Mineral Evolution Database
Created and maintained by the Mineral Evolution Project in partnership with RRUFF and mindat.
Mineral locality data provided by mindat.org



The Mineral Evolution database is currently under development.

The goal of this page is to present localities at which the mineral is found, and estimates of the oldest possible geologic age of the minerals at these localities.


Locality Name:
La Escondida Mine, Escondida, El Loa Province, Antofagasta, Chile

Oldest recorded age at locality: 1880
Youngest recorded age at locality: 34.49

mindat Locality ID: 39272
mindat URL: http://www.mindat.org/loc-39272.html

Tectonic Settings:

Total number of sublocalities beneath "La Escondida Mine, Escondida, El Loa Province, Antofagasta, Chile": 3
Total number of bottom-level sublocalities: 3

Number of Child Localities: 3
Child Localities:
Escondida Norte Deposit
Pampa Escondida Deposit (Carmen Propect)
Zaldívar Mine (Zaldívar Deposit)

Latitude: 24°12'53"S
Longitude: 69°3'39"W
Decimal Degree (lat, lon): -24.214722222222,-69.060833333333

AThis mineral is Anthropogenic.
GThis mineral is directly dated.
BThis mineral is reported as having this age.
YThis mineral is using an age reported as an element mineralization period.
OThis mineral is using an age calculated from all data at the locality.
RThe age displayed for this mineral originates from a different, non-child locality.
PThe age displayed for this mineral is the range of ages for this mineral at all of this locality's children.
This mineral's age has not yet been recorded.

This Mineral list contains entries from this locality, including sub-localities. Minerals in bold are reported by mindat.org as occurring directly at this locality, and do not occur at any children (sublocalities) of this locality.

Elements at this locality, including sub-localities: Ag Al As Au C Ca Cl Cu F Fe H K Mo Na O P Pb S Se Si Sr Te Ti Zn 

Elements from minerals reported directly at this locality: Al Cu Fe H K O P S Si Sr 

Structural Groups for minerals in this locality: 
AllophaneAluniteAndalusiteAtacamiteBrochantiteCalciteChalcopyriteClayClinozoisiteCopper
CorundumCovelliteDiasporeDigeniteEnargiteEpidoteFeldsparFluoriteGypsumKaolinite
MalachiteMarcasiteMeloniteMicaMolybdeniteNoneNot in a structural groupPyritePyrophylliteQuartz
RocksaltRutileSphaleriteSpinelStanniteTetrahedriteTitaniteTurquoiseWurtzite

