Category: Amazing Excavations

“Chuquicamata, or “Chuqui” as it is more familiarly known, is by excavated volume the biggest open pit copper mine in the world, located in the north of Chile, 215 km northeast of Antofagasta and 1,240 km north of the capital, Santiago. The mine is owned and operated by Codelco, a Chilean state enterprise, since the Chilean nationalization…

“The Grasberg Mine is the largest gold mine and the third largest copper mine in the world. It is located in the province of Papua in Indonesia near Puncak Jaya, the highest mountain in Papua, and it has 19,500 employees. It is majority owned through a subsidiary by Freeport-McMoRan, own 90.64% of PT Freeport Indonesia,…

“The EKATI Diamond Mine (“EKATI”) is Canada”s first surface and underground diamond mine. It is located 310 kilometres (190 mi) north-east of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, and about 200 kilometres (120 mi) south of the Arctic circle, near Lac de Gras. EKATI is a joint venture between BHP Billiton Canada Inc. (80%) and the two geologists who discovered…

“The Diavik Diamond Mine is a diamond mine in the North Slave Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada, about 300 kilometres (190 mi) north of Yellowknife. It has become an important part of the regional economy, employing 700, grossing C$100 million in sales, and producing 8 million carats (1,600 kg (3,500 lb)) of diamonds annually. The area was…