# Medium-scale mining > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Medium-scale_mining > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Medium-scale_mining.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medium-scale_mining > Source revision: 1331333261 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) **Medium-scale mining** refers to mining that is larger than [artisanal](/source/Artisanal_mining) 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](/source/Man-hour) employed in the mining operation and others on either the total mass [ore](/source/Ore) extracted, the mass of [metal](/source/Metal) (or non-metallic mineral) extracted or the [dry-equivalent](/source/Dry_ton) mass of [ore concentrate](/source/Ore_concentrate) produced. ## Definitions The [Chilean mining](/source/Mining_in_Chile) guild [Sociedad Nacional de Minería](/source/Sociedad_Nacional_de_Miner%C3%ADa) (SONAMI) defines medium-scale mining as those [producing copper](/source/Copper_mining_in_Chile) in the range of 1,500 to 50,000 metric tons per year.[1] 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.[1] For Chile's [National Geology and Mining Service](/source/National_Geology_and_Mining_Service) medium-scale mining is that which employ between 1 million and 200 thousand [man-hours](/source/Man-hour) per year, which is equivalent to a full-time workforce of between 80 and 400 persons.[2] For Chilean state-owned company [Empresa Nacional de Minería](/source/ENAMI_(Chile)) (ENAMI) medium-scale mining is different from the small scale mining in that it has a monthly produce of exceeding one of the following; 300 metric tons of dry copper concentrate, 150 metric tons of dry gold-silver concentrate, 100 metric tons of dry copper precipitate or else a total produce of 10,000 metric tons of mineral.[2] The [Chilean Copper Commission](/source/Chilean_Copper_Commission) uses a definition offered by the [Instituto de Ingenieros de Minas de Chile](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Instituto_de_Ingenieros_de_Minas_de_Chile&action=edit&redlink=1) in 1990 which considers medium-scale mining as those mining companies producing between 3,000,000 and 100,000 metric tons of copper yearly (8,000 to 300 dayly).[3] In [Peru](/source/Peru) the law *Ley General de Minería* defines medium-scale mining as that which has a dayly produce of in the range from 350 to 5,000 metric tons [ore concentrate](/source/Ore_concentrate) or more [processesed ore](/source/Mineral_processing).[4] ## Medium-scale mining in Chile [Chañaral](/source/Cha%C3%B1aral) [Copiapó](/source/Copiap%C3%B3) [Huasco](/source/Huasco) [Andacollo](/source/Andacollo) Location of [mining disctrics in Chile](/source/Mining_in_Chile) where medium-scale mining is dominant.[5] In Chile medium-scale mining (Spanish: *mediana minería*) is concentrated near roads or other pre-existing infrastructure, and lie thus away from the high [Andes](/source/Andes) where nearly all mines belong to the large-scale mining category.[6][5] For mines with an annual produce of less than 10,000 metric tons a simplified [mine closure](/source/Mine_closure) procedure apply in Chile.[7] [ENAMI](/source/ENAMI_(Chile)) has in its role the purchase of [ore](/source/Ore) from medium and small-scale mining which it does at stabilized prices to avoid [volatility](/source/Volatility_(finance)).[8][9] There are multiple policies in Chile that tend to group media and small-scale mining together.[10] Medium-scale mining in Chile tend to focus on copper and produced about 4.5% of the copper mined in the country from 2017 to 2021,[11] with Chile being the world's largest producer of copper.[12][13] Medium-scale mining in Chile has a high rate of success in the [environmental impact assessments](/source/Environmental_impact_assessment) with an approval rate of 92% from 2017 to 2022.[14] Yet these approvals last each for a few years as projects submitted by medium-scale mining involve short time-frames.[15] A 2017 study show that medium-scale mining in Chile is 23% less efficient in its use of water relative to large-scale mining, yet it has been suggested to be in favourable conditions to apply environmental techniques such as [dry tailings](/source/Tailings) relative to large-scale mining.[16] ## References 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGuajardoMarañónCiudaddel_Mauro202313_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGuajardoMarañónCiudaddel_Mauro202313_1-1) [Guajardo et al. 2023](#CITEREFGuajardoMarañónCiudaddel_Mauro2023), p. 13. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGuajardoMarañónCiudaddel_Mauro202314_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGuajardoMarañónCiudaddel_Mauro202314_2-1) [Guajardo et al. 2023](#CITEREFGuajardoMarañónCiudaddel_Mauro2023), p. 14. