Mina Los Colorados, Iron ore mine in Huasco Province, Chile

Mina Los Colorados is an open-pit iron ore mine in Huasco Province, in northern Chile, not far from Vallenar. The ore extracted here is processed directly on site before being shipped as a refined iron product to international markets.

The mine belongs to CAP Minería, the reorganized mining arm of CAP. Its beneficiation plant began operating in 1998, and in 2012 a dry magnetic separation plant for tailings started up, processing fresh and stockpiled rejects averaging 14.5% magnetic iron. A parallel plant, part of the APVH project to raise Valle del Huasco output, was due to start in mid-2013, lifting concentrate production to 9.15 million tonnes a year.

The mine's name, Los Colorados, refers to the reddish colour of the iron-rich rock. The ore is moved by rail from the mine to the Huasco pellet plant, and the dry magnetic concentration plant that began operating in 2012 processes both fresh and stockpiled rejects averaging 14.5% iron.

The mine lies about 30 km northwest of Vallenar, in terrain administered by the Huasco commune, and is not open to tourists; access requires prior authorization. The site is an active operation with blasting by an outside contractor, so visits are arranged through CAP Minería rather than on arrival. Preconcentrate leaves by contracted rail service to the Huasco pellet plant.

The name Los Colorados means the red ones in Spanish, a direct reference to the reddish color of the iron-rich rock found in this part of the Atacama desert. Because of the on-site magnetic concentration process, only the refined concentrate leaves the mine, not the raw rock.