Spence mine

{{Infobox mine

| name = Spence mine

| image =

| width =

| caption =

| pushpin_map = Chile

| pushpin_label =

| pushpin_map_caption =

| coordinates = {{coord|22|47|39.9|S|69|15|11.88|W|source:wikidata|display=title,inline}}

| place = Sierra Gorda

| subdivision_type = Region

| state/province = Antofagasta Region

| country = Chile

| owner = BHP

| official website =

| discovery year = 1996

| products = Copper

| financial year = 2023

| amount = 244,000 tonnes copper

| opening year = 2006

| closing year =

}}

The Spence mine is an open pit copper mine located in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. More precisely it lies in the commune of Sierra Gorda in the Antofagasta Region.{{Cite web |title=Spence |url=https://consejominero.cl/nosotros/mapa-minero/spence/ |website=Consejo Minero|access-date=2025-05-09|language=Spanish}} In 2023 it produced 244,000 metric tons of copper. The mine begun operations in 2006. The mine is together with Cerro Colorado mine operated by the company Pampa Norte which is owned by BHP.{{Cite web |title=Reseña de Pampa Norte |url=https://www.bhp.com/es/what-we-do/global-locations/chile/pampa-norte |website=BHP |language=es}} It lies 162 km northeast of the port city of Antofagasta.

The ores of the mine site were discovered in 1996, during a period (1995–2004) in which many medium-sized mineral deposits of gold and copper with non-mineralized cover rocks were discovered in Chile.{{cite book |last=Camus |first=Francisco |date=2005|chapter=La minería y la evolución de la exploración en Chile |title=Minería y desarrollo |editor-last=Lagos |editor-first=Gustavo|editor-link=Gustavo Lagos |language=es |location=Santiago, Chile |publisher=Ediciones Universidad Católica de Chile |pages=229–270 |isbn=956-14-0844-9}}