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGuajardoMarañónCiudaddel_Mauro202315_3-0)** [Guajardo et al. 2023](#CITEREFGuajardoMarañónCiudaddel_Mauro2023), p. 15. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGuajardoMarañónCiudaddel_Mauro202318_4-0)** [Guajardo et al. 2023](#CITEREFGuajardoMarañónCiudaddel_Mauro2023), p. 18. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEAndradeMuñozSalazar202524_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEAndradeMuñozSalazar202524_5-1) [Andrade, Muñoz & Salazar 2025](#CITEREFAndradeMuñozSalazar2025), p. 24. sfn error: no target: CITEREFAndradeMuñozSalazar2025 ([help](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Harv_and_Sfn_template_errors)) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEAndradeMuñozSalazar20254_6-0)** [Andrade, Muñoz & Salazar 2025](#CITEREFAndradeMuñozSalazar2025), p. 4. sfn error: no target: CITEREFAndradeMuñozSalazar2025 ([help](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Harv_and_Sfn_template_errors)) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGuajardoMarañónCiudaddel_Mauro202317_7-0)** [Guajardo et al. 2023](#CITEREFGuajardoMarañónCiudaddel_Mauro2023), p. 17. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEUlloa_UrrutiaContreras_BiekertGana_AravenaMiranda_Toledo201750_8-0)** [Ulloa Urrutia et al. 2017](#CITEREFUlloa_UrrutiaContreras_BiekertGana_AravenaMiranda_Toledo2017), p. 50. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-soren_9-0)** Scholvin, Sören; Atienza, Miguel. "La formalización de la pequeña minería en Chile: logros y desafíos de la Empresa Nacional de Minería (ENAMI)". *[Investigaciones Geográficas](/source/Investigaciones_Geogr%C3%A1ficas)* (in Spanish). **66**: 1–13. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEAndradeMuñozSalazar202511_10-0)** [Andrade, Muñoz & Salazar 2025](#CITEREFAndradeMuñozSalazar2025), p. 11. sfn error: no target: CITEREFAndradeMuñozSalazar2025 ([help](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Harv_and_Sfn_template_errors)) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGuajardoMarañónCiudaddel_Mauro202322_11-0)** [Guajardo et al. 2023](#CITEREFGuajardoMarañónCiudaddel_Mauro2023), p. 22. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** [Copper production in 2024 by USGS](https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2025/mcs2025-copper.pdf) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-cifras_13-0)** [Cifras actualizadas de la minería](https://consejominero.cl/mineria-en-chile/cifras-actualizadas-de-la-mineria/) (Report) (in Spanish). [Consejo Minero](/source/Consejo_Minero). 2025-03-01. p. 4. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGuajardoMarañónCiudaddel_Mauro202343_14-0)** [Guajardo et al. 2023](#CITEREFGuajardoMarañónCiudaddel_Mauro2023), p. 43. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGuajardoMarañónCiudaddel_Mauro202344_15-0)** [Guajardo et al. 2023](#CITEREFGuajardoMarañónCiudaddel_Mauro2023), p. 44. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEUlloa_UrrutiaContreras_BiekertGana_AravenaMiranda_Toledo2017188_16-0)** [Ulloa Urrutia et al. 2017](#CITEREFUlloa_UrrutiaContreras_BiekertGana_AravenaMiranda_Toledo2017), p. 188. ## Bibliography - Guajardo, Juan Carlos; Marañón, Matías; Ciudad, Juan Cristóbal; del Mauro, Bastián; Nicolás, Muñóz; Fiorella, Ulloa (2023). [Caracterización de la mediana minería en Chile](https://www.sonami.cl/v2/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/caracterizacion-mm.pdf) [Characterization of medium-scale mining in Chile] (PDF) (Report) (in Spanish). [Centro de Estudios y Documentación Mineros de SONAMI](/source/Sociedad_Nacional_de_Miner%C3%ADa). - Andrade, Sebastián; Muñoz, Felipe; Reinaldo, Salazar (2025). [Distritos productivos para el desarrollo de la minería chilena](https://www.sonami.cl/v2/publicaciones/distritos-productivos-desarrollo-mineria-chilena/) [Productive districts for the development of mining in Chile] (Report) (in Spanish). [Centro de Estudios y Documentación Mineros de SONAMI](/source/Sociedad_Nacional_de_Miner%C3%ADa). - Ulloa Urrutia, Alfie; Contreras Biekert, José Luis; Gana Aravena, Joaquín; Miranda Toledo, Rodrigo; Chauveau Gerber, Paul; Villalobos Valenzuela, Fernando; Farías Soto, Javiera (2017). *Productividad en la Gran Minería del Cobre* (in Spanish). Comisión Nacional de Productividad. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-956-7725-08-3](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-956-7725-08-3). --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Medium-scale mining](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medium-scale_mining) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medium-scale_mining?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.