{{Infobox mine | name = La Coipa | image = | width = | caption = | pushpin_map = Chile Atacama#Chile | pushpin_label = | pushpin_map_caption = | coordinates = {{coord|26|48|52.56|S|69|16|5.77|W|source:wikidata|display=title,inline}} | place = Diego de Almagro | subdivision_type = Region | state/province = Atacama Region | country = Chile | owner = Kinross Gold | official website = | discovery year = | products = Gold, silver | financial year = 2023 | amount = 167,870 ounces gold | opening year = 1993 | closing year = }} '''La Coipa''' is a gold mine in the Andes and Atacama Desert of northern Chile. It lies 140 km northeast of the city of Copiapó at an altitude of 3,800 to 4,200 meters above sea level.<ref name=ecogeo/><ref>{{Cite news |title=Especial Proyectos Mineros: La Coipa, Fenix Gold y Lobo Marte |date=2025-02-09 |url=https://www.nuevamineria.com/revista/especial-proyectos-mineros-la-coipa-fenix-gold-y-lobo-marte/ |access-date=2025-08-19 |work=Revista Nueva Minería y Energía |language=es}}</ref><ref name=consejocoipa/> The area of mine is cold, very arid, windy and experiences slight snowfall in winter.<ref name=ecogeo/> In 2023 it produced 4,759 kg of gold making it rank fourth in gold production in Chile, ahead of Collahuasi and after Escondida, Centinela and El Peñón.<ref name=five>{{Cite web |title=The five largest gold mines in operation in Chile |url=https://www.mining-technology.com/marketdata/five-largest-gold-mines-chile/ |date=2024-06-18 |access-date=2025-05-12 |website=Mining Technology}}</ref> Exploration leading to the establishment of La Coipa mine begun in the late 1970s following the realization of the size of the El Indio deposit farther south.<ref name=ecogeo/> The deposit itself was discovered in the 1980–1982 period.<ref name=ecogeo/> It opened in 1993 and its mine closure is planned for 2032.<ref name=five/><ref name=consejocoipa>{{Cite web |title=La Coipa |url=https://consejominero.cl/nosotros/mapa-minero/la-coipa/ |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=Consejo Minero |language=es}}</ref> It is fully owned by Kinross Gold since 2007 when the company bought out Goldcorp Inc. that owned 50% of the mining operation.<ref name=consejocoipa/>
The rocks hosting the gold mineralization are varied. They include shale and sandstone of Triassic age and tuff and tuffaceous breccia that date to times slightly before or after the Oligocene–Miocene boundary.<ref name=ecogeo>{{Cite journal |title=General Geology of La Coipa Precious Metal Deposit, Atacama,Chile |journal=Economic Geology |last=Oviedo |first=Luis |volume=86 |pages=1287-1300 |last2=Grez |first2=Enrique |last3=Aguilar |first3=Angelo|year=1991}}</ref> The mining operation at La Coipa has two main mineralization areas: Ladera-Farel1ón and Coipa Norte.<ref name=ecogeo/> The orebodies tend to follow some faults, most of which are north-south and northeast-southwest and locally associate with some rock types. The shapes of the orebodies have been described as belonging to two types; "semitabular" and "mushroom-like".<ref name=ecogeo/> Some of the richest mineralizations are associated with argillic alteration.<ref name=ecogeo/>
By 1991 the cutoff grade was 1 gram gold (or gold-value equivalent) per metric ton.<ref name=ecogeo/>
==References== {{reflist}}
Category:Gold mines in Chile Category:Mines in Atacama Region Category:Open-pit mines Category:Surface mines in Chile Category:Kinross Gold