regulus, alpaca wool and hides round Cape Horn to Swansea, Glamorgan and Wales. Demographics According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Huasco had 7,945 inhabitants (3,999 men and 3,946 women). Of these, 6,445 (81.1%) lived in urban areas and 1,500 (18.9%) in rural areas. The population grew by 5.7% (429 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses. Administration As a commune, Huasco is a third-level adminis ...
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Copiapó
Copiapó () is a List of cities in Chile, city and communes of Chile, commune in northern Chile, located about 65 kilometers east of the coastal List of towns in Chile, town of Caldera, Chile, Caldera. Founded on December 8, 1744, it is the capital of Copiapó Province and Atacama Region. Copiapó lies about 800 km north of Santiago, Chile, Santiago by the Copiapó River, in the valley of the same name. In the early 21st century, the river has dried up in response to climate change and more severe droughts. The town is surrounded by the Atacama Desert and receives 12 mm (½ in) of rain per year. The population of Copiapó was 9,128 in 1903; and 11,617 in 1907. As of 2012, there are 158,438 inhabitants. Copiapó is in a rich silver and copper mining in Chile, copper mining district, and while it attends large-scale mining operations further afar it is the central town of surrounding medium-scale mining mining district. A bronze statue commemorates Juan Godoy, discoverer ...
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Chañaral
Chañaral is a small coastal city and commune in the Atacama Region, Chile and capital of the Chañaral Province. The ocean is contaminated by the copper mining activity in the area. Just north of the city lies Pan de Azúcar National Park. It is the central town of a mining district dominated by medium-scale mining, including the nearby El Carmen mine which is considered the basis for the medium-scale iron mining in Chile. History In 1824, Diego de Almeyda discovered significant copper deposits near Chañaral, and copper mining began in the area. The town was founded in October 26, 1833 as ''Chañaral de las Ánimas'' ("Chañar field of the Souls"). Demographics According to the 2002 census by the National Statistics Institute (''INE'') the commune of Chañaral spans an area of and had 13,543 inhabitants (6,968 men and 6,575 women). Of these, 13,180 (97.3%) lived in urban areas and 363 (2.7%) in rural areas. The population fell by 2.8% (393 persons) between the 1992 and ...
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