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Copper explorers coasting in Chile

The drive north along Ruta 5 from La Serena towards Vallenar is to drive through more than a century of mining history. From the silver mines of the 1800s, to the iron ore mines of the late twentieth century, and the almost continual small-scale production of high-grade copper oxide. The four-lane highway passes through a wide valley with desert scrub and cacti, in parts reminiscent of Nevada or Arizona in the US, particularly with the cobalt blue sky and beating sun.

Copper explorers coasting in Chile Copper explorers coasting in Chile Copper explorers coasting in Chile Copper explorers coasting in Chile Copper explorers coasting in Chile

The Hot Chili team at Productora near Vallenar, Chile

The drive passes a wind farm funded by Barrick Gold and various solar generation facilities but tucked away to the east of the Coastal Range and the Pacific Ocean, it also runs along part of the

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