Chile has some of the world's largest open pit copper mines. This mine, named Chuquicamata, is located near Antofagasta in northern Chile.
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Industry in the Southeast Pacific region
Air pollution comes from some industrial activities. Scientists know that aerosols from pollution can change the way that clouds are formed. Learning more about how clouds are formed in the Southeast Pacific region is important to the VOCALS project. So learning more about where the aerosols come from is important too.
Most of the industry in western Chile and Peru is found in the urban areas and port cities. Some of the bigger cities have many different industrial activities that put pollutants into the air, but the biggest source of aerosols comes from the mining industry.
Mining is very important to the people who live in northern Chile and southern Peru. There are lots of minerals to mine! Some of the important minerals are copper, iron, gold, and silver. Of these, copper mining and production is the most important. This region is one of the world's largest copper-mining centers. In fact, the largest open-pit copper mine in the world is located in Chuquicamata in northern Chile, very close to the arid Atacama Desert.
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