53 IMA Minerals at location:
Albite  (*)Alunite  (*)Andalusite  (*)Anhydrite  (*)Anilite  (*)
Antlerite  (*)Atacamite  (*)Azurite  (*)Bornite  (*)Brochantite  (*)
Calaverite  (*)Calcite  (*)Chalcocite  (*)Chalcopyrite  (*)Chrysocolla  (*)
Copper  (*)Corundum  (*)Covellite  (*)Cuprite  (*)Diaspore  (*)
Digenite  (*)Djurleite  (*)Enargite  (*)Epidote  (*)Fischesserite  (*)
Fluorite  (*)Galena  (*)Goethite  (*)Gold  (*)Gypsum  (*)
Hematite  (*)Hessite  (*)Idaite  (*)Jarosite  (*)Kaolinite  (*)
Libethenite  (*)Magnetite  (*)Malachite  (*)Marcasite  (*)Molybdenite  (*)
Muscovite  (*)Pseudomalachite  (*)Pyrite  (*)Pyrophyllite  (*)Quartz  (*)
Rutile  (*)Sphalerite  (*)Svanbergite  (*)Sylvanite  (*)Tennantite-(Fe)  (*)
Tenorite  (*)Titanite  (*)Turquoise  (*)
Mineral nameStructural GroupsIMA FormulaMax Age (Ma)Min Age (Ma)# of Sublocalities containing mineralLOCALITY IDs, not mindat ids# of localities containing mineral
Albite  (*)FeldsparNa(AlSi3O8)188034.491358548803
Alunite  (*)NoneKAl3(SO4)2(OH)6188018800966
Andalusite  (*)AndalusiteAl2SiO5188034.491358541310
Anhydrite  (*)Not in a structural groupCa(SO4)188034.491358541588
Anilite  (*)DigeniteCu7S418801880088
Antlerite  (*)Not in a structural groupCu2+3(SO4)(OH)418801880235853,35855246
Atacamite  (*)AtacamiteCu2Cl(OH)318801880135853544
Azurite  (*)Not in a structural groupCu3(CO3)2(OH)2188034.491358535509
Bornite  (*)NoneCu5FeS418801880335853,35854,358555516
Brochantite  (*)BrochantiteCu4(SO4)(OH)6188018801358531633
Calaverite  (*)MeloniteAuTe2188034.49135854361
Calcite  (*)CalciteCa(CO3)188034.4913585427770
Chalcocite  (*)NoneCu2S18801880335853,35854,358555707
Chalcopyrite  (*)ChalcopyriteCuFeS218801880335853,35854,3585527198
Chrysocolla  (*)Allophane(Cu2-xAlx)H2-xSi2O5(OH)4·nH2O18801880235853,358553531
Copper  (*)CopperCu188018801358533846
Corundum  (*)CorundumAl2O3188034.491358541797
Covellite  (*)CovelliteCuS18801880335853,35854,358554165
Cuprite  (*)Not in a structural groupCu2O188018801358532970
Diaspore  (*)DiasporeAlO(OH)188018800481
Digenite  (*)DigeniteCu1.8S18801880235853,358541027
Djurleite  (*)NoneCu31S16188018800300
Enargite  (*)Enargite WurtziteCu3AsS418801880135853910
Epidote  (*)Epidote ClinozoisiteCa2(Al2Fe3+)[Si2O7][SiO4]O(OH)188018801358548173
Fischesserite  (*)NoneAg3AuSe2188034.4913585424
Fluorite  (*)FluoriteCaF2188034.491358549617
Galena  (*)RocksaltPbS1880188013585424243
Goethite  (*)DiasporeFeO(OH)1880188007437
Gold  (*)CopperAu188034.49235853,3585430554
Gypsum  (*)GypsumCa(SO4)·2H2O188034.491358546890
Hematite  (*)CorundumFe2O31880188013585314640
Hessite  (*)NoneAg2Te188034.49135854804
Idaite  (*)Stannite SphaleriteCu3FeS4188018800142
Jarosite  (*)AluniteKFe3+3(SO4)2(OH)61880188002228
Kaolinite  (*)Clay KaoliniteAl2Si2O5(OH)4188018801358545591
Libethenite  (*)AndalusiteCu2(PO4)(OH)188034.49135853234
Magnetite  (*)SpinelFe2+Fe3+2O418801880235853,3585414899
Malachite  (*)MalachiteCu2(CO3)(OH)2188034.4913585312537
Marcasite  (*)MarcasiteFeS21880188005674
Molybdenite  (*)MolybdeniteMoS218801880335853,35854,358555800
Muscovite  (*)Mica ClayKAl2(Si3Al)O10(OH)2188034.49235853,3585417380
Pseudomalachite  (*)NoneCu5(PO4)2(OH)4188034.49135853369
Pyrite  (*)PyriteFeS218801880335853,35854,3585539462
Pyrophyllite  (*)Clay PyrophylliteAl2Si4O10(OH)2188018800771
Quartz  (*)QuartzSiO2188034.49235854,3585561156
Rutile  (*)RutileTiO2188034.491358545614
Sphalerite  (*)SphaleriteZnS18801880235853,3585421482
Svanbergite  (*)AluniteSrAl3(SO4)(PO4)(OH)6188018800105
Sylvanite  (*)MeloniteAgAuTe4188034.49135854337
Tennantite-(Fe)  (*)TetrahedriteCu6(Cu4Fe2)As4S13188034.49235853,358541803
Tenorite  (*)NoneCuO188034.491358531101
Titanite  (*)TitaniteCaTi(SiO4)O188034.491358544899
Turquoise  (*)TurquoiseCuAl6(PO4)4(OH)8·4H2O18801880135853484



2 Ages assigned to this locality:

Excel IDMax Age (Ma)Min Age (Ma)Age as listed in referenceDating MethodAge InterpretPrioritized?Sample SourceSample NumRun NumAge from other LocalityDated MineralMinerals explicitely stated as having this ageAge applies to these ElementsMinDat Locality IDDated Locality (Max Age)Location as listed in referenceReferenceReference DOIReference IDAge Notes
PorphCu-00097188018801880      Alunite, Anilite, Antlerite, Atacamite, Bornite, Brochantite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Chrysocolla, Copper, Covellite, Cuprite, Diaspore, Digenite, Djurleite, Enargite, Epidote, Galena, Goethite, Hematite, Idaite, Jarosite, Kaolinite, Magnetite, Marcasite, Molybdenite, Pyrite, Pyrophyllite, Sphalerite, Svanbergite, TurquoiseCu39272La Escondida Mine, Escondida, El Loa Province, Antofagasta, ChileEscondidaSinger et al. (2008) USGSOFR2008_1155 
PorphCu-0009838.8934.4938.72±0.17 to 34.9±0.41       Cu39272La Escondida Mine, Escondida, El Loa Province, Antofagasta, ChileLa EscondidaSinger et al. (2005) USGSOFR2005_1060 


SampleSource LocalityReference URL


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