Museo Minero de Tierra Amarilla

Useful Information

Location:	Lote 2G, setor Punta del cobre s/n, 1580000 Atacama, Tierra Amarilla. (-27.496542, -70.262137)
Open:	All year Mon-Thu 9-13:30, 14:30-16:50, Fri 9-12, Sat 14-16:50. [2024]
Fee:	free. [2024]
Classification:	Kupfer Eisen Gold Silber
Light:	Incandescent
Dimension:
Guided tours:
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:	Sergio Villalobos (2009): Pedro León Gallo. Minería y Política, Fundación Tierra Amarilla. online Jorge Ibáñez Vergara (2010): Pedro León Gallo, Fundación Tierra Amarilla.
Address:	Museo Minero de Tierra Amarilla, Lote 2G, setor Punta del cobre s/n, 1580000 Atacama, Tierra Amarilla, Tel: +56-52-232-9136. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

2006	Fundación Tierra Amarilla established.
2007	garden, irrigation canals and the workers' house restored.
18-AUG-2011	museum opened to the public.
2024	museum reopened.

Geology

Description

The Museo Minero de Tierra Amarilla is dedicated to the local mining history and its development since the 18th century. The structure od the permanent exhibition is a little strange, as it is neither structured by topics nor historically. Actually the eight rooms are dedicated to eight different persons which were important for the history of the mining area.

Jose Santos Ossa was miner, explorer and entrepreneur in the exploitation of saltpeter. He explored this area and discovered the ore deposits. THe exhibition explains the origin and formation of the universe, the geological history of our planet and types of rocks.
Room 2 is dedicated to the English naturalist and author of the theory of the evolution of species Charles Darwin. He visited Atacama twioce, 1832 and 1835, on a scientific trip. The room explains the evolution vertebrate and invertebrate paleontology, paleobotany and its relationship to geological eras.
Juan Godoy Normilla was prospector and goat herder from Copiapino. He is credited with the discovery of the Chañarcillo mine in 1832, which is located about 35 km to the south. It was the richest silver deposit in the history of Chile and gave wealth to Chile for almost the whole 19th century. The exhibit concentrates on ores and minerals from Chañarcillo mine.
The North American shipping entrepreneur Guillermo Wheelwright was actually named William Wheelwright, obviously. He built the first industrial railway in South America, a route which connected the Caldera section with Copiapó in 1851. The room is also dedicated to the tectonic structure of the area with the Atacama tectonic margin, plate boundaries associated with earthquakes and volcanism, and the mineralogical evolution of the area.
Jose Joaquin Vallejo was known as Jotabeche, he was a writer, journalist and politician from Copiapó. He reflected the customs of the Chilean society of his time and founded the newspaper El Copiapino in 1845. The room explains the beginning of the industrialization of mining and copper processing. It also explains the geology of the Punta del Cobre mining district.
Room 6 is dedicated to the explorer, mining engineer and surveyor Francisco J. San Román. It shows how he explored and surveyed the Atacama Desert, and explains the types of geological exploration.
The mining prospector and entrepreneur Jose Antonio Moreno founded Taltal on 12-JUL-1858. The exhibition explains the zoning of a copper porphyry deposit with a schematic model.
Ignacio Domeyko was a Polish mining engineer, who contributed to the development of the national mining industry with his geological knowledge. He developed new mining technologies as well as legislation. The room has an exhibition of national minerals and stones, the highlight is a schematic profile of an underground mine.

The collection of the Tierra Amarilla Mining Museum is about the natural, economic and historical details of the Atacama region. It covers the mining history from the 15th century to the present day. The local Candelaria mine is important, but not the only topic of the museum. Exhibits originate from nearby mining operations, exchanges with local mining companies, and geological exploration in Atacama and northern Chile. The natural collection includes minerals, ores, fossils, metallic meteorites, igneous rocks and more. Varieties of quartz crystals and a wide range of copper oxides are important and quite impressive parts of the exhibition. The geological collection is the largest and most important part of the museum. This collection represents the greater and lesser north of Chile, with a large number of geological samples. The paleontological collection includes specimens from Quebrada El Patón, Quebrada El Molle and the Inca village of Oro. Many fossils were collected by the geologists of the neighbouring mine. Highlights are three dinosaur footprints from the Lower Cretaceous.

The site has a large park surrounding the museum building. With a size of 8,000 m² it has enough space for samples of large minerals as well as mining tools and industrial machinery. The

The museum is open all year from Monday to Saturday, there is no entrance fee, and they offer free guided tours if they are scheduled at least one week in advance. It is managed by the Tierra Amarilla Foundation, a non-profit cultural institution, governed by the Cultural Donations Law.