What is mined in the Atacama Desert?

The Atacama Desert is also the center of one of the most important reserves of mineral resources across the globe,2 particularly copper, gold, silver, molybdenum, lithium, and other metallic and nonmetallic minerals. Currently, Chile supplies nearly 40% of the world copper production.

Where is the Escondida mine located?

northern Chile
Escondida, located in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile, is a copper porphyry deposit. We own 57.5 per cent of the Escondida mine, a leading producer of copper concentrate and cathodes located in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile.

How much of the world’s copper comes from Chile?

In 2020, Chile’s copper mine production was estimated at 5.7 million metric tons of metal content, representing 28.5 percent of the global copper production that year.

Who discovered Escondida?

David Lowell
David Lowell passed away in Tucson, Arizona. Considered the best mining explorer in the world, Lowell achieved the discovery of 17 deposits throughout his career, including Escondida in Antofagasta, or the San Cristóbal gold mine near Lomas Bayas and Pierina mine, in Peru, among others.

Are there any new mines in the Atacama Desert?

New mine projects in development, such as Codelco’s plan to develop sulfide ores at its Radomiro Tomic mine and Newmont (TSX: NGT; NYSE: NEM) and Teck Resources’ (TSE: TECK.A, TECK.B; NYSE: TECK) Nueva Union joint venture, have included desalinization plants from their conception.

What makes the white gold in the Atacama Desert?

But even after the nitrate mines closed in the 1930s, the source of the massive mineral drifts remained a mystery. Glowing white as they bake on the sere desert surface, the Atacama nitrates are like nothing else in the world.

How tall is the Atacama Desert in Chile?

The mine is located 170 kilometers (110 miles) southeast of Chile’s port city of Antofagasta, in the hyper-arid northern Atacama Desert at an elevation of 3,050 meter (10,010 feet) above sea level.

Where was the mining accident in Chile in 2010?

The 2010 Copiapó mining accident, also known then as the ” Chilean mining accident “, began on Thursday, 5 August 2010 with a cave-in at the San José copper–gold mine, located in the Atacama Desert 45 kilometers (28 mi) north of the regional capital of Copiapó, in northern Chile.