XML 31 R44.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT
v3.3.0.814

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES: (Details) MXN in Millions, $ in Millions |  |  |  |  |  | 1 Months Ended | 3 Months Ended | 6 Months Ended | 9 Months Ended | 12 Months Ended
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
Aug. 07, 2015 item | Mar. 02, 2015 MXN item | Mar. 02, 2015 USD ($) item | Sep. 15, 2014 MXN | Sep. 15, 2014 USD ($) | Aug. 29, 2014 | Aug. 06, 2014 km m³ | Mar. 31, 2014 | Sep. 30, 2015 USD ($) item | Jun. 30, 2015 item | Jun. 30, 2015 item | Dec. 31, 2014 item | Sep. 30, 2015 MXN item / m³ item | Sep. 30, 2015 USD ($) item / m³ item | Sep. 30, 2014 USD ($) | Dec. 31, 2013 | Dec. 31, 2011 category person
Environmental costs |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Environmental capital investment | $ |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | $ 76.2 | $ 113.4 |  |
Amount of administrative fines and sanctions (in pesos) |  | MXN 23.5 | $ 1.7 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Number of collective action lawsuits |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 6 | 6 |  |  |  |  |
Number of Constitutional action lawsuits |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 3 | 3 |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Number of lawsuits dismissed | 2 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Number of subsidiaries against which lawsuits were filed |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 2 | 2 |  |  |
Maximum |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Environmental costs |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Number of zones |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 5 | 5 |  |  |
Minimum |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Environmental costs |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Number of zones |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 2 | 2 |  |  |
Buenavista del Cobre, S.A. de C.V |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Environmental costs |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Volume of copper sulfate solution (in cubic meters) | m³ |  |  |  |  |  |  | 40,000 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Distance of pond under construction from mine (in kilometers) | km |  |  |  |  |  |  | 10 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Number of zones |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 5 | 5 |  |  |
Amount committed to the Mexican Federal Government to establish a trust (in peso) |  |  |  | MXN 2,000.0 | $ 150.0 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Amount contributed to the Mexican Federal Government (in peso) | MXN |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | MXN 1,000.0 |  |  |  |
Number of administrative proceedings. |  | 4 | 4 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Number of workers hired |  |  |  |  |  | 1,200 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Estimated contingent liability | $ |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | $ 114.8 |  |  |  |  | $ 114.8 |  |  |
Amount already paid | $ |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | $ 39.9 |  |  |  |  | 39.9 |  |  |
Amount deposited in the trust (in peso) |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | MXN 1,000.0 | 74.9 |  |  |
Number of civil actions seeking damages |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 7 |  |  |  |  |  |
Peru |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Environmental costs |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Environmental capital investment | $ |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | $ 60.8 | 95.9 |  |
Period required for ambient air monitoring as per environmental regulation |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 1 day |
Air quality standards level for sulfur dioxide to be maintained when emission is excess than specified as per new environmental regulation (in micrograms per cubic meter) | item / m³ |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 80 | 80 |  |  |
Number of atmospheric basins established that require further attention |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 3 | 3 |  |  |
Number of months for identification of contaminated sites and around in facilities |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 12 months |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Period for preparation of decontamination plan |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | P24M |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Period of extension for preparation of decontamination plan |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 1 year |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Number of days in which results of soil confirmation tests are to be presented to authorities |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 30 days |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Peru | Maximum |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Environmental costs |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Revised air quality standards for sulfur dioxide as per new environmental regulation (in micrograms per cubic meter) | item / m³ |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 20 | 20 |  |  |
Mexico |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Environmental costs |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Environmental capital investment | $ |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | $ 15.4 | $ 17.5 |  |
Number of categories of collective actions | category |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 3
Minimum number of people claiming injury due to collective action initiative in Civil Federal Procedures Code (CFPC) | person |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 30
Francisco Garcia Enriquez |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Environmental costs |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Number of Constitutional action lawsuits |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 2 | 2 |  |  |  |  |  |  |

X
- Definition Represents the amount committed to the Mexican Federal Government to establish a trust to support the remedial efforts undertaken and to comply with the environmental remediation plan. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | scco_AmountCommittedToMexicanFederalGovernmentToEstablishTrust
Namespace Prefix: | scco_
Data Type: | xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type: | debit
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Represents the amount contributed to the Mexican Federal Government trust. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | scco_AmountContributedToMexicanFederalGovernmentToEstablishTrust
Namespace Prefix: | scco_
Data Type: | xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type: | debit
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Represents the amount deposited in the trust to compensate claims as they arise. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | scco_AmountDepositedInTrust
Namespace Prefix: | scco_
Data Type: | xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type: | debit
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Represents the maximum amount of administrative fines and sanctions, which the company may require to pay. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | scco_AmountOfAdministrativeFinesAndSanctions
Namespace Prefix: | scco_
Data Type: | xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type: | debit
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Represents the distance of pond under construction from mine. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | scco_DistanceOfPondUnderConstructionFromMine
Namespace Prefix: | scco_
Data Type: | num:lengthItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- References No definition available. + Details
Name: | scco_EnvironmentalCostLineItems
Namespace Prefix: | scco_
Data Type: | xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Represents the amount of estimated contingent liability. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | scco_EstimatedContingentLiability
Namespace Prefix: | scco_
Data Type: | xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type: | credit
Period Type: | instant

