MineGuessr – Las Cruces, Spain: High-Grade Hydromet Copper Mine in the Iberian Pyrite Belt

MineGuessr Advent Calendar 2025 – Door 7

Las Cruces is one of the mines featured in our 2025 MineGuessr mining advent calendar. Each December day, we reveal a new mining satellite timelapse and invite you to guess the mine from satellite imagery of mines across Europe and the Nordics.

On this page, we provide a concise, professional overview of Las Cruces – its location, geology, operational history and role in the raw materials value chain. The satellite timelapse helps illustrate how a greenfield agricultural site north-west of Seville was transformed, within a few years, into one of Europe’s benchmark hydrometallurgical copper operations – and how it is now transitioning towards a polymetallic underground project.

Satellite view of the Las Cruces hydrometallurgical copper mine in the Iberian Pyrite Belt north-west of Seville

Overview & location

From space, Las Cruces is a compact but very distinctive copper operation on the eastern flank of the Iberian Pyrite Belt. For decades, the timelapse shows only irrigated fields and farm roads; then, in the mid-2000s, a modern open pit, waste facility and process plant “appear” and mature rapidly.

Las Cruces lies in southern Spain, about 20 km north-west of Seville, within the municipalities of Gerena, Guillena, Salteras and La Algaba in Seville Province. It is developed on a volcanogenic massive sulphide (“VMS”) system belonging to the Iberian Pyrite Belt, with a supergene copper zone overlain by clays and underlain by polymetallic primary sulphides.

The mine is owned and operated by First Quantum Minerals Ltd. through its subsidiary Cobre Las Cruces S.A. Open-pit mining of the secondary copper orebody is now complete and the site is transitioning to a polymetallic underground project with a new refinery, designed to produce copper, zinc, lead and silver from the deeper primary sulphides.

Geology & deposit type

Las Cruces represents the Iberian Pyrite Belt end of the MineGuessr portfolio – a supergene-enriched copper deposit on top of a classic VMS system:

Host: Volcanic and sedimentary rocks of the late Devonian–early Carboniferous Iberian Pyrite Belt, a world-class district for Cu–Zn–Pb–Ag VMS deposits.
Supergene ore: A blanket of high-grade secondary copper sulphides (mainly chalcocite) with overall grades >5% Cu, developed above the primary VMS lens.
Primary ore: A polymetallic sulphide body (chalcopyrite, sphalerite, galena and precious metals) with reported reserves in the tens of millions of tonnes and Cu-equivalent grades around 2–2.5% CuEq, targeted by the new underground project.

In MineGuessr terms, Las Cruces is the high-grade hydromet copper case study: a relatively modest footprint, short open-pit mine life, but very high copper grades and a technically sophisticated flowsheet.

What the mining satellite timelapse shows

The mining satellite timelapse for Las Cruces (1984–2022) is especially instructive because the mine is very young in satellite-imagery terms. Most of the visible transformation occurs within two decades:

Pre-2005 – agricultural landscape

For the first twenty years of the timelapse, the Las Cruces area shows intensive agriculture, irrigation canals and small roads – with only subtle exploration tracks hinting at future development.

From space: It is almost indistinguishable from the surrounding countryside – a useful reminder that many modern mines start beneath seemingly ordinary farmland.

Mid-2000s – construction and pit development

Following the granting of a mining concession in 2003, site preparation, process-plant construction and open-pit development accelerate.
By 2009, commercial production begins: the plant is designed for ~2.2 Mt/y of ore and around 72 kt/y of LME-grade copper cathode.

In the timelapse: you’ll see the first pit cut, construction of the hydromet plant, solution ponds and waste facilities, and new access roads tying the site into regional infrastructure.

2010s – full production, wall failures and optimisation

Through the 2010s, Las Cruces operates as a high-grade open-pit mine feeding a hydrometallurgical plant, producing tens of thousands of tonnes of copper cathode per year for the European market.
In 2019, a land-slippage event on the northern wall reduces ore access and forces a revised mine plan, with increased reliance on stockpiles and tailings reprocessing.

In the imagery: the open pit deepens and broadens, dumps and process ponds grow, and then you notice changes to pit geometry and re-shaping of waste as geotechnical controls are implemented.

2020s – end of open-pit mining, tailings retreatment and transition to underground

According to First Quantum, mining of the secondary sulphide open-pit orebody was completed in August 2020, and the last non-primary stockpiles were processed by early 2021.
From 2021–2023, Las Cruces focuses on tailings reprocessing and early works for the polymetallic underground project, before entering care and maintenance while permitting and financing progress.

