Indigenous Communities in Chile Raise Concerns about Public Health Risks Posed by Mining Operations During the COVID-19 Pandemic
The Atacama salt flat of northern Chile is home to the indigenous Lickanantay, who consider water and brine to be sacred and inextricable parts of their territory. The salty brine below the surface of the salt flat is an ancient… More »
Banks, mining executives, car companies, and the rush to mine lithium in the Andean salt flats of Chile and Argentina
Residents of Chilean Patagonia's Espolon Valley fear that a gold, copper and silver mining project backed by Canadian company Kinross Gold Corporation and US company Geocom Resources Inc. could destroy much of the area's renowned wilderness and harm it's flourishing eco-tourism and fishing industry.
Kinross and Geocom have acquired a total of 14 square miles (3,800 hectares) of mining claims in the Espolon Valley in Provincia de Palena in Chile's Region de Los Lagos. The Espolon mining claim was explored in 2005 and 2006 by Geocom, and the companies then elevated the the claim to formal venture status in September 2007.