Minerals from Chile

Chile is one of the world’s leading mining countries, particularly for copper, and produces a range of mineral specimens—though much of its output is industrial rather than aimed at collectors.

The Atacama Desert region is the centre of mining activity, and hosts several major copper deposits. The Chuquicamata and Escondida mines are among the largest open-pit copper mines in the world. While most material from these sites is processed, secondary copper minerals do occasionally make it to the market—malachite, chrysocolla, brochantite, and atacamite being the most notable.

El Teniente and La Escondida have produced sulphide specimens too, including chalcopyrite, bornite, and enargite, though these are less common as cabinet pieces.

Chile is also well known for its rich deposits of nitrates and iodine-bearing minerals, historically important for agriculture. These are rarely seen in collections outside of specialist circles.

Occasional finds of gem-quality andradite garnet (especially demantoid and topazolite varieties) have been reported from the northern provinces. I’ve also seen some decent quartz specimens, often with iron staining or minor inclusions.

Specimens from Chile are not always common in the commercial mineral trade, likely due to the dominance of large-scale industrial operations and the relatively low priority given to specimen preservation at mine sites.

Older material may be labelled “South America” or “Atacama Desert” without more precise locality data.

One thing that should be highlighted is that Chile does have arguably the worlds most ‘ethical’ source of Lapis Lazuli, with the other two known sources being in Russia and Afghanistan – not exactly beacons of democracy currently.

Chile