Editing Codelco (section)

====Radomiro Tomic====
The Radomiro Tomic deposit, 5&nbsp;km north of the main pit, was discovered in 1952 when Anaconda conducted an extensive churn drilling programme to explore for oxidised ore to the north of the Chuquicamata pit.  It was named Chuqui Norte but they did not develop it, largely because the technology had not been developed, particularly SX/EW.  Two smaller areas of interest were found and the overall results showed that the Chuquicamata complex of mineralised porphyries is no less than 14&nbsp;km long.<ref name=yaci/>

The deposit is covered with some 100 metres of alluvium and in 1993/94 Codelco estimated a resource base for the operation of 802 million tonnes of oxide ore grading 0.59% copper and 1,600 million tonnes of refractory (sulphide) ore.  The deposit covers an area of 5&nbsp;km x 1.5&nbsp;km.<ref>[http://www.mining-technology.com/projects/radomiro/ ''Radomiro Tomic Copper Mine, Chile '']</ref>

Mining started in 1997 and is again a conventional truck and shovel operation followed by crushing, pre treatment and stacking before acid leaching.  Copper is extracted by SX/EW.  Leached ore is removed by bucket wheel excavator followed by secondary leaching.  It is likely that the 'refractory' sulphide ore will be mined and used to keep the Chuquicamata mill full during the changeover to underground mining.  The last published production by Radomiro Tomic, from Cochilco, was 379,600 tonnes in 2013.