Pit Production An Escondida Mine, Chile story
Deserts
Mining
Production in the Escondida Mine began in 1990. Total mined copper production through 2014 was 22 million tons, 21% of all copper mined in Chile.
It’s easy in these images to see the extent to which the open-pit mining operation is expanding. But it’s harder to appreciate how deep the pits are. The main pit at Escondida is 645 meters deep. If you could stack two Eiffel Towers inside the pit, the top one would just barely peek over the edge.
Location
Oct. 30, 1972, Landsat 1 (path/row 250/77) — Open pits at Escondida Mine, Chile
Oct. 27, 1989, Landsat 4 (path/row 233/77) — Open pits at Escondida Mine, Chile
Nov. 10, 2000, Landsat 7 (path/row 233/77) — Open pits at Escondida Mine, Chile
Nov. 17, 2011, Landsat 5 (path/row 233/77) — Open pits at Escondida Mine, Chile
Nov. 6, 2013, Landsat 8 (path/row 233/77) — Open pits at Escondida Mine, Chile
Nov. 12, 2015, Landsat 8 (path/row 233/77) — Open pits at Escondida Mine, Chile
Nov. 1, 2017, Landsat 8 (path/row 233/77) — Open pits at Escondida Mine, Chile
Nov. 20, 2018, Landsat 8 (path/row 233/77) — Open pits at Escondida Mine, Chile
Nov. 25, 2020, Landsat 8 (path/row 233/77) — Open pits at Escondida Mine, Chile
Escondida Mine, Chile Additional Imagery & Stories
Mine Tailings
To conserve water and minimize environmental impacts, Escondida created a tailings impoundment that has expanded along with its mining operations. The...