El Morado (lit. "The Purple") is a largely inactive copper mine and mining district in Atacama Region, Chile.
  El Morado  El Morado | |
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Location | Coastal Cordillera, 40 km south of Freirina |
| Atacama Region | |
| Country | Chile |
| Coordinates | 28°52′19″S 71°07′34″W / 28.871941°S 71.126211°W |
| Production | |
| Products | Copper |
| History | |
| Opened | 1952 |
| Closed | 1973 |
| Owner | |
| Company | Sociedad Capote Aurífero |
Discovery and activity
editThe copper ores of El Morado were discovered in the late 18th century and were mined through the 19th century.[1]
El Morado's last cycle of mining began in 1952 when the mining company Sociedad Capote Aurífero led by the Callejas brothers began construction of processing facilities.[2][3] The individual mines in El Morado worked in this period included Arenillas and Santo Domingo.[1] In the early 1970s El Morado was restructured as a mining cooperative.[4] Mining in El Morado halted after a fire burned its processing plant and storage facility on November 1, 1973.[5] At its height El Morado employed more than 300 workers and about one thousand people lived in its vicinity.[1] Following its closure El Morado became depopulated.[5]
Geology
editThe copper in El Morado is found in NE-oriented quartz veins whose thickness ranges from 30 to 100 cm.[1] The ore minerals in these veins are chrysocolla, brochantite and chalcopyrite.[1] In addition the veins contain magnetite, pyrite and specularite.[1]
References
edit- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Castillo Jorquera, Nicoll; Tapia Viera, Miguel, eds. (2016). “Geoturismo en el Valle del Huasco: Un aporte de las geociencias al desarrollo y crecimiento del turismo tradicional” (PDF) (in Spanish). pp. 13–16.
- ↑ Álvarez Gómez 1995, p. 158.
- ↑ Álvarez Gómez 1995, p. 159.
- ↑ Venegas Valdebenito, Hernán (2012). "El cooperativismo minero como alternativa de organización social y económica en los años de la revolución. Atacama 1964-1973". Tiempo Histórico (in Spanish). 5: 103–127.
- 1 2 Álvarez Gómez 1995, p. 162.
Bibliography
edit- Álvarez Gómez, Oriel (1995). Huasco de cobre (in Spanish). Ediciones de la Universidad de Atacama. pp. 158–162.