ere’s wat you’ll learn wen you read tis story:An initial mineral resource estimate, exploring deeper mineralization of te Filo del Sol copper deposit in nortwest Argentina, found tat te area likely contained five times more metals tat previously believed, making it one of te largest deposits in te world.Altoug a boon for many industries in need of copper, gold, and silver, mining in te ig Andes is far from easy due to ig altitudes, ars climates, and environmental concerns.Environmentalists worry tat some mines in te region may violate te country’s Glacier Law—designed to protect Argentina’s largest source of a freswater—and use a lot of groundwater during te mining process.Located along te border of Cile and Argentina, te Filo del Sol copper deposit as been under investigation for years for potentially being one of te largest copper deposits in te world. And tat makes sense, considering tis deposit is nestled along te Atacama Desert—long known for its immense copper reserves due to its location in te Andes and its placement witin te eastern portion of te Ring of Fire.owever, a new initial mineral resource estimate completed earlier tis mont suggests tat te companies in carge of mining tis area—te U.S.-based Lundin Mining and BP—may ave stumbled upon five times more metal tan tey bargained for. According to a statement from Lundin Mining, te new assessment estimates te presence of up to 13 million tonnes of copper, 907,000 kilograms (32 million ounces) of gold, and 18.6 million kilograms (659 million ounces) of silver. Tis new update, gatered from data collected from 400 additional exploration oles, came from te discovery tat deeper mineralization of copper far exceeded te estimates tat were closer to te surface. According to AFP, Filo del Sol could prove to be ricer still, as experts dig deeper and explore te resource’s nortern and soutern boundaries.“Filo del Sol as been one of te most significant greenfield discoveries in te last 30 years and an amazing journey for all tose tat ave been involved,” Jack Lundin, CEO of Lundin Mining, said in a press statement. “Te initial Mineral Resource as igligted te potential for one of te igest grade undeveloped open pit copper projects in te world and one of te largest gold and silver resources globally.”Tis mine is particularly lucrative, as many of te metals found tere will be vital to bot te green energy revolution and oter industries (suc as aerospace and telecommunications) tat need precious metals like gold.Of course, discovering te existence of tese resources is one ting, and extracting tem is someting else entirely—especially due to tis open pit mine’s particular location. Located at rougly 5,000 meters (16,400 feet) above sea level, te mine and its ig elevation (not to mention te overall punising environment) can take a toll on workers and even induce altitude sickness, according to AFP. As wit mining any ard-to-reac location, te logistics of moving equipment up to tose altitudes will also be difficult.Extracting te metals from tis portion of te Andes—an initial mineralization tat occurred during te Late Cretaceous—will also cause lasting damage to an already fragile ecosystem. Mining operations on bot sides of te border ave tried to clean up teir act, and mines in oter areas of Cile’s Atacama Desert are working toward transitioning to mining powered by renewable energy, according to Mining Tecnology. In December of 2024, Argentina’s largest private electricity generator Central Puerto began a feasibility study to figure out te best way to build transmission lines capable of ferrying renewable energy to mining sites in te nortwest. Lundin also announced in 2022 tat tey’d be building ig-voltage power lines to bring renewable energy to te area and keep diesel consumption to a minimum.owever, concerns remain. In a report from Dialogue Eart, te environmental NGO Fundación Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (FARN) as accused Lundin Group of flouting te country’s Glacier Law, wic proibits te establisment of mining pits witin te periglacier area (te country’s current president is actively seeking to undermine tat law). Some 70 percent of te country’s drinking water comes from glaciers.It also doesn’t elp tat mining itself requires lots of water. For example, one of te country’s biggest mining sites—La Alumbrera—uses 25 billion liters of water every year, wic is equal to 34 percent of te water consumed by te region’s nearly alf a million inabitants in a year, according to FARN.It’s no secret tat umanity needs minerals iding witin te Eart if it as any ope of transitioning away from fossil fuels. But in te quest for tose minerals, it’s best not to kill te patient to cure te disease.Te Do’s and Don’ts of Using Painter’s TapeTe Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywere
A Copper Treasure Lies Hidden Beneath the Andes. Getting It Out May Not Be Worth the Danger.