In the most recent frames: the pit appears largely complete, some slopes and benches are re-contoured, and progressive rehabilitation is visible around former dumps and water-management structures – illustrating how closure works can change the mine’s footprint almost as quickly as construction did.

Mining method & processing – how the ore moves

Las Cruces was operated as a conventional truck-shovel open pit with a highly specialised hydrometallurgical plant:

Open-pit mining: Conventional drill-blast, load and haul of clay-rich cover, high-grade secondary sulphide ore and waste. Production sequencing had to balance steep geotechnics, aquifer protection and access to high-grade zones.
Hydrometallurgical processing:
- Crushing and grinding of high-grade secondary sulphide ore (>5% Cu).
- Atmospheric ferric sulphate leaching and solid–liquid separation.
- Purification, solvent extraction and electrowinning (SX–EW) to produce LME Grade A copper cathode on site – without a smelter.
Water and residue management: The project has relied on a complex dewatering and reinjection system to protect local aquifers, and has been a reference – and sometimes a controversy – in Spanish debates on mine water quality and river ecosystems.

The planned underground polymetallic phase will use more conventional flotation and refining to recover copper, zinc, lead and silver from the primary sulphides.

Role in the raw materials value chain and energy transition

Las Cruces has been one of the few EU-based producers of refined copper cathode from EU ore, contributing to security of supply in a region that is otherwise heavily import-dependent.

In the context of the energy transition, Las Cruces is relevant because:

Copper cathodes produced in Spain feed power grids, electric-vehicle wiring, motors and renewable-energy infrastructure.
The hydrometallurgical route offers different emission and environmental profiles compared with conventional concentrate–smelter chains.
The next underground polymetallic phase could support a broader multi-metal supply (Cu–Zn–Pb–Ag) into European industrial value chains.

At the same time, recent scientific work and public debate around water discharges to the Guadalquivir River and metal loading in fish underline how critical rigorous monitoring and transparent ESG performance are for social acceptance of modern mining in Europe.

What to look for in the MineGuessr timelapse

As a MineGuessr player, you might look for:

The transition from agriculture to mining – the way rectangular fields and irrigation canals give way to a circular open pit and process plant.
The rapid deepening of a very high-grade pit during its relatively short open-pit life.
Distinctive solution ponds and process water circuits associated with hydrometallurgy, rather than the large tailings dams you see at many concentrator-based mines.
The start of rehabilitation and re-vegetation around the pit and facilities as mining winds down and the project prepares for its underground phase.

MineGuessr perspective – why this mine was included

We selected Las Cruces for the MineGuessr mining advent calendar because it:

Showcases a high-grade supergene copper deposit in the Iberian Pyrite Belt with a compact but technically sophisticated footprint.
Illustrates a clear life-of-mine arc in the satellite timelapse: from farmland, to modern open pit, to progressive rehabilitation and transition to underground.
Represents a European hydrometallurgical copper operation and the ESG debates that come with water-intensive processing in populated regions.

In our GeoGuessr-style mine guessing game, Las Cruces helps spark conversations about supergene enrichment, hydromet copper flowsheets, mine water management and closure planning in the EU context.

In December, keep opening a new door every day and explore all 24 mines featured this year on the main MineGuessr mining advent calendar page.

