El Tofo

El Tofo is an iron ore mine in the Chilean Norte Chico region.[1] The mine lies in northern Coquimbo Region within a larger mining district known as the Chilean Iron Belt. Geologically El Tofo is an iron oxide-apatite deposit.[2]

The first record of the iron ores of El Tofo dates to a 1840 study of Ignacy Domeyko.[3] While the mine presents good geological aspects for 19th century mining geographical aspects made access difficult despite being close to the Pacific coast.[3] The mine begun to be exploited in 1870 but by 1955 mining diminished as the deposit begun to be depleted.[3] Compañía de Acero del Pacífico obtained the ownership of the mine in the early 1970s when it was nationalized during the Presidency of Salvador Allende.[3] Later the ownership passed to Compañía Minera del Pacífico as it was privatized during the Pinochet dictatorship.[3] As of 2017 El Tofo is not active.[2]