X
- Definition Represents the minimum number of people claiming injury, to initiate collective action for environmental matters. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | scco_MinimumNumberOfPeopleClaimingInjuryToInitiateCollectiveAction
Namespace Prefix: | scco_
Data Type: | xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Represents the information pertaining to number of administrative proceedings. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | scco_NumberOfAdministrativeProceedings
Namespace Prefix: | scco_
Data Type: | xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Represents the number of atmospheric basins established environmental agency of the government which require further attention as per the new environmental regulations. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | scco_NumberOfAtmosphericBasinsEstablishedThatRequireFurtherAttention
Namespace Prefix: | scco_
Data Type: | xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Represents the number of categories of collective actions for environmental matters. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | scco_NumberOfCategoriesOfCollectiveActionsForEnvironmentalMatters
Namespace Prefix: | scco_
Data Type: | xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Represents the number of civil actions seeking damages for injuries. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | scco_NumberOfCivilActionsSeekingDamages
Namespace Prefix: | scco_
Data Type: | xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Represents the number of collective action lawsuits sought for damages. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | scco_NumberOfCollectiveActionLawsuits
Namespace Prefix: | scco_
Data Type: | xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Represents the number of collective action lawsuits dismissed. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | scco_NumberOfCollectiveActionLawsuitsDismissed
Namespace Prefix: | scco_
Data Type: | xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Represents the number of Constitutional action lawsuits against various authorities and a subsidiary of The Company + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | scco_NumberOfConstitutionalActionLawsuits
Namespace Prefix: | scco_
Data Type: | xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Represents the number of subsidiaries of the company against which lawsuits were filed + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | scco_NumberOfSubsidiariesAgainstWhichLawsuitsFiled
Namespace Prefix: | scco_
Data Type: | xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Represents the number of workers hired for the rehabilitation of the entity's mining unit. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | scco_NumberOfWorkersHired
Namespace Prefix: | scco_
Data Type: | xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Represents the number of zones in which the program will be developed. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | scco_NumberOfZones
Namespace Prefix: | scco_
Data Type: | xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Represents the period in which the entity has to to identify contaminated sites in and around its facilities and present a Report of Identified Contaminated Sites. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | scco_PeriodForIdentificationOfContaminationSitesAndAroundInFacilities
Namespace Prefix: | scco_
Data Type: | xbrli:durationItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Represents the period for preparation of decontamination plan. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | scco_PeriodForPreparationOfDecontaminationPlan
Namespace Prefix: | scco_
Data Type: | xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Represents the period of extension the entity may request for decontamination plan preparation. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | scco_PeriodOfExtensionForPreparationOfDecontaminationPlan
Namespace Prefix: | scco_
Data Type: | xbrli:durationItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Represents the period required for ambient air monitoring to establish daily sulfur dioxide (SO2) levels of those areas with average emissions equal or less then specified air quality standard as per the new environmental regulations. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | scco_PeriodRequiredForAmbientAirmonitoringAsPerEnvironmentalRegulation
Namespace Prefix: | scco_
Data Type: | xbrli:durationItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Represents the number of days in which results of soil confirmation tests are to be presented to authorities. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | scco_PeriodWithinWhichResultsOfSoilConfirmationTestsMustBePresentedToAuthorities
Namespace Prefix: | scco_
Data Type: | xbrli:durationItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Represents the amount paid previous to the establishment of the trust. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | scco_RemediationAlreadySpent
Namespace Prefix: | scco_
Data Type: | xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type: | credit
Period Type: | instant

X
- Definition Represents the revised standard for concentration of an air pollutant (e.g. ozone) which is given in micrograms (one-millionth of a gram) as per the new environmental regulations. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | scco_RevisedStandardForConcentrationOfAirPollutantAsPerEnvironmentalRegulation
Namespace Prefix: | scco_
Data Type: | xbrli:decimalItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Represents the standard for concentration of an air pollutant level which is given in micrograms (one-millionth of a gram) to be maintained by areas which are having emission in excess than specified as per the new environmental regulations. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | scco_StandardForConcentrationOfAirPollutantLevelRequiredToBeMaintainedByAreasHavingExcessEmissionAsPerEnvironmentalRegulation
Namespace Prefix: | scco_
Data Type: | xbrli:decimalItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Represents the volume of copper sulfate solution, which accidentally spilled at the mine of Buenavista del Cobre, S.A. de C.V. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | scco_VolumeOfCopperSulfateSolution
Namespace Prefix: | scco_
Data Type: | num:volumeItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Amount of environmental remediation costs capitalized. These expenditures may relate to long-lived improvements in operating facilities. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 410 -SubTopic 30 -Section 25 -Paragraph 18 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=39739230&loc=d3e11660-110855 + Details
Name: | us-gaap_EnvironmentalCostsRecognizedCapitalizedInPeriod
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type: | debit
Period Type: | duration

X
- Details
Name: | us-gaap_RangeAxis=us-gaap_MaximumMember
Namespace Prefix: |
Data Type: | na
Balance Type: |
Period Type: |

X
- Details
Name: | us-gaap_RangeAxis=us-gaap_MinimumMember
Namespace Prefix: |
Data Type: | na
Balance Type: |
Period Type: |

X
- Details
Name: | dei_LegalEntityAxis=scco_BuenavistaDelCobreSaDeCVMember
Namespace Prefix: |
Data Type: | na
Balance Type: |
Period Type: |

X
- Details
Name: | us-gaap_StatementGeographicalAxis=country_PE
Namespace Prefix: |
Data Type: | na
Balance Type: |
Period Type: |

X
- Details
Name: | us-gaap_StatementGeographicalAxis=country_MX
Namespace Prefix: |
Data Type: | na
Balance Type: |
Period Type: |

X
- Details
Name: | us-gaap_CounterpartyNameAxis=scco_FranciscoGarciaEnriquezMember
Namespace Prefix: |
Data Type: | na
Balance Type: |
Period Type: |