Day 1 - Aitik (Sweden, copper-gold open pit)
A large, low-grade copper operation south of Gällivare
👉 Open Door 1 - Aitik
Day 2 - Björkdal (Sweden, gold)
Gold mine near Skellefteå, combining open-pit and underground mining.
👉 Open Door 2 - Björkdal
Day 3 - Kemi (Finland, chrome)
Chrome mine in northern Finland, Europe’s only chromite operation.
👉 Open Door 3 - Kemi
Day 4 - Ørtfjell (Norway, iron ore)
Iron ore mine in Norway’s Dunderland Valley, evolving from large open pits to underground mining.
👉 Open Door 4 - Ørtfjell
Day 5 - Trimouns (France, talc)
World’s largest working talc quarry high in the French Pyrenees above Luzenac.
👉 Open Door 5 - Trimouns
Day 6 - Skouries (Greece, copper-gold porphyry)
High-grade copper–gold porphyry project in the forests of Halkidiki, still under construction.
👉 Open Door 6 - Skouries
Day 8 - Assarel–Medet (Bulgaria, copper)
Twin porphyry copper open pits in the Panagyurishte district, from Europe’s former largest open-pit copper mine at Medet to today’s modern Assarel operation.
👉 Open Door 8 - Assarel–Medet
Day 9 - Glomel (France, andalusite)
World-class andalusite open-pit quarry in Brittany’s Montagnes Noires, supplying refractory minerals for Europe’s steel, foundry, cement and glass industries.
👉 Open Door 9 - Glomel
Day 10 - Parnassos–Ghiona (Greece, bauxite)
Karst-type bauxite mines in the Parnassos–Ghiona mountains, a historic alumina feedstock district supplying Greece’s aluminium industry.
👉 Open Door 10 - Parnassos–Ghiona
Day 11 - Kittilä (Finland, gold)
Europe’s largest primary gold mine at the Suurikuusikko orogenic gold deposit north of the Arctic Circle.
👉 Open Door 11 - Kittilä
Day 12 - Oltenia Energy Complex (Romania, lignite)
Cluster of large open-pit lignite mines and mine-mouth power plants in Gorj County, now at the centre of Romania’s coal phase-out and just transition plans.
👉 Open Door 12 - Oltenia Energy Complex
Day 13 - Cornwall china clay (UK)
Historic Imerys china clay pits near St Austell, where bright white kaolin benches and tips reshape “Clay Country” over decades of mining and restoration.
👉 Open Door 13 - Cornwall china clay
Day 14 - Aggeria–Agia Irini (Greece, bentonite)
Overlapping bentonite open pits on the volcanic island of Milos, anchoring one of Europe’s key industrial minerals districts.
👉 Open Door 14 - Aggeria–Agia Irini
Day 15 - Skouriotissa (Cyprus, copper & hydromet)
Ancient copper mining district in the Troodos ophiolite, now a hydrometallurgical hub processing copper, gold and battery-metal feed.
👉 Open Door 15 - Skouriotissa
Day 16 - Tunstead (UK, limestone & cement)
The UK’s largest limestone quarry near Buxton, feeding an integrated lime and cement works with long-term restoration and biodiversity plans.
👉 Open Door 16 - Tunstead
Day 17 - Narva (Estonia, oil shale)
Large open-pit oil shale mine in Ida-Viru County, supplying the Narva power plants and reshaping the landscape with strip mining and reclamation.
👉 Open Door 17 - Narva
Day 18 - Sydvaranger (Norway, iron ore)
Arctic banded iron formation at Bjørnevatn near Kirkenes, evolving toward DR-grade magnetite for Europe’s green steel transition.
👉 Open Door 18 - Sydvaranger
Day 19 - Kevitsa (Finland, nickel–copper–PGE)
Multimetal open-pit mine in Finnish Lapland, combining Ni–Cu–PGE production with trolley-assisted haulage for lower-emission mining.
👉 Open Door 19 - Kevitsa
Day 20 - Styrian Erzberg (Austria, iron ore)
Terraced “pyramid” open-pit iron ore mine at Eisenerz, turning 12 Mt of rock into ~3 Mt of ore each year for Austria’s steel industry.
👉 Open Door 20 - Styrian Erzberg
Day 21 - Minas de Alquife (Spain, iron ore)
Europe’s largest open-pit iron ore mine in Granada, restarting in 2020 after two decades of closure to supply high-grade ore to European steelmakers.
👉 Open Door 21 - Minas de Alquife
Day 22 - Siilinjärvi (Finland, phosphate)
EU’s only operating phosphate mine in central Finland, mining an Archean carbonatite for fertiliser-grade apatite and creating distinctive pale tailings and phosphogypsum stacks.
👉 Open Door 22 - Siilinjärvi
Day 23 - Tellnes (Norway, ilmenite/titanium)
World-class ilmenite open pit in the Rogaland Anorthosite Province, supplying TiO₂ pigment feedstock from one of Europe’s largest titanium deposits.
👉 Open Door 23 - Tellnes
Day 24 - Elatsite (Bulgaria, copper–gold porphyry)
High-altitude porphyry copper–gold open pit in Bulgaria’s Srednogorie zone, with ore conveyed under the Balkan Mountains to a separate flotation–tailings complex.
👉 Open Door 24 - Elatsite

About Gosselin Mining

At Gosselin Mining, we work with the kinds of projects that Las Cruces represents: copper deposits with complex metallurgy, ESG-sensitive settings and multi-phase mine plans that move from open pit to underground or from single-metal to polymetallic flowsheets. If you need to:

Stress-test your life-of-mine plan for an Iberian Pyrite Belt–style or VMS copper project
Evaluate hydromet vs. smelter-based processing routes and their ESG implications
Benchmark your water management, closure and rehabilitation strategy against peer operations

…you’re very welcome to book a meeting with us.